The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-04-25
MANY DROWNING
AS LIFE BOATS
LEFT TITANIC
To Have Attempted Rescue
Would Have Added to Disaster
TESTIMONY OF OFFICERS
Said Boats Would Have Been Swamp
ed by the Hundreds in the
Water

Washington, April 24.-Two officers
of the Titanic, testifying today before
the Senate Committee, asserted
solemnly that to save the lives of
those already entrusted to their care
by the Captain ftheir ship they
were compelled to ignore the appeals
of hundreds OF other who were drown
ing, only short distance away.
Those two men were Fifth Officer
Harold G. Lowe and Quartermaster
Robert Hichens
Both agreed in saying that to have
rowed in among the 1886 drowning
men and women would have resulted
only in the loss of hundred more
lives, as their boats inevitably would
have been swamped by the efforts Of
those in the water to board them,
Both were disciplined sailors, and
the first rule of discipline is TO obey
orders. Lowe, the elder officer. used
better judgment perhaps and display
ed more discretion than Hichens. but
both succeeded in convincing the in
yestigators that they had done the
best they could under the circum.
stances.
Lowe testified that he waited until
things had quoted down bit" be-
fore attempting any rescues. BY this
he meant that he waited until the
agonizing cries from the dark waters
had ceased. But while waiting he
rowed close to other boats and trans.
ferred to them some of those who
left the ship in his boat. After thus
tightening his load he rowed back to
where the. Titanic sank and picked I'D
four men. While his boat was being
lowered he fired three shots from his
revolver to keep men on the lower
decks from jumping into it and
breaking 1t in two.
The testimony showed that the big
steamship was on the verge of field
OF ice twenty or thirty miles long. II
she had not actually entered 1t, when
the collision occurred. One of the
lookouts testified that he had report.
ed ice, but he could not remember
now close to the ship the iceberg was
when he first saw it. But other testi.
mony indicated that 1t could not have
been more than a minute or two.
Then questions were asked how
long 1t would take the ship to come to
stop IL her engines had been re-.
versed. II appears that this could
nave been accomplished in a minute
and half, but during that time the
ship would have gone half mile
further on her course.
The testimony also makes IL clear
that the moment the iceberg was re-
ported the order "hard.a-starboard
was Issued, and almost Immediately
thereafter there came the grating of
the ships keel on the iceberg.
Richard Hichens, quartermaster in
charge of the lifeboat which took of
Major Peuchen and others testified
that when the collision occurred he
was at the THAMES wheel. He said
the officers had been warned to look
out for small Gle, and that he had
been ordered to have the heaters
started in the chart room. The first
he knew OF the collision was when
the order came down from the bridge
Berg ahead"
THE first officer rushed over TO
give the order Hard.a-starboard and
the second officer returned Helm
hard over, sir. but by this time we
were into the berg. We could hear
the grinding of it. Captain Smith
came rushing out asking what was
the matter. and Immediately ordered
Mr.. Murdoch TO close the emergency
doors. The ship had a list OF five de.
gress to starboard within five min.
utes. stayed at the wheel until
1928.
About that time one of the officers
said, Wen get out the boats and I
was put in charge Of No. 6, and or.
dered to put away toward distant
light. had 3S women, one seaman.
myself, an Italian lad and the major.
l told them We would have to pull
away from the ship as she was going
down by the head Everybody had
TO row. and ] even asked the women.
We started for the light, which we
expected was on a cod-bunker."
There were several other boats
around. We never got any nearer
the light Then We tied our boats to-
gether and stayed there till we saw
the Carpathia coming. The sea was
getting ohoppy and the women merry.
Gus. ! relieved out at an oar, and
told her TO take the filler Mo
Meyer got mad at men and accused
me OF wrapping myself in all hte
blankets, drinking all the whisky and
using bad language which deny.
i saw all the women taken on the
Carpathia, and was the last to leave
my boat"
Senator Smith wanted to know n
Hichens had any trouble in the boat
with Major Peuchen. He replied the
major had tried to take command.
IL mad been testified 10 that Hioh
ems had refused to 20 back and nick
up other survivors. None OF the wo
men in the boat had asked him 10 20
back, he said. e'
Major Peuchen said yesterda,
mat when you were asked 10 90 bach
after some who were drowning Won
replied YOU weren't going back after
those stiffs.'" It's lie. sir / never
used that word since 7 was bornn
You want the committee 10 under
stand that you did not refuse TO 20 tr
the rescue Of those In the waterY" n
couldn't under Tho cn,dt,t.,,,