Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1912-04-23
THIRD OFFICER pITMAN PICTURES
DEATH STRUGGLES OF BIG
LINERS VICTIMS.
PLEADS TO BE SPARED
FROM RECITAL OF DETAILS
Ordered Crew Of Life Beat to Turn
Back to save Drowning Passengers,
But Rescued Passenger Dsmurrsd
Fear Of Ovsrcrowding Boat Pre-
ventsd Attempt at Rescue Work.

Titanic disaster were pictured to the
senate investigating committee TO-DAY
by Third Officer Herbert John Pitman
OF the sunken liner.
Chairman Smith Of the committee
pressed Pitman regarding the scenes
after the sinking Of the ship.
II heard no cries of distress until
after the ship went down." he said,
How far away were the cries from
your lifeboats?"
Several hundred yards probably.
some of them. l told my men to get
the oars out and pull toward the wreck
that we might be able to save few
more.
"The people in my boat demurred'
They said it would be mad idea"
Did any one in your boat urge or
appeal to you to go back toward the
wreck?"
mo, not one"
Did any women urge you to go
back?'
No"
who demurred, the men with the
oars?"
ooh no, they obeyed my orders and
all the passengers said it was mad
idea to 20 back, that we should add
another forty to the list Of drowned.
Then we took on the oars and lay
quiet"
One Long Continuous Moan.
~ 1-
tunities of the passengers he did not
turn back to see but merely pulled in
his oars and drifted.
Describe the screams"
Don't sir. please. I'd rather not talk
about it,
II won't try to presS.ssitYhat what was
It like? Were the screeniss Intermittent
or spasmodic?"
1T was one long continuous moan
The witness said the moans and cries
continued an hour and that he had
made no effort to go to the rescue.
you drifted in the vicinity of the
drowning people and made no effort to
give them aid?" asked Senator Smith
in surprise
Please, sir. don't" pleaded Pitman.
II can't bear to recall IT. | wish we
might not discuss the scene"
No Aid for Drowning.
Il have no desire to lacerate your
feelings" said Senator Smith, but we
must know whether you drifted there
without offering aid. Answer that and
1 shall press you no more"
II did SIR" answered the witness.
Did you ever hear anything Of n
boat known as the Hellig Olaf?" sud-
denly asked Senator Smith.
"No. did not. There may be boat
of that name" said Pitman.
The Olaf docked at New York April
II and is reported to have encountered
an iceberg near where the Titanic
sunk 1t has been suggested that the
Olaf may have been the boat whose
lights Fourth Officer Boxhall saw and
which he Intellectually tried to signal
with distress rockets.
Titanic's Lookout Testifies.
Frederick Fleet. who was on the
lookout in the crows nest Of the IT.
tanic, testified that on Sunday night.
some time after 10 o'clock, he reported
a black mass Of ice ahead to the Off
was before the collision the lookout
could not say.
Fleet told the committee that there
were no lookout glasses in the Titanic's
crows nest after leaving Southampton.
If he had had glasses, he said. he could
have seen the iceberg soon enough to
have escaped 1t. He said glasses are
furnished the lookout from Belfast to
Southampton, where they were taken
away.
Ship Story Not Verified.
Senator Smith sought to verify
Fourth Officer Boxhalls testimony
yesterday regarding a strange ship
that failed to lend aid. Pitman said he
did not. of his own knowledge, know of
the presence Of the ship but that he
had heard later that one had passed.
"Did you have watch when you
entered the life boat?"
Eyes"
did you fix the time when the IT.
tanic sank?'
1T was 2:20 a. m. I took out my
watch when she sank and said. It's
two twenty The passengers around me
heard"
did you, when aboard the Titanic.
hear anything about your proximity to
tho Frankfort of the North German
Lloyd. or any other steamer"
mo. sir"
Senator Perkins asked the witness
about the life boats and II It were
true that not more than 1900 OF the
1000 passengers and crew could be
taken care Of even under the most ia :
circumstances. The witness
said that was his blief.
ICE PREVENTED AID.