The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-04-19
STUCK TO POST
Titanic's MarcOni Operator
Jumped From Sinking Ship.
Died Before Being Takn
Aboard the Carpathia.

New York, April 19.-Philips, the first
Marconi operator aboard the Titanic
stuck to his post until the last, jump
ed from the sinking ship, was taken
aboard the life raft and died before
rescuers reached him, according to the
story told here today by Thomas
Whitley, who was a waiter in the
saloon of the Titanic. Whitley is IL
st. Vincent hospital suffering from a
fractured right leg and numerous bruis
es. Philips was on the overturned
lifeboat with me- Whitley said.
He was dead when taken aboard the
Carpathia. They tried to revive him
but it was too late. There were foul
burials at sea, one sailor, two fire
men and Philips"
1t is believed Whiteleys story clears
the doubt surrounding the identity OF
the fourth man buried from the Car
pathia. 1t was at first believed this
man was cabin passenger but White
ley declared it was Philips
Il helped fill the boats with women
Whitley said. "Collapsible boat No.
2 on the starboard damned. The Sec
ond officer was hacking at the ropes
with a knife. 1 was being dragged
around the deck by that rope wher
looked up and saw the boat, with
all aboard turn turtle. In SINE way
I got overheard myself and chung to an
oak dresser. I was not more than &C
feet from the ship when she went down
Her big stern rose up in the air and
she went down bow first. I saw all
the machinery drop out of her.
During the half hour 1 was in the
water 1 could hear cries of drowning
persons. I drifted near a boat wrong
side up. About 80 men were c1inginE
to her and they refused to let me get
aboard. Some on tried to hit me with
an oar but 1 scrambled aboard.
a h n aT1i1
first happened. The officers had to use
their revolvers. The chief officer shot
one mani did not see this, but three
others did-and then he shot himself
But everybody, pretty much, behaved
splendidly, especially the firemen
''It was a black berg we struck an6
although the night was perfectly clea1
it was impossible to see that color
saw another like it when he were drift
ing on the overturned boat"
Lady Cosmo Duff Gordon, who left in
one of the last of the boats, said that
panic had begun to seize some of the
remaining passengers by the time her
boat was lowered away.
Every one seemed to be rushing for
that boat, nearly the last of all. A few
men crowded in am, were turned back
at the point of Captain Smiths re-
volver. Several were felled before order
was restored
Il recall that I was pushed along
toward one of the boats and helped in.
The boat was lowered part way down
on the davits. Just as were were about
to clear the ship a man made a rush to
get aboard and was shot. He was ap-
parently killed instantly and his body
fell into the boat at our feet. No one
made an effort to move the body and
it remained beneath our feet until we
were picked up.
81 saw bodies in the water in all di-
rections. The poor souls could not have
lived long for the water was terribly
cold"
Charles Dahl, an Australian, who
took the Titanic from Southampton en-
route to his mothers home in North
Dakota, lost, in the sinking ship, a wal
let which contained all the money he
had. IT was in my bed when the crash
came,'' he said. without stopping to,
dress L rushed upon deck and in some
way. don't know how, found myself
in the water. I must have jumped
1.-THE sight was terrible. Men were
fighting with women to get in boats.
heard several shots fired around me. I
was picked up by one of the boats