The Vinita daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1913, 1913-01-01
VISION OF TITANIC
Great Disaster Pictured by W. L
Stead in 1886.
Enormous Loss of Life Predicted ny
the Distinguished English Jour
nalist in His Own News
paper

London.-An investigator, searching
for material for biography Of w 7.
Stead, the Englishman who went down
with the Titanic. has discovered
strange prediction of his own doom
made by Mr.. Stead in the Pail Mall
Gazette on March %, 1886.
This article, written by Mr.. Stead,
was headed, How the Mail Steamer
Went Down in Mid-Atlantic =
The article appeared a couple OF
days after the Oregon was lost, ana
purported to give description OF
the scene Of horror that ensued on the
then biggest Atlantic liner, when at
last the passengers realized the ship
was doomed In footnote, Stead
wrote.
This is exactly what might take
place and what viii take place II
the liners are sent tA sea short OF
boats"
Here are some extracts from Stead's
grim prediction:
From below there came queer
sucking sound, with an occasional long
gurgle. and saw that the ship seemed
to hang as the seas met her.
"The boats were made fast to stand
heavy weather, and only skilled sail
ors could laulch them.
81 calculated that, by loading all
the eight boats down to the waters
edge and by packing the children
along the bottom boards, we might
accommodate 300 pepole. We were
carrying 91G altogether.
"A loud crack followed by walbw-
ing nCise like a thunder, rendered
all other sounds insignificant, and a
captain who was going out to New
York said. The bulkhead's gone.
We must take our chance The ship
stopped nearly dead. and began to
tremble curiously, but It was only the
river OF water pouring aft, and we
| soon saw the fremen driven up like
rats from a burrow. Stand by the
| boats
| The order was given, and the boat.
| swain's call rose in long, tremulous
screech. One of the starboard boats
was successfully launched, and the
officer stood revolver in hand. 'Wo
men first here. Thompson, you viii
steer her Take four men and nc
more The young English lady was
lowered down. although she clung tc
her father and begged him to let hei
stay. No, darling, goodbye. Be hap
py, he said, and then stood composed
ly amid the hurly-burly"
BY an extraordinary coincidence
Stead describes the girl as "a dari
beauty, about eighteen years OF age.
One could almost fancy that he saw a
In a glass darlly the then yet unborn
Mrs. John Jacob Astor.
AT last only one light boat re
NAMED. and still there were over TO
of us jammed in the narrow space lef
by the aWful list The captain ha
dropped his hands-he could do N
more. One sailor said We've stoo
It long enough. Tom Let's have on
turn.
And he. with three sturdy Swedef
managed to get at the davits The
were just in time, for the steamer be
gan to sway as they floated. and the
were all but swamped by the charg
and leap of crowd who flung then
selves into the water. Then wa
left with Il great multitude, who's
agonized clamor stunned me.
Il felt a mighty conyulsive move
ment. then the sea seemed to flas
down on me in one mass. as If tn
wall of water fell from high crai
Then heard humming noise in m
ears. and with gasp was up ami
a blackened, wriggling sheet of drowi
ing creatures
"A boat came past me and ! struc
, out Justify | raised myself to tn
e gunwale, Shall hit his fingers? sal
man No, let him come and
r laid. sick and dizzy, on the bottol
J. boards OF crowded boat You kno
. that we were picked up after mast
time"
The great journalists frien6s Wou
have wished that last sentence Of h
vivid forecast could have applied
l. his own ease, when the mammot
White Star liners great multitude
j. were hurled to their ocean tomb.
@ CnonS ST0l EN- 18 YEARS AG