Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-05-10
GIRLS AND WOMEN
] PERFORMED HEROIC
| DEEDS AS SHIP SANK
Fourteen year old Kath-
leen Kaye Takes Oar in
! Lifeboat w h en- Sailor
Faints and Rows Until
Picked Up.
LONDON. NAV 10.

LONDON. May 10.
Even the young girls and women OF
the Lusltania proved themselves herolnet
during the last few moments and met
their fate calmly or rose to emergencies
which called for great bravery and pree.
efce OF mind
Fourteen-year-old Kathleen Kaye was
returning from New York. where she had
been visiting relatives. with n merry
smile on her lips and with steady pat
ter OF reinsurance, she aided the stewards
who were filling one of the lifeboats.
Soon after the girl took her own place
In the boat one of the sailors tainted un-
der the strain OF the efforts to get the
boat clear Of the maelstrom that marked
where tho liner went down. Miss Kaye
took the abandoned oar and rowed until
the boat was out of danger.
a graphic story of the circumstances
that marked the liners last moments was
given by James n. Brooks, OF New York
All the llfeboats had been swung out
Thursday" he said. "and the work Of
launching them was at once commenced.
The attempt In the case of the first boat
was a tragic failure Women and chill
dren were taken first. and the boat was
nlled with them, except for men to row.
The boat was lowered until within its
own length OF the water when the for
ward tackle iammed and its occupants,
with the exception Of three, we're thrown
into the sea.
"on the decks of the doomed vessel
absolute calmness prevailed. There
was no rushing about and nothing re-
semblinR a panic. In few isolated
cases there were signs Of hysteria on
the paSt- of women, but that was all.
did not notice any concerted effort TO
distribute life belts, and | was unable to
obtain one.
1.-THE efforts made to lower the boats
M rf,NI, ,,.I,t 4.
had not apparently met with much sue
cess, Those on the port side had swung
inward and could not be used, while the
collapsible boats, lashed beneath them
could not be got at.
women were standing quite calmly,
waiting for an opportunity 10 enter the
boats when they should be released by the
men from the davts, The davits, by
this time. were touching the water, the
ship having sunk so low. The bridge
deck was only four feet or so from the
surface of the sea.
Losing no time the men passed the
women rapidly into the boats. places
having been found for all the people
about the mtdship section. | stepped into
one of the lifeboats and attempted to as
sist in getting II free. l saw that the list
was so great that the davits pinched the
gear, rendering it impossible for us to get
away before the ship went down, so |
dived into the water.
II SWAN as hard as ! could and mo-
ticed with feelings of apprehension the
menacing bulk of the huge tunnels as
they loomed over my head. l expected
them momentariy to fall on me and
crush me, but at last Judged myself 10
be clear.
II turned around to watch the great
ship heel over The monster took
sudden plunge, and I saw a crowd still
on her decks and boats filled with help
less women and children glued to her
side. sickened with horror at the
sight"
The babies of the second cabin made
perhaps the deepest impression OF all
on those who came In contact with them. !
Mrs Lohden tells of one woman whose !
baby died in her aims before she was !
picked up. Another who found on being |
lifted into boat that her baby, too,
had died, said:
Let me bury my baby"
Then she lowered the dead child into
the water.