The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-05-10

companying a battle for life on the water after a ship has gone to the bottom are described in 8 gripping manner, by Charles T. Jeffrey, pres ident of the Jeffrey Motor Car Co.,, of KenOsha, Wis, in an interview with a Correspondent for the New York World.
 Jeffrey is well known in Bridgeport He was an official of the G. & J. Motor Car Go, which has been ab- sorbed.
 The interview follows:
 ''.I was in the smoking room when the explosion took place., began MT. Jeffrey, speaking Qu:etly and calmly, although plainly showing in his face the strain of his experience and suf- fering much pain from the effects Of long struggle in the water. It shook the whole ship, just as a train would shake if the locomotive suddenly stopped and backed into it.
 stI did not, of course, know what it was, and it did not occur to me that we had been torpedoed.l I thought 1 it might be a mine, or that we had run upon a rock, but it simply did mot occur to my mind to imagine any thing So horrible as that this defense less ship with it's helpless passengers would be torpedoed without warning. .'I left the smoking room and went out on deck to look over the side at the spot where the ship was when the fexplosion took place. ItS was about l 800 feet away. The ship began to take a list to starboard, but very slow Fly. There was no panic, either then | or at any other time. Many other messengers came out and looked over the side, just as did, but there were no signs of alarm or any rushing about. .' F. N9I- went down to "A deck to see l what was happening there, but there was no conmotion, any more than there was on the upper one, to which IT returned. s. But the ship was listing l more and more. The life-boats had lbeen swung out the previous day, and I saw women and children being put into them by sailors.
 l There was no rushing for the boats mo struggling for places; everything was being done with perfect calnness and order1iness. went down to my
 cabin, meeting many people in the all leyways with 1ife-felts. and others go- ltng, for them I had an air life pre- tseryer of my own, such as aviators use, and put it on to return to the l deck, but it occurred to me that the rubber might get punctured. so went
 below again and put on my vest and coat over it.
 Il ssNGr and Mrs EIbert Hnbbard had a stateroom close to mine, but saw
 nothing of them, then or afterward. I The ship had now taken so strong a
 list that it was difficult to get along
 the passages, but there was no scram-
 bling or noise of any sort; the pas ,l sengers were just taking rapid pre- cautions without any furry.
 II sfWhen got on deck again saw
 one of the 1ifeboat falls get damned in the davits at one end The boat fell bow downward and the people in
 her were all spilled into the water. also saw g young Canadian woman, f whom knew by sight, take a sixty
 foot header into. the sea. don't know
 what became of her.
 ''I made my way aft and seeing no
 one on the navigating bridge. scraIn- bled up there, where I could observe
 everything that was happening along one side of the sflip,f.s.i
 s'In the distance I saw young fe1- ; low sitting calmly on the deck and : taking snapshots of. the boats being lowered, just as quietly as if there
 were no danger at all.l His nerve ex-
 cited my admiration, but I, don't know
 whether he was saved or not. In the naorgue in Queenstown afterward ? saw the body of a young man with g ~ kodak slung around his neck but ii < was not the same person
 The ship now keeled over so much
 that the passengers were cIinging .te e the deck rail. It was a terrible sight; ' l their helplessness, with the great shiI ' steadily going down under us. | knew
 
 so stayed on the navigating bridge :, = waiting for the final plunge. At thi: time did not think had any chance s of being saved, because there were Y no rescuers in sight.
 = "I thought my only chance was tha; @ when she went down might come u1 y again and find something to cling to IS The ship at this time had not lost he
 way and I could see people in tn,
 water and in the boats as we passet
 
 angle of forty-f1ve degrees.
 a Suddenly there came terriff 1-1 runabling roaring noise; the huge shil d trembled as her tunnels went over I- and she just slid under the waves b.
 the head. Then she seemed to b r suddenly checked, as though her bov IT had struck something, but it was onI s momentary, and in another momen -e1 she disappeared under the water rs MT. JenreySs story of the actue a- sinking bears a striking resembIanc ,n to the best descriptions by survivor to of the manner in which the Titani i- went down. InN each case the shi g. slowly heeled over until she reache O. an angle of 45 degrees or more; the d. came the tremendous roar and run m ble, presumably caused by her boiler Id leaving their seats and striking tn at sea water;a and in each case there can as that mornentary checking, as thoue ne the. great ship herself made one la on effort, before the final plunge of 'T went down with her. MT. Jeffre he continued, ''but came to the surfat de again very quickly and took a. goo
 breath. I remember felt surprise s. that I should have regained the su of face so soon.
 '.An around me I saw great nun IS. bers of persons struggling in u e- water, but as the minutes passed V ng seemed to get spread out in 3. 1arg he area of sea. When remained arfo
 I began to think I might be save es after all, and I looked around f of something to keep me up.
 in Presently there f1oated near me ee. rectangular sheet metal can, like u