The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1912-04-19
LOSS OF THE TITANIC

A striking feature of the disaster
is the heroism of the men, who
through courtesy, remained on the
vessel to let the women and children
have the boats Hard as was the lot
of those who were set adrift in boats
In the bitter cold of the night, among
icebergs and fields Of drift ice, yet
those who remained in the vast
throng on the vessel, knowing that
within few hours they would all be
in the death struggle together, pre-
sents the greatest drama the world
has ever seen. Men can fight to the
death in battle, or be hurled into
eternity by accident, and have little
time to face the problem OF death,
but to rise from the bed of luxury
and stand in line and see the last
boats push off, and then turn to one
another, knowing the end has come
and that each is powerless to aid the
others or to offer any hope or con-
ISOLATION or to take any message to
lear ones, but just to stand until the
vessel careens, and rolls and takes
the final plunge that shall draw them
all into whirlpool of seething ice
water is as hard problem as con-
fronts any mortals.
Loss of the Arctic.
It is So years next October since
the Arctic went down under circum-
stances closely resembling the sink
ing Of the Titanic. The Attic was
then the finest passenger steamer in
the world, and collided with another
vessel in the dense fog of the Grand
Banks, sinking in hours after the
crash, with nearly all on board.
A large number of people had been
abroad that summer, and hundreds
of wealthy people stayed until after
the September equinox and started
home on the finest vessel afloat. The
weather was perfect, and to quote
from the Grafton of Henry Ward
Beecher at the burial service, when
the Arctic turned her prov to the
deep smooth waters of the Mersey,
Death sat upon the bow but no one
saw him. While they were gliding
through the dense fogs that rise from
the intermingling of the Gulf stream
with the cold waters from the Arc
tic ocean, another vessel appeared
like phantom out of the fog and
crashed against the side of the, Arc
tic. The mate, fearing damage had
been done to the smaller vessel, sent
a boat to inquire If the stranger had |
suffered harm. A signal indicated |
that all was we'll, and she disap-
peared almost as suddenly as she had
emerged. At the same time the sea
was pouring into the hold of the Arc
tic, and panic started. Boats were
overloaded and sank. Men lost their
heads; women jumped overheard. The
sea was covered with dead and dying
and the greater catastrophy in the
water broke the spell, and those on
deck paused and waited. Five hours
they watched and waited. The Arc
tic sank beneath the waves. Oh, what
burial was there! And after the {
great tragedy was enacted, there was
silence
In the case of the Titanic, they had I
been abroad for the winter, and had
waited until after the March equinox.
They took passage on the finest ves- a
'el the world afforded, and followed I
The same track. In the dense fog
here came the death blow to the YES I
'el. Four hours of trouble in the
darkness, and some scattered boat
Dads of survivors were left where
he Titanic had disappeared, in water
wo miles deep.