The Mathews journal. (Mathews C.H. [Court House]) 1903-1937, 1912-05-02
lestIOns reEardinE evldence OF IN,

anything. Nothing could be told by
that, he said.
@. Has anybody ever told you that.
noting the time between the blast of
a whistle at sea and the reflected
sound, the distance in feet can be
found by multiplying by $50?
@. And none of these signs I have
mentioned are familiar to you?
a. No, sir.
Q. How about the explosion of ice
bergs2 Did you know that they eX-
plOde when they come down from the
Arctic regions and strike the Gulf
stream?
A. Some people say that. but we
have no proof.
Q. DO you regard the presence of
seal herds and flocks of birds in any
way indicating the presence of ice
| bergs?
A. Certainly not. We see flocks of
birds in the South Seas.
q. Did YOU ever see ice in the South
Seas?
A. Yes: once off Falkland Islands.
I saw berg seven miles long. six
miles wide and 500 feet high. We
were about a mile away.
Pittman said on Saturday Fourth
officer BOxhall noted ice on the chart.
1t was to the north Of the course of
Q. Was this ship on its proper
course?
n. Yes.
Q. was she on the course common
ly taken by ships coming from
Southampton to New York, or of
ships going from New York to South
amptOn?
A. on the course commonly fol-
lowed by ships sailing from the Eng
lish channel to New York.
@. Do YOU know the position OF the
Titanic when she struck?
a. Yes. sir.
@. Does that indicate that she was
on her right course?
4. Yes sir; she was.
Saw IccbergS Monday.
Witness said he saw no icebergs
until Monday morning. Then he was
i'm a lifeboat on the way to the Car
pathia. At that time he saw five or
six Of them. Some were $50 feet
high above the water. Between and
3 O'Clock on Sunday night. he said.
he was working out observations in
the chart room and that Second Of
ficer LightOller was on the bridge.
Pittman declared he did not know
! at that time sof the ice warning sent
out by the Californian, but has since
learned that Lghtoller knew and
passed the work along when he went
eff the watch He said the officers
were keeping a special lookout for
ice.
The officer alluded TO was the spe-
cial officer of the watch. whom, he
said. was warned.
Witness said that between 1880 and
7:4O Sunday night. he and Second Of
ficer Lightoller took stellar observa
tions to determine the course OF the
ship, and that these observations To-
Gated the ship on her proper course
J He could not say what the location OF
the ship was at o'clock, but. he said
its speed was about twenty-one and 8
half knots. and they were not tryine
to make twenty-fOur knots, as they die
: not have the coal.
Witness added that the ship wa:
making about seventy-fve revolutions
: The movements of ]. Bruce Isma,
: on the boat deck Of the Titanic the
night she took her final plunge were
: described by Pittman.
Ismay. in Pittman's narrative, ap
pears as a man whose identity wa
: not known, but who, appearing on tn
that time was precious and that life
boats should be lowered.
Ismay Turns Up.
Pittman said he turned out OF hi
berth at ten minutes TO twelve, beinl
awakened by the collision. He sai'
there was no special impact, and h
thought the ship had dropped il
"mudhooks."
Then 1 got up and went out oil
deck" he said. Il thought il was
dream. went back to my cabin AM
! lighted my pipe"
Pittman said BoxhaIl told him the,
had struck icebergs. He met Moody
the sixth officer, who said he had seel
no berg, but there was ice on the for
ward we'll deck.
Il went back to the boat deck" h
continued. and while 1 was standing
| at number five boat. my post, in tn
1 act of clearing away this boat, ma
. in a dressing gown and slippers step
Z ped up.
There is no time TO be lost h
| id m / did think n
l knew anything about it,"
.. Did you know who this MAJ
was?
A. Not then. I do now.
Q. Who was he?
= A. Mr.. lsmay. l was struck wit
the easy way in which the boats LET
. the davits and the man in the dress
= | ing gown said l had better fill il wit
. | women and children. l told him
- was awaiting orders from the cap
r tain. The man in the dressing gov
q then left. 1t then struck me that
q might be Ismay, and L told the cap
q tain, and he said, GO ahead wit
r the boats" 1 shouted to the wome
q to come along, and with forty in tn
J. boat. showed it off.
4 Witness said Murdoch ordered hiI
= into the boat, and said: You g
s away in this boat, old man"
l. Il did not like the idea" continue
j. the witness. Il thought we weT
better off on the ship"
Q. Were the passengers reluctaI
e to get into the boat?
A. No; 1 filled my boat easily. ~
l. had about forty passengers, includin
= half a dozen men. There were n
women around. Murdoch said: "Y o
o get into the boat, but hang around
He shook hands with me, and sale
n Goodbye. old man; good luck" an
never saw him again.
: Pittman said his boat was the SEQ
L ond lowered on the starboard sic
: from the boat deck.
/, O. Who were the men in your boat
a. A. Five members of the crew an
-e five or six were male passengers. I'll
balance were women.
- Q. Do you know them?
:. A. don't know their names.
No Steam I'm Boilers.
ID Witness said that all of his pa!
sengers survived. He knew his DO;
was equipped with bread and waite
90 1t did not have lights, but some
. the boats had lights. He thought on
l. two or three compartments of tt
Titanic would fill with water, an
at that she would float.