Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1912-04-16

make the night Or II tulluSI tAo S1S5c
of reporters, relatives, passengers
and Others.
BY midnight Bowling Green, in
front of the White Star line offices,
was the parking place of a large
number of automobiles of prominent
residents Of the city who had driv-
en- down town for first hand infor-
nation. Wealth and society rubbed
elbows with poverty in the crowd
that besieged the steamship line Of
fcials and both classes were in deep
grief.
There were many instances Of
fashionable gowned women going
into Mysteries when the hopeful re-
ports Of the afternoon were blasted
with the news that probably only
675 persons had been saved.
Police reserves had to be called to
several sections Of the city last
night to control crowds gathered
around newspaper bulletin boards
for news of the Titanic. The disas-
ter stunned the gay Broadway dis
trict. Perhaps no disaster ever had
so completely before, for many Of
those who poured out Of the thea
tiers had friends on the steamer. The
newspaper district was crowded till
after midnight.
New York, April 16.-A wireless
from the Titanic received shortly
after midnight, announced the liner
had struck an iceberg off the banks
of New Foundland, and was in a
sinking condition. Transfer of the
passengers to the life boats began at
once. The accident occurred at
1925 o'clock last night. Two hours
later the ships wireless apparatus,
which had been working SO badly as
to permit of only intermittent and
fragmentary messages, failed COM
pletely.
The last words sent by the opera
tor told that the vessel was appar-
emily doomed, sinking by the
head and that the women passen-
gers were being rushed into the life
boats. A reassuring feature was
that the weather was calm and
clear, and help only few hours
away.
The Titanic's first s. o. S. mess
age was received by the Allan liner
virginian, which, according to the
position given BY the Titanic's OPP
orator was not more than ITO miles
away. The captain of the Virginian
at once started his boat at full
speed for the scene of the disaster,
announcing to his brother officer on
the bridge of the Titanic that the
virginian should reach him by 10
o'clock.
CAPTAIN SEEMS TO BE HooDoO.
The Titanic, which is on her
maiden trip, is in charge of Cap
tain smith, who was on the bridge
Of the big Olympic when that boat
collided with the British cruiser
Hawke last September.
The Titanic carries lao passen-,
gers, of whom 31S are in the first
cabin and 262 in the second cabin.
Steamship men here yesterday
characterized the disaster as 1.-THE
most startling news which has come
in from the sea since the advent of
wireless telegraphy.
The first heard of the accident
was about / o'clock yesterday morn
Ing when a bulletin from Montreal
stated that the Allan line Offices
there had received a wireless from
Captain Gambell of the steamer Vir-
ginian, stating that the Titanic was
calling for assistance after a col
lision with an iceberg. The Virgin
fans captain added he was heading
his boat for the Titanic, whose posi-
ton was said to be about $50 miles
south OF Cape Race, New Found
land.
Immediate inquiry by the ASCOT
ated Press in an urgent dispatch to
the Marconi station at Cape Race
was answered soon afterwards in the
following words:
3 'sAt 1925 last night the steamer
called C. @. d. and report
ed having struck an iceberg. Thel
steamer said that immediate assist
ance was required.
Half an hour afterwards anoth-
err message came reporting they
were sinking by, the head and that
women were being put off in the
81
MANY IcEBERGs SIGHTED.
The presence Of an unusually
large number of icebergs in the path
Of transatlantic lines was indicated