The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1912-04-23

contradiction to that given on this
point yesterday by Boxhall.
"At night it looked black, like .
huge island" said Pittman. He de-
clared the presence of seals and birds
at sea were not conclusive signs of
ice. The temperatures of the water
or air were not reu.-ed by the pree-
ence Of this huge berg, Pittman said
He knew that two hour tests were
made on the temperature Of ocean
water in an effort to ascertain IL Ice
bergs were near, but said he person
ally never placed any reliance on
these tests.
Pittman jolted out his words crisp
ly and showed some disdain for the
'Iandlubber" questions asked by the
committee.
Photographers stood on tables 70
snap pictures of the scene. MoviH9
pictures also were taken Of the hear-
ing in progress
bark II large millinery In the e0m-
mittee osn. Even Senator Reed. .
consssss sc mem ~. was wedged -
behind the mass Of spectators {of
several minutes before he cod1A
squeeze to his seat.
Pftt1nan asserted emphatfcaliy tl1at
the Titanic was on her proper couDse.
He explained at some length the dfe-
ference between the northerlye and
southerly ocean routes. The Titanic,
he said, followed the course common
~ taken by ocean liners at this time
of the year.
DO you make that statement be-
cause Of the Titanic's position at the
thine OF the collision?" he was asked.
Exactly. She was right on the line"
he declared.
Then. when the cross indicating
your ,es ssps put the s.1t it was I'M e
ice was way to the north. 1 saw no
Ice until Monday morning when 1 was
in the hfeboat and on the Carpathia-
There were probably a half dozen
beres around there then but i was
not sufficiently interested to count
them. Most of them were about $50
feet high.'' Pittman added.
Immediately preceding the collision
on Sunday night, Pittman said he
was in his bunk. He did not see the
captain after z o'clock as he was IN
the chart room working out obServs-
tlons until shortly before 10 o'clock
when he retired.
Pittman said First Officer MUIR
dock, on the Titanic's bridge when
the crash came, was keeping spe-
cial lookout for ice.''
How do you know that?" he was
Pittman replied. Officer HghtoIIsr
passed the word around"
Pitttman said he learned this news
since the. disaster The junior Off
Ger asserted that his observations
early Sunday evening located the ship
right on the regular track"
''The Titanic was then making about
21 1-2 knots an hour Pittman said.
THAT was at about 7:40 p. m"
DO you regard that as pretty good
speed?" he was asked. "No, nothing
more than she was expected to do.
We thought she could do "A knots"
knots?" mo sir. we had to study
the COAL" Pittman replied. I'VE didn't
know it's exact quality"
Pittman did not personally direct
his attention to the question Of Ice
bergs. He had talked to Murdoch
about them and had remarked that
the Titanic would be in the vicinity
of ice during the first officers watch.
Just prior to the collision, he said.
the Titanic was going as fast az she
had at any time since she left South
ampton about IS propeller revolutions
a minute.
''She never made any 80 revoiu-
tions,' Pittman growled In disbelief
when Senator Smith said an officer
had testified to that speed.
Pittman said he got on deck 10 min
utes before midnight. THE collision
woke me up, it sounded like a ship
coming to anchor said Pittman. ct
didn't quite wake me up but made me
wonder where we were anchoring."
Pittman rushed on deck without
dressing He did not see anything
wrong and went back to his bunk, b.
lieving he had been dreaming.
"BoxhalI came in my room a few
minutes later he went on land said
we'd struck an iceberg. I got out on
deck and found boats being lowered
away Quartermaster Moody said he
saw some ice on a forward lower
deck 1 went down and saw little
''Then I saw some dremen coming
up with their bags. saw women
crawling over the hatch and rushed
out to help in loading the lifeboats.
ST helped to lower No. boat which
was the one assigned to my care be-
fore we sailed. A man in DRESSING
grown said you had better get women
and children over here to load the
boat. 1 found out afterwards he was
Mr.. Ismay I got back the boat ale
most filled and shouted, Are there
any more women?
.sThere didn't seem to be. so then.
I let in some men. Jumped out OH
the boat on deck again. I thought ia
be better off on the ship. filled;
40 in my boat, including six men pas
sengers. wouldn't have had 80 many
men but there were no women to 50.
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