New-York tribune., 1912-04-20
BLOWN FROM SHIPS DECK
TitaniC'S Barber Tells of Falling
on Chairs and Floating.
PICKED UP BY LIFE RAFT
Others Clinging to It's Edges
Soon Became Exhausted, Said
"Goodby!" and Sank.
IBy TELEGRAPH 10 The Tribune.

Philadelphia, April le-August II. Weik-
man. OF Palmyra. n. J.. ships barber on
the Titanic. who was among those rescued.
graphically told to-day his experiences when
the Titanic was lost.
Weikman. who declares he has crossed
the ocean 705 times. is nfty-six years old,
been employed az a ships barber by the
White Star Line.
According to Weikman. he was the last
man of those rescued who spoke to Colonel
John Jacob Astor.
Weikman says he was witness OF the
scene when j. Bruce lsmay left the Titanic.
and declares Mr.. Ismay literally was
thrown into the iifeboat by seaman, who
did not recognize him. and thought he was
interfering with the work. lie asserts that
Mr.. lsmay was striving to help In the work
OF launching the boats. and went overheard
only under physical compulson.
II was in my barber shop reading said
Welkman, when | felt a slight Jar. and
realized We had struck something. went
10 the gymnasium to see whether others
had noticed IT. | found some Of the men
punching the bag, with Colonl Astor, MI
Widen.r and a number Of others watching
them.
..I had known Mr. Widener for some
time. and | advised him to put on a lite-
belt. He laughed at me.
what sense is there in that? This
10 al
There Is plenty Of time. We're SAFER mere
than In q small boat. anyway
.'Then came the order to man the boats.
and I went on deck to help. The rule was
observed OF sending over four women ana
then a man 10 look after them. "hen
four women had been put over seaman
turned to MI Ismay and ordered MN over
the side Mr. Ismay refused TO CO. "heh
the seaman seized him, rushed him 10 tue
rail and hurled him over.
while | was still helping AT the ooa's
there came an explosion from below decks
and the ship took an awful lunge throw
ing everybody into heap. Was hurieu
clear Of the vessels side and landed on Top
Of a bundle OF deck chairs which was hoat-
ing on the water. | was badly bruised ana
my back was sprained. My watch stopped
at l:JO a. m. and | believe IL was AT tha'
time I was thrown into the water.
While lay floating on the bundle OF
chairs there came another terrihc eApio-
sion and the ship seemed to split IN Two
There was q rain OF wreckage ana Dig
piece Of timber fell on me, striking my hte-
belt. believe II II had not been Tor the
belt would have been killed. hoated ior
what | believe was about two hours. Iheh
arms reached down and drew me aboard a
life raft. The man who did this was a
seaman named Brown, whose HE proo-
a bly, had saved two years ago by hnrryihs
him 10 a hospital In England when ne was
taken Ill suddenly.
There were six persons on the rai' anu
others were In the water up to their hechs'
hanging on to the edges OF the raf'' Inc
raft was already awash, and we could not
take them aboard. One by one. as they
became chilled through. they bade us sooo-
by and sank. Tn the bottom OF the rait
was a man whom had shaved that morn
ine and whom I had been told was worth
100000 I did not know his name ne
was dead.
And so we hoated on the raft, oereft OF
hon. and stupefed by the calamity until
n,c,xed I'm by the Carpsthia. was so badly
injured they had TO take me on oosro IN
a boatsVain's chair