The Progressive West Virginian. [volume] (Williamson, W. Va.) 1911-1913, 1912-04-25

new IOrK, April lS.-IlIteu from
the gates of death, the 745 survivors of
the Titanic were landed by the Car
pathia, which rescued them two hours
and half after the great White Star
steamer hurled itself against an Ice
berg last Sunday night.
Disfigured by calamity and misery
and oppressed by awful sorrow, the
women and children and the few men
who escaped from the worlds great
est sea disaster are in better physical
condition than the most optimistic
had hoped for.
Out of the great company that wait
ed for hours In bitter cold among the
grinding bergs. many OF them thinly
clad, many bruised and hurt by the
collision which destroyed their ship.
few needed the ministrations Of ply
sicians when they put their feet on
land In sight of the vast crowd that
had been waiting In almost unbearS
able uncertainty
Survivors Well in Body.
Many, 1t is true, were weak and
ence that had left the world void and
empty for them. But-and thousands
thanked God for it as they watched
the majority Of the sad and bereaved
company were we'll in body.
Only one of the Titanic's survivors
died while the Carpathia was driving
through fogs and storms to this port.
-Four of the Tttanic's people had per-
ished trying to get aboard the Car
pathfa and another Titanic passenger
lost his life by the overturning of a
boat One woman, a second cabin pas
senger who was landed, was suffer
ing from broken arm.
Thirty-Nine Women Widowed.
The Carpathia reported that there
were ITO saved out of passenger list
which the White Star line figured at
2,180, making loss OF lao lives. The
Titanic's passengers say there were
745 rescued out OF passenger list
of 2,340.
The list Of names furnished on the
Carpatbia on its arrival show 1873 first
class cabin passengers saved, 115 in
the second cabin, 178 third class, and
206 of the crew, total of 687 saved
A woman passenger on the Carpathia
heard from the ships doctor that 495
of the passengers and 210 of the crew
had been saved and that 80 women
lost their husbands. Six Of these were
brides.
The worlds annals has provided
few more intense and dramatic mo-
ments than when all that was left of
the great company that sailed SO gay
ly on the Titanic appeared on the
Cunard pier.
Tragedy in Their Faces.
The tragedy Of the Titanic was writ
ten on the faces Of nearly all of her
survivors. Some, it is true, who were
saved with their families, could not
repress the Joy and thankfulness that
filled their hearts, but they were few
compared to the number OF the res
cued. These others bore the impress
of their time of darkness when their
people passed in an accident that
seemed like an insane vision of the
night. Their faces were swollen with
weeping They had drunk as deeply
OF sorrow as Is ever given to human
kind.
But many, whose spirits were faint
ing from despair walked firmly
enough down the gang plank. Some
walked unseeing in kind of dread
ft,l ,hY,Ii of
Officers Shoot Men Down.
It was with difficulty that the
tongues Of many were loosened to
speak of the scenes Of agony and fear
that fell over the Titanic's peaceful
company when 1t became swiftly
known that the ship must go down.
Some told haltingly, with dread still
frozen in their eyes. of men who
stroye and struggled against women
for the lifeboats and of officers shoot
Ing them down. One woman saw an Off
Ger shoot two men, she said, and 9TH
er passengers recalled how officers
had stood with drawn pistols while the
women and children were being guild
ed into the boats.
No one seemed to know the exact
fate of the Titanic's captain, E. ].
Smith. There was a story that he
had committed suicide, but the Titan
les passengers did not know that was
true. Many OF them had heard shots
fired. They believed some of the fir
ing was done to warn back steerage
passengers.
Praise for Titanic's Crew.
For the Titanic's officers and crew
the rescued seemed to have nothing
but praise. These men acted calmly
and coolly in the face of certain found
ering, was the report brought here by
the rescued.
The unhappy company SO marvel
ously torn from the grip of the sea
was received solemnly and with re-
markable quiet by the enormous
crowd which gathered near the Cunard
piers and by the few hundreds that
penetrated by right of relation or
friendship or merciful business to the
interior of the pier.
There was no cheering, no upraising
of voices in salute of the living. for