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

To Keep His Head And Be A Man.

"Major Butt Helped Those Poor Frightened Steerage People

So Wonderfully,  So Tenderly And Yet With Such Cool And Manly

Firmness That He Prevented The Loss Of Many Lives From Panic.

He Was A Soldier To The Last. He Was One Of God's Greatest

Noblemen,  And I Think I Can Say He Was An Example Of Bravery

Even To Men On The Ship."

Last Words Of Major Butt

Miss Marie Young,  Who Was A Music Instructor To President

Roosevelt's Children And Had Known Major Butt During

The Roosevelt Occupancy Of The White House,  Told This

Story Of His Heroism.

"Archie Himself Put Me Into The Boat,  Wrapped Blankets

About Me And Tucked Me In As Carefully As If We Were Starting

On A Motor Ride. He,  Himself,  Entered The Boat With Me,

Performing The Little Courtesies As Calmly And With As Smiling

A Face As If Death Were Far Away,  Instead Of Being But A Few

Moments Removed From Him.

"When He Had Carefully Wrapped Me Up He Stepped Upon

The Gunwale Of The Boat,  And Lifting His Hat,  Smiled Down At

Me. `Good-Bye,  Miss Young,' He Said. `Good Luck To

You,  And Don't Forget To Remember Me To The Folks Back Home.'

Then He Stepped Back And Waved His Hand To Me As The Boat

Was Lowered. I Think I Was The Last Woman He Had A Chance

To Help,  For The Boat Went Down Shortly After We Cleared The

Suction Zone."

Colonel Astor Another Hero

Colonel Astor Was Another Of The Heroes Of The Awful Night.

Effort Was Made To Persuade Him To Take A Place In One Of

The Life-Boats,  But He Emphatically Refused To Do So Until Every

Woman And Child On Board Had Been Provided For,  Not Excepting

The Women Members Of The Ship's Company.

One Of The Passengers Describing The Consummate Courage

Of Colonel Astor Said:

"He Led Mrs. Astor To The Side Of The Ship And Helped Her

To The Life-Boat To Which She Had Been Assigned. I Saw That

She Was Prostrated And Said She Would Remain And Take Her

Chances With Him,  But Colonel Astor Quietly Insisted And

Tried To Reassure Her In A Few Words. As She Took Her Place

In The Boat Her Eyes Were Fixed Upon Him. Colonel Astor

Smiled,  Touched His Cap,  And When The Boat Moved Safely

Away From The Ship's Side He Turned Back To His Place Among

The Men."

Mrs. Ida S. Hippach And Her Daughter Jean,  Survivors Of

The Titanic,  Said They Were Saved By Colonel John Jacob

Astor,  Who Forced The Crew Of The Last Life-Boat To Wait For

Them.

"We Saw Colonel Astor Place Mrs. Astor In A Boat And

Assure Her That He Would Follow Later," Said Mrs. Hippach.

"He Turned To Us With A Smile And Said,  `Ladies,  You Are

Next.' The Officer In Charge Of The Boat Protested That The

Craft Was Full,  And The Seamen Started To Lower It.

"Colonel Astor Exclaimed,  `Hold That Boat,' In The Voice

Of A Man Accustomed To Be Obeyed,  And They Did As He Ordered.

The Boat Had Been Lowered Past The Upper Deck And The

Colonel Took Us To The Deck Below And Put Us In The Boat,

One After The Other,  Through A Port-Hole."

{Illust. Caption = Loading The Life-Boats

Here Occurred The Heart-

Rending Separation Of Husbands

And Wives,  As The Women

Were Given Precedence In The

Boats.}

Heart-Breaking Scenes

There Were Some Terrible Scenes. Fathers Were Parting From

Their Children And Giving Them An Encouraging Pat On The

Shoulders; Men Were Kissing Their Wives And Telling Them

That They Would Be With Them Shortly. One Man Said There

Was Absolutely No Danger,  That The Boat Was The Finest Ever

Built,  With Water-Tight Compartments,  And That It Could Not

Sink. That Seemed To Be The General Impression.

A Few Of The Men,  However,  Were Panic-Stricken Even

When The First Of The Fifty-Six Foot Life-Boats Was Being Filled.

Fully Ten Men Threw Themselves Into The Boats Already

Crowded With Women And Children. These Men Were Dragged

Back And Hurled Sprawling Across The Deck. Six Of Them,

Screamed With Fear,  Struggled To Their Feet And Made A Second

Attempt To Rush To The Boats.

About Ten Shots Sounded In Quick Succession. The Six

Cowardly Men Were Stopped In Their Tracks,  Staggered And

Collapsed One After Another. At Least Two Of Them Vainly

Attempted To Creep Toward The Boats Again. The Others Lay

Quite Still. This Scene Of Bloodshed Served Its Purpose.

In That Particular Section Of The Deck There Was No Further

Attempt To Violate The Rule Of "Women And Children First."

"I Helped Fill The Boats With Women," Said Thomas Whiteley,

Who Was A Waiter On The Titanic. "Collapsible Boat No. 2

On The Starboard Jammed. The Second Officer Was Hacking

At The Ropes With A Knife And I Was Being Dragged Around The

Deck By That Rope When I Looked Up And Saw The Boat,  With All

Aboard,  Turn Turtle. In Some Way I Got Overboard Myself

And Clung To An Oak Dresser. I Wasn't More Than Sixty Feet

From The Titanic When She Went Down. Her Big Stern Rose

Up In The Air And She Went Down Bow First. I Saw All The Machinery

Drop Out Of Her."

Henry B. Harris

Henry B. Harris,  Of New York,  A Theatrical Manager,  Was

One Of The Men Who Showed Superb Courage In The Crisis.

When The Life-Boats Were First Being Filled,  And Before There

Was Any Panic,  Mr. Harris Went To The Side Of His Wife Before

The Boat Was Lowered Away.

"Women First," Shouted One Of The Ship's Officers. Mr.

Harris Glanced Up And Saw That The Remark Was Addressed

To Him.

"All Right," He Replied Coolly. "Good-Bye,  My Dear,"

He Said,  As He Kissed His Wife,  Pressed Her A Moment To His

Breast,  And Then Climbed Back To The Titanic's Deck.

Three Explosions

Up To This Time There Had Been No Panic; But About One Hour

Before The Ship Plunged To The Bottom There Were Three

Separate Explosions Of Bulkheads As The Vessel Filled.

These Were At Intervals Of About Fifteen Minutes. From That

Time There Was A Different Scene. The Rush For The Remaining

Boats Became A Stampede.

The Stokers Rushed Up From Below And Tried To Beat A Path

Through The Steerage Men And Women And Through The Sailors

And Officers,  To Get Into The Boats. They Had Their Iron Bars

And Shovels,  And They Struck Down All Who Stood In Their

Way.

The First To Come Up From The Depths Of The Ship Was An

Engineer. From What He Is Reported To Have Said It Is Probable

That The Steam Fittings Were Broken And Many Were Scalded

To Death When The Titanic Lifted. He Said He Had To Dash

Through A Narrow Place Beside A Broken Pipe And His Back

Was Frightfully Scalded.

Right At His Heels Came The Stokers. The Officers Had Pistols,

But They Could Not Use Them At First For Fear Of Killing The

Women And Children. The Sailors Fought With Their Fists And

Many Of Them Took The Stoke Bars And Shovels From The Stokers

And Used Them To Beat Back The Others.

Many Of The Coal-Passers And Stokers Who Had Been Driven

Back From The Boats Went To The Rail,  And Whenever A Boat Was

Filled And Lowered Several Of Them Jumped Overboard And

Swam Toward It Trying To Climb Aboard. Several Of The

Survivors Said That Men Who Swam To The Sides Of Their Boats

Were Pulled In Or Climbed In.

Dozens Of The Cabin Passengers Were Witnesses Of Some Of The

Frightful Scenes On The Steerage Deck. The Steerage Survivors

Said That Ten Women From The Upper Decks Were The

Only Cool Passengers In The Life-Boat,  And They Tried To Quiet The

Steerage Women,  Who Were Nearly All Crazed With Fear And Grief.

Other Heroes

Among The Chivalrous Young Heroes Of The Titanic Disaster

Were Washington A. Roebling,  2d,  And Howard Case,  London

Representative Of The Vacuum Oil Company. Both Were

Urged Repeatedly To Take Places In Life-Boats,  But Scorned The

Opportunity,  While Working Against Time To Save The Women

Aboard The Ill-Fated Ship. They Went To Their Death,  It Is

Said By Survivors,  With Smiles On Their Faces.

Both Of These Young Men Aided In The Saving Of Mrs. William

T. Graham,  Wife Of The President Of The American Can Company,

And Mrs. Graham's Nineteen-Year-Old Daughter,  Margaret.

Afterwards Relating Some Of Her Experiences Mrs. Graham

Said:

"There Was A Rap At The Door. It Was A Passenger Whom

We Had Met Shortly After The Ship Left Liverpool,  And His Name

Was Roebling--Washington A. Roebling,  2d. He Was A

Gentleman And A Brave Man. He Warned Us Of The Danger And

Told Us That It Would Be Best To Be Prepared For An Emergency.

We Heeded His Warning,  And I Looked Out Of My Window And

Saw A Great Big Iceberg Facing Us. Immediately I Knew What

Had Happened And We Lost No Time After That To Get Out Into

The Saloon.

"In One Of The Gangways I Met An Officer Of The Ship.

" `What Is The Matter?' I Asked Him.

" `We've Only Burst Two Pipes,' He Said. `Everything Is

All Right,  Don't Worry.'

" `But What Makes The Ship List So?' I Asked.

" `Oh,  That's Nothing,' He Replied,  And Walked Away.

"Mr. Case Advised Us To Get Into A Boat.