The Washington times., 1912-04-19

deck-the boat deck. BY that time nearly
every one was up. Mrs. John Jacob
Astor was there; sitting in a steamer
chair Her husband, Colonel Astor.. was
beside her and her maid was helping
her to- finish dressing
There was no confusion here even
then, although we noticed that the boat
was beginning to list to the starboard
in the smoking room at the time the
ship struck said that they had seen
the berg as it passed and that most of
1t was under water. Whatever damage
was done the vessel was done beneath
the water line, we knew, for above she
was in perfect condition. She had hit
the berg alongside, we found out, and
not in front.
Told to Get Ready.
After we had been on the top deck
for a while, considerably more than an
hour, should say. the women were
told to stand in a group by themselves
and to be ready to get into the life
boats. The men drew back and the
women stood at the railing.
This was the condition which pre-
vailed on our side of the boat. On the
other side the men and women were not
told to separate, and that accounts for
the men who were saved. Mr.. Ismay
uICClOI VI lnt lllle, was OH lHdl sue
of the boat, and so, of course got in
one of the lifeboats with the other men.
There was very little discipline: In
fact. there was practically none. Peo-
pie had to be begged to get into the
lifeboats. No one thought the Titanic
was going to sink, and passengers did
not feel like trusting themselves to tiny
open rowboats when they were aboard
the biggest liner in the world. At
least. they so argued with the officers
AS soon as the men withdrew, the
women were told TO get into the life
boats. Most of them that did so were
urged to it by their men relatives,
the officers taking little part in 1t. We
never once saw the captain.
The boat we We're in was the second
to let down over the side, but the first
to strike the water. In it. though it
would have held more, were but twent J
women. two sailors, and a steward. The
latter were to do the rowing. AS we
took to the oars the officer shouted to
us to row over to a distant light and
to land there, sending the boat back for
others.
We watched the other boats being
lowered as we got under way. And
then. in a few minutes, we noticed that
the Titanic began to list more heavily.
After a while, when we were .consid-
able distance away, whole deck of
lights, the lowest deck was suddenly
snuffed out. At the same time the mast
lights dropped little farther down
in the star-pointed sky.
After this the tragedy moved with a
relentless swiftness. Deck by deck we
dropped lower and lower into the sea.
At last but four rows of lights were
left. Then the water reached the port
holes, and as it rushed in here, there
was one great explosion. and another,
and then the ship left the horizon un-
broken. And those that were in the
lifeboats which were close to the vessel
say that the orchestra played till the
very last, and that the men went down
into the sea singing Nearer. Nv God.
To Thee"
Started to Row.
AS soon as the ship sank we started
to row in good and earnest. All night
long we made those three men keep to
the oars. They wanted to stop, but we
told them we had been told to get to
that light, and that we were going to
do so, but the light never seemed to
come nearer. AS the dawn crept out
over the silent, cold sea the light
seemed only a very little larger than it
had when we started for it.
In the lifeboats 1t was terrible. Some
of the women had scarcely any clothes
on at all, and they suffered greatly with
the cold. One woman had white satin
slippers and an evening dress on. |
don't know whether she had that attire
On when we struck or whether in her
excitement she put IL on by mistake.
We were provided with the most mis-
cradle little oil lamp l have ever seen.
l guess it didn't have any kerosene in
fnr Ran q 11f "a Va
could light 1t with the matches which
the steward happened to bring along.
We couldn't have seen at all nor Sig
nailed had it not been for the fact that
one woman had a cane that had little
electric light in the end of 1t.
AS far as l know there was no food
nor water in the craft, but l will not
complain of that, for we were the luck
lest, l guess, of all the survivors. The
other boats all leaked, and the women
told us afterward that the water was
up to their knees. And that water was
below freezing point.
For nearly eight hours these sixteen
boat loads of hysterical, cold, wet,
hungry women and men were at the
mercy of the elements. During the
darkness It was bad enough, but the
dawn brought a fresh danger. 1t dis
closed the fact that we were beset by
vast fields of ice and icebergs. Those
looming mountains OF CLASSY ice were
everywhere. We were almost afraid
10 move ana 10 duu 10 our ulsuSss
stiff breeze was springing up, churn-
ing the sea into nasty choppiness.
Still we kept on rowing toward the
light The men were exhausted so we
women took a hand. But those oars
they were the heaviest ones ! have
ever seen. l am a good oarswoman,
but wit hthe aid of another woman, |
could scarcely swing one of them.
There were three sets of them and
they all had to be used to make any
progress.
Toward o'clock we gave up hope
of ever reaching that light. 1t had
got a trihe larger il seemed but 1t
was absolutely no nearer and we had
and nearly every life-boat was shipping
water to an alarming extent.
And on top of all that these women
didn't know whether they were ever to
see their husbands and their sons again
In this world or not. II was terrible
and in SAY that. fhnN Mnre nnst man