New-York tribune., 1912-04-20

ing. and they are put through the same
PAGES they would have to go through IN
the event of deserting the ship. Wheb
Sunday morning passed and no muster was
ordered we all thought we would surely
have muster Sunday night We did he
added grimly, but IL was not a drill Yet
II seemed that every man who went on
deck jumped into his proper place. That
the ifeboats we're put off without any
being overturned in their davits was a
miracle The lifeboat / had charge OF be-
came fast as the men who should have
lowered the forward fall rope evidently
did not know his business. However, |
pulled out sknife and cut the rope just in
time"
Asked IL he knew any reason why the
men had not been mustered. he answered ::
Il suppose-well. l really cannot answer
that question"
This officer said that the vessel had three
additional boilers going Saturday and that
the ship was striving her utmost to make
a record.
When We left Southampton" he said
we had twenty-one OF the twenty
boilers going. Friday, at midnight, three
more were added so that on Saturday we
made $40 miles. The day before We made
something like 5l5 miles
Sixty Lost in tho Hold.
Edward King, a stoker. said that when
the ship struck the berg he was firing.
There were over seventy Of down In
the hold" he continued. "and only ten OF
us escaped. Just before the crash came the
signal was given TO stop. The chief stoker
ordered the dampers closed. This we did.
We were standing around for fully
minute, wondering what was wrong, when
the crash came. Almost a minute later
there came a message from the engine
room over the telephone. Engineer Harvey,
after hanging up the receiver, shouted:
"Al the men on deck" The men re-
sponded by scrambling UP the steel escape
ladders and taking their places by the
boats"
Thomas Jones. an able-bodied seaman,
haiing from Angleses, told, perhaps. the
most dramatic story OF the lot.
II was put in command of No. boat In
1t were many women-most OF them were
women and children. Two Of them were
titled ladies. One was the Countess OF
Rothes. and she was a brick She asked
me II she could be OF service when some
of the men manning the oars began TO get
weak. Certainly, your ladyshp.' says |. |
took one OF the mems places at the oars
and she took mine at the tiller, and-would
you believe it?-that lady. the Countess Of
Rothes. stood at the tiller all night, Yes.
sir. An she's a long sight better'n most
men. Every order ! guv her she obeycd
just like sailor would
And there was another titled lady. a
baroness. think with little hands. but they
were strong. She worked beside me at the
same oar when one Of the men got tired.
and she kept a strong. steady stroke, with
never a word Of complaint all night"
Only One Distress Signal.
seaman Jones said that there were but
thirty-fve in his lifeboat, and that IL could
have held thirty more without overcrowd-
ing.
when We put off from the boat he
said, Captain Smith ordered me to pro-
ceed to the fishing smacks. whose lights
we could see in the distance, and then To
come back to the boats. But the fishing
smacks paid no attention to us. probably
because we used no rockets and, then again,
there was but one boat among the whole
fleet OF lifeboats that carried a blue light
the signal of distress.
When | saw the ship was doomed I
stood by My God, but II was something