The Holly chieftain., 1912-04-26
AS THE TITANIC Went TO ITS GRAVE

0aeeas1eu1 - i.lsl miles freo
Nev Yosk eoee01ng fns nat1Ga voy.
- Peeeel n nisht vas starlight
~ - elnnay. Lights were ct =
~ & ~ stnHsroosas. asA ealy tve
n H. Ds1a1s rssns.
b ~ sssvb psst. q Iesbsst -
% ~ bsslga. o0csrs aAa nsnbsss
q ~ Oev Wess at thsis Daaess.
sva3dag ys11se q midnight iron tAs61
two haaff vaAeA.
ooaoes WoenIn0 oese6o6.
A. l1:W eans The suddsa sosnl q
tvo eooos. = warning e lunDo1lo1o
danose.
Ths ssaaA sotapst H. iesssrg witch
had bssa astte1 ct oaly Gsafese g
. mile. came Aanost slnsit1nsously
WITH the click e the lsvsrs opssated
BY thoos o. the 1sidee. whseA seeDDed
the 0S1nes all closed tAs water
tight door.
Capta1a Smith was on he bridge .
moment htsr giving orders for the
summoqing Of IN on board. and for
the psttins on Of iife-pfsssrvsrs and
tAs Lowering oe hfeboats.
Many Men In Flrse Deats.
The drBt boats lowered contained
more men than the latter ones. ~ the
men wsrs on deck nrst and not
enough women TO I'LL them. :
Whsa. . moment later, the rush Of
frightened women and crying chill
dren to ths deck began, enforcement
OF tho women nrst" rule became rigid.
Omcers loading some of the boats
drew Fevolvers. but in most cases the
men. both passengers and crew. be-
haved in way that called for no such
restraint.
Report Captain Shot Self.
Revolver shots, heard by many
persons shortly before the end Of tho
Titanic, caused many rumofs. Ono
was that Captain Smith shot himself,
another was that First onicer MUIR
dock ended his life. Smith, Murdock
and Sixth omcer Moody are known
to have been lost The surviving Of
fcers. Lightoller. Pitman, Bothall and
Lowe have made no statement.
Members Of the crew discredit all
reports Of suicide, and say Captain
Smith remained on the bridge untfl
just before the ship sank, leaping only
after those on the decks had been
washed away. It 10 also related that,
when cook later sought to pull
him aboard iifeboat ho exclaimed:
Let me go!" and. Jerking away. went
down.
Lise-Prsssrvsrs Effective.
What became Of the men with life
preservers 10 . question asked since
the disaster BY many persons. Tho
preservers did their work Of support
ing their wearers in the water until
the ship went down. Many Of those
drawn into the vortex, despite the
preservers, did not come up again.
Dead bodies hoated on the surface %
the last boats moved away.
Band Plays as ship Sinks.
To relate that the ships string band
gathered in the saloon. near the end,
and played Nearer, Ny God, to
Thee" sounds like an attempt to give
an added solemn color to scene
which was in itself the climax OF sol
emnity. But various passengers ana
survivors Of the crew agree In the
declaration that they heard the music.
To some Of the hearers. with hus-
bands among the dying men in the
water and at the ships rail, the strain
brought in thought the words:
80. by my woes I'll be
Nearer. my God. 10 thee.
Nearer to thee"
Women and children ,drst," was the
order in the nlling OF the Titanic's
lifeboats. How well that order was
fulfilled the list Of missing first and
second cabin passengers bears eIo-
auent witness. Mr." " before almost
every name.
choss Dsath With Husbands.
Mrs. lsidor Straus, who chose death
rather than to leave her husbands
side: Mrs. Allison, who remained be-
low with her husband and daughter,
and others who. In various ways were
kept from entering the line OF those
to be saved, are striking examples of
those who faced the disaster calmly.
To most Of the passengers the mid
night crash did not seem Of terrific
force. Bridge players in the smoking
room kept on with their game.
Once on deck, many hesitated to
enter the cwinging fifeboats. The
CLASSY sea. the starlit sky, the alb.
sence. in the FIRST few minutes, Of In.
tense excitement. gave them the feel.
Ing that there was only some slight
mishap-that those who got into the
boats would have chilly half hour