Witness testified that the larger lifeboats would hold sixty people.
Senator Smith: Do you wish to be understood that each lifeboat like Nos. 12 and 14 and 10 could be filled to its fullest capacity and lowered to the water with safety?
Mr. Evans: Yes, because we did it then, sir.
Senator Smith: That is a pretty good answer.
Mr. Evans: It was my first experience in seeing a boat loaded like that, sir.
The stern of the ship, after plunging forward, remained floating in a perpendicular position about four or five minutes.
W. Burke, dining-room steward (Am. Inq., p. 822).
I went to my station and found that my boat, No. 1, had gone. Then to the port side and assisted with No. 8 boat and saw her lowered. Then I passed to No. 10. The officer said, “Get right in there,” and pushed me toward the boat, and I got in. When there were no women to be had around the deck the officer gave the order for the boat to be lowered.
After the two seamen (Buley and Evans) were transferred to boat No. 14, some of the women forward said to me: “There are two men down here in the bottom of the boat.” I got hold of them and pulled one out. He apparently was a Japanese and could not speak English. I put him at an oar. The other appeared to be an Italian. I tried to speak to him but he said: “Armenian.” I also put him at an oar. I afterwards made fast to an officer’s boat—I think it was Mr. Lightoller’s (i. e., No. 12).
Mrs. Imanita Shelley’s affidavit (Am. Inq., p. 1146).