Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-04-25

bursting bulkheads.
Senator Fletcher wanted to know
had the Titanic been going slower il
her danger would have been less.
Lightoller said she would have been
slower ON her helm and had more time
in which to turn. He said the ship
was travelling the usual westbound
track
DO you know If all the passengers
We're aroused and told the ship was
sinking?" continued the senator Not
that / can state accurately, but from
my knowledge ef the pursers and the
conditions at the time. | am sure that
all We're aroused. A few minutes be-
fore the ship sank Purser McElroy
and Assistants Barker and Simpson
came &c me and we shook hands. Good
bye.s old man, they said, and / answer
ed Good bye. .
! Did any of them survive2" mo, all
were lost"
Lightoller said that S. Hemmings,
lampinan, who was waiting to testify
before the committee, walked the
length Of the ship just before she sank
ana saw Only two women.
How do you account for the 1000
people who could not be found; where
were they when the boats left2" THAT
/ cannot fethom; perhaps Hemmings
can cnlighten you. didn't go aft"
could anything have possibly been
done after the crash to prevent the
sinking of the ship" Absolutely moth
ing" replied Lighteller.
Was there any panie?" Not the
slightest"
Lightoller said a vessel of the tt
tanie's tonnage going at a rate of q
knots an hour could be stopped in
minute and a half or a distance of a
uarter of mile.
Senator Smith asked Lightoller If
he saw the lights of the mysterious
vessel ahead. II saw the light" he
answered. lit was two points on the
starboard bow"
Did you know what the lights
were9s Mo-
Quartermaster Robt. Hichens.
Robert Kitchens. quarternaster in
charge of the lifeboat which took OIL
Major Peuchen and others, next took
the witness chair and testified that
when the collision occurred he was
at the Titanic's wheel He said the
officers had been warned to look out
for small ice 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
aheadi'
THE first officer rushed over to give
the order Hard starboard' and the
second officer returned: Helm hard
over, sir but by that time we We're
into the berg. We could hear the
grinding of it The skipper, Capt
Smith, came rushing out asking what
was the matter and Immediately or
dered Mr. Murdoch to close the emer-
gency doors The ship had list OF
five degrees to starboard within five
minutes. 1 stayed at the wheel until
1928.
about that time one of the officers
said: Wen get out the boats and ]
was put in charge of No. 6, and or
dered to pull away toward a distant
light. / told them we would have to
pull away from the ship as she was
going down by the head Everybody
| 0aQ 20 TOW anu tNRii saf7tNN'
women. We started for the light
which we expected was ON coo
banker.
There were several boats around.
One that had four or six men came
up and / borrowed one fireman IRON
it. We never got any nearer the llghi
Then we tied our boats together ans.
STAYED there until we saw the Car
pathia coming. The sea was gettin2
choppy and the women We're getting
nervous / relieved one at an oar ana
told her to take the tiller. A Mrs
Never got mad at me and accused ms
of wrapping myself in all the blank
cts. drinking all the whiskey and us
ing bad language, which l deny
II saw all the women taken on the
Carpathia and was the last to leaNf
the boat"
Senator Smith wanted to know II
Kitchens had had any trouble in the boat
with Major Peuchen. He replied the ma
ior tried to take command
1t had been testified that Hichens re-
fused to go back and pick up other sur
vivors. None of the women in the boat
asked him to go back, he said.
Major Peuchen said, yesterday. that
when you We're asked to so back after
some who We're drowning you replied you
Weren't going back after those stiffs 4
Eyes, / saw that in the newspapers, this
morning. It's a lie, sir. l never usef
that word since l was BORN
"You want the committee to understand
you didn't refuse to go to the rescue OF
those i'm the water?s' 81 couldn't under
the conditions. was a mile away from
the cries we heard and We had no COM
pass. / instructed the men to row away
from the Titanic when she was sinking
because L was afraid of the suction Be
fore she sank we were all pulling TO;
that light. The ship was still afioat when
We stopped and the light disappeared
about Is minutes later.
After it disappeared we heard cries OF
distress. Some of the women said they
were cries of people in on boat signalling
another"
Kitchens is the witness who was taken
from the Celtic in New York on sub
poena issued by the committee.
when will the Celtic sail?' asked SEN
ator Rourne sTornorroW'