The Red Cloud chief., 1912-04-25
Graphic Description Given
By a Reporter.
1,726 Lives Lost In This Most
Appalling Of All Sea Tragedies
Boat Strikes Berg and Then
Boilers Explode Men
and Women Meet Death With
undaunted Courage.
AZ CARTER p. HURD.

RNve0 % uue C0rpuumbus
(Copyrisht. 1912. by Puiitser Pubiish-
tag Companyt ah rights reserves.
Any violation Of this copyright will
be vigorously prosecuted BY the N.
r. wsrld.
New York. April 19.--Seventeen
hundred Iivcs-the figures will hardly
vary In either direction by more than
Q few dozen--were lost In the sinking
Of the Titanic which struck an ice.
berg at 11:45 p. m. Sunday and was
st the oceans bottom hours and 35
minutes after.
The printed rolls OF first and sec.
ond cabins. compared with the list Of
tho survivors on the Carpathia. show
that Of 3l1 first-cabin passengers. 212
were saved. 154 Of them women and
children; and that Of 262 second.
cabin passengers, 116 we're saved. 102
Of them women and children. Of the
thiyd-class passengers. 800 In mum.
ber, 1856 survive. OF whom SO are
women and children.
OF 9S5 ofYicers and crew. 1919. in.
cluding 20 women. reached the Car.
pathia. A few in each class doubtless
escaped enumeration on tho Carpa-
thia.
1858 Are Unaecounted For.
Accepting the estimate Of the Car
pathia's oficers that 700 survivors
reached the ship. comparison with the
eCtal, 1888. shows that 1858 are un.
accounted for.
There is but the faintest hope that
any Of these reached any other ship.
Reports that the California. a cattle
ship, may have rescued few persons,
have given merciful respite from ut
nef despair to some Of the women.
Cause. responsibility and similar
questions regarding the stupendous
disaster will be taken up in time by
the British marine authorities. No
disposition has been shown by any
survivor to question the courage Of
the crew, hundreds Of whom saved
others and gave their own lives with
b heroism which equaled. but could
not exceed that Of John Jacob Astor.
Henry II. Harris, Jacques Futrelle and
others in the long list OF the first
cabin missing
of'eers Knew ieeberss Were Near. !
Facts which I have established by
Inquiries on the Carpathia. as posi-.
lively as they could be established in
view Of the silence Of the few surviv.
dng officers, arc:
That the Titanic's officers knew,
several hours before the crash. Of the
possible nearness OF icebergs.
That the Titanic's speed, nearly 90
knots an hour. was not slackened.
That the number OF lifeboats on the
Titanic was insufficient to accommo-
date much more than one-third Of tho
passengers. to say nothing Of tho
crew. Most members OF the crew
say there were 16 lifeboats and two
collapsibles: none say there were
moro than 20 boats in ALL The 700
who escaped filled most OF the 16 life
boats and the one collapsible which
got away to the limit Of their capac.
lty.
"Women First" Rule Enforced.
That the women first" rule. in
some cases. was applied to the extent
u turning back men who were with
their families even though not enough
women to flll the boats were at hand
On that particular part Of the deck.
Some few boats were thus lowered
without being completely filled, but
most OF these were soon filled with
sailors and stewards. picked up out
Of the water, who helped man them.
That the bulkhead system, though
probably working in the manner in.
tended. awaited only to delay the
ships sinking. the position and length
Of the ships wound (on the starbcard
quarter) admitted icy water which
caused the boilers to explode. and
these explosions practically broke the
ship In two.
euikheads Rendered Ineffective.
Had the ship struck the icebere
head-on. at whatever speed, and with
whatever resultant shock. the bulk
head system Of water-tisht compart
ments would probably have saved tn,
vessel. A one man expressed II, 4
was the impossible" that happened
when. with q shock unbelievably mild
The ships side was torn for q length
which made the bulkhead system In
effective.
Tho Titanic was 1.799 miles from
Queenstown and 1871 miles from
New York. speeding for maiden voy
age record. Tho night was starlight
the seA CLASSY. Lights were out II
most Of the staterooms. and only tw,
o. tdree congenial groups rename,
b the public rooms.
In the crows nest. or lookout. an,
un the bridge, ofiicers and member
n tho crew were at their places
Awaiting relief at midnight from thei
two hours watch.
Danger Warning Sounded.