Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1912-04-26
NO 80.

boat IA dropped into the water into
the space we had the moment before
occupied, our gunwales almost touch
ing
We drifted away easily as the oars
We're got out and headed directly
away from the ship. The crew
seemed to me to be mostly cooks In
"nite Jackets, two to an oar, with
stoker at the tiller. There was q
certain amount OF shouting from one
end OF the boat to the other, and dis
cusslon as to which way we should go.
put finally it was decided to elect the
stoker, who was steering, captain, and
for all to obey his orders.
SEA CALM AS A POND.
The captain-stoker told us that he
mad been at sea twenty-six years and
mad never yet seen such calm night
on the Atlantic AS we rowed away
from the Titanic we looked back from
time TO time to watch her, and more
striking spectacle it was not possible
for any one to see.
In the distance she looked an enor-
nous length, her great bulk outlined
IN black against the starry sky, every
port-hole and saloon blazing with
hight It was impossible to think any
I thing could be wrong with such
ieVlathan were it not for that ominous
Tilt downward in the bows, where the
water was by now up to the lowest
row OF portfolios. Presently about 2
a. M, as near as / can remember, we
observed her settling very rapidly,
with the bows and the bridge com
pletely under water, and concluded
1t was now only question of minutes
before she went; and so it proved
She slowly tilted straight on end,
with the stern vertically upward and
as she did the lights in the cabins and
saloons, which had not fiickered for
a moment since we left, died out.
came on again for a single flash and
finally went out altogether. At the
same time the machinery roared
down through the vessel with a rattle
and groaning that could be heard
for miles, the weirdest sound surely
that could be heard in the middle OF
the ocean, a thousand miles away
from land. But this was not yet quite
the end.
ITO our anlazement she remained
in that uprigbt position for time.
which l estimated as ave minutes:
others in the b9af v Ear hr
certainly was sosae nnaies. 0hiis we
watched at least $50 feet of the Titan
ic towering above tie level or the
sea and looming back against the
sky
Then with a quiet slanting dive
she disappeared beneath the waters.
and our eyes had looked for the last
time on the gigantic vessel we had
set out on from Southampton last
Wednesday. And there was left to us
the gentle heaving sea, the boat filed
to standing room with men and wom-
en- in every conceivable condition Of
dress and undress. above the perfect
sky of brilliant stars with not a cloud.
all tempered with bitter cold that
made us all long to be one of the crew
who toiled away with the oars and
kept themselves warm thereby-a
curious, deadening bitter cold unlike
anything we had felt before.
CRIES ARE UNANSWERED.
"And then, with all these there
fell on the ear the most appalling
noise that human being ever listened
Lo-the cries OF hundreds of our fell
ow beings struggling in the icy cold
water, crying for help with a cry
hat we knew could not be answered.
We longed to return and pick up some
,f those swimming, but this would
lave meant swamping our boat and
urther loss OF the lives of all of us.
1--WE tried to sing to keep the wom-
N from hearing the cries and rowed
lard to get away from the scene of
he wreck. but I think the memory of
hose sounds will be one of the
hings the rescued viii find II difi-
ult to efface from memory. We are
rying hard not to think of IT,
'We kept lookout for lights and
everal times 1t was shouted that
teamers' lights were seen, but they
urned out to be either a light from
mother boat or a star low down on
he horizon. About a. m. we saw
aint lights showing on the sky and
II rejoiced to see what we expected
ras the coming dawn. but after
-atching for half an hour and seeing
o change in the intensity Of the
ght. realized 1t was the northern
ghts.
Presently low down on the horizon
q saw light. which slowly resolved
self into double light. and we
atched eagerly to see il the two
shts would separate and so prove
be only two of our boats or wheth-
they would remain together, In
hich case we should expect them to
! the masthead light and a deck
yht below of rescuing steamer.