MR. HEMMING: I went on the boat deck. They were turning the boats out. As I went to the deck, I went there where were the least men, and helped to turn out the boats. Then, I went to the boats on the port side, to do the same, until Mr. Lightoller called me and said, "Come with me;" and he said, "Get another good man." I says, "Foley is here somewhere." He says, "I have no time to stop for Foley." So he called a man himself, and he said, "Follow me."
SENATOR SMITH: A passenger?
MR. HEMMING: No, sir; a seaman. He said, "Follow me." So we followed him, and he said: "Stand by to lower this boat." It was No. 4 boat. We lowered the boat in line with the A deck, when I had an order come from the captain to see that the boats were properly provided with lights.
SENATOR SMITH: What did you do when you got that order?
MR. HEMMING: I called Mr. Lightoller and told him that I would have to leave the boat's fall; so he put another man in my place.
SENATOR SMITH: What other man did he put in your place, if you know?
MR. HEMMING: I do not know who it was, sir. I went away into the lamp room, lighting the lamps, and I brought them up on deck.
SENATOR SMITH: How long were you gone?
MR. HEMMING: About five minutes.
SENATOR SMITH: Proceed.
MR. HEMMING: Then I lit the lamps and brought them up, four at a time, two in each hand. The boats that were already lowered, I put them on the deck, and asked them to pass them down on the end of the boat fall. As to the boats that were not lowered, I gave them into the boats myself.
SENATOR SMITH: Did you give one to each boat?
MR. HEMMING: What was not lowered at that time; yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: How many had been lowered before you got there with the lamps?
MR. HEMMING: Some few, sir. I could not say how many.
SENATOR SMITH: Three or four?
MR. HEMMING: Yes; quite three or four.
SENATOR SMITH: More than that?
MR. HEMMING: I could only see one side when I first came up.
SENATOR SMITH: That was the port side?
MR. HEMMING: They were on the port side, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: But several boats had gone?
MR. HEMMING: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Without lights?
MR. HEMMING: They were lowered. I do not know whether they got lights or not.
SENATOR SMITH: But they were lowered without lights?
MR. HEMMING: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: What did you do with these lights or lamps that you had? Did you put them in the other boats?
MR. HEMMING: For the boats that were not lowered, I gave them to somebody in the boats.
SENATOR SMITH: How many boats did you put them into yourself on the port side?
MR. HEMMING: I could not say, sir. Two or three.
SENATOR SMITH: What did you do, then, after that?
MR. HEMMING: After I had finished with the lamps, sir, when I made my last journey they were turning out the port collapsible boat. I went and assisted Mr. Lightoller to get it out. After the boat was out I went on top of the officers' house and helped to clear away the port collapsible boat on that house. After that I went over to the starboard side. The starboard collapsible boat had just been lowered.
SENATOR SMITH: Do you mean lowered or pushed off?
MR. HEMMING: Lowered. She was away from the ship.
SENATOR SMITH: Then what?
MR. HEMMING: I rendered up the foremast fell, got the block on board, and held on to the block while a man equalized the parts of the fall. He said, "There is a futterfoot in the fall, which fouls the fall and the block." I says, "I have got it;" and took it out. I passed the block up to the officers' house, and Mr. Moody, the sixth officer, said: "We don't want the block. We will leave the boat on deck." I put the fall on the deck, stayed there a moment, and there was no chance of the boat being cleared away, and I went to the bridge and looked over and saw the water climbing upon the bridge. I went and looked over the starboard side, and everything was black. I went over to the port side and saw a boat off the port quarter, and I went along the port side and got up the after boat davits and slid down the fall and swam to the boat and got it."
SENATOR SMITH: When you say everything looked black, you mean that there were no boats in sight?
MR. HEMMING: Everything was black over the starboard side. I could not see any boats.
SENATOR SMITH: You swam out to this boat that you saw?
MR. HEMMING: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: How far was it from the side of the Titanic?
MR. HEMMING: About 200 yards.
SENATOR SMITH: Did you swim that 200 yards?
MR. HEMMING: Yes.
SENATOR SMITH: Did you have a life belt on?
MR. HEMMING: No, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: When you reached the boat, what did you find?
MR. HEMMING: I tried to get hold of the grab line on the bows, and it was too high for me, so I swam along and got hold of one of the grab lines amidships.
SENATOR SMITH: What did you do then?
MR. HEMMING: I pulled my head above the gunwale, and I said, "Give us a hand in, Jack." Foley was in the boat. I saw him standing up in the boat. He said, "Is that you, Sam?" I said, "Yes,' and him and the women and children pulled me in the boat.
SENATOR SMITH: Who had charge of that boat?
MR. HEMMING: Perkis, quartermaster.
SENATOR SMITH: And they pulled you in?
MR. HEMMING: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: What did you find in the boat?
MR. HEMMING: It was full of women.
SENATOR SMITH: How many were there?
MR. HEMMING: There were about 40.
SENATOR SMITH: How many men were there?
MR. HEMMING: There were four men.
SENATOR SMITH: Who were they?
MR. HEMMING: Quartermaster Perkis, and there was Foley, the storekeeper, and McCarthy.
SENATOR SMITH: A sailor?
MR. HEMMING: A sailor; yes, sir; and a fireman.
SENATOR SMITH: What is his name?
MR. HEMMING: I do not know his name, Senator.
SENATOR SMITH: Were there any children in the boat?
MR. HEMMING: Yes, sir; there were children in the boat.
SENATOR SMITH: How many?
MR. HEMMING: Two young ladies and a little girl.
SENATOR SMITH: Altogether, then, there were how many; about 40 women and men and two or three children?
MR. HEMMING: I did not see the babies until after we got on the Carpathia. I did not see the babies at all when I got in the boat.
SENATOR SMITH: But they were in the boat?
MR. HEMMING: Yes.
SENATOR SMITH: And how many were there of the children?
MR. HEMMING: Three, sir. I think it was three. I would not be certain, but I think it was three.
SENATOR SMITH: I gather that there were 47 people put in the boat?
MR. HEMMING: There would not be 47 altogether, then, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: How many?
MR. HEMMING: About 40, all told, I should think, at that time, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: What was done after you got into the boat?
MR. HEMMING: They had been backing her away, to get out of the zone from the ship before the ship sank.
SENATOR SMITH: You did not return to the ship's side?
MR. HEMMING: No, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Not at all?
MR. HEMMING: No, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Or to the place where the ship sank?
MR. HEMMING: After the ship had gone we pulled back and picked up seven.
SENATOR SMITH: Who were they?
MR. HEMMING: I am not able to say, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Who else?
MR. HEMMING: Stewards, firemen, seamen, and one or two men, passengers; I could not say exactly which they were; anyway, I know there were seven altogether.
SENATOR SMITH: Name what you can of them.
MR. HEMMING: There was one seaman named Lyons, and there were one or two passengers and one or two firemen. Dillon, a fireman was one of them.
SENATOR SMITH: The others of the crew; can you recall that you picked up any of them out of the water?
MR. HEMMING: The storekeeper.
SENATOR SMITH: What is his name?
MR. HEMMING: It was the steward's storekeeper.
SENATOR SMITH: Do you remember his name?
MR. HEMMING: No, sir; I do not remember his name.
SENATOR SMITH: Who else?
MR. HEMMING: That is all I know, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: You say there were two passengers on your boat?
MR. HEMMING: I said one or two. I could not say exactly. I know there were seven altogether. That is all I know.
SENATOR SMITH: Do you know who these passengers were?
MR. HEMMING: I know one was a third­class passenger.
SENATOR SMITH: What was his name?
MR. HEMMING: I do not know, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Where was he from?
MR. HEMMING: That I could not tell you, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Was he an Englishman or an American?
MR. HEMMING: I spoke to him, and I do not think he was an Englishman.
SENATOR SMITH: Do you think he was an American?
MR. HEMMING: He spoke very good English, but I have an idea that he was a foreigner of some sort.
SENATOR SMITH: You picked these seven men out of the water?
MR. HEMMING: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Did they swim to the boat, or did the boat go to the men?
MR. HEMMING: Both. They swam toward the boat, and we went back toward them.
SENATOR SMITH: After you got these seven men in, what did you do then?
MR. HEMMING: We hung around for a bit.
SENATOR SMITH: Did you see any more men?
MR. HEMMING: No, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Did you hear any more crying?
MR. HEMMING: We heard the cries; yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Where? In what direction? Toward the Titanic?
MR. HEMMING: We were moving around, constantly, sir. Sometimes the stern of the boat would be toward the Titanic, and sometimes the bow of the boat would be toward the Titanic. One moment we would be facing one way, and a few moments later we would be facing another way; first the bow, and then the stern toward the ship.
SENATOR SMITH: What did you hang around for?
MR. HEMMING: We did not know what to do.
SENATOR SMITH: Did you pick up any more people in the water?
MR. HEMMING: Not from the water; no, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Did these people that you picked up live until you reached the Carpathia?
MR. HEMMING: No, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: How many died?
MR. HEMMING: Two.
SENATOR SMITH: Which two?
MR. HEMMING: Lyons and ­ I do not know whether it was a steward or a fireman ­ one more man besides Lyons.
SENATOR SMITH: Did the rest all live?
MR. HEMMING: Yes.
SENATOR SMITH: How long did you lay by at that time ­ after you picked these seven people out of the water?
MR. HEMMING: Not long, sir. We made for a light.
SENATOR SMITH: You saw a light?
MR. HEMMING: Yes; one of the boats' lights.
SENATOR SMITH: You mean a lifeboat light?
MR. HEMMING: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Proceed.
MR. HEMMING: We pulled toward them and got together, and we picked up another boat, and kept in her company. Then day broke and we saw two more boats.
SENATOR SMITH: Lifeboats?
MR. HEMMING: Yes. We pulled toward them and we all made fast by painters.
SENATOR SMITH: How long did you remain in that condition?
MR. HEMMING: Then we heard some hollering going on and we saw some men standing on what we thought was ice.
SENATOR SMITH: How far away?
MR. HEMMING: Half a mile, as nearly as I can judge.
SENATOR SMITH: How many men?
MR. HEMMING: A good few seemed to be standing there.
SENATOR SMITH: Give me the number approximately. About how many?
MR. HEMMING: Twenty, I should think.
SENATOR SMITH: Standing on this field of ice?
MR. HEMMING: No, sir; standing on what we thought was ice.
SENATOR SMITH: What did you do then?
MR. HEMMING: Two boats cast off ­ us and another boat cast off ­ and pulled to them, and took them in our two boats.
SENATOR SMITH: Where did you find them?
MR. HEMMING: On the bottom of this upturned boat.
SENATOR SMITH: Did you take all of the people that were on the upturned boat into your boat?
MR. HEMMING: No, sir; in the two boats.
SENATOR SMITH: You took them into the two boats?
MR. HEMMING: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: How many were there altogether?
MR. HEMMING: I could not say, sir. I guess about 20, I should say, stood up on the boat.
SENATOR SMITH: Were they standing up, or were they sitting down?
MR. HEMMING: They were standing up, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: What did you do? Did you take a portion of them into the boat you were in, and the other portion in others?
MR. HEMMING: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Who was the officer in charge of the boat that helped you in this?
MR. HEMMING: There was no officer, sir; a seaman.
SENATOR SMITH: What was his name?
MR. HEMMING: I think it was Poindexter. I am not sure, but I think it was.
SENATOR SMITH: Do you know what the number of the boat was?
MR. HEMMING: That I could not say, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Did you see any officer in that boat?
MR. HEMMING: Mr. Lightoller was on the upturned boat.
SENATOR SMITH: Second Officer Lightoller was on the upturned boat?
MR. HEMMING: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Did he get into your boat?
MR. HEMMING: No, sir; the other one, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Do you remember Bride, the wireless operator of the Titanic?
MR. HEMMING: No, sir; I do not know the man, sir. If I saw him I should not know him.
SENATOR SMITH: Did you get all these people into the two boats?
MR. HEMMING: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Were there any women among them?
MR. HEMMING: I do not think so, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Were there any children among them?
MR. HEMMING: No, sir; I do not think so.
SENATOR SMITH: What did you do then?
MR. HEMMING: We pulled away. We went away a bit. Then we pulled up until we saw the Carpathia, and we pulled to the Carpathia.
SENATOR SMITH: It was then daylight?
MR. HEMMING: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Did you pull toward the Carpathia?
MR. HEMMING: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Did all the people in your boat, then, live until they got to the Carpathia?
SENATOR SMITH: Were there any dead people on this upturned boat?
MR. HEMMING: I did not see them. I did not see one myself, but I heard there was one. However, I did not see him myself.
SENATOR SMITH: You heard there was?
MR. HEMMING: Yes; but I did not see him myself.
SENATOR SMITH: You finally got along by the Carpathia?
MR. HEMMING: Yes.
SENATOR SMITH: Did you get all your passengers on board?
MR. HEMMING: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: What did you do then?
MR. HEMMING: I went on board myself, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Did you take the boat aboard?
MR. HEMMING: They did afterwards, sir, I believe. I did not. No, sir; our boat did not go aboard the Carpathia.
SENATOR SMITH: When you saw this group of men standing on what you thought was ice, about a half a mile away, did you at the same time, see ice?
MR. HEMMING: No, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Did you see any icebergs that morning at all?
MR. HEMMING: Oh, yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: How many?
MR. HEMMING: Three or four, sir, I think.
SENATOR SMITH: Large icebergs?
MR. HEMMING: Yes, sir; not very large.
SENATOR SMITH: How large?
MR. HEMMING: About a moderate size, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Give the size, as near as you can ­ the height above the water.
MR. HEMMING: I should think they would be 12 or 14 feet. Some more than that, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Did you say 30 or 40 feet high?
MR. HEMMING: Twelve or fourteen feet, I say; somewhat more than that.
