The Washington times., 1912-04-21
fifteen Hundred and Persons Paid the Penalty for Mans Sheer Nhr


Calmly, and heroically. he shouted his
| order:
Lower away the boats, men; re-
member YOU are British"
This was the ember that sprang In
TO life, famed by the breeze of fear.
frenzy. Where calm had stood before,
panic now was stalking. The men
| in the passenger list, the men to
whose heroic deeds the safety of hun
| dreda Is due, saw the danger and the
necessity for action, too.
The gallant Butt. the millionaire
| Astor, the heroic Widener, the brave
and courageous Straus These men
lent their aid to the officers aboard
the ship. They saved the situation
| and turned rout and riot into calm
| and quiet. ..
Z Once the command to lower tile
| boats was given, and the passengers
| felt that doom had clasped them. the
| men to man the boats sprang to their
positions, the officers standing in
| command. That was a sinister spec
tacle-the presence of those officers.
In their hands CLEANED the barrel of
L
| Ing to the cowardly that any attempt
to violate the law OF the sea, that
| the women and children should be
! saved first, only meant a postponment
of death for the time.
The passengers were grouped to-
Eether, according to the deck where
their staterooms were situated. Not
all the women aboard had gathered
In huddled groups at the davits that
| clutched those long boats OF safety
and succor. Many women, satisfied
that the Titanic could Withstand any
bruising of sea or its dangers had
remained below--and never came
| back again.
As fast as the women came to the
decks the boats were lowered away.
Some Of those big lifeboats that could
carry from thirty to fifty persons were
lowered into the grasp of the water
half filled, and with seats emptied that
might have meant numerous lives saved
| II false security had not aided the col
lision In the work of garnering a har-
vest for death.
Sublime Heroism Displayed.
The scenes attendant on the rescue
work have been given to world to
applaud the sublime heroism and devo-
| tion to ideals OF manhood that the in
comparable Butt, Astor. Straus. Fu-
! trelle. and Widener and Thayer lent to
| this borrowing. tale OF tragedy.
Mrs. Astor, soon to become a mother,
was tenderly escorted by her husband
| to the deck. Twice she refused to leave,
and twice he was forced TO push her
gently. but forcibly-Into the craft that
| spelled life and the crowning achieve
| ment of motherhood for this dainty
! bride. Tenfold more narrowing was the
| case of this girl wife, for this terrible
curtain had closed down on her honey
moon and blotted its sweetness from
| her life forever.
| Mrs. Astor tried in vain to importune
her husband to seek safety with her.
| The colonel, the man who has pitted mis-
| strength and cunning against the seas
as master of his own craft, who has
| given to history a life filled with ad-
venture and crowned by heroic death.
| would not obey.
| scales against his escape. But with
that desire to treasure his wife, the
| head Of the house of Astor, said: II
| Will be with you tomorrow, dear, when
you return to the ship" And despite
| the tears and the petitions Of his child
bride. Astor remained behind to help
the work of rescue among the remain
! ing women and children.
Keen to keep his wife from dwelling
on danger, he kissed her good-by, say.
| ing that he would be awake to assist
her to the Titanic when she boarded in
| the morning.
Kiss a Last Good-by.
That caress which he gave, received
as husbandly offering, was the earthly
good-by of John Jacob Astor to the wife
he adored.
Carved into a niche of undying fame
are the names of Mr.. and Mrs. Isador
kStraus. When the rush for the boats
| came the Strauses went on deck and
took their accustomed places with the
passengers who were to seek the life
boat assigned to that section of the ship
Straus sent his wife away. but re-
fused to go himself. even though there
was seat left in that craft. He pulled
woman from out Of the other groups
and with a courtly bow. said: Madam,
there is a seat for you
Four times Mrs. Straus was placed in
the lifeboat. and four times she crept
back to the ship and the shelter of her
husbands protecting arms. He begged
her to save herself. but 1t was In vain
| He implored her to seek the lfeboat
| But she turned an adamant ear to his
appeals. ..'
And~then. with a glorious self-sacri-
fee that placed her name among the
heroines of time, Mrs. Straus placed her
| arms a bout her husbands neck. Il will
not co. she said, II have lived with
you long enough to be able to die with
you" And with arms wrapped about
each others neck, their lips together
and their hearts beating in the unison
of a union that even death could not
sever oh shatter, they sank together and
| died in the seas.
Across the vista of horror there comes
to Americans a pride in the possession
| of two other heroes, whose names are
| writ in letters of gold In the story OF
| the laundering of the Titanic. When the
time came for those who were to be
| saved to leave the Titanic the family
| Of George E. Widener was in the grour
| Of those who were in the third lifeboat
I to be lowered. Mr.. Widener was with
| his family. 1t comprised his wife and
| son, Harry Elkins Widener. manly
| youth, who died with his father that his
mother and some women might be
\ saved.
Placed Wife In Boat.
widener placed his wife in the life.
boat and started for the rail. where
stood Butt and Astor. thanking Firs
| Officer Murdoch, to preserve order BY
the strength of their own personal ex
ample and moral courage.
Mrs. Widencr implored that her hus