New-York tribune., 1912-04-19
n. BIORNSTON STEFFANS0N.

II Riorrston Steffanson. Of Stockholm,
u lieutenant IN tho Artillery Guards. came
10 the Hotel Gotham from the Carpathia.
Stephanson was first cabin passenger on
the Titanic
II was I'm the smoking room Of the IL
tanic at HIS Sunday night with Hugh
Woolner" said Lieutenant StcfanSon.
and We we're Just sitting Up f'r late
smoke, in evening dress, when the crash
came. II shook tho whole boat, and We
rushed out on the deck. \ man who was
AZ the rail said. i just saw an iceberg
Gftv feet higher than the top deck 20 by
| for myself / saw no iceberg. The lights
did not 90 out and 50 far As ! saw there
| vas no confusion-ft first. | think most Of
| tho Messengers we're I'm bed, and I'm sure
most of the women were. An order c.rue
| from the captain. delivered by hurrying
! stewards. for every one 10 put on lifebeltS.
! As far as / saw there Was practically no
panic at that time Alter the first scare of
| the crash people reasSured each other, and
| said the boat was unsinkable. II was ter
ribIy cold. but perfectly calm. There was
a brilliantly clear sky.
"Woolner and ! went down 10 q lower
| deck. then We thoJght we'd walk toward
tbe bow. We had absolutely no thought
Of sinking though We saw that the life
boats were being loaded with women. But
| there were men standing around the life
boats apparently reassuring the women
talking with them. We went up forward
near the bridge and then down 10 still
lower deck. still looking for the part OF
| the boat that had been damaged, "hen
! suddenly there was a rush of water from
up forward, and in q second we found our
selves knee deep in water.
II said to WOolner Wed better jump
and we both jumped. ! should say We
jumped at least ten feet clear of the boat.
| When | came up | found myself beside
| canvas collapsible boat, and Woolner was
right nearby. We both grabbed hold of tho
hoat and Just towed along for a few min
utes II was bitter cold, and II seemed
ae ,f that was the last boat to come away
! from the Titanic.
"The Titanic men who manned the boat
said they could take in another couple, so
Woolner and | clambered in. A second
later a fat man bobbed mp In the water in
front OF the boat. and he was also dragged
! in We saw only fourteen lifeboats, and
| two canvas colsrsible boats. The three
men brought the gunwales OF our boat close
10 the water, but in the perfect calm that
prevailed she hoated al right
Eve got about two hundred feet away
from the Titanic. when We saw all the
lights 20 out in a fash, Thirty seconds
later there was a roar, and We saw the big
boat settle a second and then plunge
straight down head foremost II was quiet
for q noon,ent. and then we saw the people
who had been on the decks bob up. and
there was the most terrible cry that have
ever heard in my life. II was about twenty
minutes after 2 clock then We didn't
feel any suction whatever
For about two hours We just roTed
srorrd we rolled badly at times. but II
didn't seem dangerous. Some OF the people
didn't have any clothes. There we're women
from the first and second cabins and from
the stAerage in our boat About o'clock
In the morning we saw lights OF big boat
coming II was the Carpathia. The wind
was rising then and IL was very cold. tor
a time II looked as II they wouldn't see US.
but they finally did and We were taken
aboard
so far as I saw, they put the women into
the nfeboats first, but at that time, which
was before Woolner and started walking
around the Titanic no one seemed TO think
that the big vessel would sink. we thought
they were putting the women In the ltfe-
boats more TO reassure them than anything
else
Just as the vessel settled before the
final plunge saw one OF the officers shoot