The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-04-24

swor~ horribly all the time, and wa
unntterably brutal to the women
Asked why he did not interfers
peuchen said:
"He was o large man. ! could not
reach him from where ! was without
. struggle. had a row with him
once. thought 1t better not TO taih
TO him.
Peuchen said that he was surprised
that there were so few men aboard to
man the boats. III there were they
we're &c. al their stations. he sad.
II had supposed that there would have
been drill or something OF the kind.
bat ! saw none. judge IL was what
Is called a scratch crew picked up
for this voyage and unfamiliar with
the boat even IL sufficient In number"
He said that no general alarm was
sounded to his knowledge. lie said
she collision was like that OF a great
wave striking the vessel. But he
knew that the night was calm and
went on deck TO So what had nap
p..ea. he found see IN aaan,i.les
about the forward deck. Later the
list OF the vessel disturbed him, and
then going TO the boat deck for the
first time he read in the Mortified
facesJof the passengers who had gath
cred there that the ship was in grave
danger
Pevchen's FIRST effort was 10 round
up his friends. He succeeded In and
Ing few or them. Most Of them went
down with the vessel The women in
the nfetoat told him that they were
aroused by Mrs As;or. whose state
roo4,1 was next to theirs, Had IL rot
been for her warning they would have
heeen drowned
lsnay Scowis.
All the time PeuChcn was talking
.snNy who had been placed where ne
could face the witnesses. scowled or
xiowered or Sncercd But the Major
continued To tell his story patiently
ard without a tremo-. Only once did
his voice shake. That was when he
was describing the cries that went up
ri the last.
Toward the last az his testimony lie
made startling statement which may
minders of the wreck that were visible
VIXEN the Naclay- Bennett went out
on her relief eNpeditlon. .....,...
II was astonished." he said, when
In the morning looked from the deck
IF the Carpathia TO see II ! might see
the bodies Of some Of my friends TO
sec the great quantities 81 loose cork
floating On the water. There were
masses of IT."
What Of Lite preservers.
Here was food for the committees
thought. Loose cork could come from
life~preservers. What kind of life
rreservers the Titanic had. win now
become a subject III inquiry. II they
were Of the kind whose binders break
and liherate the buoyant filing Inn
mediatey they would have been Of lit
tie service to those wso entrusted
peratn moment.
Puechpn testified. however that
even had the life preservers been per
feet few men could have lived in that
friwid water longer than an hour,
Three Of the men on the urtnrneed
emergency boat he said hud9led to-
gether for warmth. When n 1urch Of
the hoa. caused them TO let 20 all fell
overheard and slipped off into the
ocs~n
His discovery of the ships barbar-
pole among the wreckage convinced
him that there had been a terrific ex-
plosfon caused. he thought. by mass
Of air rushing up as the water forced
itself below. The barber shop was on
&C. deck far below. and only an
6ADEpTlnH tOblu fiNNE ltINth II w
Committee Roou Packed.
The hearing was held In small
room. which, as usual. was packet
with women. The questioning pro
ceeded slowly and with little methot
or apparent purpose. Every cues
ton would be repeated many times
Every witness was asked the same
thing over ard over aga'nfi and many
Irrelevant queries wer put to all thre'
of the rren who testified, Once Chair
man Smith asked Pittman II II wa.
not mistake to hit the iceberg the
way II was hit
Another time he INQUIRED of Peu-
chen II the vessel sank by 'the heat
or the bow
When Peuehen said that by the
head and nv the bow meant the sam,
thing Smith replied:
We'll. not exactly"
p. A. s. Franklin remained in at
tendance al day. together with tbs
White Star Line attorneys, Burlfn
game and Carlin.
Senator Stone. Of Missouri. oceu
pied one of the seats In the room
during the afternoon as spectator
onlv
The inquiry will begin at 10; 40 to-
morrow and will continue probab',
throuvout the week At the presen
rate II will REQUIRE three weeks to ex'
au{pa all fhn Witnesses that have