THE SENATE INQUIRY.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLVI, Issue 100, 25 April 1912, Page 5

THE SENATE INQUIRY.

LOOK-OUT -MANS STQ.RY

SHORTAGE .OF COME-ETFNT

■SEAMIiN

\\ ASHINGTON, Ai« i- -24. At the Senate- Inquiry . iuu> the Titanic disaster .Frederick llt_-r.t gave evidence ilaai lie was in the crow'siitat at the time- of .ine..oolli&iou. He li;id been ?ns±r.utrted to look out ..sharply for ice Ho ...saw some' beigs, ore . largo nnd two small when its-sounded threo bells. .He <tejephoned Lo the ; bridge, ar.d ±he vessel . immediately went to port. The ice. got larger as .• she went aloifg. "."When, she struck: it . wa* about -50 ifcet high. He,was..not ; alarmed at ithe --collision. .He thought it a namrw -shave. He stated that ? tiie look-outs .as&ed -Mr Lightailer for

•. jrlas'.es ou ihe Atlantic >voyage. < Glh&is could Jiave been at , Belfast and .-Southampton. 'Mr ! Lightoller sail ihat there werennone. ". Floot was of -opinion tuat if the look- , oats had had .glasses they would i have ii been able to have -given sufocient -v&rning. Fleet , took charge of a •' lifeboat containing three men' ana 25 • -wonjt'n. Ho hii/1 orders to pnil to- - -yards the lignt dff'the Titanic's bow, •. fmt hf failed do l&nd the vessel. At • one time they were "abreast of t'the Lfcoat, but slipped by it. Major Peuehen, Toronto, - sajci '■'-thai ho inspected ttie- iceberg, but he *'(thought the fia-regar was -not serious. ',Later, in showing Wr Hays the ice- ». «>erg, he noticed iihe^ship's list. 7-Mr {Tiays implied: 'The' Titanic can'itsmk -Whatever we have Struck. She's {good '#or eight or ten 'Jurors.'" Major *vPi^uchen then Trout 'to • tho lifeboats rahd was surprised -that'the sailors ■■were not at then- posts. "There waata • 'ahoicage of competent seamen. 'Thirty-six women were in the first "life-boat. A crowd -df Stokers eaine •on'-deck. An officer drove '"them off the deck 'like-a1 lot of sheep! .-iiiid-called the women' to #ill the see* -*>nd f boai. Some refaisdd to- icavc thcifl; husbands. He thought the failure -rto sound a general -alarm accounted! j£<er-*many of the -women not coming • iMv'deck in time ix> -go"in the boats.5 THe wondered why more men were" ttaken when the beat yrss lowered. Mr. Oiightbller said that "they could notj Tijianage the boat with 'one seaman an.< 3 -asked? Major Peuehen, who was a, yachtsman, to slip -down the rope and id&e-an oar. The hfeljoa^was rowed awav-ias- fast as possfble^to escape the suction Shortly afterwards they liearathe Titanic signal for them to return. ""Those in the lifeboat did not wish-to- return becausel'^heMqiiarterjnastipr said "It's our lives against those-on" tho ship." The married woinen^s,protests were >guort>it. Two -explosions ' followed -shortly - afterwards. • Mr Pit-maT], the tHird officer, said that a ■special look-oat was 'kept for ice on'th&S-anday. At -first' he_ did not think 'the collision -was ' serious. He mec"Mi"'l3iriay, who was in his _ cfressmg-gown. He said: "Hurry up; tliere's no time'for fooling." He mild wjiynods- to get the -women and children '-into J the boats. Mr rlsmay i.plped to "-launch one. He lenasiined on theTitaiiic -when witness's 'boat left. ' Krr "Pitman expected to'beablo to brin«*the .passengers aooard iagain in a few"'hours. The boat wa-s. not

:filled» "beraauso'^there were ii«-moire wo>Men aleiti>vvhen' M, was lowered. "The ''Titanic mhtl&ibyt'he head and then .^suddenly sfiax-d on her end and --dived -straigbfc <$e*y>n. ' F«ui- explos&eais 3ike !|>ig guns flowed. He;, believed they - v? ere caused' by-■■the bulkheads being fblown. oiit- I&eylieard many <exws : r M distress-^^he-<oi»dei:'ed the- irien to • out the «?ays aild 'jpull towards the; v Wreck and cfo'-y "-to sa^e a few mor^y -as there weEef!©tfdy <4(Asaboard the feoart^,1 -Which wouM Ifatdcep. The passengers tibdenmrred, sa^pssyg that it was a mad -ifdea. Evea SfeeVwAnieii did not iurge ijiim• to retuam; 'He "yielded to the spg.Kse'ngers'' RWBfl^uftijties. .•■ f.Pressed by.^eßJvteriSniith Mr Pit-* >#i#n gave hafl- t ro^-angdeitdls. , They ihoprd sci'eams ;O# one long consi»udus moan, &$ • p€?ojSle in; .their i3esth agonies, '^he .-erieis continued Uir'imi hour 'iSe'-iUtd vno personal s!yiip,;\}iedge of t&w s^iip .mentioned by BoxlialL ■,'■■' x / jSejaator Sniitfj that _ it "■ iimgiii^ave been tihemilligiJla^; winch \Fa&isoekedat New 'Kork on-.the 17 th. j £he .rejported that- ; sihe s e.nco.untered an iceberg near where \tfce Titaiilc was »unik.' •■• ■ ■-. : ■'" ■. j The .public were fiSEakided .fr«m the inquiry., .in consequeiie.e of .interruptions." _ , The .Senate Ccamta&te r^fueed Messrs ifenjay and FfiifG^Jin sion to j-ftturn to New IL&k . ' At the inquiry Majisr Peuch-en ,<hd : not criiSfiiie ■; Captain .f&aij&j il>ut blamed1 the policy a^nd niethods. J3e felt conrj need -that caution wo.ul^i have averted ifche fatrible calamity.^ The captain */ the Califorflsla.n : sayp :that tlie Gaitfo.i^iian. was saioit the steamer seen &ye zhiles away frvpm the ifitanic,. as on Sunday evening she ■sr^s 20 miles aroaf?. At 10.30 she entered an immense icefield 3< so they stepped the en^nes and awaited dayJtghfc. Her wireless apparatus was not working or she mijptfc have saved all oil 'board. He did not learn of the disaster till the Monday morning. Mrs Astor said that her husband on awakeaing told her that something was wrong, and urged her to dress. Assuring tier that the Titanic was un- . sinkable he left her, but returned looking grave. He declared that she had, struck a submerged iceberg. She hurriedly dressed, wearing some jewellery, and accompanied her husband to the boat deck. They then donned lifebelts. Colonel Astor, (noticing tfhat his. wife was lightly clad, sent for a heavier dress and wrapped her in a fur coat. As she was entering the boat her husband said: "The sea is calm. You are all right and in good hands. I will meet you in -fihe morning." He stood smiling as the lifeboat was lowered. She soon noticed;' that the Titanic was settling, and saw her terrier running on the deck. She sa%v the Titanic sink. It was very cold. The jcy water entered the bottom of the

j CABLE STEWS..

boat-sunl-rose up to Jaer.lcnees, She .rowed, knowing how -to Jiandle an oar, .and so did Mrs vVidener. Eight or ten-drowning men..were.picked up during the night. She..saw at -day- . break-the icebergs suruojanding them. The -Carpathian rescued-them.; She found in.the pockets of the-fur. coat 200 dollars, which she distributed among.. the destitute aboard. thevCar- . pathian-