Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1912-04-24
Carpathia's Commander Tells
of Incidents Leading Up
to the Rescue.
GOES TO TITANIC SPEEDILY
Says He Does Not Remember Receiv-
ing Any Message From Scout
Cruiser Salem as Coming
From President Taft.
BY CAPT. r. w. RosTRoN.

cannot yet make connected
statement / have gone through so
much since I received aboard my ship
the first distress call of the Titanic
that a complete narrative is irnpos-
sible. was between so and so miles
| away from the Titanic when the wire
less sang into the ears of my operator
the first call for help. The operator
said that We received only one call.
The silence after the first frantic
appeal for relief was ominous to me.
Our Marconi sent out rays that
| scraped the sky in vain, but there was
no response whatever to any of our
inquiries. / swung the Carpathia
around straight to the position the
poor Titanic's first aerogram said she
occupied. Our engines were put at top
speed.
The silence of the air so far as the
Titanic was concerned made me shud-
der as we sped on our way to the res
cue. l realized what it meant On
and on we sped. Our stokers never
worked harder. When the first faint
daylight came and knew we we're
still miles from the spot Of the trag-
edy, l felt as if we should arrive too
late to be of any service.
Sights First Lifebosts.
When, however, after full daylight
we sighted the first lifeboat filed with
women and children and eight or ten
strong armed and brave hearted men
of the THAMES crew, | realized that
we could at least save a few human
lives. l was too busy for the next
hour or so to recall now just what oc-
Cured. My mind was wholly set up
on saving the lives of the people who
crowded the boats.
The sea was calm. There was
scarcely a ripple upon it's face. Great
ice foes were crunching down from
the north. In the distance several
icebergs shimmered like mirrors. Why
the lifeboats were not crushed by the
swiftly moving ice foes | could not
understand. The 16 boats seemed at
first nearly all women.
1 remember that it occurred to me
that the good God had stretched out
his mighty hand and had checked
further murder by his elements.
We got aboard the Carpathia every
human being in the Is lifeboats of the
Titanic. Every officer and member of
our crew stood by like the brave and
loyal lads they are and did his full
duty.
My mind is in no condition now to
tell you much more of what l heard
and felt during the two hours work
of the rescues.
We took aboard 7O5 women and chill
dren who were alive, but some of
them were unconscious. We also
dragged to the decks Of the Carpathia
four members of the Titanic's crew
who had been tolled off to man the
lifeboats and were stark dead They
had been frozen to death. Their
strong, horny fingers still clutched the
oars that they had been desperately
pulling. We buried these men in
sailors graves only yesterday from
the deck of the Carpathia.
Doesn't Recall Presidents Message
] am told that it was reported to
President Taft by Captain Chanler of
the scout cruiser Salem that the Car
pathia had received Wednesday night
wireless messages from the command
er of the Salem asking in the name of
the president If Major Butt, John ia
cob Aston, Frank Millet, Clarence
Moore and Isidor Straus were aboard
his vessel.
Upon my word as man-upon my
honor as a sailor, I cannot remember
receiving any such message from
Captain Chanler or anybody else in
the name of the president or any 9TH
er person. Had such a message been
referred to me l Immediately would
have ordered that all other. business
of the wireless be sidetracked until
the answer could have been sent to
the president that none of his friends,
of whom he had inquired, was aboard
the Carpathia.
1t is possible the Carpathia's wire
less operator acknowledged, but re,
fused to answer messages even from
the president of the United States re
ceived after Wednesday night, as he
had then been at his post more than
72 hours without rest. But he never
reported such a message to me and
do not blame him.
Knows Nothing of Shooting.
After / reached the Cunard pier
was asked as to the truth of reports
that some passengers, and particular
" some men passengers on the Tt
tanic, were kept back from the life
boats at the point of the pistol and
that two well-known men were shot
OF course, I was not there. did not
see the ship go down. But from the
survivors who came aboard my ship
heard no such story.