Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1912-12-13
Great Disaster Pictured by W. T.
Stead in 1886.
Enormous Loss of Life Predicted by
the Distinguished English Jour-
nalist in His Own News
paper.

London.-An investigator, searching
for material for a biography OF W. L.
Stead, the Englishman who went down
with the Titanic, has discovered
strange prediction of his own doom
made by Mr. Stead in the Pail Mall
Gazette on March %, 1886.
This article, written by Mr.. Stead.
was headed, How the Mail Steamer
Went Down in Mid-Atlantic."
The article appeared a couple OF
days after the Oregon was lost, and
purported to give a description OF
the scene of horror that ensued on the
then biggest Atlantic liner, when at
last the passengers realized the ship
was doomed. In a footnote, Stead
wrote;
This is exactly what might take
place and what will take place IL
the liners are sent to sea short of
boats"
Here are some extracts from Stead's
grim prediction:
From below there came queer
sucking sound, with an occasional long
gurgle, and saw that the ship seemed
to hang as the seas met her.
1.-THE boats were made fast to stand
heavy weather, and only skilled sail
ors could launch them.
Il calculated that, by loading all
the eight boats down to the waters
edge and by packing the children
along the bottom boards, we might
accommodate 900 pepole. We were
carrying GIG altogether.
"A loud crack, followed by wallow-
ing noise like a thunder, rendered
all other sounds insignificant, and a
captain who was going out to New
York, said: The /bulkheads gone.
We must take our chance The ship
stopped nearly dead, and began to
tremble curiously. but it was only the
river of water pouring aft, and we
soon saw the f1remen driven up like
rats from a burrow. Stand by the
boats
The order was given, and the boat
swain's call rose in a long, tremulous
screech. One of the starboard boats
was successfully launched, and the
officer stood, revolver In hand. 'Wo-
men first here. Thompson, you will
steer her. Take four men and no
more The young English lady was
lowered down, although she chung to
her father and begged him to let her
stay. No, darling, goodbye. Be hap.
py,' he said, and then stood composed.
ly amid the hurly-burly"
BY an extraordinary coincidence
Stead describes the girl as "a dark
beauty, about eighteen years Of age y
One could almost fancy that he saw as
in glass darkly the then yet unborn
Mrs. John Jacob Aston
AT last only one light boat re-
manned and still there were over TOO
OF us damned in the narrow space left
by the awful list. The captain has
dropped his hands-he could do nc
more. One sailor said: We've stood
it long enough, Tom. Let's have our
turn
And he, with three sturdy Swedes
managed to get at the davits. They
were just in time, for the steamer be
gan to sway as they f1oated, and they
were all but swamped by the charge
and leap of a crowd who flung them
selves into the water. Then | was
left with great multitude. whose
agoni7ed clamor stunned me
Il felt a mighty convulsive move
ment then the sea seemed to fast
down on me in one mass, as II the
wall OF water fell from a high crag
Then ! heard humming noise in m,
ears. and with gasp | was up ami,
a blackened, wriggling sheet of drown
ing creatures
"A boat came past me and strucl
out Justify raised myself to the
gdnwale. Shall hit his fingers?' sale