Omaha daily bee., 1912-04-20
BAND PLAYS AS ship SINKS
Fifteen Hundred Einety-Five Lives
Lost When Vessel Goes Down.
SIX DIE AFTER BEING RESCUED
Most of Survivors Agree that Calm
ness of Passengers and Crew In
Early Hours Was Re-
markabIe Feature.

mnrkabie feature.
CONTINUED from PAGE one.)
the White Star line. was one of the few
prominent men who escaped with their
lives. it is said by some OF the pas'cn
gers to have been one of the first to
get into the life boats, but this is ie-
MED by Mr.. Ismay himself Stunned by
the immensely of the tragedy he had little
10 say except that he had heard OF the
! investigation which the United States
. senate had begun and to express ms
willingness to assist the senate commit es
in Its inquiry. He agreed TO appear before
the committee in this city today.
The survivors Of the Titanic disaster.
still suffering from exhaustion and sew
eral hours exposure in Impoverished
2 lifeboats on water icy cold before they
were picked up by the cunard line
= steamer Carpathia. arrived In New York
last night, releasing at the moment IL
locked series of narratives so long
that some Of them are not yet told The
world clamored fer several days by wire
less before more than the faintlst out
line Of what had really happened.
Going mt Full Speed.
The surviving passengers are unani-
nous that the unbelievable" happened.
The voyage had been pleasant and une-
ventful except for the fact that 1t was
being made on the largest vessel that
ever sailed and for the keen interest
which the passengers took In the daily
balletins Of the speed. The Titanic had
been making good time and all accounts
agree that on the night Of the disaster
she was apparently going at her usual
rate-of from twenty-one to twenty-five
knots an hour.
Qusrtermaster Moody. who was at sse
helm. said that the ship was making
twenty-one knots and that the officers
were under orders at the time to. keep
up speed In the hope of making a record
passage. These orders were being car
ried out in the face Of knowledge that
the steamer was In the vicinity Of great
iccbergs sweeping down from the north,
That very afternoon, according to the
record Of the photographic office. the
Titanic had relayed ashore wireless
warning from the steamer Amerks that
an unusual field OF pack Zee and bergs
menaced navigation off the banks.
None Excited by Crash.
But II was clear and starlit night"
as all the survivors described the weather
and : the great ship sped through the
quiet seas with officers confident that
even though an iceberg should be seen
the vessel could be controlled In ample
time and the passengers rested in full
confidence that then temporary quarters
in the largest and most magnificent ves-
sci ever constructed. were as safe as their
own firesides. This confidence was empha-
sized In the stories of nearly all the sur
'vlvors that when the crash came there
was practically no excitement Many who
felt anxious enough to go on deck to
inquire what had happened were but lit
tie perturbed when they learned that the
ship had only struck an iceberg" II APP
ipeared to be a glancing blow and at first
there was no indication Of serious
accident. A group Of men at cards in the
smoking room sent one OF their number
10 look out of the windows and when he
came back with the announcement that
the boat had grazed an iceberg the party
went on with the game. but II was never
finished. .E
The stoppage OF the engines. was no
ticed more than the collision, the effect
being, as one survivor, put 1t. like the
stopping of a loud ticking clock.
Captain smith Dies at Post.
The overconfldent passengers were not
brought to the slightest realization that
the collision might mean serious danger
until the call ran through the ship "All
passengers on deck with life belts on"
Captain Smith, II is said, was not on
the bridge when the collision occurred.
but when hurriedly summoned by his
FIRST officer. he took charge Of what
seemed hopeless situation in a manner
which the passengers praise as calm, res
olute and efficient to the last.
One OF the most stirring narratives a,
scenes which followed the collision was
told by L. Beasley. a Cambridge uni
versity man, who was one of the sur
wing second cabin passengers.
The steamer lay just as IL IL were
awaiting the order to go on again. when
some trtfhng matter had been adjusted"
he said.
Many Women Hesitate.
But In q few minutes we saw the
covers lifted from the boats and the
erews'sllotted. to them standing by ready
to lower. them to the water. Presently
We heard the order: All men stand back
and all women retire to the next deck
below'-the smoking room deck or B
deck. The men stood in absolute silence
against the end railing. or kept pacing
slowly up and down. The boats were
swung out and lowered from A deck,
When they were at the level of B deck,