Third Officer Pitman in No. 5 also heard the cries. He turned the boat around and shouted, “Now, men, we will pull toward the wreck!” “Appeal to the officer not to go back,” a lady begged Steward Etches as he tugged at his oar. “Why should we all lose our lives in a useless attempt to save others from the ship?” Other women protested too. Pitman was torn by the dilemma. Finally he reversed his orders and told his men to lay on their oars. For the next hour No. 5—40 people in a boat that held 65—heaved gently in the calm Atlantic swell, while its passengers listened to the swimmers 300 yards
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