United States Senate Inquiry
Page 4
Senator SMITH. Did the captain remain on the bridge?
Mr. ISMAY. That I could not tell you, sir.
Senator SMITH. Did you leave him on the bridge?
Mr. ISMAY. Yes, sir.
Senator SMITH. His first statement to you was that he felt she was seriously damaged?
Mr. ISMAY. Yes, sir.
Senator SMITH. And the next statement of the chief engineer was what?
Mr. ISMAY. To the same effect.
Senator SMITH. To the same effect?
Mr. ISMAY. Yes.
Senator SMITH. But that he hoped the pumps might keep her afloat?
Mr. ISMAY. Yes.
Senator SMITH. Did you have any talk with any officer other than the captain or the chief engineer and the steward that you met?
Mr. ISMAY. Not that I remember.
Senator SMITH. Did the officers seem to know the serious character of this collision?
Mr. ISMAY. That I could not tell, sir, because I had no conversation with them.
Senator SMITH. Did any officer say to you that it evidently was not serious?
Mr. ISMAY. No, sir.
Senator SMITH. All the officers with whom you talked expressed the same fear, saying that it was serious?
Mr. ISMAY. I did not speak to any of them, sir.
Senator SMITH. Except the captain?
Mr. ISMAY. Except the captain and the chief engineer. I have already stated that I had spoken to them; but to no other officer that I remember.
Senator SMITH. You went to the bridge immediately after you had returned to your room?
Mr. ISMAY. After I had put on my coat I went up to the bridge.
Senator SMITH. And you found the captain there?
Mr. ISMAY. The captain was there.
Senator SMITH. In what part of the ship were your quarters?
Mr. ISMAY. My quarters were on B deck, just aft of the main companionway.
Senator SMITH. I wish you would describe just where that was.
Mr. ISMAY. The sun deck is the upper deck of all. Then we have what we call the A deck, which is the next deck, and then the B deck.
Mr. UHLER. The second passenger deck?
Mr. ISMAY. We carry very few passengers on the A deck. I think we have a diagram here that will show you these decks. Here it is, and there is the room I was occupying [indicating on diagram].
Senator SMITH. What is the number of that room?
Mr. ISMAY. B-52 is the room I had.
Senator SMITH. You had the suite?
Mr. ISMAY. I had the suite; I was sleeping in that room [indicating on diagram], as a matter of fact.
Senator SMITH. Do you know whether there were any passengers on that deck?