The Wagner post. (Wagner, Charles Mix County, S.D.) 1912-current, 1912-05-03
her. n a more striking spectacle it
was not possible for anyone to see.
Titanic Settles Slowly.

her. and a more striking spectacle it
was not possible for anyone to see.
Titanic Settles Slowly.
"In the distance she looked an enor-
nous length, her great bulk outlined
against the starry sky, every portfolio
anG saloon blazing with light. It was
impossible to think anything could be
wrong with such a Leviathan were it
not Tor that ominous tilt downwards in
the BOWS, where the water was by now
up 10 the lowest row of portfolios. Pres
entity. about 2 a. m. as near as / a
remember, we observed her settling
very rapidly. with the bows and the
bridge completely under water, and
concluded 1t was now only a question
OF minutes before she went; n so it
proved. She slowly tilted. straight on
end. with the stern vertically
and as she did the lights in the cabins
and saloons, which had not fiickerei
for a since we left, died out.
came on a gai for a single flash and
finally went out altogether. AT the
same time the machinery roared down
through the vessel with a rattle and a
groaning that could be heard for miles,
the weirdest sound. surely, that could be
heard in the middle of the ocean 1000
miles away from land. But this was
not yet quite the end.
Boat Stands on End.
ITO our ansazement she remained in
that upright position for a time which
| estimate as five minutes: others in the
boat say less, but it was certainly some
minutes while we watched at least $50
feet of the Titanic towering above the
level of the sea and looming black
against the sky.
with a quiet slanting dive she
disappeared beneath the waters and our
eyes had ook for the last time on the
gigantic vessel We had set put on from
Southampton last Wednesday.
And there was left to us the gently
heaving sea, n boat filled to standing
room with men and women in every
conceivable condition of dress and UNI
dress, above the perfect sky Of bril-
liant stars with not a cloud in sight, all
tempered with a bitter cold thai may
long be remembered in the memory of
the crew who toiled away with the bars
and kept themselves warm. 81
Cries Heard from Liner.
"And then with all these there fell on
the ear the most appalling noise that
human being ever listened to-the cries
of hundreds of our fellow human be-
ings struggling in the icy cold water
crying for help with a cry that we knew
could not be answered. We longed to
return to pick up some of those SWIM
ming. but this would nave meant
swapping our boat and further loss of
the lives OF all of US.
w tried to sing to keep the women
from hearing the cries, and the men
rowed hard to get away from the scene
of the wreck, but the memory Of those
sounds will be things the rescued will
find it difficult to forget. We are all
trying hard not to think of it.
Our rescuer showed UP rapidly and
as she swung oun we saw her cabins
all alight and knew she must be a large
steamer. She vas now motionless and
we had to row to her.
Fishing Boats Appear.
A VIZ neared the Carpathia we saw
in the dawning light what we thought
was a full rugged schooner standing up
near her. and presently behind her an
| other, all sails set, and we said: 'They
are fisher boats from the Newfoundland
banks and have seen the steamer lying
to and are standing by to help But in
another five minutes the light showed
pink on them and we saw the were
icebergs towering man, feet in the air,
huge glistening masses, deadly white,
still and peaked in a way that nae sug-
gested a schooner. The steamer we had
to reach was surrounded by them and
we had to make a detour to reach her,
for between her and Us lay another
huge berg.
I'VE rowed up to the Carpathia about
1920 a. m. and were hoisted or climbed
up the ships sides with very grateful
hearts,.
"The ship sent off hundreds of Mar
conigrams free of charge to anxious
relatives. The catering arrangements
in charge of the purser and stewards
have been SO admirably organized that
it would not be possible to have beer
better served had we been regular pas
sengers aboard u own ship"
EAH