The Springfield herald., 1912-04-26
TALES RELATED
BY SURVIVORS
EXPERIENCE OF COL. ARCHIBALD
Oracle A WONDERFUL
STORY.
JUMPED INTO THE SEA
TALES OF BRAVERY, RESlGNA.
TON, DUTY, TEARS, BUT
NONE OF HUMOR.

New York.-A remarkable story of
having gone down with the sinking
Titanic and having come back from
the sea with the aid of a liferaft was
told by Colonel Archibald Oracle of
Washington, who was met at the pier
when the Carpathia landed by his
daughter and his son-in-law, Paul n.
Fabricius.
81 jumped into the sea just as the
Titanic went down" said Colonel
Oracle. 81 managed to grasp rail
on the deck above as she settled, but
when she plunged down l was forced
to let go and was whirled around and
around for what seemed an intermin-
able time. Eventually l came to the
surface to find the sea a mass of tan
gled wreckage. l seized wooden
grating and later found a big cork
liferaft floating near by. Another
man was struggling toward it, and |
helped him get aboard it,
When dawn broke there were
thirty of us on that raft, knee deep
in the water. Several unfortunates,
benumbed and half dead, besought US
to save them, but we were forced to
warn them away. The hours on that
raft were hours of horror. We could
not even turn to see if a steamer was
passing, and when the Carpathia hove
in sight one of the men went into hys-
terical delirium.'
Colonel Oracle declared that the
only shot fired on the Titanic was to
warn some of the steerage passengers
ipt,
and restore order. The shot was fired
in the air, he said.
Colonel Astor Commended.
"The conduct of Colonel John ia
cob Astor was deserving OF the high
est praise" Colonel Oracle declared.
The millionaire New Yorker devoted
all his energies to saving his young
bride, nee Miss Force of New York,
who was in delicate health.
Colonel Astor helped us in our eff
forts to get her into the boat. l lifted
her into the boat and as she took
her place Colonel Astor requested per-
mission of the second officed to go
with her for her own protection.
"'No SIR replied the officer, not a
man shall go on a boat until the wo-
men are all Off Colonel Astor then
inquired the number of the boat which
was being lowered away and turned
to the work of clearing other boats
and reassurng the frightened and
nervous women. By this time the ship
began to list frightfully to port. This
became so dangerous that the second
officer ordered everyone to rush to
starboard. This we did and we found
the crew trying to get a boat off in
that qunarter. Here I saw the last of
John B. Thayer and George b. Wide.
ner OF Philadelphia"
Captain Smith Saves Baby.
George Broden Of Los Angeles, Cal.
an athlete and head of a cement manu-
featuring concern, who was rescued by
the Carpathia, said:
Captain Smith was washed from
the bridge into the ocean. He swan
to where a baby was drowning and
carried it in his arms while he swan
to lifeboat which was manned by
officers of the Titanic. He surren-
dered the baby to them and swan
back to the steamer"
Praise for the Band.
OF all the heroes who went to their
death when the Titanic dived to its
ocean grave, none, in the opinion Of
Miss Hilda Slater, a passenger in the
last boat to put off, deserved greater
credit than the members of the yes
sells orchestra. According to Miss
Slater, the orchestra played until the
last When the vessel took its final
plunge the strains Of a lively air
mingled grcwsOmely with the cries of
those who realized that they were
face to face with death.