SENATOR BOURNE: Were there other boats pulling away about the same time?
Mr. BRICE: There was one boat ahead of us that we could see.
SENATOR BOURNE: Did you have a light on your boat?
Mr. BRICE: No, sir; no lantern, sir. I searched for the lantern. I cut the lashing from the oil bottle and cut rope and made torches.
SENATOR BOURNE: Any provisions and water in the boat at all?
Mr. BRICE: I could not say that, sir, because we never bothered to look.
SENATOR BOURNE: Was it your impression that the Titanic was going to sink, or did you think she would float; that she was nonsinkable?
Mr. BRICE: I did not think she was going to sink.
SENATOR BOURNE: Did you see her sink?
Mr. BRICE: I saw her sink.
SENATOR BOURNE: Did she go bow down first?
Mr. BRICE: Bow down first.
SENATOR BOURNE: Did her stern rise in the air?
Mr. BRICE: She went down almost perpendicular.
SENATOR BOURNE: Were the lights still in the stern as she sank?
Mr. BRICE: No, sir; she became a black mass before she made the final plunge.
SENATOR BOURNE: You were about a quarter of a mile away?
Mr. BRICE: Yes, sir.
SENATOR BOURNE: Was there any explosion that you heard?
Mr. BRICE: I heard two rumbling noises.
SENATOR BOURNE: After she began to go bow down or before.
Mr. BRICE: She was well down.
SENATOR BOURNE: How far apart in time, probably, were the two explosions?
Mr. BRICE: From 8 to 10 minutes.
SENATOR BOURNE: The lights were out?
Mr. BRICE: Yes, sir.
SENATOR BOURNE: When the first explosion occurred, were the lights out?
Mr. BRICE: The lights were still on in the after end of the ship after the first and second explosions.
SENATOR BOURNE: Have you any idea whether she broke in two or not?
Mr. BRICE: That I could not say, sir.
SENATOR BOURNE: Did you figure that your boat was loaded to full capacity when you rowed away from the ship?
Mr. BRICE: You could not get to pull a stroke on the oar at all; she was packed.
SENATOR BOURNE: What made you assume it would have been dangerous to take on another passenger?
Mr. BRICE: It would not have been dangerous to take two or three, but there was somebody there giving orders about the boat, whoever he was; I do not know; I could not say. When you are loading a boat it all depends on the weather how many you can load on a boat.
SENATOR BOURNE: How long did you rest on your oars after you had gotten about a mile from the ship?
Mr. BRICE: We did not do any pulling at all, sir; only keeping the boat up head to the wind.
SENATOR BOURNE: How long did you remain that way?
Mr. BRICE: Until we saw the Carpathia.
SENATOR BOURNE: A couple of hours?
Mr. BRICE: I suppose it would be, sir, a couple of hours or more.
SENATOR BOURNE: Did any other boat come in your vicinity?
Mr. BRICE: No, sir. There was one ahead of us and one directly astern of us.
SENATOR BOURNE: None of the regular ship's officers took charge of your boat, at all?
Mr. BRICE: None at all, sir.
SENATOR BOURNE: Have you heard any criticism raised on the part of the men as to the management of the ship, at all, or any blame attached to anyone because of this catastrophe, in any way?
Mr. BRICE: I have not, sir.
SENATOR BOURNE: And the Titanic was as well managed as any of the ships you have sailed on in the 22 years you have been an able seaman?
Mr. BRICE: Yes, sir.
SENATOR BOURNE: Did you ever serve as a lookout and go into the eyes of a ship to look out for ice or in a fog?
Mr. BRICE: I have served as lookout, but not on the White Star Line.
SENATOR BOURNE: Those are the crow's­nest men?
Mr. BRICE: Yes, sir.
SENATOR BOURNE: Had you ever had any experience with ice before?
Mr. BRICE: Never, sir.
SENATOR BOURNE: You never went down in the boiler room?
Mr. BRICE: No, sir.
SENATOR BOURNE: The White Star management has a good reputation among the mariners and sailors; I mean, the boys like to ship on their line?
Mr. BRICE: I never have heard anything bad said about them.
SENATOR BOURNE: They stand as well as any line, so far as their treatment of their men is concerned and the wages paid, and all?
Mr. BRICE: Yes, sir; in all of the ships I have been in.
SENATOR BOURNE: After you left the ship were there any of the passengers or men transferred from No. 11 to any other boat?
Mr. BRICE: None at all, sir.
SENATOR BOURNE: And you picked up none from the sea?
Mr. BRICE: We picked up none; no sir.
SENATOR BOURNE: Did you see any?
Mr. BRICE: We did not see any.
SENATOR BOURNE: What was the idea of going a quarter of a mile away from the ship when she was sinking? Did you fear the suction of her going down?
Mr. BRICE: Well, that is the idea, sir; the suction.
SENATOR BOURNE: The general impression is that in the sinking of a ship an enormous suction is created that may take down other boats in the vicinity?
Mr. BRICE: Yes, sir.
SENATOR BOURNE: How many male passengers did you have among the 51 passengers that you had in the boat? Were they all women and children?
Mr. BRICE: Well, about 45 women and about 4 or 5 children in arms.
SENATOR BOURNE: Any male passengers at all?
Mr. BRICE: None at all, sir; not that I saw.
SENATOR BOURNE: We are very much obliged to you.
At 7:45 o'clock p.m. the taking of testimony before Senator Bourne was adjourned.
THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 1912.
SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, UNITED STATES SENATE,
Washington, D.C.
TESTIMONY TAKEN SEPARATELY BEFORE SENATOR WILLIAM ALDEN SMITH
ON BEHALF OF THE SUBCOMMITTEE.
The taking of testimony before Senator Smith was begun at 10 o'clock p.m.
TESTIMONY OF ALBERT HAINES.
MR. Haines was duly sworn by Senator Smith.
SENATOR SMITH: Where do you live?
MR. HAINES: In Kent. My home is in Kent.
SENATOR SMITH: How old are you?
MR. HAINES: Thirty­one, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: What is your occupation?
MR. HAINES: Boatswain's mate.
SENATOR SMITH: What are your duties on ship?
MR. HAINES: I take charge of one watch, sir; the starboard.
SENATOR SMITH: What watch?
MR. HAINES: The starboard watch, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: What are your duties?
MR. HAINES: I am in charge of one of the watches, doing the work of the ship.
SENATOR SMITH: Of what does your duty consist?
MR. HAINES: In keeping the decks clean, and the paint work; looking after the men, and keeping the decks clean ­ washing the decks down.
SENATOR SMITH: When did you join the Titanic?
MR. HAINES: I joined her at Belfast.
SENATOR SMITH: On what date?
MR. HAINES: I was there just about a week before she came away.
SENATOR SMITH: Before she sailed from Belfast?
MR. HAINES: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Were you on board when the trial trips were made?
MR. HAINES: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Did you have anything special to do during those trips?
MR. HAINES: No, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Where was your station or watch?
MR. HAINES: I am stationed out on the poop. I have the watch out on the poop going in and out of the harbor.
SENATOR SMITH: You went with the ship from Belfast to Southampton?
MR. HAINES: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: And sailed with the Titanic on its voyage from Southampton April 10?
MR. HAINES: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: On the trip from Southampton to the place where this accident occurred, will you just tell what you did and what you saw, if anything?
MR. HAINES: There was nothing unusual occurred until we had the accident.
SENATOR SMITH: Where were you when the accident occurred?
MR. HAINES: I was standing by, down below. It being Sunday night, the men did not work Sunday night, and the men were in the mess room, and I was outside, sir. If it had been any other night, we would have been washing the decks.
SENATOR SMITH: What do you mean by the expression "standing by"?
MR. HAINES: Standing by for orders. I was standing under the forecastle, waiting for any orders, so that I would be available if they wanted me.
SENATOR SMITH: Did you receive any orders that night?
MR. HAINES: Not before she struck; no, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Did you see the captain on the bridge?
MR. HAINES: Afterwards. I saw him when we was getting the boats out.
SENATOR SMITH: After the collision?
MR. HAINES: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Did you see him before?
MR. HAINES: No, sir; I did not have cause to go on the bridge before.
SENATOR SMITH: He might have been there and you not have seen him?
MR. HAINES: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Did you see Officer Lightoller there that night?
MR. HAINES: No, sir?
SENATOR SMITH: Or Officer Murdock?
MR. HAINES: Yes, sir; I was working with Officer Murdock; and Mr. Wilde, chief officer, was working with us, too.
SENATOR SMITH: Did they give you any orders?
MR. HAINES: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: What orders?
MR. HAINES: When I first heard the blow, I heard some air escaping right forward, and I ran forward to the exhaust from the forepeak tank. I said the forepeak tank was filling and the air was coming out and the water was coming in. It was an overflow pipe.
SENATOR SMITH: What was said about that?
MR. HAINES: Just as I got there the chief officer, Mr. Wilde, had gotten there, and the lamp trimmer was there, Mr. Hemming.
SENATOR SMITH: What was said there?
MR. HAINES: We said the forepeak tank was filling; the air was coming out and the water was coming in. He asked if there was any water in the forepeak, and the storekeeper went into the forepeak, and there was no water there, sir. That is the forepeak, sir; not the forepeak tank. The forepeak tank was full. The chief officer then went on the bridge to report.
SENATOR SMITH: What time was that?
MR. HAINES: The right time, without putting the clock back, was 20 minutes to 12.
SENATOR SMITH: What was done then?
MR. HAINES: I went down to look at No. 1 hole.
SENATOR SMITH: What did you find there?
MR. HAINES: The tarpaulin was bellying up, raising, showing that the water was coming in.
SENATOR SMITH: What did you do then?
MR. HAINES: I went on the bridge and reported to the chief officer?
SENATOR SMITH: What was said then?
MR. HAINES: I told him No. 1 hole was filling. He gave me an order then to get the men up and get the boats out.
SENATOR SMITH: What did you do?
MR. HAINES: I worked on the boats, sir; got all the boats swung out.
SENATOR SMITH: The lifeboats?
MR. HAINES: The lifeboats; yes, sir. Then I went and stood by my own boat, sir, No. 9.
SENATOR SMITH: On which side?
MR. HAINES: On the starboard side?
SENATOR SMITH: What happened then?
MR. HAINES: We had the boat crew there, and Mr. Murdock came along with a crowd of passengers, and we filled the boat with ladies, and lowered the boat, and he told me to lay off and keep clear of the ship. I got the boat clear, sir, and laid out near the ship. I did not think the ship would sink, of course, sir. When I saw her going down by the head, I pulled farther away, for the safety of the people in the boat.
SENATOR SMITH: How far away?
MR. HAINES: About 100 yards at first, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Mr. Murdock told you to get into this boat?
MR. HAINES: Yes, sir. I was in charge of that boat. That was my own boat, there being two sailors with me.
SENATOR SMITH: What were their names?
MR. HAINES: One was named McGow, and there was one by the name of Peters. That was my boat's crew.
SENATOR SMITH: That is, your regular boat's crew?
MR. HAINES: Yes, sir; just the two men.
SENATOR SMITH: Was there a station bill posted at that time on the Titanic?
MR. HAINES: Yes, sir; a boat­station bill, before ever the ship left. As soon as the crew is known they make out the list and put it up in the crew's quarters. Every man has a lifeboat station.
SENATOR SMITH: Of the crew?
MR. HAINES: The crew had; every one of the crew. They were told off in the different boats.
SENATOR SMITH: Then what happened?
MR. HAINES: We saw the ship go down by the head.
SENATOR SMITH: Did you go back near the ship?
MR. HAINES: I had a boat load, sir, and I asked the men if they thought it advisable to go back. They said there was no more room, sir, and the boat was overloaded. To go back I thought would be dangerous.
SENATOR SMITH: How many men were there in the boat?
MR. HAINES: We had over 50 in our boat altogether.
SENATOR SMITH: Men?
MR. HAINES: The two sailors; and then I could not exactly say how many men, but there were three or four stewards, and three or four firemen.
SENATOR SMITH: Do you remember their names?
MR. HAINES: I think the stewards are here with us now, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Just give their names, please.
MR. HAINES: I do not know their names.
SENATOR SMITH: You do not remember just who they were?
MR. HAINES: I know their faces; but I do not know their names, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Besides the stewards?
MR. HAINES: We had some firemen and two or three men passengers.
SENATOR SMITH: Do you know who they were?
MR. HAINES: No, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Have you heard, since, who they were?
MR. HAINES: No, sir; I never spoke to any of them afterwards.
SENATOR SMITH: How many stewards were there in your boat?
MR. HAINES: There might have been half a dozen. I do not know the exact number, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: And how many firemen?
MR. HAINES: I could not say, sir; two or three, or three or four.
SENATOR SMITH: And were there any other members of the crew?
MR. HAINES: No, sir; no more of the crew.
SENATOR SMITH: Then there were about 15 men altogether?
MR. HAINES: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: How many men were there in the boat?
MR. HAINES: I counted them. I guess there were about 45 to 48. When there were no more women forthcoming, the boat was full. They were singing out for the women, and the men then jumped in the bows of her and filled the bow up. The boat was chockablock, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: You had 63 in your boat?
MR. HAINES: I could not say within one or two, but around 60, I had.
SENATOR SMITH: Was this the first boat that was lowered?
MR. HAINES: No, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: On the starboard side?
MR. HAINES: No, sir. We started forward, and I was No. 9. I was about the fifth boat to be lowered on the starboard side.
SENATOR SMITH: Do you know any of the women in this boat?
MR. HAINES: No, sir; I do not know their names. I would know them by sight; some of them.
SENATOR SMITH: Did you afterwards find out who any of them were?
MR. HAINES: No, sir
SENATOR SMITH: Did you have any difficulty in lowering your boat?
MR. HAINES: No, sir
SENATOR SMITH: And you handled it after you got to the water, all right?
MR. HAINES: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Was this one of the largest sized lifeboats?
MR. HAINES: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Was there any officer in that boat?
MR. HAINES: No, sir
SENATOR SMITH: Did Mr. Murdock tell you to do anything with that boatload of people and to then come back to the ship; or did any officer tell you that?
MR. HAINES: No, sir; he told me to keep them away, and lay off clear. That is what he said.
SENATOR SMITH: How far were you from the Titanic? How far off did you lay?
