Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1912-05-02

ly up and down. The boats were
swung out and lowered from a deck.
When they were to the level OF II deck,
where all the ladies We're collected. the
ladies got i'm guilty. with the exception
of some who refused to leave their hus-
bands. In some cases they We're torn
from them n pushed into the boats,
but in many instances they We're AL
lowed to ma because there was no
n tn insist they should go.
Look ing owe the side. one saw boats
from aft already in the water slipping
quietly away into the darkness, and
presently the boats near 10 me were
lowered and with much %creaking i'm
which the new ropes slipped through
separated them from the water. An
officer in uniform came up as n boat
went down and shouted: When you
are afiOat row around to the companion
ladder and stand by the other boats
for ORDERS
Boat Settles Rapidly.
AYE. aye. sir came up The reply.
but l don't think any u was able to
obey he order. When they We're atioat
and had the oars at work the condition
of The rapidly settling boat was so
much more Il sight for alarm for those
in he boats than those on board hat
i'm olnmon prudence the sailors saw
sihN ~ Wv ~ oAS ASN AiCitt viz,
sinking ship to save at amy rate some
lives. They no doubt expected that
suction from such an enormous vessel
would be more than usually dangerous
to a crowded boat filled mostly with
Omel
IAN his .ime there was no trace of
any disorder, panic or rush to the
boats. and no scenes of wOmen sObbinE
Historically such as n generally pic
lures as happening at such times. Ev-
cryone seemed to- realize SO slowly that
there was imminent danger. When it
was realized that we all might be i'm
the sea with nothing but our lifebelts
to lppor us until we We're picked up
by passing steamers, 1T was e~xtraordin-
AIRY nov calm everyone was and how
completely selfcontrolled.
One by one. the boats were filled
with women and children. lowered and
rOwed away into the night. Presently
the word went around among the men,
the men are to be put in boats on the
starboard side l was ON the port side
and most OF the men walked across the
deck to see il this was so. / remained
where l was and presently heard the
call: Any more ladies' Look ing over
the side of the ship l saw the boat, No.
IL. swinging level with Il deck, half
full of ladies. Again the call was re-
pcated: Any more ladieSo saw
none come on and then one of the crew
looked up and said: Any ladies OH
your deck. sir?:'
No ! replied. Then you had bet
ter jump
Boats Lowered.
Il dropped and fell in the bottom as
they cried Lower away AS the boat
began to descend two ladies' were
pushed hurricdly through the crowd of
Il deck and heaved over into the boat.
and II baby of 10 months passed down
after them. Down we went. the crew
calling to those lowering each end to
keep her level. Aft stern Both to-
gether.' until we we're some 10 feet
from the water and here occurred the
only anxious moment we had during
the whole of our experience from leav-
ing the deck to reaching the Carpatn-
ia.
Immediately below our boat was the
exhaust of the ~condensers, Il huge
! stream of water pouring all the time
from The ships side just above the wat
er line. 1t Was plain we ought to be
smart away in order not to be swanped
from it when we touched water. We
had no officer aboard. no petty Officer
or members of the crew to take charge.
Soon n of the StokerS shouted:
someone find the pin which releases
the boat from the rope and pull it up.
No one knew where it was. We felt us
Well as We could or the fioor and sides
but found nothing and it was hard to
move among so many peOpIc-We MAO
60 or 20 on board.
Down we went and presently hoated
with our ropes still holding us, the ex-
haust washing us away from the side OF
the vessel and the swell of the sea urg-
} ing us back against the side again. The
result of all these forces was an i'm
petus which carried us parallel to the
ships side and directly under boa,
IA, which had filled rapidly with men
and vas coming down OH VI in a way
that threatened to submerge our boat
Trouble With Life Boats.
stop lowering a. our crew shout
ed, and the crew OF No. IA, now onIy &c
, feet above, shouted the same. But the
, distance to the top was some 20 feet
and the creaking pulleys must have
> deadened all sound to those above. fol
4 down she came-l5 feet. 10 feet. five
4 feet-and a stoker and / reached up and
touched her, swinging above our heads
$ The next drop would have brought hel
on u heads. but just before she
dropped another stoker Sprang to thu
ropes with his knife.
".One.' I heard him say: two as his
| knife cut through the pulley ropes, anl
4 the next the exhaust stream
. had carried US clear. while boat No. Il
dropped into the water In the space W.
had been the m before. our gun.
e wales almost touching.
l-:EH@l ~,,n n.f 40 49, -