SENATOR SMITH: How close were you to this lifeboat at that time?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: Fifteen feet.
SENATOR SMITH: Was it filled before starting to lower it?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: It was not high enough to lower.
SENATOR SMITH: Why?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: It was not high enough to lower. They were then endeavoring to get it over the bulwarks, outboard; swinging it; getting it over the bulwarks. When it was over the bulwarks, then it would hang in the tackles, and until it hung in the tackles it was impossible to put anyone in it.
SENATOR SMITH: How far below the boat deck?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: Above the boat deck.
SENATOR SMITH: How far above the boat deck?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: About 4 feet 6 inches.
SENATOR SMITH: And it was lowered to the boat deck?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: It did not get over the bulwarks to be lowered.
SENATOR SMITH: The last you saw of it?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Who was managing this tackle?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: The first officer, Mr. Murdock.
SENATOR SMITH: He lost his life?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: Yes.
SENATOR SMITH: Did you see Mr. Ismay at that time?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: No, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Did you, at any time?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Where?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: On the boat deck.
SENATOR SMITH: How long before she sunk?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: At first, before we started the boats, when we started to uncover the boats.
SENATOR SMITH: I did not quite catch that.
MR. LIGHTOLLER: When we started to uncover the boats.
SENATOR SMITH: How long was that after the collision?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: About 20 minutes.
SENATOR SMITH: What was he doing?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: Standing still.
SENATOR SMITH: Dressed?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: I could not say, sir; it was too dark.
SENATOR SMITH: Was he talking with anyone?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: No, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: He was alone?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: On what deck?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: On the boat deck.
SENATOR SMITH: Were there any other passengers on that deck?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: None that I saw at that time.
SENATOR SMITH: Did you see any there afterwards?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: Plenty.
SENATOR SMITH: Had the passengers the right to go on that deck from below?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: Every right.
SENATOR SMITH: There was no restraint at the staircase?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: None.
SENATOR SMITH: Was that true as to the steerage?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: The steerage have no right up there, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Did they on that occasion?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: Oh, yes.
SENATOR SMITH: There was no restraint?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: Oh, absolutely none.
SENATOR SMITH: There must have been considerable confusion.
MR. LIGHTOLLER: Not that I noticed.
SENATOR SMITH: Was everybody orderly?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: Perfectly.
SENATOR SMITH: How long did you see Mr. Ismay there alone?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: As I passed.
SENATOR SMITH: Where were you going at that time?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: I was attending to the boats, seeing the men distributed, having the boat covers stripped off.
SENATOR SMITH: You say you were 15 feet from this last boat when it was lowered?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: It was not lowered, sir. I was 15 feet from it when they were endeavoring to get it into the tackles.
SENATOR SMITH: Did you go nearer to it than that?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: Did not have the opportunity, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Why not?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: The ship went down.
SENATOR SMITH: Was this boat ever lowered?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: No, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: It remained in the tackle?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: When did you see Mr. Ismay with reference to the attempted lowering of this boat?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: I saw Mr. Ismay, as I stated to you, sir, once only.
SENATOR SMITH: Only once?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: And that was about 20 minutes after the collision?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: And there were no other passengers on that deck at that time?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: Not that I noticed. I should notice Mr. Ismay naturally more than I should notice passengers.
SENATOR SMITH: Why?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: Because I know him.
SENATOR SMITH: How long have you known him?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: Since I have been in the company.
SENATOR SMITH: Are you quite well acquainted with the officers of this company?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: I naturally know them by sight.
SENATOR SMITH: Does he know you?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: Oh, he knew me; yes.
SENATOR SMITH: Did he speak to you?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: No, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Who was he with at that time?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: No one.
SENATOR SMITH: Neither spoke to the other?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: No, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Did he see you?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: Yes, sir. I don't know whether he recognized me.
SENATOR SMITH: Do you know where the captain was at that time?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: I could not say, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Did you see him on the bridge?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: Previous to that I had seen him on the bridge.
SENATOR SMITH: How long before that?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: About three minutes after the impact.
SENATOR SMITH: Did he leave the bridge or did he remain there and you leave your point of occupation?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: I left.
SENATOR SMITH: You left?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Where did you go?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: Back to my berth.
SENATOR SMITH: What for?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: There was no call for me to be on deck.
SENATOR SMITH: No call, or no cause?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: As far as I could see, neither call nor cause.
SENATOR SMITH: You mean from the moment of the impact?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Did you believe the boat was in danger?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: No, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: You felt that it was not a serious accident?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: I did not think it was a serious accident.
SENATOR SMITH: What was the force of the impact?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: A slight jar and a grinding sound.
SENATOR SMITH: From front or side?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: Well, naturally I should think it was in front, whether I could tell or not.
SENATOR SMITH: You could not tell exactly?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: No, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Was there a noise?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: Very little.
SENATOR SMITH: Very little?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: Very little.
SENATOR SMITH: Did you go back to your room under the impression that the boat had not been injured?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Didn't you tell Mr. Ismay that that night?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: I had not seen Mr. Ismay then.
SENATOR SMITH: Did you tell him that afterwards?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: Really, I could not say, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Where were you when the impact occurred?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: In my berth.
SENATOR SMITH: Asleep?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: No, sir; I was just getting off asleep.
SENATOR SMITH: You arose?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Did you dress yourself?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: No, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: What did you put on, if anything?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: Nothing.
SENATOR SMITH: You went out of your room?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Forward?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: Out on deck.
SENATOR SMITH: On deck?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: Yes. I walked forward.
SENATOR SMITH: You walked forward how far?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: A matter of 10 feet, until I could see the bridge distinctly.
SENATOR SMITH: You could see the bridge distinctly; and the captain was on the bridge?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: The captain and the first officer.
SENATOR SMITH: Did you see any other officers at that time?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: I did not notice them.
SENATOR SMITH: Had no alarm been given at that time?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: None.
SENATOR SMITH: How much time elapsed after the impact and your appearance on the deck?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: I should say about two or three minutes.
SENATOR SMITH: Two or three minutes?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: Two minutes.
SENATOR SMITH: Then you returned? How long did you remain on deck?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: About two or three minutes?
SENATOR SMITH: At that time who else was on deck at that point?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: Excluding the bridge, I saw no one except the third officer who left his berth shortly after I did.
SENATOR SMITH: Did he join you?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: Yes.
SENATOR SMITH: Did you confer about what had happened?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: What did you conclude had happened?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: Nothing much.
SENATOR SMITH: You knew there had been a collision?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: Not necessarily a collision.
SENATOR SMITH: You knew you had struck something?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: What did you assume it to be?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: Ice.
SENATOR SMITH: Ice?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Why?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: That was the conclusion one naturally jumps to around the Banks there.
SENATOR SMITH: Had you seen ice before?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: No, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Had there been any tests taken of the temperature of the water?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: A test is taken of the water every two hours from the time the ship leaves until she returns to port.
SENATOR SMITH: Do you know whether these tests were made?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: They were.
SENATOR SMITH: Did you make them?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: Oh, no, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Were they made under your direction?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: No, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: How do you know they were made?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: It is the routine of the ship.
SENATOR SMITH: You assume they were made?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: But you can not say of your own knowledge that they were?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: Not of my own actual seeing; no, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: How were these tests made?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: By drawing water from over the side in a canvas bucket and placing a thermometer in it.
SENATOR SMITH: How far down did you dip this water; did you try to get surface water, or did you try to get below?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: It is impossible to get water below; just the surface.
SENATOR SMITH: You get surface water entirely?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Those tests had been made that day?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: Yes.
SENATOR SMITH: At intervals of two hours?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: This was on a Sunday?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Did you hear anything about the rope or chain or wire to which the test basins were attached not reaching the water at any time during those tests?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: The bucket, you speak of?
SENATOR SMITH: Yes.
MR. LIGHTOLLER: No, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Would a complaint of that character come to you if it had been true?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: Very quickly, I should think, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: How would it come to you?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: From the person who saw it, I should think.
SENATOR SMITH: It would be his duty to report to you?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: Undoubtedly.
SENATOR SMITH: Directly to you?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: Directly to the officer in charge of the ship at the time.
SENATOR SMITH: Who was in charge of the ship on Sunday?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: Each officer kept his own watch, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Were you in charge?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: During my watch.
SENATOR SMITH: What hours were your watch?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: Six o'clock until 10 o'clock.
SENATOR SMITH: At night?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: And morning.
SENATOR SMITH: So that from 6 o'clock in the evening on Sunday­­­
MR. LIGHTOLLER: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Until 10 o'clock you were in charge?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: And during that time two tests should have been made of the temperature of the water for the purpose of ascertaining whether you were in the vicinity of icebergs?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: No, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: For what purposes were the tests made?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: They were routine, sir. It is customary to make them.
SENATOR SMITH: Do you mean that you take these tests when you are not in the vicinity of the Grand Banks?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: From the time we leave port, any port in the world, until the time we get to the next port in any part of the world, these tests are taken by the White Star Line.
SENATOR SMITH: Did you take these tests when you were in the Gulf Stream?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: We take them all the time; every two hours.
SENATOR SMITH: Regardless of location or circumstances?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Or conditions?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: Yes, sir. I may except in narrow waters, such as rivers, or harbors. We do not take them there.
SENATOR SMITH: Is this test taken for the purpose of ascertaining the temperature of the water?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Merely?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: Merely.
SENATOR SMITH: What does the temperature of the water indicate to you?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: Nothing more than the temperature of the air, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Does it not indicate the proximity of a colder area or an unusual condition?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: No, sir. It indicates cold water, sir, of course.
SENATOR SMITH: Can you tell us how cold that water was?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: I know what it was when I was in it.
SENATOR SMITH: I should like to have your judgment about it.
MR. LIGHTOLLER: I should say it was not much over freezing; how much, I could not say. It might be 33 or 34.
SENATOR SMITH: Not much over freezing?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: No, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: What did the tests show?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: I do not know, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: You mean they not report to you?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: It is entered in a book, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: And the fact is not communicated to you directly after each test?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: Not unless I ask for it.
SENATOR SMITH: And you did not think it necessary to ask for it that night?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: No, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: You knew you were in the vicinity of icebergs, did you not?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: Water is absolutely no guide to icebergs, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: I did not ask that. Did you know you were in the vicinity of icebergs?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: No, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Did you know of the wireless message from the America to the Titanic, warning you that you were in the vicinity of icebergs?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: From the America to the Titanic?
SENATOR SMITH: Yes.
MR. LIGHTOLLER: I can not say that I saw that individual message.
SENATOR SMITH: Did you hear of it?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: I could not say, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Would you have heard of it?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: Most probably, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: If that had been the case?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: Most probably, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: In fact, it would have been the duty of the person receiving this message to communicate it to you, for you were in charge of the ship?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: Under the commander's orders, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: But you received no communication of that kind?
MR. LIGHTOLLER: I do not know whether I received the America's; I knew that a communication had come from some ship; I can not say that it was the America.
SENATOR SMITH: Giving the latitude and longitude of those icebergs?