Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1912-04-26
SURVIVORS TELL
Of FIGHT IN SEA
Peril Not Known TO Passengers
Until Long After Titanic
Struck.
WOMEN SENT OFF FIRST
Men In Small Boats Try to Sing 10
Drown Out Cries Of the Perishlne
--Heartrendins Scenes At
tending Disaster Are Ora
matlcaIIy Described.

New York, April 1s.-The stories OF
the survivors OF the Titanic are all
practically agreed on one thing. that
| the passengers on tina liner did not
realize their peril until long after the
vessel struck,
A Mr.. Chambers, one OF the surviv-
ors. had this to say:
The Titanic struck the iceberg
head-on. The passengers ran out. but.
believing that the ship could not sink
and being assured by the officers,
again went back to their staterooms.
! After about two hours the alarm was
sent out and the passengers started
to enter the lifeboats. There was
nothing like panic at first. as all be-
iieved that there were plenty OF life
boats 10 go around"
After the lifeboat in which Mr..
Chambers was had gone about 400
/ yards from the ship, those in 1t saw
The Titanic begin to settle quickly and
there was rush for the remaining
hfeboats. One was swamped
The great ship sank slowly by its
head and no suction was felt by the
boat in which Mr.. Chambers was
Tells Scene at Rescue.
A passenger aboard the rescue snip
Carpathia, Miss Sue Eva Rule, sis
ter OF Judge Virgil Rule OF st. Louis,
detailed the thrilling scenes which
marked the rescue of the survivors of
the greatest marine tragedy of the
! age.
Unknown to the sleeping passen-
gers, the ship turned abruptly to the
north None knew of the sudden
change OF course and the first intima-
| ton anybody got of the fact that any
| thing unusual was about TO take place
was thu order given the steward to
prepars breakfast for 1000.
The tidings ran through the ship
Ike wildfire and long before the Gu
harder had come within the scene OF
| the tragedy we We're all on deck.
Sight First of Boats.
Just as day broke a tiny craft was
sighted rowing towards us and as It
/ came closer we saw women huddled
| together, the stronger ones manning
the oars The 9r9t to come aboard
was a nurse maid, who had wrapped
! In a coat an eleven-months-old baby.
the only one of a family of five per-
sons to be rescued.
The moa and women both seemed
| dazed. Most of them were almost
| persisted with the cold and some of
them who had been literally thrown
| into the lifeboats persisted from expo
| sure.
| '0ne of the most narrowing scenes
/ ever saw was the service of thanks
! giving and followed by the prayers
for the dead which followed the in
/ coming OF the little band of survivors
| which took place in the dining saloon
OF the Carpathia. The means OF the
Women and the cries of little children
as their loss was brought home to
them were heartrending. The hope
that by some means their beloved
ones would be saved never left the
survivors.
Survivors in Strange Dress.
How those who were saved sur
Yived the exposure Is miracle. One
woman came aboald devoid of under
wear, a Turkish towel wrapped about
Der waist serving as a corset. while
magnificent evening wrap was her
only protection.
Women In evening frocks and
write satin slippers and children
wrapped in steamer rugs were ordi-
nary sights and very soon the passen-
gers themselves were almost in as
bad a plight as the rescued. Trunks
we're unpacked and clothing distrib-
ated right and left Finally the steam
er rugs were ripped apart and sewed
into impromptu garments.
MY frst view of the first boat
sighted led me to think we were pick
ing up the crew of dirigible. Back
Of the boat loomea in the shadowy
dawn the huge iceberg which had
sent the Titanic to the bottom. The
! lifeboat looked like the usual boat
which swings from a balloon.
Women Discuss Scenes.
I AAACA al HOal vi oO VI lEGA tAC
| only relief the women who had been
| literally torn from their husbands
seemed to have was in discussing the
last scenes. Shooting was heard by
many in the hfeboats just before the
ship took its final plunge and sunk
] from sight, and the opinion of many
was that the men rather than drown
! shot themselves.
/ Mrs. Aston, who was one OF the
first to come aboard, was taken at
once to the captains room. Others
we're distributed among the cabins,
the carpathia's passengers sleeping on
the floors OF the saloons, IN the bath
rooms and on the tables throughout
/, the ship in order to let the survivors
of the wreck have as much comfort
as the ship afforded.
One woman came aboard with
( six-months' baby she had never seen
until the moment 1: was thrust into
her arms as she swung into the life