Evening star., 1912-11-24
Col. Oracle Skaters Story of
Titanic'S BandSmen.
TALKS AT UNIVERSITY CLUB
Says Passengers Would Have Stop.
ped Nearer, My God, to Thee"
"RAGTIME" WAS RENDERED
Survivor Also Declares Musicians
Threw instruments Away Before
the Ship Went Down.

the Ship Went Down.
Col. Archibald Oracle, one of the sur
vivors Of the Titanic last night shattered
story that has gone all over the world
and obtained for itself a high place in
maritime annals when he told an audi
ence in an address at the University Club
that not only did the musicians of the
wrecked ocean liner not play the famous
hymn Nearer. My God To Thee" as the
vessel went down. but that if they had
attempted to do SO the men among the
passengers who were trying to succor
and cheer the women and children during
the great disaster would have prevented
them-forcibly, If necessary.
Stopped Before Ship Sank.
Furthermore. Col. Oracle declared that
these bandsmen, who have been given
a place in history for their fortitude in
continuing to play as the tragedy was
being enacted. and who were said to
have gone to their deaths in the per-
formance of their duty so that they might
cheer others with their music, in fact
ceased to play some time before the
their instruments thrown to the deck, in
corners. in a number Of cases. before the
end came, and that his charge was prov
en- by the fact that the body Of Chief
sea with his instrument strapped to his
back in his effort to save it il he were
saved.
0reat Audience at Club.
Col. Oracle addressed one Of the largest
gatherings that has ever taken place. it
was said, at the University Club. The
title OF his address was THE Truth
About the Titanic and while most of
what he had to say proved more or less
familiar to newspaper readers Of the tes-
timony that was brought out at the
American and English hearings during
the Investigations of the disaster. he
stirred his hearehs by his eyewitness
accounts of the Titanic's ending, and a
criticism OF the hasty accounts given by
the newspapers when they were strug-
Cling to obtain information and give the
news to the world.
Still Suffering From Snock.
Col. Oracle announced that he was still
suffering somewhat from the shock he
went through. and that he expected to be
obliged to go to a hospital in the near
future in consequence of it. He said, in
part:
1t took two hours and twenty-five min
utes for the Titanic to sink 1 was in
my berth at the time of the impact, and
when / dressed and went on dech moth
ing seemed to have gone wrong except
as shown by the continued roar of escap-
ing steam. knew that meant some
thing. Later we heard that the mail
room was flooded and the clerks there,
who were trying to save the registered
letters. were working up to their knees
in water. Then we knew that we were
In danger Of sinking, and began to try
to reassure the women. This latter
seemed not to be necessary, for, never
saw such courage as those women ex-
hibited. The band began to play and.
tell you, it did not play Nearer My
God To Thee as has been SO widely
reported.
Panic Would Have Resulted.
I'VE men, who were reassuring the
women. would have realized instantly, if
the band had begun to play that hymn,
that panic would have resulted from the
familiar strains. Fixing the minds of the
on the possibility of their be-
ing nearer to God, and 1 say 1t seriously,
would have been the last thing wanted.
The band played light music. principally
what is called 'ragtime' and If they had
started the famous hymn, think it GER
tain we would have stopped them, forcibly
if necessary.
No Music as Ship Went Down.
The band played as long as it could.
under the difficult circumstances. There
was not one act of cowardice anywhere
that l saw. Discipline was simply per-
feet. The band was heroic, but it must
be said, in truth, that they did not play
as the ship went down. and it did not
play for some time before the end l
saw some of the instruments
thrown down in corners, where they had
been abandoned, and it is a matter of
record that the body of the chief mu-
slcian, Hartley, was found in the sea,
with his instrument strapped to his back,
in consequence of his having tried to
save It, SO that 1t Is evident that he had
time, considerable time. before the end
to securely fasten this to himself and
also to fasten a life preserver, which was
found on him.
Needed Aid With Boats.
Il heard no music and saw no musi-
clans playing for half an hour before the
end. In fact, the time of these men
could have been much better taken up in
aiding us to load the boats, and l have
no doubt that some of them realized this
and did so.''
Col Oracle severely criticised the Of
ficers of the California, which. he said,
the passengers saw four or five miles
away before the ship went down. He
said their not having attempted to come
to the rescue of the Titanic was one of