New Britain herald., 1925-05-09


 he said.
 Tn the midst of deliberations on board the Norman yesterday over forming 6 Memphis chapter of the American Society Of Civil Engineers, q cry went up to the assemblage 10 shift 10 the high side of the boat" said ". w. DcBerard of Chicago, western editor Of the Engineering News Record, who was on the steamer which sank in the Mississip- pl river south of here yesterday.
 Moore Had Chance
 Since this same order had been given twice before, no one was Hurried or felt uneasy, but started 10 comply.
 Before it was possible to do so, however, the boat continued to list with the lower side awash and everybody rushed out of an en- closure st the bow of the boat. There was no screaming or shouting, ex- cept to call for life preserves. The boat listed so fast that few were able to adjust them and practically everybody was thrown into the water who had not already jumped. This action probably did not take longer than 30 seconds.
 q was one of the last to leave the inner enclosure and make my es- cape up a gangway to the upper deck. No one else, apparently used this exit. By the time l had eX- tricated myself from the deck lum- Der, everybody was in the water, practically everyone except three or four men had leaped from the high side of the boat. As for myself and three Sr four other men. who had been cHapulted Into the water from the lower side Of the boat we swan for perhaps three minutes, picking up floating debris and then made our way to the boat which had turned turtle.
 T was aided there by r. T.. Hid finger, who had rescued himself and his boy by climbing on the bottom of the boat. tried to help Hidinger pull other men over on top of the boat. Before the second man had been rescued q cry went up that the boat was going down by the stern.
 The rolling motion prectpltated us a second time into the water. I grasped a llfeboat that had turned turtle. but almost immediately the large boat sank and the Iiteboat I was on sank with it. This I was preciptated for the third time into the water.
 Luckily oars in tho lifeboat hoated at hand, and I grasped three Of them which carried me safely for the hour ! was in the water"
 EUddcr Failed 10 Respond The rudder Of the steamer Nor man failed 10 respond when the ves- sel first began to list. Captain How ard r. Fentou, her commander said after being brought here with other survivors of the vessel.
 "The Norman was headed straight up stream just below Coahama Landing" Captain Tenton said. q was running on a slow hell. 1a5ing the boat into Coahama Landing She gave a sharp list 10 starboard. When she started to list I pulled over hard but the rudder refused 10 re- spond.
 T tried to have the passengers trim up the boat, but within three minutes she turned over. I was not trying Q head into shore. 1' I had been. every soul on board would have been drowned.
 Many more would have perishcI but for the fact that Tom Lea, a negro employed by the Tennessee Construction Co. came along in a boat, Lea deserves tho greatest credit for the manner in which he handed his motor boat and saved the lives of at least 35 persons,
 "Major D. II. Connolly. myself a7I two other men were tho sarthcst down the river and last persons rescued. l cannot say who l saw drowned CT whether l saw anyoTo. lea landed a'' If us oN sanl bar 1 We were so cold erd numb that those able a move about cotnrof 'he others with sard fo ~a~u f3sm. Then we built a fire. ia'er ve 'o. catei a negro oaht~ and 'io~- found two Nrce.
 Life Prr>crvCrs Not Ttc1