The Wagner post. (Wagner, Charles Mix County, S.D.) 1912-current, 1912-05-03
WITNESS OF Il TELLS
OF TITANIC TRAGEDY
and HIS OWN ESCAPE


80
Hawarden. Ia. April Bone Of the
survivors OF the Titanic, q boy IA years
old. arrived In Hawarden yesterday on
his way to Alcester, S. D., where his
father Is.
The boy, whose name is Cervin
Ewenson, Travelled from Sweden,
where he left his mother and five OF
her children. entirely alone. A com
rade, several years older, had meant ia
accompany him, but decided to travel
on q Scandinavian boat. The boy. who
does not speak q word of English was
entertained last night at the home OF
Mr.. Elmer Johnson, OF the firm OF
through Mr.. johnson an interesting
story Is given Of the young travellers
experiences.
Sailors Joke Of Accident.
Cervin was q third cabin passenger
and was asleep In his Junk at the time
OF the collision. He and three men who
shared his compartment were aroused
by the sailors, who however, talked
jokingly of the accident, saying that
they a stuck o ma sandbar. Cervin
went up on deck. where many passen-
gers were standing about with life belts
ION. The sailors made fur OF them for
wearing them. There was not much
confusion or excitement, but as the of
,ficers began to fill the life boats, peo-
pie crowded up and they were handled
very roughly by the officials, as they
vim himself tried repeatedly to get into
q boat u again and again was
crowded back. The deck was covered
with handbags, suit cases and all sorts
or light baggage which passengers had
meant To take with them In the boats
but they We're not allowed to do so.
Finally the boy managed to get into
q boa and was allowed to stay. There
We're 30 persons In this boat, mostly
women and children. They were all
very. quiet, eve when the ship sank,
which they plainly saw, being as the
boy put 1t Just about a kilometer away
when 1t went down." A kilometer is
f1ve-eighths Of a mile.
Men Shoot Themselves.
He declares that he saw a man,
whom he thought to be one Of the
o%ficers, shoot himself. He put his
gun right in his mouth and shot" He
Also says that there was considerable
shooting on deck. After they were in
the boat. they heard many shots. The
three men who had been his room
mates, he W saw again, but In his
Hfeboat was a young Swedish woman
the only n In the boat to whom he
COuiO tdik. Sne naQ Deen married but
two months. Her husband was also a
passenger n was drowned. After
about six hours in the life boat they
were taken On the Carpathia. All had
been very still till then, but as the shin,
approached, the woman screamed and
cried n went crazy as Cervin put
u. They did not seem to know what
they were doing and many Of them
a be taken aboard the ship by force.
In the other boats, they were the same
way. On the Carpathia he was nut
In the steerage with .dagoes and
Chinese" and thought. he had pretty
poor quarters, though thankful for any.
Treatment in New York.
On reaching New York he was taken
to the Swedish Lutheran Emigrant
home, which Is in charge of Rev. Lila.
a prominent minister OF that DONNA
ton. Here he staid while in New york
he was given w suit cases full Of
clothing. an overcoat and $25 in cash
py the relief committee. He tells of
kindnesses that he has re-
ceived In New York and on his way
here and says he thinks this the great
est country and the Americans the
kindest people in the world.
The boy is described as an unusuallv
shrewd, bright lad, and to this he
doubtless owes his life, as he was
among the saved entirely by his own
efforts. He left by the early train ror
Alcester near which place his father is
working on a farm.
10 1ENf @a4N. a4&t