Evening journal., 1912-04-17
Women and Children Are the First Be Saved After Titanic Hits
Submerged Iceberg That Sends Her Bottom of the Oeear
Officers Stand BY to Shoot Male
Passengers Who Try TO Scram-
Bile Into Lifeboafs Ahead of
Weaker Sex and Little Ones,
Capt. PoIak Says.

While those advocating this radical
step did not gain their point, neverthe-
less the British Admiralty requires far
less protection of this sort than do the
German laws. The German boats are
life saving device, not only for each per-
son aboard but for the utmost number
that can be carried
Way Ship is Abandoned
According to the description of the
method of abandoning ship which is
practised in daily drill, as told yester-
day, the passengers as far as possible
are gathered in the assembly rooms
when the captain realizes & at his ship
is in desperate straits. Every measure
is employed TO calm them, and while
the officers and crew take their appoint
ed stations the passengers are told that
il has been deemed best 10 take TO the
life boats; but that, at worst, they viii
be picked up within a short time by on
coming rescue ships.
While the passengers are held in the
saloons the crew strip the lifeboats of
their membranes, rig the falls and
then lower themselves in the boats from
the boat deck down five decks to the
upper deck, where the boats swing from
the davits, touching the ships side just
below the rail
On the Titanic there were eight boats
10 a side As sixteen have been reported
all must have got away So there must
have been eight loading points on each
side of the vessel. Lanes are formed of
members of the crew, and through these
lanes the women and children are passed
10 the officer who stands at the railing
and who hands the passengers over the
rail into the lifeboat with the help of
two of the boats crew
If any men try to break through these
lines they are thrown back If they per-
sist and become a menace TO order, they
may be shot. Each officer is armed with
a brace of pistols for use in just such
emergencies.
In each boat there is food of com.
pressed sort and water The boats han.
die from fifty to seventy persons each,
including the sailors who man them.
Each boat is commanded by an officer
The surgeon, purser, engineers and other
staff officers take their turn in the boats
when the list of line officers has been
exhausted.
Once the women and children are put
in the boats the men take their turns if
there is room left. From the reports Of
the Titanic it appears that there was
room Tor not very many men after the
other sex and the young had been taken
care Of; and the reports say that all Of
these two classes were saved. This gives
clean bill of health to the men who are
among the survivors; otherwise the sus-
picion would arise that the saved had
taken the places belonging to the weak
just what method of selection was en-.
ployed so that some men were saved and
Others were not is not vet clear.
IL should be said that in loading the
lifeboats absolutely no distinction is
drawn between the different classes OF
passengers-thc women and children of
the steerage are given the same consid-
Grafton as their sisters in the imperial
suites
The horror of abandoning the shin lies
in the enforced separation of members
of families. Fathers and brothers arc
torn from the arms of mothers and
daughters. The children must 90; there
is must" too, as regards the women
but If wife should decide to remain be.
hind with her husband It is doubtful il
the must would be enforced. OF course
shewould be urged to go, but il she made
up her mind TO stay there would be nc
compulsion.