The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-04-22
Jews And GentiIeS
Led In Prayer By
Catholic Priest
As Titanic Sank
FATHER BYLES HAD BEEN
HELPING THE WOMEN INTO
THE BOATS BEFORE THAT.
GAVE MANY ABSOLUTION
STEERAGE PEOPLE OF ALL
FAITHS KNELT AS HE LED IN
RECITING THE ROSARY.

New York, April 22-The Rev Thos.
r. Byles, whose requiem mass was
sung on Saturday at the hour he was
to have officiated at his brothers
marriage, was last seen leading
group in prayer on the second cabin
deck of the Titanic when that ship
sank. On the morning Of the day the
boat struck the iceberg, Father Byles
had preached to the passengers in the
Storage and most of them knew him
by sight.
When the Titanic struck the priest
was on the upper deck walking back
and forth reading his office, the daily
prayers which form part OF the duties
Of every Roman Catholic priest. At
ter the real danger was apparent, sur
v1vors say, Father Byles went among
the passengers, hearing confessions of
some and giving absOlution. At the
last he was the centre Of a group on
the deck where the steerage passen-
gers had been crowded and was lead
ing in the recitation of the rosary.
This information was given yes
terday by Miss Agnes Mccoy, who is
She and her sister, Alice, were with
their brother in the steerage. The
two girls were put into q lifeboat and
saw their brother swimming in the
icy water. They called to him to get
into their boat. He tried to grasp
the side of the boat but one Of the
sailors beat him back with an oar. In.
minute one of the girls had reached
the sailor and held his arms while
the other sister pulled her brother
aboard.
ST saw Father Byles when he spoke
to us in the steerage," said Agnes
Mccoy yesterday, land there was an
other priest with him there. He was
a German and spoke in that Language.
I did not see Father Byles again un-
into the boat. He was reading out of
a leather bound bOok''-his priests
book Of 1lours-"and did not pay any
attention. He thought as the rest of
us did that there wasn't really any
danger. Then I saw him put the
to help women into the boats. We
were among the first to get away and
I didn't see him any more.
"But there was a fellow on the Car
pathia who told me about. Father
Byles. He was an English lad who
his parents and several brothers and
sisters They were all lost. He was
on the deck with the steerAge passen-
gers until the boat went down. He
was holding to piece OF iron ne
told me, and had his hands badly cut.
One of the explosions threw him out
of the water and he was picked up
later.
s.He said that Father .Byles and an
other priest stayed with the people
after the last boat had gone and that
a big crowd, hundred maybe, knelt
about him. They were Catholics. Pro-
testants and Jewish people who were
kneelfng there, this fellow told me-
Father Byles told them to prepare to
meet God and he said the rosary. The
others answered him. Father Byles
and the other priest, he told me- were
still standing there praying when the
water came over the deck.
ST did not see Father, Byles in the
water. But there is no wonder, for
there were hundred Of bodies floating
there after the ship went, down. The
night was SO clear that we could see
plainly and make out faces of those
near u.s. The lights Of the boat were
bright almost to the last. They went
outs after the explosion. Then We
could hear the people in the water
crying for help and moaning for q
long time after the boat went down."