The Progressive West Virginian. [volume] (Williamson, W. Va.) 1911-1913, 1912-04-25
VICTIMS Of SEA HORROR
WENT DOWN LIKE HEROES

boats from aft already In the, water,
slipping quietly away into the dark
ness. and presently the boats near to
me were lowered and with much
creaRing as the new ropes slipped
through the pulley blocks down the
ninety feet which separated them
from the water. An officer In uni
form came up as one boat went down
and shouted: When you are afloat,
row round to the companion ladder
and stand by with the other boats for
orders
Aye. aye, sir came UP the reply,
but | don't think any boat was able
to obey the order When they were
affoat and had the oars at work the
condition Of the rapidly settling boat
was so much more a sight for alarm
for those in the boats than those on
board that In common prudence the
sailors saw they could do nothing but
row from the sinking ship to save. at
any rate. some lives. They no doubt
anticipated that suction from such an
enorr- GUS vessel would be more than
usually dangerous to a crowded boat
filled with women.
"All this time there was no trace
Of any disorder or panic or rush to
the boats and no scenes of women
sobbing Historically such as one gen.
orally pictures as happening at such
times; every one seemed to realize
SO slowly that there was inminent
danger. When it was realized that
we might all be presently in the sea
with nothing but our life belts to sup
port US until we were picked up by
passing steamers 1t was extraordinary
how calm every one was and how
completely self-controlled.
"One by one the boats were filled
with women and children, lowered and
rowed away into the night. Presently
the word went round among the men,
The men are to be put in boats on
the starboard side I was on the
port side and most of the men walked
across the deck to see If this was so.
remained where was and presently
heard the call:
ANY more ladies?' Looking over
the side of the ship, saw the boat,
No. 10. swinging level with Bsdeck,
half full OF ladies'. Again the call was
repeated: Amy more ladies?'
Il saw none come on, and then one
of the crew looked up and said: ANY
ladies on your deck. sir?'
mo I replied.
y h
! WOMEN HEAvED INTO BOAT.
Il dropped in and fell in the bot
tom as they cried: Lower away AS
| the boat began to descend two ladies
were pushed hurriedly through the
| crowd on B deck and heaved over into
| the boat, and a baby of ten months
passed down after them. Down we
went, the crew calling to those lower
| ing each end to keep her level-'aft.'
| stern both together we were
some ten feet from the water, and
here occurred the only anxious mo-
ment we had during the whole of our
| experience from leaving the deck to
| reaching the Carpathia
Immediately below our boat was
! the exhaust Of the condensers, a huge
stream of water pouring all the time
from the ships side just above the
water line 1t was plain we ought to
| be smart away from this not to be
1 swamped by it when we touched wa
| ter. We had no officer aboard, nor
| petty officer or member of the crew to
| take charge So one of the stokers
| shouted: Some one find the pin which
releases the boat from the ropes and
/ pull 1t up No one knew where it
/ was. We felt as well as we could on
| the floor and sides, but found nothing,
and 1t was hard to move among SO
many people-we had sixty or seventy
Jon board.
/ Down we went and presently float
i ed, with our ropes still holding US,
/ the exhaust washing us away from
4 the side Of the vessel and the swell OF
/ the sea urging us back against the
/ side again. The resultant of all these
forces was an impetus which carried
us parallel to the ships side and d.
rectly under boat IA, which had filled
i rapidly with men and was coming
| down on us in a way that threatened
to submerge our boat.
/ sToKER AvERTs GREATER LOSS
".Stop lowering a. our crew
shouted, and the crew of No. IA, now
only twenty feet above, shouted the
same. But the distance to the TOP
was some seventy feet, and the creak.
ing pulleys must have deadened all
sound to those above, for down she
came fifteen feet, ten feet, five feet
and stoker and l reached up and
touched her swinging above our heads
The next drop would have brought
her on our heads, but just before she
dropped another stoker sprang to the
ropes with his knife.
| Zone heard him say: two as
HIS knife cut through the pulley ropes
and the next moment the exhaust
stream had carried us clear, while