"We drifted away easily, as the oars were got out, and
headed directly away from the ship. The crew seemed to
me to be mostly stewards or cooks in white jackets, two to
an oar, with a stoker at the tiller. There was a certain
amount of shouting from one end of the boat to the other,
and discussion as to which way we should go, but finally it
was decided to elect the stoker, who was steering, as captain,
and for all to obey his orders. He set to work at once to get
into touch with the other boats, calling to them and getting
as close as seemed wise, so that when the search boats came
in the morning to look for us, there would be more chance
for all to be rescued by keeping together.
"It was now about 1 A. M.; a beautiful starlight night, with
no moon, and so not very light. The sea was as calm as a
pond, just a gentle heave as the boat dipped up and down
in the swell; an ideal night, except for the bitter cold, for
anyone who had to be out in the middle of the Atlantic
ocean in an open boat. And if ever there was a time when
such a night was needed, surely it was now, with hundreds
of people, mostly women and children, afloat hundreds of
miles from land.
WATCHED THE TITANIC
"The captain-stoker told us that he had been at sea twenty-
six years, and had never yet seen such a calm night on the
Atlantic.
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