Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1912-04-25

haust washing us away from the side
Of the vessel and the swell of the sea
urging us back against the side again
The resultant OF all these forces was a
force which carried us parallel to the
ships side and directly under boat H.
which had filled rapidly with men and
was coming down on us In way that
threatened to submerse our boat.
stop lowering II our crew shouted.
and the crew of "A. now only 90 feet abor 1,
shouted the same. But the distance 10 the
top was some 20 feet. and the creaking
pulleyS must have deadened all sound to
those above, for down she came. 10 feet.
!" feet. five feet, and n stoker and
reached w and touched her swinging
above our heads. The next drop would
have brought her on our heads. but Just
before she dropped another stoker spranS
to the ropes with his knife
"'One.' heard him say. two as his
knife cut through the pulley ropes
and the next moment the exhaust
stream had carried us clear while boat
IA dropped into the water. into the
space we ha ! the moment before oc-
cupied. our gunwales almost touching.
MAKE STOKER THEIR CAPTAIN.
we drifted away easily as the oars
were got out and headed directly away
from the ship. The crew seemed to
me to he mostly cooks III white jack
cts, two to an oar, with a stoker at
the tiller. 1t was decided to elect the
stoker. who was steering. captain. ana
for all TO obey his orders. He set to
work at once to get into touch with
the other boats.
1T was now about 100 Il. m. a
beautiful starlight night with no
moon, and so not very light. The sea
| was as calm as IL pond; an Ideal night
except for the bitter cold.
As We rowed away from the Titanic,
we looked back from time TO time 10
| watch her, and a more striking spectacle
| il was not possible for any one to see.
! In the distance she looked an enormous
length, her great bulk outlined in black
against the starry sky, every port hole
and saloon blazing with light. Il was
impossible to think anything could be
wrong with such a leviathan were 1t not
for that ominous tilt dOwnWards in the
| bows.
4 we were now ABOUT Two IIlIeS AIoHi
her and all the crew insisted that such
a tremendous wave would be formed by
suction as she went down that we ought
TO get as far away al possible. The
captain agreed and all lay on their oars
and widened the distance between us and
the sinking vessel
SETTLES VERY RAPIDLY.
Presently. about 600 IL IN. as near as
/ can remember, We observed her settling
bridge completely under water and con-
| cludcd 1t was now only IL question OF
minutes before she went, and so IT proved.
She s'only tilted straigl. or end with
the stern vertically upwards and as she
did, the lights in the cabins and saloons,
which had not fl!ckered for a moment
since We left, died out. came on again
for single flash. and finally went al
together. At the same time the machin-
cry rOared down through the vessel with
a rattle sand grooming that could be
heard for miles, the weirdest sound sure
| ly that could be heard IN the middle OF
the ocean. a thousand miles away from
land. But this was not yet quite the end.
To our Amusement she remained in that
upright position for a time which | esti-
mate as five minutes; others in the boat
say less. but 1t was certainly some
minutes while We watched at least lot
feet OF the Titanic towering up above
the level Of the sea and looming black
against the sky
Then with quiet slanting dive she
| disappeared beneath the waters. And
| there was left to us the gently heavine
| sea- the boat filled to standing room with
men and women, in every conceivable
! condition of dress and undress, above the
perfect sky of brilliant stars with not a
cloud in the sky. all tempered with q
bitter cold wind that made us all long tc
be one of the crew who toiled away with
the oars and kept themselves warn
| thereby.
And then with all these. there fell or
the ear the most appalling noise thai
human being ever listened to, the cries
| Of hundreds of our fellow being strus
| Cling In the icy cold water. crying foi
help with a cry that We knew could MOI
be answered. We lOnged to return and
nick up some of those swimming but TINS
would have meant swapping our ooa'
| and further loss of the lives or all OF "s
1--WE tried to sing to keep tho women
from hearing the cries and rowed harn
to get away from the scene OF the wreck
but ] think the memory OF those sounds
will he one Of the things the rescued VIII
hnd It difficult to efface from memory
about 800 n m. We saw faint lights
showing on the sky and all rctoiced Il
see what We expected was the coming OF
dawn but after watching for half an hour
and seeing no change in the intensity Of
the light. realized II was the northern
lights.
Presently low down on the horizon
We saw a light which slowly resolved II
self into double light and We watched
Eagerly TO see II the two lights would
separate and so prove TO be only two OF
our boats or whether they would remair
together, in which case we should EXPECT
them to be the mast head light and q decl
light below OF . rsaculnS snamsA