Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1912-04-26
VICTIMS OF SEA HORROR
WENT DOWNL|KE HEROES

TO obey the order. When they were
afioat and had the oars at work the
condition of the rapidly settlin., boat
was SO much more a sight for alarm
for those in the boats than those on
board that in common prudence the
sailors saw they could do nothing but
row from the sinking ship to save, at
any rate, some lives. They no doubt
anticipated that suction from such an
enorr Gus vessel would be more than
usually dangerous to a crowded boat
filled with women.
All this time there was no trace
of any disorder or panic or rush to
the boats and no scenes of women
sobb1ng Historically such as one gen
orally pictures as happening at such
times; every one seemed to realize
SO slowly that there was imminent
danger. When it was realized that
we might all be presently in the sea
with nothing but our life belts to sup
port US until we were picked up by
passing steamers it was extraordinary
how calm every one was and how
completely self-controlled.
Zone by one the boats were filled
with women and children, lowered and
rowed away into the night. Presently
the word went round among the men,
The men are to be put in boats on
the starboard side I was on the
port side and most of the men walked
across the deck to see if this was So
remained where was and presently
heard the call:
ANY more ladies?' Looking over
the side of the ship, saw the boat
No. Is, swinging level with B deck,
half full of ladies. Again the call was
repeated: ANY more ladies?'
Il saw none come on, and then one
of the crew looked up and said: Any
ladies on your deck, sir?'
NO. replied.
"'Then you had better jump
WOMEN HEAVED INTO BOAT.
II dropped in and fell in the bot
tom as they cried: Lower away AS
the boat began to descend two ladies
were pushed hurriedly through the
crowd on deck and heaved over into
the boat, and a baby of ten months
passed down after them. Down we
went, the crew calling to those lower
ing each end to keep her level-'aft.'
stern both together until we were
some ten feet from the water, and
here occurred the only anxious mo
ment we had during the whole of our
experience from leaving the deck to
reaching the Carpathia.
Immediately below our boat was
the exhaust of the condensers, a huge
stream of water pouring all the time
from the ships side just above the
water line. 1t was plain we ought to
be smart away from this not to be
swamped by it when we touched wa
ter. We had no officer aboard, nor
petty officer or member of the crew to
take charge So one of the stokers
shouted: Some one find the pin which
releases the boat from the ropes and
pull it up No one knew where it
was. We felt as well as we could on
the floor and sides, but found nothing,
and it was hard to move among so
many people-we had sixty or seventy
on board
Down we went and presently float
ed, with our ropes still holding us,
the exhaust 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 an impetus which carried
us parallel to the ships side and di-
rectly under boat IA, which had filled
rapidly with men and was coming
down on us in a way that threatened
to submerge our boat
sTokER AvERTs GREATER LOSS.
"'Stop lowering a. our crew
shouted, and the crew of No. IA, now
only twenty feet above, shouted the
same. But the distance to the top
was some seventy feet, and the creak-
ing pulleys must have deadened all
sound to those above, for down she
came-f1fteen feet, ten feet, five feet
and a stoker and l reached up and
touched her swinging above our heads.
The next drop would have brought
her on our heads, but just before she
dropped another stoker sprang to the
ropes with his knife.
lone, l 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 had the moment before
occupied, our gunwales almost touch
ing.
eve drifted away easily as the oars
were got out and headed directly
away from the ship. The crew
seemed to me to be mostly cooks in
white jackets, two to an oar, with
a stoker at the tiller There was a
certain amount of shouting from one
end of the boat to the other. and dis
cussion as to which way we should go,
but finally it was decided to elect the