Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-04-23

ice. | asked him whether he thought |
il serious, and he said he did. On |
returning to my room | met the chief |
engineer and asked him whether he |
thought the damage serious, and he |
said he thought it was.
u then returned to my room and |
put on suit of clothes. | had been
in my overcoat and pajamas up to
this time. | then went back to the
boat deck and heard Captain Smith
give the order to clear the boats.
helped in this work for nearly two
hours, as far as l can judge. worked
at the starboard boats, helping wom
en- and children into the boats and
lowering them over the side. l did
nothing with regard to the boats On
the port side.
AIDS IN LOWERING BOAT.
by that time every wooden life
boat on the starboard side had been
lowered away and L found they were
engaged in getting out the forward
COllapsible boat on the starboard side.
| assisted in this work, and all the
women that were on this deck were
helped into the boat They were all,
think, third class passengers.
LAS the boat was going over the side,
Mr.. Carter, a passenger, and myself
got in. At that time there was not
woman on the boat deck, nor any
passenger of any class, so far as We
could see or hear.
| The boat had between thirty-five
and forty in it, | should think, most
! of them women. There were perhaps
| four or five men, and it was afterward
discovered there were four Cinnamon
concealed under the thwarts in the
/ bottom of the boat.
The distance the boat had to be
: lowered into the water was, | should
estimate, about twenty feet Mr., Car
| ter and l did not get into the boat I'M
/ I'll after they had begun to lower it
away. When the boat reached the
water l helped row it, pushing the
oar from me as | sat.
MORE COULD HAVE ENTERED BOAT.
This is the explanation of the fact
that my back was to the sinking steam
er. The boat would have Accommodated
certainly six or more passengers in
addition if there had been any on the
boat deck to go.
These facts can be substantiated by
W. E. Carter of Philadelphia, who got
in at the time | did and was rowing
the boat with me. l hope l need not
say that neither Mr.. Carter nor my
self would for one moment have
thought of getting into the boat if
there had been any women there to
go in it, nor should | have done so If
| had thought that by remaining on
the ship could have been of the slight.
est further assistance.
ut is impossible for me to
: answer every false statement
. rumoT, or invention that has
appeared in the newspapers.
am prepared to answer any questions
that may be asked by the committee
of the senate or any other response
bic person. l shall, therefore. make
no further statement of this kind ex
cept to explain the messages l sem
from the Carpathia
SAYS HE Is MIsUNDERSTOOD.
These messages have been com
, pletely misunderstood. An inference
, has been drawn from them that
) vas anxious to avoid the senate com
mittee's inquiry which it was intended
IN hold in Nau Work
AS matter of fact when despatch
. ing these messages l had not tn
r slightest idea any inquiry was con
[ templated and | had no information
D regarding 1t until the arrival of tn
{ Carpathia at the Cunard dock in New
York Thursday night, when | wa
Informed by Senators Smith and New
lands of the appointment of the specia
i, committee TO hold the inquiry.
, The only purpose had in sendin
, these messages was to express my dc
sire to have the crew returned to thei
, homes in England for their own benz
: fit at the earliest possible momen
9 and | also was naturally anxious t
return TO my family, but left the ma
g ter of my return entirely to our rel
. resentatives in New York"