The second officer of the Titanic, C. H. Lightoller, was called by Senator Smith, but was not present, and the third officer of the Titanic, Herbert John Pittman, took the stand. “Do you know of your own knowledge whether the Titanic’s ship’s log was preserved or taken from the Titanic?” asked Senator Smith. “I do not.” After the hearing adjourned Senator Smith made a statement to the press in which he explained the intentions of the committee. He said: “The object of the committee in coming to New York coincidental with the arrival of the Carpathia was prompted by the desire to avail itself of first-hand information from the active participants in this sad affair. Our course has been guided solely by this purpose--to obtain accurate information without delay.” CHAPTER XXI. THE FUNERAL SHIP AND ITS DEAD. 116 Buried at Sea--Nearly All Sailors--No Prominent Men Buried--No Bullet Wounds Found--Halifax’s Bells Toll For Dead--Astor’s Body Identified--Death Ship’s Voyage--The Captain’s Story--Canon Hind’s Narrative. The cable ship Mackay-Bennett which had been sent out to recover as many as possible of the Titanic’s dead, reached her pier in the dockyard at Halifax, Nova Scotia, the nearest port, at 9.30 on the morning of April 30, almost exactly two weeks after the disaster. Down the gangway to the pier in the sunlight of a perfect April day they carried 190 of those who had started forth on the maiden voyage of the biggest ship afloat. In her quest the Mackay-Bennett had found 306 of the Titanic’s dead, but only 190 were brought to shore. The rest, the 116, were buried at sea. And 57 of those 116 were among the identified dead. Of those who were brought to shore, 60 lay unnamed at the curling rink on the edge of the town. It was believed that the 60 were all members of the Titanic’s crew, but the slender hope that their own dead might be among them sent many to the rink. One of the sixty was a little baby girl. Five of them were women, but none of the women that were found were from the first cabin passengers. There was no hope that the body of Mrs. Straus was among them. There was practically no hope that Major Butt was among the unnamed sixty. The quest of the Mackay-Bennett bore greater results than were anticipated, and Capt. Lardner believed that his ship recovered about all of those who did not go down in the Titanic. The search was continued over five days, sometimes with the ship drifting without success amid miles and miles of wreckage, tables, chairs, doors, pillows, scattered fragments of the luxury that was the White Star liner Titanic. At other times the bodies were found close together, and once they saw more than a hundred that looked to the wondering crew of the Mackay-Bennett like a flock of sea gulls in the fog, so strangely did the ends of the life belts rise and fall with the rise and fall of the waves.