The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1912-04-26

were got out and headed directly
away from the ship. The crew
seemed 10 NE to be mostly cooks in
white Jackets, two to an oar, with
| a stoker at the tiller There was
certain amount Of shouting from one
end of the boat to the other, and dis
cussion as to which way We should go,
but finally it was decided to elect the
stoker, who was steering, captain, and
for all to obey his orders.
SEA CALM AS A POND.
"The captain-stoker told us that he
had been at sea twenty-six years and
had never yet seen such calm night
on the Atlantic. AS we rowed away
from the Titanic we looked back from
tine to time to watch her, and more
| striking spectacle it was not possible
for any one to see.
TN the distance she looked an enOr-
nous length, her great bulk outlined
/ In black against the starry sky, every
portfolio and saloon blazing with
| light. 1t was impossible to think any
thing could be wrong with suco
leviathan were it not for that o1rfnous
| tilt downward in the bows, where the
water was by now up to the lowest
row of portfolios. Presently about 2
a. M, as near as | can remember, we
observed her settling very rapidly,
with the bows and the bridge COM
pietely under water, and concluded
| it was now only a question OF minutes
before she went; and SO it proved
| She slowly tilted straight on end,
with the stern vertically upward, and
as she did the lights in the cabins aud
saloons, which had not fiickered for
a moment since we left, died out,
came on again for single flash and
finally went out altogether. At the
same time the machinery roared
down through the vessel with a rattle
and a grooming that could be heard
for miles. the weirdest sound surely
that could be heard in the middle Of
the ocean, a thousand miles away
from land But this was not yet quite
the end.
"To our amazement she remained
il that upright position for a time,
others in the boat say less, but it
certainly was some minutes, while we
watched at least $50 feet Of the Titan
ic towering above the level Of the
sea and looming back against the
sky.
"Then with a quiet slanting dive
she disappeared beneath the waters,
| 20, he CT
| time on the gigantic vessel We had
set out on from Southampton last
| Wednesday And there was left to us
| the gentle heaving sea, the boat filled
to standing room with men and wom-
en- in every conceivable condition Of
dress and u1dress, above the perfect
! sky of brilliant stars with not a cloud
all tempered with bitter cold that
| made us all long to be one Of the crew
who toiled away with the oars and
kept themselves warm thereby-a
curious, deadening bitter cold unlike
anything we had felt before.
CRIES ARE UNAN SWERED.
"And then, with all these there
| fell on the ear the most appalling
noise that human being ever listened
| to-the cries Of hundreds of our fell
low beings struggling in the icy cold
water, crying for help with a cry
that we knew could not be answered.
We longed to return and pick up some
Of those swimming, but this would
have meant swapping our boat and
further loss of the lives Of all of us.
Eve tried to sing to keep the wom-
en- from hearing the cries and rowed
hard to get away from the scene of
the wreck but think the memory of
those sounds win be one of the
| things the rescued will find it diff
cult to efface from memory. We are
| trying hard not to think of it.
eve kept a lookout for lights and
| several times it was shouted that
steamers lights were seen, but they
| turned out to be either a light from
another boat or a star low down on
| the horizon. About a. m. we saw
faint lights showing on the sky and
| all rejoiced to see what we expected
was the coming dawn, but after
watching for half an hour and seeing
no change in the intensity of the
light, realized it was the northern
! lights
Presently low down on the horizon
we saw light, which slowly resolved
itself into a double light, and we
watched eagerly to see if the two
lights would separate and so prove
tC be only two of our boats or wheth-
er they would remain together, in
which case We should expect them to
be the masthead light and a deck
| light below of a rescuing steamer.
CHEER SIGHT OF RESCUER.
ITO our joy they moved as one and
and round we swung the boat and
headed for her The steersman
shouted: Now, boys, sing and for
the first time the boat broke into
song with Row for the Shore, Boys
and for the first time tears came 10
| the eyes of us all as we realized that
safety was at hand The song was
sung, but it was very poor imita.
ton of the real thing, for uuavering
voices make poor songs A cheer was
given next, and that was better-you
keep in tune for cheer"
BOATS TO TAKE SOUTH ROUTE