The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1912-05-18
TH[ WRECK OF THE TITAN
By MORGAN ROBERTSON

tho hruut of lie damage would DE
horne by the other: second. llat II 'iie
Titan was the a9@r'sSor sue "ouiu
cort,inly DESTROY Tie other craft. even
.t half speed, and perhaps damage her
own bows, while AT full speed she
would GU, her in two with no more dam
age to herself ilian Il paint brush couia
remedy In either case. as the lesser
of two evils. it was best that the
smaller huh should suffer A third rea-
son was that at full speed she couid
no more easily steered out OF danger.
and fourth that In case OF an end
on collision with an iceberg-the only
thing a,loat that she could not con-
ouer-her bows would be crushed 10
but n few feet farther at full than NJ
half speed and at the most three com
nartultnt, Would be Hooded. which
would not matter with six more to
spare.
So It was confidently expected that
when her engines had limbered them.
selves the steamship Titan would land
her passengers 1900 miles away With
the prompttude and regularity Of Q
railway train. She had beaten all rec
ortls on her maiden voyage. but up to
the third return trip had not lowered
the time between Sandy Hook and
Daunt's rock to the five day limit. and
II was unotlicially rumored among the
| 1000 passengers who had embarked at
New York that an effort would now be
made to do so.
Eight tugs dragged the great mass
to midstream and pointed her nose
down the river; then the pilot on the
bridge spoke a word or two. the first
officer blew short blast on the wills
tie and turned lever. the tugs gath
cred in their lines and drew or. Down
In the bowels Of the ship three small
engines were started, opening the
throttles of three large ones: three pro
pellers began TO revOlve. and the nam
moth, with a Migratory tremble run
ming through her great frame, moved
slowly to sea.
East OF Sandy Hook the pilot was
dropped and the real voyage begun.
Fifty feet below her deck. 10 an In
fern0 OF noise and heat and light and
shadow, coal passers wheeled the pick
ed fuel from the bunkers to the fire.
hold. where half naked stOkers. with
faces like those OF tortured tiends, toss.
I'd it into the eighty white hot mouths
of the furnaces In the engine room
oilers passed to and fro. In and out OF
the punging. twisting. glistening steel
with oil cans and waste. overseen by
the watchful staff on duty, who listen
cd With strained hearing for a false
note in the confused tumble Of sound
or a clicking of steel out OF tune
which would indicate a ioosened key
or nut. On deck sailors set the TRAN
gular sails on the two masts to ado
their propulsion to the momentum Of
the record breaker. and the passengers
dispersed themselves as suited thei
tastes. Some were seated In steamer
chairs. well wrapped. for. though Il
was April. the salt air was chilly
some paced the deck. acquiring thci
sea legs: others listened TO the Orches
ira In the music room or read or wrot,
In the library. and few took to thei
berths. seasick from the slight heav,
Of the ship on the ground swell.
The decks were cleared, watches Sc
ut noon. and then began the neve
ending cleaning up at which STEAMSHIP
sailors put In SO much of their time
Headed by six foot bOatswain,
gang came aft on the starbOard sid