The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1912-04-24

say that parts Of the iceberg were
eighty feet high, but it had been
broken into sections probably by our
ship.
II jumped into the ocean and was
picked up by one Of the boats. I
never expected to see land again. l
waited on board the boat until the
light went out. 1t seemed to me
that the discipline on board was
wonderful"
Col. Archibald Oracle, U. 8. A., the
last man saved, went down with the
;essel but was picked up. He was
met last Hight BY his daughter, Who
had arrived from Washington and
his son-in-law, Paul H. Fabricus.
Col. Oracle told a remarkable story
Of personal hardship and denied en-
phatiSaly the reports that there had
been any panic on board. He praised
in the highest terms the behavior OF
both the passengers and crew and paid
a high tribute to the heroism OF the
women passengers.
Remained to Die With Husband
Mrs. Isador Strauss he said,"went
co her death BECAUSE she Would hot
.fesert Her husband. Although he
pleaded with her to tale her place
IN the boat she s~teadfastly refused
and when the ship settled at the head
the two we're engulfed in the wave
that swept her"
Col. Oracle told Of how he was driv-
en- to the topmost deck when the ship
settled and was the sole survivor
after the wave that swept her Just
before her final plunge had PASSED.
II jumped with the wave" said he,
"just as I often have jumped With
the breakers at tie ~seashore. BY
great good fortune I managed to
grasp the brass railing oh tie deck
above, and I hung on by might and
main. When the slip plunged down
I was forced to let 60 and I was
s;%Shirled around and around for what
seemed to be an interminable time.
Eventually 1 came to the surface, to
ind the sea a mass Of tangled wreck
age. ..,r
aLucfily / was unhurf and casting
about managed to seize a wooden
grating floating nearby. When / had
recovered my breath I discovered a
.arSef eahyas and cork life raft which
lad foated Up. A faan. whose name
I did not learn, was struggling to-
ward it ifom some &reSKage to which
Se had chung. I cast of and helped
him to get on to the raft and we then
,egan the wrok Of rescuing those who
had jumped into the sea and were
i1oouanderins III tie water: ..
when dawn broke there were
thirty of us on the raft standing knee
leep in the icy water and afraid to
move lest the craft be overturned.
.:eyeral unfortunates, benumbed and
,alf dead, besought' as to save them
md one IL two made an effort to
reach Us, BIT we had to wsra them
way. Had We mads any effort to
ave them We all might have perish
I'd.
Long and Awful Hours on Raft
"The hours that elapsed before we
we're picked up by ths carpathta
Ssfe TIE LONGEST lid host terrible
hat I ever spent. Practically with
}dt any sensation of feeling because
IT the icy water. we were almost
iropping from fatigue. . We were
afraid to look around to look to see
whether ne We're sesh BY passing
craft and when some n who twss
iaeing astsfn passed the word that
sooinethiae thkt looked like a steamer
was c6ming dp one Of the men be-
came hysterical under the strain:
The rest Of US. too, were nearing the
breaking point" ,
Col. Grace denied with empasis that
any men we're fired upon and declared
that only once was a revolver dis
charged.
with one voice they told OF the
splendid heroism Of those who re-
mained behind to find a watery grave
that they might live. Capt: Smith died
they said. as . gallant sailef should;
after having first placed all the, wom'
en- who would 30 aboard the illfeboats.
there wsrs many WHO stayed beAind
to die In their husbandS arms:
From their narratives stand but In
bold relief these facts:
The Titanic was making 81 knots
an hour when she struck the iceberg.
No one at first thought that's she
would sink. -.
She remained aaoat m5re than two
hours.
The iceberg ripped open her bowels
bsfow the %aterline.
Panic was averted by Capt. Smiths
terse appeals to his crew: BE British
my pen,"
- txi5s,;. Th;.S