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Aaron Quirey
Member
Username: titanic2012
Post Number: 2
Registered: 6-2009
| | Posted on Thursday, June 18, 2009 - 8:43 pm: | 
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Why were the port hole windows open during the sinking? Was it the terrible smell of paint? and could this have caused the ship to list more to port?
Testimony from Survivor Emily Ryerson
(First Class Passenger)
- She left Titanic on one of the last port side lifeboats at 1.50am
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Q. When you went down into the water, from the boat, did you notice anything about the portholes in the side of the ship?
A. Yes, a great many were open.
Q. Did you notice anything in particular about the portholes on the water?
A. Yes, the water was washing in the portholes. You could see far inside the cabins and see the water washing in and around the gold furniture and decorations. It was brilliantly lighted, which deck I could not tell.
Q. Did you notice any of the lines of portholes disappear after you got in the boat?
A. Yes, she was sinking very rapidly then, we saw two lines and then we saw only one.
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Dave Gittins
Member
Username: gittins
Post Number: 4079
Registered: 4-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, June 18, 2009 - 10:25 pm: |
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Where did you get that material? Ryerson never testified in the US inquiry. She made an affidavit, which was sent to Senator Smith. All she said about portholes was "I could see all the portholes open and water washing in, and the decks still lighted."
Dave Gittins
Titanic: Monument and Warning.
http://users.senet.com.au/~gittins/Book.html
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Aaron Quirey
Member
Username: titanic2012
Post Number: 3
Registered: 6-2009
| | Posted on Thursday, June 18, 2009 - 10:55 pm: |
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She gave further evidence to the inquiry. See below.
http://www.titanicinquiry.org/lol/depositions/ryerson1.php
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Michael H. Standart
Moderator
Username: mstandart
Post Number: 28108
Registered: 12-2000
| | Posted on Friday, June 19, 2009 - 12:13 am: |
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>>She gave further evidence to the inquiry.<<
Better take a closer look. That affidavit is from the Limitation of Liability hearings which were a very different breed of cat from the formal inquiries. You'll notice at the top that the deposition is dated in 1913. By this time, the inquiries were long over.
The Limitation of Liability hearings were all taken in relation to the civil lawsuits which followed.
As to why the portholes were opened, there could be a lot of reasons for that. Some passengers just liked fresh air, even if it was cold. The issue of paint fumes can't be ruled out either. The sort of bases and volitiles used in contemporary paints could be extremely unpleasant.
Cordially,
Michael H. Standart
Equal Opportunity Curmudgeon
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