The Holly chieftain., 1912-04-26
TITANIC SURVIVORS TELL
TALES OF AWFUL HORROR
Heroic Men Die With Band Playing,
Waving Farewell to Those Whom
Their Unselfishness Had Spared.


ID to the horror.
In wild coufuSlse men, women and
children rushed about the saloons and
cabins Of the great steamship ~
though drivea outsS their senses. No
one knew what kad happened and
everyone feared that the vessel would
sink before they could reach the boats.
In q wild. appaSsntly ungovernable
mob they poured out of the saloons
to witness one Of the most appalling
scenes possible to conceive. Towering
high above the shattered bow of the
great steamship were the glistening
pinnacles of the monster iceberg
against which the Titanic hao hurled
itself with the force of half a hum
dred express trains.
BOW A sHAPELEss MASS.
For hundred feet the bow was In
shapeless mass of bent, broken and
splintered steel and Iron Cries of the
injured added to the panic. A fear
crazed mob of steerage passengers
broke loose from the lower cabins and
poured upon the deck with cries Of
fright.
Women and children were hurled
aside in the first mad rush for the
boats. Two hundred of the crew lay
crushed to death In the bow of the
great steamship. where they had been
killed as they slept above all the din
of the panic were the hoarse orders of
the captain, repeated by the second,
third and fourth oficers down the list.
The remnants Of the crew rallied
about the lifeboats. and while some
b back the panic-stricken passen.
gers crowded about them others pre-
pared to lower the boats.
ORDERED TO SHOOT MEN.
Everybody to the boats" was the
startling cry that was repeated from
end to end of the Titanic
Women and children frst!" was
the hoarse order that vent along the
line of lifeboats
Shoot the first man who attempts to
get into boat!"
Armed officers with revolvers In
their hands faced the fear-crazed
throng that poured like an overwhelm-
Ing flood through the Eangways and
upon the upper deck First class pas
sengers who kept their wits amid the
awful confusion of the frst ten min
utes rallied to the support of the
crew and with drawn revolvers awed
the mos which fought to climb into
the lifeboats.
Then came the shudder Of the riven
hulk Of the once magnificent" steam
ship as 1t slid back from the shelving
Ice upon which 1t had driven. and its
bow settled deeply into the water.
We're lost! We're lostl" was the
cry that rose from hundreds Of throats
The ship is sinking. We must
drown like rats!"
NO CHOICE BETWEEN GLASSES.
Men whose names and reputation
were prominent In two hemispheres
were shouldered out OF the way by
roughly dressed Savs and Hungarians.
Husbands were separated from their
wives in the battle to reach the boats.
fearful leave-takings az the flfeboats,
one after another, were nlled with sob
bing women and lowered upon the ice
covered surface OF the ocean were
heart-breaking.
There was no time to pick or
choose. The first woman to step into
a lifeboat held her place even though
she were q maid or the wife Of q
Hungarian peasant. Many women
chung to their husbands and refused to
be separated. In some cases they
dragged their husbands to the boats
and In the confusion the men found
places in the boats.
| FLEET DRAWS AWAY.
Ono by one the little feet drew
away from the towering sides Of the
| giant steamship, whose decks were al
ready reeling as it sank lower In the
water.
THE Titanic is doomed" was thu
verdict that passed from lip to lip
I'VE will sink before help can
comet"
Water poured into every compart
ment of the ssO-foot hull. where grea,
plates had been torn apart and huge
rivets were sheared OF as though they
were so much cheese.
| Pumps we're started in the engine
room, but the water poured Into the
great hull In such torrents through
scores of rents that all knew the figh,
to save the steamship was hopeless
Overhead the wireless buzxed the
news to the other steamships. The
little feet OF lifeboats withdrew to a
safe distance and the 1.300 left on
board with no boats waited four lons