An account from The Liverpool Echo 25412

[Paul Lee]

Von Drachstedt rushed to the tennis-court as soon as the collision occurred, for this was situated, he thought, pretty much at the bottom of the boat. He found six inches of water covering the floor. He ran up five flights of steps and induced friends to descend to see the alarming situation. They reached the court a few minutes later, and discovered nearly five feet of water. That settled matters for von Draschedt! He changed his clothes, put on a life preserver and went on deck, when, he says, he found women indignant at being made to leave the ship in a hurry. One bitterley complained that she was not allowed to fix her hair!



This account has some interesting points: the "tennis court" is indeed in the lowest passenger going area of the ship on G deck, but the only way for water to enter would be via the staircase that the Baron [sic] would have to descend. He would have to go up, I think 3 flights of steps to get to his cabin on D deck. The timing would be a bit off to allow water to flood the court to nearly five feet depth no more than a few minutes after the collision.

Paul
http://www.paullee.com/titanic/

 

[Michael Findlay]

This account matches the same version of events described by Henry Blank, who was one of von Drachstedt's friends with whom he was playing cards in the Titanic's smoking room that fateful night. After Blank, von Drachstedt, and the other friend, William Greenfield, witnessed the water steadily filling the squash court, they immediately returned to the smoking room, folded up their cards and each proceeded to take an ace from the deck. All three men placed their aces in their coat pockets before returning to their staterooms where they dressed for the evacuation. All three men would subsequently be rescued in the first lifeboat to leave the ship, boat no. 7.

Blank declared that the amount of water he saw on the floor of the squash court when he left with his two friends "would have only covered the heel of one's shoe."

 

[Paul Lee]

Interesting that Nourney says that when he saw the water it was very shallow but when he returned with friends it was nearly 5 feet deep, but Blank says that when he returned with Nourney, it was shallow!

 

[Mike Poirier]

Perhaps it was a transcription error? A later account by Nourney was in Voyage two years ago.

 

[Paul Lee]

It also means that Nourney couldn't have gone to the squash court immediately after the collision. Looking at the plans of the ship, the mail room would have to be full before the water sloshed out and down the staircase into the court. As the British report says;
"The mail room was filling and water was within 2 ft. of G deck, rising fast, when the order was given to clear the boats."

Perhaps Nourney's card game was too mesmerising to give up immediately?