Omaha daily bee., 1912-05-19
IMPRESSIONS OF The TITANIC
Witer Describes Effect Of Two
Hours Inspection of Big Ship.
TOUCH OF UNBIDDEN DIsoUIET
Stout Hawsers ON steamer New
New York Snap When They
Feel Force of Monsters
Enormous PropeIlers.
BY ERNEST roy yLEY,

By ERNEST TOv NLEY.
sat in the wireless room Of the grea
Titanic as it lay alongside OF the quay in
Southampton docks the day before ID,
departure on its first and only trip, anG
one Of the operators. a young enthusiasts
of the new electrical age. proudly told MI
of the wonders which he controlled.
We were In the small operating offics
on the immensely high boat deck. mex,
TO the ships officers quarters, and away
from the hustle OF the general life Of the
mammoth ship. You entered by a cool
white passage. closed the white door be
hind you. and there you saw. in a quiet.
white enameled Marconi cell, seemingly
as much cut off from the rush Of the
world as II you were in rrappist mon
astery.
Then the young operator placed his
hand affectionately on a mysterious ap-
paratus and sad: This will send mes
sage SEQ miles across the Atlantic In day.
time and l.5co miles at night" He opened
another white enamsled door and showed
me dark inner room where the mar
Nelous boxes of Marconi wizardry were
completely arranged. He had some new
piece Of wonder-working mechanism
which he said the Titanic alone among
ships possessed.
He pulled a handle and the blush
sparks cracked and spat fire.
AT night" he said. I'VE shall only be
cut OF touch of land for a few hours
Soon after we lose touch with Europe
We shall gain touch with America"
p I wondered then yhat messages of fate
those uncanny soxes were destined to
send and to receive. but little did I i'm
agino that the first Marconigram from
the Titanic l should read would be: I'VE
are sinking" And yet when | turned
away from the quay, as the great vessel
moved in slow majesty down southamp-
ton water, felt touch OF unbldden
disquiet OF mind. and I asked myself
again and again: Can anything go
wrong with this mighty ship?
regretted that could not follow It
down the solent and see't safely on the
great sea, for a landsman II looked too
waters. II reminded me OF a whale in
The shadows. And yet II is In the deeps
that II has met disaster.
stout Hawsers Snap.
No doubt It was the strange. almost
incredible. circumstance which marked the
very beginning of the voyage that roused
vague, unwelcome wonderings as to what
the rest OF the voyage would bring forth.
j spent nearly a couple Of hours in a
rapid tour OF the great liner. and saw II
move away from It's berth. then turned
with many others TO leave the docks. but
when ! had gone hundred yards. the
magic OF the Titanic made me stop. ''is
Il ali right. now" thought. and 80
turned again and walked to the far end
of the quay.
There, with great amsfement. ] sas
how the suction OF the water caused by
the octopus liners triple propellers had
dragged the lo,oco-ton liner New York
from the quay side where It was moored
with half dozen stout hawsers. which
snapped like strings under the strain.
The thing was astounding. 1t gave me
an eerie fear Of the greatest steamer In
the world. Yet on board the Titanic one
felt as safe as II one were sitting in the
Waldorf or the Cecil hotel. with thou
sands OF tons OF concrete for foundation
II was so much larger than one ever ex-
pected, II looked so solidly constructed. as
one knew II must be; and Its interior ar
rangements and appointments were 30
palatial that one forgot now and then
that II was ship at all 1t seemed to
be a spacious. regal home OF princes.
I sat in the big carved mahogany set
Tee. with ceep, wide springy leather up
holstering and toasted my feet at the
big coal fire that blazed In fireplace
worthy Of a kings palace. Over the fire
place was a beautiful sea picture by
Mr.. Norman wilkinson. The settee
formed two horns on either side of the
fire, and a dozen TALKS could sit in this
settee in comfort.
p..n,x ana Refinement.
NO. a lo,,vs wbers a
10 y ,oa s.,,o.,. ,,,~h, r.., a, aa.s
~ -, oha,rs Its walls were paneled
- - - 800 .xo,I.,,.,y tn,a,s
~ ~ a.s.o,-na.rI II .noks N wealth
W. 49,. -, 7, - . n,ac. sor
,,'aN',. !, 60. - r,,II,on.,r.....
so.n.,
:, A.. ...nx.,. cam. In IA
- !. Th.,. - uor,.n n h..u,i.
H.