SENATOR SMITH: You did not experience anything of that kind?
MR. RAY: No, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: The boats, when lowered to A deck, were accessible without jumping into them?
MR. RAY: They certainly were, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Did anyone who attempted to get into them fall?
MR. RAY: No, sir. We had no accidents whatever. I saw no accident whatever.
SENATOR SMITH: You spoke of the little baby being thrown to you.
MR. RAY: It was just thrown about 2 or three feet to me, and I caught it, unrolled the blankets, and found that it was a little baby.
SENATOR SMITH: Did the boat hang against the rail at A deck?
MR. RAY: It was not touching the rail, sir; but it was quite close enough to get in without any exertion at all.
SENATOR SMITH: That is, within a few inches or feet?
MR. RAY: It may have been that distance [indicating about a foot].
SENATOR SMITH: A foot?
MR. RAY: It may have been a foot. There was not any difficulty in getting into the boat, anyway.
SENATOR SMITH: Did you see any male passengers or men of the crew, ordered out, or thrown out, of these lifeboats on the starboard side?
MR. RAY: None whatever, sir; I seen no occasion for it. Everybody was very orderly, and there was no occasion to throw anybody about.
SENATOR SMITH: Did you see Mr. Ismay in either of thee boats?
MR. RAY: No, sir; I did not.
SENATOR SMITH: How many boats had gone from the starboard side when you reached No. 9?
MR. RAY: I could not swear to that, but I fancied they had all gone forward. Nos. 15, 11, 9, and 13 were the last four to leave the ship. They had all left excepting those numbers.
SENATOR SMITH: I do not remember whether I asked you ­ if not, I will now ­ how many of the crew were in your boat, No. 13?
MR. RAY: As far as I can remember, sir, there were about four or five firemen, one baker, and three stewards. The remainder were second and first class passengers and third class passengers.
SENATOR SMITH: Do you know who they were?
MR. RAY: I only know Mr. Washington Dodge.
SENATOR SMITH: You do not know who the others were?
MR. RAY: He was the only passenger that I knew by name.
SENATOR SMITH: There were nine of the crew?
MR. RAY: About nine, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: And one male passenger. Were there any more male passengers?
MR. RAY: Only second and third class; no more first­class male passengers that I saw or first­class female passengers.
SENATOR SMITH: I would like to know how many first­class male passengers there were.
MR. RAY: I could not say, sir. There was one Japanese. I remember a Japanese, very well, being there. I have no idea, because I could not discriminate second from third class passengers.
SENATOR SMITH: Was there any crowd on A deck while you were loading those boats?
MR. RAY: None whatever, sir. I do not mean to say now crowd. There were people waiting to get into the boat, and when the boat was filled and ready to be lowered away we left about four men on the deck, and they went along to No. 15, and got in there quite easily.
SENATOR SMITH: Was there any rule of your company with which you were familiar requiring lifeboats to be loaded from the upper or boat deck?
MR. RAY: I know of none, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Was the station list, or boat list, posted on the upper deck?
MR. RAY: In the first­class pantry.
SENATOR SMITH: I would like to know, if it is possible for you to tell me, how many you had in lifeboat No. 13 altogether?
MR. RAY: No, sir; I have no idea. There may have been 50, there may have been 60, or there may have been less.
SENATOR SMITH: It was full?
MR. RAY: It was full. There was not room to pull oars. We could not work the boat with any sense of satisfaction.
SENATOR SMITH: Who attended the tiller on lifeboat No. 13?
MR. RAY: A fireman, I understood.
SENATOR SMITH: You are sure one woman did not attend the tiller?
MR. RAY: Quite sure, sir; positive. No woman touched the tiller, sir, through the night, and no woman touched an oar through the night. A woman offered to take my oar, but I said I was good for another few hours.
SENATOR SMITH: Have you any idea, yourself, and can you give any explanation, as to how those boats on the starboard side ­ Nos. 9, 11, 13, and 15 ­ happened to be loaded at A deck?
MR. RAY: Only from what I heard afterwards.
SENATOR SMITH: I do not ask for any gossip about it, and I do not want to press you on the matter; but if you do not I would like to know.
MR. RAY: I do not know. Had I not gone down below ­ had I remained on the boat deck I should not have been on A deck; but when I came out of the door and saw they were loading boats on A deck I remained on A deck and helped to load them with passengers.
SENATOR SMITH: Do you know any of the passengers or crew other than those you have mentioned in these four lifeboats, Nos. 9, 11, 13, and 15?
MR. RAY: No, sir. I do not remember.
SENATOR SMITH: Do you know who had charge of these boats after they were lowered?
MR. RAY: No, sir; I do not.
SENATOR SMITH: You never saw any of the persons who sat at your table after the accident occurred except Mr. Moore?
MR. RAY: Quite correct, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: To whom you have already referred.
MR. RAY: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: I think that is all.
SENATOR FLETCHER: Was No. 15 lowered immediately after No. 13?
MR. RAY: Yes, sir; lowered nearly on top of us.
SENATOR FLETCHER: How many persons did No. 15 contain?
MR. RAY: So far as I could see in the dark, it was full.
SENATOR FLETCHER: Could you tell what proportion of them were male and proportion female?
MR. RAY: I could not discriminate male from female, sir. When our boat was lowered away they shouted out, "Is there any women or children to go?" and somebody said, "No."
SENATOR SMITH: Did you see any passengers or hear any passengers on the boat deck at that time?
MR. RAY: No, sir; we did not hear any thing up there.
SENATOR FLETCHER: Do you know whether these lifeboats swung away from the rail on the boat deck?
MR. RAY: They swung straight down.
SENATOR FLETCHER: I understand; but when they were suspended at the boat deck, what was the distance out from the rail?
MR. RAY: It would be so they could straight into them.
SENATOR FLETCHER: From the boat deck?
MR. RAY: Yes, sir.
SENATOR FLETCHER: The same as below?
MR. RAY: Yes, sir.
SENATOR FLETCHER: How long was it after No. 15 reached the water before the Titanic went down?
MR. RAY: I could not say. We had pulled away from the ship. The man at the tiller kept on urging us to pull and get out of the suction of the ship.
SENATOR FLETCHER: How far had you gotten?
MR. RAY: We had got about three­quarters of a mile, I suppose, to a mile, so far as I could judge.
SENATOR FLETCHER: Did you see the lights of the Titanic?
MR. RAY: Yes, sir.
SENATOR FLETCHER: Had you gotten as far as three­quarters of a mile before the lights went out on the Titanic?
MR. RAY: Yes, sir; we were about a mile off when the lights went out.
SENATOR FLETCHER: Those were the last boats lowered on the starboard side, were they?
MR. RAY: Yes, sir.
SENATOR FLETCHER: Do you know anything about any being lowered on the port side?
MR. RAY: No, sir; I do not.
SENATOR FLETCHER: You do not know whether the boats had been lowered on the port side when No. 15 was lowered on the starboard side?
MR. RAY: No, sir; I do not.
SENATOR FLETCHER: Who was directing the loading of the boats on the starboard side?
MR. RAY: I could not see in the dark. I do not know who was acting in directing the loading of them. I believe where was an officer there, but I could not say.
SENATOR FLETCHER: Was there any one officer who seemed to have charge of it?
MR. RAY: If he had charge of it ­ if he had charge when No. 13 was lowered ­ he must been on the boat deck. I did not see any officer on the A deck when it was lowered. There were women and children came up and simply were put in the boat, and men got in afterwards, and she was lowered away.
SENATOR FLETCHER: Who superintended the work of loading the boats ­ your boat for instance?
MR. RAY: Nobody superintended the lowering of our boat, sir; that I know of.
SENATOR FLETCHER: Was there not any officer superior to you in charge of that boat?
MR. RAY: No, sir; not that I know of.
SENATOR FLETCHER: Did you see the collapsible boats?
MR. RAY: No, sir; not that I know of; I did not see any collapsible boats.
SENATOR FLETCHER: In the morning?
MR. RAY: No, sir; only one that was turned upside down in the morning.
SENATOR FLETCHER: Where was that; how far away from the wreck?
MR. RAY: They were floating away. I saw that later on in the morning after I got on the Carpathia.
SENATOR FLETCHER: There was nobody in that boat then?
MR. RAY: No, sir; they had been taken off.
SENATOR FLETCHER: That is all.
SENATOR SMITH: You may be excused.
Witness excused.
TESTIMONY OF HENRY SAMUEL ETCHES.
The witness was duly sworn by Senator Smith.
SENATOR SMITH: Give your full name.
MR. ETCHES: Henry Samuel Etches.
SENATOR SMITH: Where do you reside?
MR. ETCHES: No. 23­A, Gordon Avenue, Southampton.
SENATOR SMITH: Are you a married or single man?
MR. ETCHES: Married.
SENATOR SMITH: How old are you?
MR. ETCHES: Forty, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: What is your business?
MR. ETCHES: Bedroom steward, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Were you bedroom steward on the Titanic on the voyage from Southampton up to the time of the accident?
MR. ETCHES: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: What deck were you on?
MR. ETCHES: B deck, after end, port side.
SENATOR SMITH: How many rooms did you have charge of?
MR. ETCHES: Eight on B deck and one on A deck.
SENATOR SMITH: Do you know who the passengers were on A deck?
MR. ETCHES: Mr. Andrews, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: The builder of this ship?
MR. ETCHES: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: What apartment did he have?
MR. ETCHES: He had a separate cabin, with bathroom attachedthe only cabin. There was only one on each part of the after end of A deck.
SENATOR SMITH: What was the number?
MR. ETCHES: Thirty­six, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Did you see Mr. Andrews frequently during the voyage?
MR. ETCHES: Every morning at 7 o'clock I went to his cabin, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: For what purpose?
MR. ETCHES: I used to take him some fruit and tea.
SENATOR SMITH: When would you next see him?
MR. ETCHES: I used to see him again when he dressed at night. That would be about a quarter or 20 minutes to 7, as a rule. He was rather late in dressing.
SENATOR SMITH: Had you ever known him before this voyage?
MR. ETCHES: I had met him several times at Belfast, because I had been on the Olympic.
SENATOR SMITH: Did he build the Olympic?
MR. ETCHES: Oh, yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: How old a man was Mr. Andrews?
MR. ETCHES: He signed himself as 38 on a paper that I gave him.
SENATOR SMITH: Did he seem to be in good health on the voyage?
MR. ETCHES: In perfect health.
SENATOR SMITH: Did he seem to be busy?
MR. ETCHES: He was busy the whole time.
SENATOR SMITH: Did he have maps and drawings in his apartment?
MR. ETCHES: He had charts rolled up by the side of his bed, and he had papers of all descriptions on his table during the day.
SENATOR SMITH: He was apparently working?
MR. ETCHES: He was working all the time, sir. He was making notes of improvements; any improvements that could be made.
SENATOR SMITH: On the ship?
MR. ETCHES: In any of the cabins. Anything that was pointed out to him, he was making notes of it.
SENATOR SMITH: From what you saw of him, you gathered that he was giving his undivided attention to this ship on its trial run?
MR. ETCHES: I never saw him anywhere else, but during the day I met him in all parts, with workmen, going about. I mentioned several things to him, and he was with workmen having them attended to. The whole of the day he was working from one part of the ship to the other.
SENATOR SMITH: Did you see him working nights?
MR. ETCHES: He was working very late in going to bed, sir. I never saw him in the smoke room or in any other of these rooms. I happened to meet him at different parts of deck E more often than anywhere else.
SENATOR SMITH: Did you see him in the boiler room?
MR. ETCHES: He had a suit, and I have seen that suit thrown on the bed when he had taken it off. I have seen him in the chief engineer's room.
SENATOR SMITH: You mean by that that he had a special suit which he wore when he went into the boiler room?
MR. ETCHES: It was there for the purpose. I knew exactly what it was. It was a suit the surveyors put on.
SENATOR SMITH: What did you say about a suit that he wore when he went into the engineering department?
MR. ETCHES: He had an engineering suit on then ­ an ordinary blue suit, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: When did you last see Mr. Andrews?
MR. ETCHES: It would be about 20 minutes past 12. He stopped me. I was going along B deck, and he asked had I waked all my passengers. Mr. Harrison came up then, and I said: "No, I am going to see if the Carter family are up." I went to open the door. Mr. Harrison said: "I can tell you they are up. I have just come out of my cabin." His cabin adjoined. Mr. Andrews then told me to come down on C deck with him, and we went down the pantry staircase together. Going down he told me to be sure and make the passengers open their doors, and to tell them the lifebelts were on top of the wardrobes and on top of the racks, and to assist them in every way I could to get them on, which I endeavored to do.
SENATOR SMITH: Is that the last time you ever saw him?
MR. ETCHES: No, sir. We walked along C deck together. The purser was standing outside of his office, in a large group of ladies. The purser was asking them to do as he asked them, and to go back in their rooms and not to frighten themselves, but, as a preliminary precaution, to put the life belts on, and the stewards would give them every attention. Mr. Andrews said: "That is exactly what I have been trying to get them to do," and, with that, he walked down the staircase to go on lower D deck. That is the last I saw of Mr. Andrews."
SENATOR SMITH: He never asked you to put a life belt on him, did he?
MR. ETCHES: No, sir; and I never saw him with one in his hand.
SENATOR SMITH: Was he the only passenger or the only cabin passenger in an apartment on A deck?
MR. ETCHES: No, sir; Mr. and Mrs. Carter and the two children were occupying 98 and 96. Mr. Harrison was next door, occupying 94. Mr. Guggenheim was occupying 84, with his secretary.
SENATOR SMITH: All on A deck?
MR. ETCHES: Not on A deck. There were only two cabins on the after end of a deck. One was vacant and the other was occupied.
SENATOR SMITH: On the deck below, under your charge, what rooms did you have?
MR. ETCHES: 98, 96, 94; and then came the door. The other rooms were empty until I came to 84, occupied by Mr. Guggenheim and his secretary. Mr. Carter's valet was in 96, the inside cabin.
