Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1912-05-02
745 out Of THE JAWS OF DEATH 745

gentle shock and supposed then moth
ing out Of the ordinary had happened
They were both dressed and came on
deck leisurely.
1t was not until. the ship began To
take q heavy list to starboard that
tremor OF fear perYaded it.
Launch Boats Safely.
The crew had been called to clear
away the lifeboats of which there
were 20. Of which four were collaps-
lble. The boats that were lowered on
the port side Of the ship touched the
water without capsizing. Some of TIE
others lowered to starboard, including
one collapsible, were caEsized. AL
hands on the collapsibIe boats thai
practically went to pieces were res
cued by the other boats.
Sixteen boats in all got away safely
1t was even then the general impres-
sion that the ship was all right and
there is no doubt that that was the BE-
lief of even some of the officers.
At the lowering OF the boats the
officers uperintending it were armed
with Tevolyers, but there was no ne
cesslty for using them as there was
nothing in the nature Of panic and
no man made an effort to get into a
boat while the women and children
we're being put aboard.
AS the ship began to settle to
starboard, heeling at an angle of near
ly 45 degrees, those who had believed
it was all right to stick by the ship
began to have doubt and a few
jumped into the sea. These were fol
lowed Immediately by others and in
a few minutes there were scores
swimming around. Nearly all of
them wore life preseryers.
One man who had a Pomeranian
dog leaped overheard with it and
striking a piece of wreckage was bad
ly stunned. He recovered after a few
minutes and swan toward one of the
lifeboats and was taken aboard. Most
OF the men who were aboard the Car
pathia, barring the members of the
crew who had manned the boats, had
jumped into the sea as the Titanic
was settling.
Ship Breaks in Two.
Under instructions from officers and
men in charge of lifeboats were row.
ed a considerable distance from the
ship herself in order to get away from
the possible suction that would follow
the laundering. The marvellous thing
about the disappearance was so lit
tie suction as to be hardly appreciate
from the point where the boats were
floating.
There was ample time to launch all
boats before the Titanic went down, as
it was two hours and twenty minutes
afoat
So confident were all hands that she
had not sustained a mortal wound that
it was not until 1915 a. NJ, or 35 min
utes after the berg was encountered,
that the boats were lowered. Hun
dreds Of the crew and a large ma
jority of the officers, including Capt
Smith, stuck to the ship to the last.
1t was evident after there were sew
eral explosions, which doubtless were
the boilers blowing up that she had
The ship broke in half amidship and
almost simultaneously the after half
and the forward half sank, the for
ward half vanishing bow first and the
other half stern first.
John Jacob Astor stood on deck and
fought off man after man until his
wife was in a lifeboat Then he re
manned on the deck to the last.
Many of the survivors assert posi-
lively that not a woman was to be
seen on any of the decks at the time
the officers of the Titanic gave the
word for the men to enter the life
boats. 1t is therefore believed many
of those who lost their lives must
have been killed in their cabins, as the
survivors also say that every one had
ample time to dress