Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-08-07

Atlantic. In the main portion or the
ship, fitted up with every convenience.
every luxury. were millionaires and
multimillionaires. some of whom had
been prominent in the London social
season, and not few brought with
them jewels, a fortune in themselves,
that had hlazed in many a ballroom in
England's capital. There was one man
aboard occupying suit of apartments
the price OF which for four days
trip would give a workingman a COM
Portable home for a lifetime. These
people. seemingly regardless OF being
suspended between the heavens above
and the bottom OF an ocean several
miles beneath them. wore their fine
clothes at dinner. and in the evening
ate choice viands. drank the best wines.
listened 10 music, flirted. even danced.
while the hours glided happily away
to the swish of the waves against the
leviathan's side.
How different the underworld, which
on shipboard is as far beneath the up
per world as on land! In the steerage
were many a family packed In their
narrow quarters. eating the homelieSt
fare, and many. though accustomed to
the ordinary wine Of their country.
were drinking only water, and that
out of tin cups.
Among these steerage passengers was
one Adolph Stair, a Swede, a young
man twenty-five years old. and his
bride, Amelia. six years his junior.
( They had left their native country.
/ their simple peasant life. 10 seek a
! home in the new world Adolph was a
: mason by trade. and Amelia had work
/ ed in a factory in her native land. be-
coming expert at weaving. They had
| heard that in America the price Of
! labor had. by the united effort of the
/ laborers, been raised to what seemed
TO them a very high figure. Accus-
toned as they had been TO living on a
pittance, they believed that receiving
these wages they could save money
enough within a few years to build
them home in which they might live
comfortably for the rest OF their days.
And SO, putting together all the mon
ey they had with something that their
. parents SdNt lItb luCS SNI Ohb WI
their long journey for what was to
them a land OF promise. Taking shin
for England, they there re-emharked
for America.
Half their journey across the Allan
tic had been accomplished when one
afternoon a fog settled down over the
waters Fogs on the sea are dreaded
by mariners, and although the dress
ing in fine clothes. the feasting, the
wine drinking. the music, went on
among the passengers in the main
part of the ship, many heard the con
slant, deep toned toot-toot Of the fog
whistle warning vessels that might he
near But at last all aboard the great
ship except those whose duty 1t was to
sail her were in their berthS.
Suddenly there was a crash forward
the sleepers were awakened, all Jared
some thrown out of their berths. There
was a mad rush to the deck. many go
ing up in their nightclothes, where
they found confusion and saw the
lights OF a ship drifting away from
them. Fading into the fog they soor
passed out of sight. The captain stood
on the bridge coolly giving his orders
hut few of them were Obeyed. Above
the babel was the wild cry for helI
from the wireless machine. From this
first the crew realized that the linel
had been hard hit. and the worst was
feared. Those who were sent to eX
anime the damage came running back
10 report that the foremost bulkheaC
was rapidly filing and that Others
Gstern of it were in danger OF givinG
way.
An hour later when II was known
that the ship was sinking the boats
were lowered and the women and chill
dren put into them. The men OF mil
lions for the first time I'm their lives
came to a position where the wife anC
child Of an emiGrant were permitted
to step into a lifeboat while they them
selves must remain to go down will
the ship.
One parting among those who were
to go and those who were TO remain
1t is the province Of this story to men
ton. Amelia Stair chung to her hus
band and refused to leave him. Tax
IL iFl III HIS AZ HIS, lie carried 0tE u
one Of the boats. put her in and be
fore she could get out the boat wa!
lowered and pulled away from the ship.
The gray OF the morning ler
the leyiathan a few miles distant, hal
=, sunken, resting on the water like
dying sea monster. Slowly she settled
watched by those in the boats, nearl,
all Of whom knew that some loved on,
was soon to go down TO death will
her. Then raising her huge stern sh,
, plunged downward. and the plac,
where she had been was but a part o
the bOundless ocean
, Safety came for those in the boat
in the appearance Of a steamer tina
had heard the wireless cry for succor
The boats were relieved Of their bur
den. and those who had left the sunk
, en- ship were carried into an American
/, port.
Amelia Stair on reaching the LAM
with her fellow sufferers received ev
, cry attention. But for this the cas-
would have been hard indeed Never
theless. ii did not relieve the desola
fi0D Of coming IN a now land a hrid