Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1912-04-19
MANY LIVES ARE
LOST IN SHIPWRECK
Steamship Titanic, Largest
Afioat, Sunk OFNewfound-
land Coast Monday

The greatest disaster on the sea.
in the history of the world, occurred
last Sunday night off the New Found
land Banks, about 400 miles southeast
OF Cape Race. The Titanic, the larg-
est passenger steamship ever built,
collided with an iceberg, and was
sunk. There were about 1000 peo-
pie aboard, only about CTS of whom
were saved, the rest being drowned.
There were about 675 o, 700 women
and children aboard, and from wire
less reports only these were saved.
Late reports may change these figures
slightly.
This gigantic steamer, known as
the "Queen of the Sea-" left South
ampton on Wednesday. April the
tenth, on her first trip across, and it
is thought was endeavoring to break
the speed record when she struck a
huge submerged iceberg OH Sunday
night. This steamship, recently built,
was said to be unsinkable, the larg-
est, strongest and safest, as well as
most luxuriously equipped ship ever
built, or coulu be built. The loss is
about 81 million dollars, including
the value of the ship, ten million
dollars. The rest of the loss was
divided between the baggage and be
longings of the passengers, cargo,
etc. There were thirty-fve thousand
mail bags, containing, of course many
money orders and registered pack
ages. A number of prominent, men
were aboard the Titantic, and lost.
Within the past twelve months &c
vessels have been lost at sea, with
total OF 171S lives. The present dis
aster is nearly as great as all these
put together.
Some of us recall the graphic ac-
count given in the newspapers of the
launching of the Titanic in May,
1911. The launching took place in
the ship yards at Belfast, Ireland, in
the presence of many notable person.
ages and a greet throng of people.
Sne was fifteen stories high, had nine
steel decks, parlors, restaurants, golf
links, gymnasiums, flower gardens,
fountains, saloons, suites of costly
rooms, elevators, sleeping chambers,
bath rooms, wardrobes, eleYators-a
veritable floating palace of accommo-
dations for 8, 800 people, and con-
sidered the finest and most substan-
TALLY built ship afioat. Her builder
was Gne of the most distinguished
in all the land. He as
sured the world that she was absolu-
tely "unsinkable.
She was built to defy the sea. But
behold A comparatively small chunk
of ice-too small to be discernable
above water, taken out of the great
icehouse in the Arctics, and floated
out into the Atlantic, comes in con-
tact with this giantess OF the sea,
and smashes it and crumples it up
like pasteboard.
SAVED BY WIRELESS
When the Titanic struck the iceberg
it was at first thought that she was
not seriously injured, and would be
able to make port, but when it was
found out otherwise the call rs. U.
S. was sent out by wireless tele-
graph. The message was picked up by
seven steamers at differre mt points,
and each steamed away to the res
cue at full speed, but were too far
away to reach the doomed vessel be-
fore she sank. The Carpathia picked
up the survivors who were floating in
he sea on RATS, life-boats, etc., and
brought them to New York. Some
time must elapse before the full ex-
tent of this great disaster is known.
Enough is known, however, to mark
it as the worst in all respects in the
history of the sea.