MR. BRIGHT: Hardy. I knew several third­class passengers by sight but not by name. One man was in, but has gone to Albion. He was a passenger to Albion.
SENATOR SMITH: Mr. Ismay was not in your boat, was he?
MR. BRIGHT: No, sir; he was in the starboard collapsible boat.
SENATOR SMITH: Were there any other lifeboats on the boat deck when you took to the lifeboat yourself?
MR. BRIGHT: All the lifeboats were away before the collapsible boats were got off.
SENATOR SMITH: All were away before the collapsible boats were lowered?
MR. BRIGHT: They had to be, because the collapsibles were on the deck and the other boats had to be lowered before they could be used.
SENATOR SMITH: In other words, the same tackle­­
MR. BRIGHT: [interrupting]. The same tackle that took the other ones took the collapsibles.
SENATOR SMITH: The same tackle and gear with which the lifeboats were lowered and the emergency boats?
MR. BRIGHT: Yes.
SENATOR SMITH: The same tackle with which the lifeboats and emergency boats were lowered was employed, after they had gone, in lowering the collapsible boats?
MR. BRIGHT: That is right, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: How do you know Mr. Ismay was in the collapsible boat that was on the other side, on the starboard side?
MR. BRIGHT: I saw him standing there and that was the only two boats left.
SENATOR SMITH: He was not in your boat?
MR. BRIGHT: No.
SENATOR SMITH: Therefore he must have gone in the other boat?
MR. BRIGHT: I find out he was saved, so he must have gone in that one.
SENATOR SMITH: Did he make any attempt to get in yours?
MR. BRIGHT: No; he did not make any attempt to get in any boat.
SENATOR SMITH: I do not think I have asked you how many of the 25 in your lifeboat were members of the crew?
MR. BRIGHT: There was just a steward and one fireman.
SENATOR SMITH: And all the others were women?
MR. BRIGHT: There were two men passengers there. The remainder were women and children.
SENATOR SMITH: Five men and 20 men and children?
MR. BRIGHT: Yes, sir; at first; then there were 10 or a dozen more afterwards.
SENATOR SMITH: Tell us exactly. I recall just what you said about taking the others.
MR. BRIGHT: When we left, there were 20 of them.
SENATOR SMITH: Did you see these lights on the horizon that night?
MR. BRIGHT: You mean after the ship went down?
SENATOR SMITH: No.
MR. BRIGHT: Before?
SENATOR SMITH: Yes; in any direction. I do not mean in the direction of the Titanic; I mean away from the Titanic.
MR. BRIGHT: As soon as we got away from the ship, we were told to keep together, if possible, to keep as close to each other in the boats as possible. There was a light sighted away, I should say, possibly 4 or 5 miles away, off the port bow of the ship. It looked to me like a sailing ship ­ like a fishing boat. There were no lights to be seen about the hull of the ship, if it was a ship. We pulled toward that for a time.
SENATOR BOURNE: What was the color of the light that you thought you saw?
MR. BRIGHT: It was a white light, like the steaming light of a ship would be.
SENATOR FLETCHER: I am not clear about a statement I understood you to make, that Lowe went away in the starboard collapsible boat?
MR. BRIGHT: Rowe, one of the quartermasters.
SENATOR FLETCHER: Another quartermaster?
MR. BRIGHT: Yes; Mr. Lowe is fifth officer, and Rowe was quartermaster.
SENATOR FLETCHER: Lowe was in one of the lifeboats?
MR. BRIGHT: Yes, sir; he was in one that had a sail on it; yes, sir.
SENATOR FLETCHER: The collapsible boat on the port side was the last boat to leave the ship?
MR. BRIGHT: Yes, sir; I was in it myself.
SENATOR FLETCHER: You know it was the last boat to leave the ship?
MR. BRIGHT: Yes, sir.
SENATOR FLETCHER: How long after she left was it before the ship went down?
MR. BRIGHT: It could not have been long. We were told to pull clear and get out of the suction, and I suppose we got out about 100 yards or maybe a little more, away from the ship.
SENATOR FLETCHER: Did you lie on your oars then, and wait?
MR. BRIGHT: We were told to keep together, if possible, in the boats.
SENATOR FLETCHER: Was it 25 or 30 minutes or an hour?
MR. BRIGHT: No; I should say it was as near half an hour as possible. When I left, the forecastle was going under water.
SENATOR FLETCHER: Then the collapsible boat on the starboard side was next to the last boat to leave the ship?
MR. BRIGHT: Yes; I did not see that lowered. I saw them getting ready to lower it and I went to the other side to get the other one up.
SENATOR FLETCHER: You know that was the only left on the ship?
MR. BRIGHT: Yes, sir; all the lifeboats went down before that.
SENATOR FLETCHER: The collapsible boat on the port side was lowered after the one on the starboard side?
MR. BRIGHT: Yes; the starboard one went down before the other one.
SENATOR FLETCHER: And it went down immediately before the one on the port side?
MR. BRIGHT: I could not say how long. I suppose it was 20 minutes or more. It was getting ready before I went down.
SENATOR FLETCHER: Do you think that collapsible boat on the starboard side was next to the last boat to leave the ship?
MR. BRIGHT: I do think so; yes, sir.
SENATOR FLETCHER: That was the one that was nearly foundered afterwards?
MR. BRIGHT: I can not answer that.
SENATOR FLETCHER: There was no other? There were only two collapsible boats, were there not?
MR. BRIGHT: Two.
SENATOR FLETCHER: Then you do not know whether the one on the starboard side was the one that got in trouble afterwards, and the other boat foundered?
MR. BRIGHT: I can only answer for two. The other two I do not know anything about. I know we picked some off of one that was swamped. Which one it was of the four, I do not know.
SENATOR FLETCHER: Was Mr. Ismay on that one?
MR. BRIGHT: No, sir. They were mostly ­ I think there were several firemen and stewards ­ I would not be certain ­ and there were a few third­class passengers and one woman.
SENATOR FLETCHER: What became of the passengers that were taken off of that foundered collapsible boat?
MR. BRIGHT: Mr. Lowe took them in his boat. It was only manned by a crew.
SENATOR FLETCHER: He took them in his boat?
MR. BRIGHT: Yes.
SENATOR FLETCHER: And none into your boat?
MR. BRIGHT: No. He went around to all the boats and put as many in the other boats as he could, so as to have a clear boat to put in anyone he could find.
SENATOR FLETCHER: He had already put 10 or 12 into your boat?
MR. BRIGHT: Yes, sir; previous to that.
SENATOR FLETCHER: Nothing happened to your boat?
MR. BRIGHT: No, sir.
SENATOR FLETCHER: You did not see any ship or vessel of any sort next morning, in the direction of the light that you had seen during the night?
MR. BRIGHT: No. That seemed to disappear all at once. The next we saw was the Carpathia, just before daylight.
SENATOR FLETCHER: How far were you from her when you first saw her?
MR. BRIGHT: The Carpathia?
SENATOR FLETCHER: Yes.
MR. BRIGHT: About 4 miles.
SENATOR FLETCHER: You say that was before daylight?
MR. BRIGHT: Just before daylight she came in sight.
SENATOR FLETCHER: You saw her lights?
MR. BRIGHT: Yes; we could see her lights.
SENATOR SMITH: I want to ask if you picked up Second Officer Lightoller from the water?
MR. BRIGHT: No, sir; I did not.
SENATOR SMITH: There were two collapsible boats forward near the bridge, one on each side?
MR. BRIGHT: Yes, sir; and one on each side of the wheelhouse.
SENATOR SMITH: Then there was a collapsible boat on the officer's quarters?
MR. BRIGHT: That is what I call the wheelhouse. There was one up on each side of that.
SENATOR SMITH: Which one was the first to go to the water, the collapsible boat that you were in or the collapsible boat that Mr. Ismay was in?
MR. BRIGHT: Mr. Ismay's.
SENATOR SMITH: Then you followed?
MR. BRIGHT: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: And in his boat, how many people were there?
MR. BRIGHT: I have no idea. I was not there to see them.
SENATOR SMITH: And in your boat you had about how many?
MR. BRIGHT: Twenty­five.
SENATOR SMITH: As you have stated, there were 20 women and 5 men?
MR. BRIGHT: Yes, sir; women and children.
SENATOR SMITH: And how high was the water on the deck when your boat was lowered?
MR. BRIGHT: Do you know the forecastle of the ship?
SENATOR SMITH: Yes.
MR. BRIGHT: What we call the forecastle head was just going under water. That would be about 20 feet lower than the bridge, I should say.
SENATOR SMITH: In other words, the boat had sunk about 50 feet into the water?
MR. BRIGHT: Yes, sir; all of that, because when the boat was lowered the foremost fall was lowered down and the after one seemed to hang, and I called out to hang onto the foremost fall and to see what was the matter and let go the after one.
SENATOR SMITH: Was there any suction about the Titanic when your boat was lowered into the water?
MR. BRIGHT: No. There would not be any suction until she was under.
SENATOR SMITH: I understand that, but I want to know whether there was any apparent suction there?
MR. BRIGHT: I did not have any difficulty in getting away.
SENATOR SMITH: No difficulty at all?
MR. BRIGHT: No, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: I have asked all of the others who were close about when the ship went down the same question and I have had the same reply.
MR. BRIGHT: I was 50 to 100 yards away, I would say, when she went down. I could not be exact, but about that.
SENATOR FLETCHER: Did she break in two?
MR. BRIGHT: She broke in two. All at once she seemed to go up on end, you know, and come down about half way, then the afterpart righted itself again and the forepart disappeared. A few seconds the afterpart did the same thing and went down. I could distinctly see the propellers ­ everything ­ out of the water.
SENATOR FLETCHER: Were there any women and children on deck when you left?
MR. BRIGHT: There must have been crowds aboard.
SENATOR FLETCHER: Where you were?
MR. BRIGHT: No, sir.
SENATOR FLETCHER: None in hearing distance of you?
MR. BRIGHT: I did not see them.
SENATOR FLETCHER: You can not say positively that there were none there?
MR. BRIGHT: No, sir; because the lights had gone out in the forepart of the ship then. The lights went out after we got away. The lights were burning in the afterpart of the ship.
SENATOR FLETCHER: Could you hear any?
MR. BRIGHT: Oh, you could hear some.
SENATOR FLETCHER: Wanting to get on the boat?
MR. BRIGHT: I could not say as to that. There were lots that were asked to get into the boat and they said they would rather stay on board the ship; lots of women said that.
SENATOR FLETCHER: Did they say that to you?
MR. BRIGHT: Not to me; but I was assisting in getting the boats ready.
SENATOR FLETCHER: But did any ladies refuse to get in that boat ­ that last boat ­ any who were asked to get in?
MR. BRIGHT: Not to my knowledge?
SENATOR FLETCHER: Were there some there?
MR. BRIGHT: I did not see any when that when that boat went out.
SENATOR FLETCHER: It was dark?
MR. BRIGHT: My attention was elsewhere. I was looking after the boat getting clear. You see they got the boat clear of the ship and then the people were put in afterwards.
SENATOR FLETCHER: And you were on board the boat?
MR. BRIGHT: Yes; keeping her in an upright position to save the people from falling into the water.
SENATOR FLETCHER: And Mr. Lightoller and several others were helping the passengers in, you have said. Did they call out for anybody to come there?
MR. BRIGHT: No; I could not hear.
SENATOR FLETCHER: If there were people there you had room for 10 or 12 more anyhow in that boat, and why did you not put them in?
MR. BRIGHT: I had nothing to do with putting them in.
SENATOR FLETCHER: Why did he not put them in?
MR. BRIGHT: I could not say that.
SENATOR FLETCHER: And Mr. Lightoller was left on board; you left him board the boat?
MR. BRIGHT: We left him board the ship.
SENATOR FLETCHER: Did you have a light on your boat?
MR. BRIGHT: There was a lantern passed into the boat, but I could not light it. I tried to light it.
SENATOR FLETCHER: All the lights on the ship were not out, then?
MR. BRIGHT: No; it was only the after section, though, that was burning. There after part of the boat had her lights burning.
SENATOR BOURNE: After she broke in two?
MR. BRIGHT: Until she went under water; yes, sir.
SENATOR BOURNE: Were you the last boat to leave the ship?
MR. BRIGHT: Yes, sir.
SENATOR BOURNE: And you were from 50 to 100 yards from the ship when she sank?
MR. BRIGHT: Yes, sir.
SENATOR BOURNE: And you rowed from the ship without cessation?
MR. BRIGHT: Without what?
SENATOR BOURNE: Without stopping?
MR. BRIGHT: Yes.
SENATOR BOURNE: Until she sank. How long a period was it from the time you left the ship until she sank?
MR. BRIGHT: I only had two oars pulling, you know.
SENATOR BOURNE: How long a time do you think it was ­ how many minutes?
MR. BRIGHT: I should say it was nearly a half an hour. We were not pulling in a straight direction.
SENATOR BOURNE: You were circling around?
MR. BRIGHT: Yes, sir; trying to find the other boats.
SENATOR BOURNE: Oh, you were not trying to get away from the ship?
MR. BRIGHT: We were told to get together if we could do so, and keep together, and as soon as I located a boat I would pull for that.
SENATOR BOURNE: But at no time were you more than 100 yards from the time you left it?
MR. BRIGHT: Not when she went down.
SENATOR BOURNE: Did you hear any explosion after you left the ship?
MR. BRIGHT: I heard something, but I would not call it an explosion. It was like a rattling of chain, more than anything else.
SENATOR BOURNE: You did not hear any explosion? You do not think the boilers blew up?
MR. BRIGHT: No; it was not like that; it was not such a sound as we would hear if the boilers exploded. It was like a rattling of chain.
SENATOR BOURNE: The ship went down by her bow first, and you could see the stern and see the keel on the stern, could you?
MR. BRIGHT: Yes, sir. Then that righted itself again, got on an even keel again after that.
SENATOR BOURNE: That is the stern?
MR. BRIGHT: It settled down in the water on an even keel.
SENATOR BOURNE: But the bow had disappeared?
MR. BRIGHT: Yes, sir.
SENATOR BOURNE: Hence, you assumed that she broke in two. The bow lights were extinguished, were they?
MR. BRIGHT: You could not see anything of them after that.
SENATOR BOURNE: Did you see any lights on the stern after she settled?
MR. BRIGHT: Yes, sir; until she finally disappeared underneath the water.
SENATOR BOURNE: Until the stern disappeared, after the break?
MR. BRIGHT: Yes, sir.
SENATOR FLETCHER: Where did she break? Tell us about where she broke in two?
MR. BRIGHT: Well, it was as near the middle as anything, I should say; but it was dark.
SENATOR SMITH: Who handed you the lamp; was it the lamp trimmer, Hemmings?
