The Elbert County tribune., 1912-04-19

priests and two Protestant ministers
aboard the ship.
Wireless messages relate a story Of
bravery In the face OF death surpass-
ing any other ever written of the sea,
in fact or in fiction.
When it became known that the tt
tanic was doomed, and that only few
of the passengers and crew could be
saved, the men aboard, as one. de-
manded that the women and children
be saved. The parting OF the wives
from their husbands. as limited in brief
messages, was a scene to rend the
heart, and in every case the husband
assisted the crew of the steamship in
dragging the women away to the life
boat. Wives became hysterical and
many of them tainted when told they
they must leave their husbands. With
tears streaming from their eyes, hus-
bands and wives locked in the last
embrace upon this earth. the husband
with the Anglo-Saxon blood running
strong in his veins, bore up under the
terrible ordeal and assisted in un-
winding his wife's arms from around
his neck.
Help Wives to Boats.
When the boats drew away, with
their wives, the men gazed after them
and then, with the hearts OF a stole.
returned to assist the other women
and children to the boats.
At last, when all the ships boats
had been filled with women and chill
dren, with officers and crew of the tt
tanic only necessary to man the boats
in them, the boats pulled away from
the sinking ship. Captain Smith OF
the Titanic issued orders to his men
in each boat to proceed as rapidly as
possible away from the vessel, for he
knew that when she took her final
plunge into the Atlantic that the sue
ton of the mighty leviathan would en-
gulf all boats that were not far away.
The orders Of the captain were car.
ried out to the letter. the nep left
aboard the boat watching each boat as
1t disappeared in the distance over the
rolling waves. and then they turned to
the captain.
1t was realized by every man aboard
that his final hour had come. Out
across the ocean there was no sign
Of a ship coming to the rescue, al.
though up in his cage the wireless op-
orator received messages from a halt
dozen ships that they were rushing
as fast as steam could bear them to
the aid of the stricken Titanic. II
was realized, though. by the men, that
none of the hurrying vessels would
reach them in time to save them
They knew that when the ships ar.
rived that there would be nothing left
but bit of the floating wreckage to
tell where a $10,000,OO0 vessel had
gone to her grave.
'"Nearer Ny God to Thee
Religious services were started in
half dozen different sections of the
mighty vessel. Practically everybody
aboard had come to the decks and
they Joined in the religious services
in the singing of Nearer My God to
Thee" Rock of Ages" and other of
the old time hymns. Between the
hymns, and during their progress, men
knelt upon the deck of the sinking
ship and offered up prayer to God,
while the two priests absolyed from
Dill lnOoc upOn Tue NcSScl- ut f>To-
testaht ministers aboard prayed with
the priests. while Bibles were passed
around to be read aloud by those to
whom they were handed.
AS the religious services continued
the ship sank deeper and deeper into
the ocean. In the presence of death
to themselves those men whose wives
had gone in the life boats prayed fer
vently for their safety, forgetting
themselves in their love for their
wives. Those who we're alone prayed
for the folks at home. mingling these
prayefs with those OF their own to
God.
Wireless Man Faithful to End.
Up in his cage the wireless operator
sent out snatches of the scenes upon
the decks and throughout the Titanic
telling the ships racing on to her aid
that all was lost; that order prevailed
and that the religious services and
prayers were continuing as the Titanic
sank lower and lower to her grave.
Then came the end of those wire
less snatches. Wireless operators upon
other ships knew that the story was
ended. They knew that the great I'll
tanic had taken her last plunge and
that all those brave men were in
their ocean grave.
Wireless Big Aid Saving Passengers.