The midland journal., 1912-04-26
Graphic Description Given
BY a Reporter.
| ,726 Lives Lost n This Most
Appalling Of All Sea Tragedies
Boat Strikes Berg and Then
Boilers Explode Brave Men
and Women Meet Death With
undaunted Courage.
Nv CARTER =. HURp.


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New York, April 10. Seventeen
hundred lives-the figures will hardly
vary in either direction by more than
q few dozen were lost in the sinking
Of the Titanic which struck an ice
berg at 11:45 p. M. Sunday and was
at the oceans bottom 2 hours and 80
minutes after.
The printed rolls Of first and sec
Ond cabins, compared with the list OF
the survivors on the Carpathia, show
that or 341 first-cabin passengers, 212
were saved, 154 Of them women and
children; and that Of 262 second
cabin passengers, 115 were saved. 102
Of them women and children. Of the
third-class passengers, 800 in num-
Der, 1876 survive. Of whom SO are
women and children.
OF 9S5 officers and crew, 1893, In
c1uding 20 women. reached the Car
pathia. A few in each class doubtless
escaped enumeration on the Carpa-
thia
1858 Are Unaccounted For.
Accepting the estimate lof the Car
pathia's officers that 700 survivors
reached the ship, comparison with the
total. 2,388, shows that 1858 are un-
accounted for.
There is but the faintest hope that
any Of these reached any other ship.
Reports that the California, a cattle
ship, may have rescued few persons.
have given mercfful respite from ut
ter despair to some Of the women.
Cause, responsibility and similar
questions regarding the stupendous
disaster will be taken up in time by
the British marine authorities. No
disposition has been shown by any
survivor to question the courage of
the crew, hundreds of whom saved
others and gave their own lives with
Q heroism which equaled, but could
not exceed that Of John Jacob Astor,
Henry B. Harris. Jacques F'utrelle and
others in the long list of the first
cabin missing.
officers Knew lcebergs Were Near.
Facts which l have established by
INQUIRIES on the Carpathia, as POSI-
lively as they could be established in
view Of the silence OF the few surviv-
ing officers. are:
That the Titanic's officers knew.
several hours before the crash, of the
possible nearness Of icebergs.
That the Titanic's speed, nearly 90
knots an hour, was not slackened.
That the number. of lifeboats on the
Titanic was insufficient to accommo-
date much more than one-third Of the,
passengers, to say nothing Of the
crew Most members OF the crew
say there were 16 lifeboats and two
collapsibles; none say there were
more than 20 boats in all. The 700
who escaped filed most of the 16 life
boats and the one collapsible which
got away to the limit of their capac-
fly.
women First" Rule Enforced.
That the women first' rule. In
some cases. was applied to the extent
Of turning back men who were with
their families. even though not enough
women to fill the boats were at hand
on that particular part Of the deck.
Some few boats were thus lowered
without being completely filled. but
most OF these were soon filed with
sailors and stewards. picked up out
of the water. who helped man them.
That the bulkhead system, though
probably working in the manner In
tended. availed only to. delay the
shiD's sinking. the position and length
Of the ships wound Con the starboard
quarter) admitted icy water which
caused the boilers to explode. and
these explosions practically broke the
ship in two
6uIkheads Rendered ineffective.
Had the ship struck the iceberg
head-on. at whatever speed, and with
whatever resultant shock, the bulk
head system of water-tight compart-
ments would probably have saved the
vessel. AS one man expressed It. it
was the impossible" that happened
when. with shock unbelieyably mild,
the ships side was torn for a length.
which made the bulkhead system in
effective.
The Titanic was 1879 miles from
Queenstown and 1,1s1 miles from
New York, speeding for maiden yoy-
age record, The night was starlight.
the sea CLASSY. Lights were out ii,
most Of the staterooms. and only two
or three congenial groups remained
IN the public rooms.
In the crows nest, or lookout, and
on the bridge, officers and members
Of the crew were at their places.
awaiting relief at midnight from their
two hours watch.
Danger Warning Sounded.
At HAS came the sudden sound of