The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1912-04-20
New York Papers Correspondent
Tells of Disaster


World, who was a passenger on the
Carpathia, and who tonight furnish
ed that newspaper with his account.
He gives the number of lives lost
as 100. He praises highly the
courage Of the crew, hundreds of
whom gave their lives with a heroism
which equaled but could not exceed.
the account says. that of John Jacob
Astor. Henry b. Harris, Jacques
Futrelle and others in the long list
Of first cabin passengers.
1t was the explosion Of the boil
ers, according to Mr.. Hurd's account,
which finally finished the Titanic 5
career. The bulk head system, though
probably working. prevailed only to
delay the ships sinking. The position
of the ships wound on the star
board bow admitted icy water, ac-
cording to Hurd's story, which caused
the boilers to explode and these ex-
plosions broke the ship in two. The
ships string band gathered in the
saloon near the end. the narrative
says. and played Nearer My God,
to Thee" The account continues:
''The crash against the iceberg,
which had been sighted at only a
quarter mile distant, came almost 81
multaneously with the click of the
levers operating from the bridge,
which stopped the engines and closed
the watertight doors. Capt. Smith
was on the bridge a moment later,
summoned all on board To put on life
preservers and ordered the life boats
lowered. The first boats had more
male passengers, as the men were the
first to reach the decks When the
rush Of frightened men and women
and crying children To the decks be-
gan. the women first" rule was rig
idly enforced.
Officers drew revolvers. but in most
cases there was no use for them. Re-
volver shots heard shortly before the
Titanic went down caused many ru-
mors, one that Capt. Smith had shot
himself. another that First Officer
Murdock had ended his life, bu;
members of the crew discredit these
rumors.
Capt. Smith was last seen on the
bridge, just before the ship sank
leaping only after the decks had been
washed away.
What became of the men with the
life presdrvers was question
asked by many since the disaster.
Many OF these with life preservers
were seen To go down despite the pre-
servers, and dead bodies hoated on
the surface as the boats moved away.
Mrs Isadore Straus refused to leave
her husbands side and both pershed
together.
Harold Cotton. Marconi operator
on the Carpathia. did not go to bed
at his usual time Sunday night and
as result caught the first message
of the Titanic's plight, which was Je-
sponsible for saving the hundreds OF
York tonight.
1t was testified by several survivors
that the Titanic was going 23 knots
an hour when she crashed into abe
iceberg.
The World tomorrow morning will
publish MIR. Hurd's story in detail. In
addition to the foregoing Mr.. Hurd
said, in part:
"The facts which have established
by inquiry on the Carpatha as posi-
lively as they could be established in
view If the silence of the few surviv-
ing officers"
That the Titanc's officers knew
several hours before the crash Of the
possible nearncsS of the iccbergS.
That the Titanic's speed ,nearly %
knots an hour, was not slackened.
That the number of lifeboats ON
the Titanic was insufficient to ac-
commodate more than onc-third of
the passengers.
Most members of the crow say
there We're 1G lifeboats and two col
lapsibles; none say there were more
than 20 boats i'm all. The 700 who
escaped filled most Of the 16 life
boats and the one collapsiblc which
got away to the limit of their ca
pacity.
Had the ship struck the iceberg
head-On at whatever the Spccd and