White Pine news weekly mining review. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1910-1920, 1912-04-28

on deck in scant dress. The steward
esses had orders to make them put
on life belts. Some of them had time
to clothe themselves more fully,
Others went into the lifeboats In
their n~ightdresses.
Mr.. Murdoch supervised the
handling of the lifeboats and his cry
was: Ladies, this way A quarter
master and a sailor manned each
boat. The first boats had men placed
in them for the reason there were not
women and children enough to fill
them. 1t was a matter of getting off
the greatest number of boats and
saving the greatest number of passen-
gers.
THE port boats we're lowered first
and then those on the starboard side.
!" isn't true that when the watertight
compartments were slosed the
steerage passengers were sealed
III WOInCn III int otCCia6C
were given equal chance with those
In the first cabin. 1t was only neces-
sary to be a woman to have the right
of way. The sailors we're so busy
lowering and getting away the boats
that the latter had to be manned by
the stewards.
Crazed Steward Shot Down.
1T was only toward the last that
the steerage passengers got to rush
ing the boats. Murdoch stood with
a ~six-shooter drawn and shouted
that he would shoot the first man
who attempted TO force his way into
the boats. A crazy steward was
warned back, but he jumped into
one of the boats at the rail. tramp
ling down a woman and her child. !
think that it was in Mrs. Astor's boat
and it was overloaded then. Muir
dock shot him through the jaw and
he was yanked back on the deck.
Murdoch Gained the passengers,
telling them there was no occasion
for excitement, that the boats were
all coming back, and ordered them
to go to the poop. Even then the
doom of the Titanic was sealed and
the officers and crew knew ii. There
was no panic, but the passengers
were bewildered. They would start
for the poop, then follow some exeit-
ed individual who had started for
ward.
"A lot of women ran down be-
tween decks to get into the boats
there, thinking that the drop to The
water from there would be less dan
gerous. They had to come back up
again to embark. All the lifeboats
had to be swung from the davits be-
fore the collapsible boats could be
used. But everything was got of ex-
cep t n of the collapsible boats
which burst in the bow getting afoul
of the falls. This was afterward used
as a lifeboat and 80 men were saved
on its bottom.
Obeyed Order That Meant Death.
"Mr. Murdoch ordered Bos'n
Nichols to go down to the working
alleyway and bring up the big gang
plank, capable of holding 40 people.
The bos'n and 10 men obeyed the
order, going to what they believed
was certain death. They were
never seen again. | got of in charge
of the second to the last lifeboat low
cred bfore the ~collapsibles were used
and. acting on orders, stood off so
yards from the Titanic. Forty wo-
men and children and some men
were in the boat.
Murdoch. with Chief Officer Weld
and Second officer L%ightoller, went
to attend to the manning of the col
lapsible boats. They got them all off
but one. as | have said. This is the
one which was capsized and which
now lay on the deck. Mr.. Murdoch
had overlooked nothing that could
help save the passengers when the
final moment came. He ordered
doors. chairs, chests of drawers
everything on board that would float
to be thrown into the sea.
''In this way he saved not less than
60 lives, for that number of people
were picked up ~clihglng to these
buoys. All the while Captain Smith
was on the bridge, overlooking every
thing, giving his orders, which We're
obeyed without a murmur and with
out hesitation. Second Engineer Far
ley and his brave crew of engineers
and firemen were below shutting