Sinking Of The Titanic And Great Sea Disasters by Logan Marshall (best reads of all time txt) 📕

For The First Time,  There Was A Feeling Of Panic. Husbands

Sought For Wives And Children. Families Gathered Together.

Many Who Were Asleep Hastily Caught Up Their Clothing And

Rushed On Deck. A Moment Before The Men Had Been Joking

About The Life-Belts,  According To The Story Told By Mrs.

Vera Dick,  Of Calgary,  Canada. "Try This One," One Man

Said To Her,  "They Are The Very Latest Thing This Season.

Everybody's Wearing Them Now."

Another Man Suggested To A Woman Friend,  Who Had A

Fox Terrier In Her Arms,  That She Should Put A Life-Saver On

The Dog. "It Won't Fit," The Woman Replied,  Laughing.

"Make Him Carry It In His Mouth," Said The Friend.

Confusion Among The Immigrants

Below,  On The Steerage Deck,  There Was Intense Confusion.

About The Time The Officers On The First Deck Gave The Order

That All Men Should Stand To One Side And All Women Should

Go Below To Deck B,  Taking The Children With Them,  A Similar

Order Was Given To The Steerage Passengers. The Women

Were Ordered To The Front,  The Men To The Rear. Half A Dozen

Healthy,  Husky Immigrants Pushed Their Way Forward And Tried

To Crowd Into The First Boat.

"Stand Back," Shouted The Officers Who Were Manning The

Boat. "The Women Come First."

Shouting Curses In Various Foreign Languages,  The Immigrant

Men Continued Their Pushing And Tugging To Climb

Into The Boats. Shots Rang Out. One Big Fellow Fell Over The

Railing Into The Water. Another Dropped To The Deck,  Moaning.

His Jaw Had Been Shot Away. This Was The Story Told By The

Bystanders Afterwards On The Pier. One Husky Italian Told

The Writer On The Pier That The Way In Which The Men Were

Shot Down Was Horrible. His Sympathy Was With The Men

Who Were Shot.

"They Were Only Trying To Save Their Lives," He Said.

Wireless Operator Died At His Post

On Board The Titanic,  The Wireless Operator,  With A Life-Belt

About His Waist,  Was Hitting The Instrument That Was Sending

Out C. Q. D.,  Messages,  "Struck On Iceberg,  C. Q. D."

"Shall I Tell Captain To Turn Back And Help?" Flashed A

Reply From The Carpathia.

"Yes,  Old Man," The Titanic Wireless Operator Responded.

"Guess We're Sinking."

An Hour Later,  When The Second Wireless Man Came Into The

Boxlike Room To Tell His Companion What The Situation Was,

He Found A Negro Stoker Creeping Up Behind The Operator And

Saw Him Raise A Knife Over His Head. He Said Afterwards--He

Was Among Those Rescued--That He Realized At Once That The

Negro Intended To Kill The Operator In Order To Take His Life-

Belt From Him. The Second Operator Pulled Out His Revolver

And Shot The Negro Dead.

"What Was The Trouble?" Asked The Operator.

"That Negro Was Going To Kill You And Steal Your Life-Belt,"

The Second Man Replied.

"Thanks,  Old Man," Said The Operator. The Second Man

Went On Deck To Get Some More Information. He Was Just In

Time To Jump Overboard Before The Titanic Went Down. The

Wireless Operator And The Body Of The Negro Who Tried To Steal

His Belt Went Down Together.

On The Deck Where The First Class Passengers Were Quartered,

Known As Deck A,  There Was None Of The Confusion That Was

Taking Place On The Lower Decks. The Titanic Was Standing

Without Much Rocking. The Captain Had Given An Order And

The Band Was Playing.

{Illust. Caption = Waiting For The News

A Bird's Eye View Of The Great Crowds ...}

{Illust. Caption = Wireless Station At Cape Race

Where The First News Of The Titanic Disaster Was Received.}

"Women And Children First!"

Cool-Headed Officers And Crew Bring Order Out Of

Chaos--Filling The Life-Boats--Heartrending Scenes

As Families Are Parted--Four Life-Boats Lost--Incidents

Of Bravery--"The Boats Are All Filled!"

Once On The Deck,  Many Hesitated To Enter The

Swinging Life-Boats. Tho Glassy Sea,  The Starlit

Sky,  The Absence,  In The First Few Moments,  Of

Intense Excitement,  Gave Them The Feeling That There Was

Only Some Slight Mishap; That Those Who Got Into The Boats

Would Have A Chilly Half Hour Below And Might,  Later,  Be

Laughed At.

It Was Such A Feeling As This,  From All Accounts,  Which

Caused John Jacob Astor And His Wife To Refuse The Places

Offered Them In The First Boat,  And To Retire To The Gymnasium.

In The Same Way H. J. Allison,  A Montreal Banker,  Laughed At

The Warning,  And His Wife,  Reassured By Him,  Took Her Time

Dressing. They And Their Daughter Did Not Reach The Carpathia.

Their Son,  Less Than Two Years Old,  Was Carried Into

A Life-Boat By His Nurse,  And Was Taken In Charge By Major

Arthur Peuchen.

The Life-Boats Lowered

The Admiration Felt By The Passengers And Crew For The

Matchlessly Appointed Vessel Was Translated,  In Those First

Few Moments,  Into A Confidence Which For Some Proved

Deadly. The Pulsing Of The Engines Had Ceased,  And The

Steamship Lay Just As Though She Were Awaiting The Order

To Go On Again After Some Trifling Matter Had Been Adjusted.

But In A Few Minutes The Canvas Covers Were Lifted From

The Life-Boats And The Crews Allotted To Each Standing By,

Ready To Lower Them To The Water.

Nearly All The Boats That Were Lowered On The Port Side

Of The Ship Touched The Water Without Capsizing. Four Of

The Others Lowered To Starboard,  Including One Collapsible,

Were Capsized. All,  However,  Who Were In The Collapsible

Boats That Practically Went To Pieces,  Were Rescued By The

Other Boats.

Presently The Order Was Heard: "All Men Stand Back And

All Women Retire To The Deck Below." That Was The Smoking-

Room Deck,  Or The B Deck. The Men Stood Away And Remained

In Absolute Silence,  Leaning Against The Rail Or Pacing Up And

Down The Deck Slowly. Many Of Them Lighted Cigars Or Cigarettes

And Began To Smoke.

Loading The Boats

The Boats Were Swung Out And Lowered From The A Deck

Above. The Women Were Marshaled Quietly In Lines Along

The B Deck,  And When The Boats Were Lowered Down To The

Level Of The Latter The Women Were Assisted To Climb Into Them.

As Each Of The Boats Was Filled With Its Quota Of Passengers

The Word Was Given And It Was Carefully Lowered Down To The

Dark Surface Of The Water.

Nobody Seemed To Know How Mr. Ismay Got Into A Boat,

But It Was Assumed That He Wished To Make A Presentation Of

The Case Of The Titanic To His Company. He Was Among Those

Who Apparently Realized That The Splendid Ship Was Doomed.

All Hands In The Life-Boats,  Under Instructions From Officers

And Men In Charge,  Were Rowed A Considerable Distance From

The Ship Herself In Order To Get Far Away From The Possible

Suction That Would Follow Her Foundering.

Coolest Men On Board

Captain Smith And Major Archibald Butt,  Military Aide To

The President Of The United States,  Were Among The Coolest

Men On Board. A Number Of Steerage Passengers Were

Yelling And Screaming And Fighting To Get To The Boats.

Officers Drew Guns And Told Them That If They Moved Towards

The Boats They Would Be Shot Dead. Major Butt Had A Gun

In His Hand And Covered The Men Who Tried To Get To The Boats.

The Following Story Of His Bravery Was Told By Mrs. Henry

B. Harris,  Wife Of The Theatrical Manager:

"The World Should Rise In Praise Of Major Butt. That

Man's Conduct Will Remain In My Memory Forever. The American

Army Is Honored By Him And The Way He Taught Some Of

The Other Men How To Behave When Women And Children Were

Suffering That Awful Mental Fear Of Death. Major Butt Was

Near Me And I Noticed Everything That He Did.

"When The Order To Man The Boats Came,  The Captain Whispered

Something To Major Butt. The Two Of Them Had Become

Friends. The Major Immediately Became As One In Supreme

Command. You Would Have Thought He Was At A White

House Reception. A Dozen Or More Women Became Hysterical

All At Once,  As Something Connected With A Life-Boat Went

Wrong. Major Butt Stepped Over To Them And Said:

" `Really,  You Must Not Act Like That; We Are All Going To

See You Through This Thing.' He Helped The Sailors Rearrange

The Rope Or Chain That Had Gone Wrong And Lifted Some Of The

Women In With A Touch Of Gallantry. Not Only Was There A

Complete Lack Of Any Fear In His Manner,  But There Was The

Action Of An Aristocrat.

"When The Time Came He Was A Man To Be Feared. In One

Of The Earlier Boats Fifty Women,  It Seemed,  Were About To

Be Lowered,  When A Man,  Suddenly Panic-Stricken,  Ran To The

Stern Of It. Major Butt Shot One Arm Out,  Caught Him By

The Back Of The Neck And Jerked Him Backward Like A Pillow.

His Head Cracked Against A Rail And He Was Stunned.

" `Sorry,' Said Major Butt,  `Women Will Be Attended To

First Or I'll Break Every Damned Bone In Your Body.'

Forced Men Usurping Places To Vacate

"The Boats Were Lowered One By One,  And As I Stood By,  My

Husband Said To Me,  `Thank God,  For Archie Butt.' Perhaps

Major Butt Heard It,  For He Turned His Face Towards Us For A

Second And Smiled. Just At That Moment,  A Young Man Was

Arguing To Get Into A Life-Boat,  And Major Butt Had A Hold

Of The