LOSS OF AN ATLANTIC LINER.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1419, 20 April 1912, Page 5

LOSS OF AN ATLANTIC LINER.

IMAGINARY WRECK DESCRIBEDj

(By W. T. Stead.)

Among (hoso who are believed "to havo perished in tho nppalliug wreck of tho Titanic is Mr. W. T. Stead, the wollknown English journalist, and founder and editor of tho "lioviow of Heviows." Twenty-seven years ago Mr. Stead, who was then editor of tho "Pull Mall Gar zetto," published a graphic account of an imaginary shipping disaster in miif-AtJau-tic, iu order to rouse public opinion on tho danger of tho practico which then existed of sending liners lo 6ea short of boats. Tho account, which it is beliovod was written by Mr. Stead himself, has been reprinted by tho "New Zealand Horald."- Hero are some extracts from it;— First Days Out. We took in 158 mail-bags and 3i2 passengers .at Queenstown, and there was a good deal of confusion as tho steamer headed away to tho west, for we had shipped SGO passengers in all at Liverpool, and it was a pretty tight tit in tho steerage. I slaved on deck till after 11 at night, going it," I said, by way of opening a conversation. "Yes, by tho hokey, she's doing sixteeus now, and if the wind only comes round she'll scoro eighteens like winking." "It's rather thick to drivo her, isn't it?" "Thick bo blowed. We ain't got to mind that much. Wo shall slow her down a hit if wo blunder into a regular fog, but she can't sparo a yard, Reckon we shall average, seventeen right ncross." Our talk went on till tho curtain of midnight was fairly folded round us, and then I went aft 'to lend a hand with tho log. Suro enough, wo wcro going "sixteens," and our progress was rather liko that of a mackerel than , a ship. Tho enormous pulse of the engines sent great tremors from stem to stern, and at every wheeling lash of the propeller tho boat thrust her way through tho black mountains that.came down on hor, tossing their savage white crests. In the morning tho galo blew harder, and tho decks wcro almost deserted save by (he few seasoned hands who camo up to smoke in tho alleys. It was not till tho fourth day wo had a fine spell of sunshine, and from tho foro hatch to tho spare wheel tho deck was crammed with jostling lines of pale but. cheerful people. I did not much like ihe nppearanco of our 1 ivorpool lot. Thero was no sign of discipline among tho 560 steerage passengers, though it is fair to say that tho foreigners liohaved admirably. When a vessel hove-up Ihero was a nasty rush to the sidewhoro sho could bo seen, aud tho women had to get out of the way as best they could, iho officers' uniforms cowed tho most offensive of tho rowdies, but I don't think tho terror was very deep-sealed. The after-cabin passengers wero , a nice lot, and I particularly admired somo of tho ladies who camo out in their sea rig, and mado the deck gay. Ono Englishman ot distinction attracted me strangely. Uo had his wifo and family with luni, aud. a more beautiful group 1 never saw. Tho eldest girl was a dark beauty about 18 years of age, and it was n, pretty sight to see the father lienu-ing her about. The timo went by pleasantly enough with us all, but 1 did wish that somo sort ef discipline could havo been established nmong tho more blackguardly males, for their games were senseless and offensive. On tho fifth night out tho moon shono beautifully, and we wero surrounded by a fretwork of silver. I could not steep for the very delight of living, an<P I walked up and down crooning over old rhymes under the glad mystery of tho night. A sudden freak prompted mo to hoist myself up from tho alley, and I had a look at four of tho boats, Tho thole-pins wero laid ready, water casks mado fast forward, oars lushed handily, plugs out. I counted tho thwarts, and it struck mo that tho other four boats must bo pretty big, for tho four. amidships wero certainly small enough. At tho finish I calculated that, by loading all tho eight boats down to tho water's edge and packing tho children along the bottom boards, we might nccommodato !W0 people. Wo were carrying DIG altogether. Collision at Sea. The next morning at three o'clock I felt restless; so 1 camo up, and found that wo wero lungeing over n long, truo sea, that moved iu grey hillocks under a thick haze. It was not exactly a fog, but it was puzzling. Tho look-out man sang shrilly, "Vessel away on the starboard how, sir." "All right." Wo steamed on, and I watched tho looming ship. "Shows his.green, sir." "All right." A minute alter tho boatswain ran swiftly aft, and said softly to tho officer on tho bridge: "He's going about, sir—D—d if I know what ho wauls to do." We lost sight of tho vessel's green just as wo cleared tho big bank of haze, and then I saw that a big barquo was standing right across our bows. • I glanced at tho mate, and saw him compress his lips; thou I saw that wo wcro edging away to port, and I know that our man was going to shoot across tho barque's bows. .Distances are so deceptive that I still had no thought of nervousness Hll tho bnrquo suddenly shook out her square mainsail and camo surging away till wo saw tho red light. What could ono make of this? Tho officer yelled of a sudden, with an oath, "Starboard, for Christ's sake, starboard!" and then, as if by magic, tho cloud of canvas seemed to overtop us. I saw' the officer hanging to the rail, and as I jumped on tho hatches I noticed, with forlorn curiosity, that his knuckles wero whilo. I heard a long scrannel), and then tho barque bounded back a few yards, whilo tho steamer trailed on; sho came slowly into us ngaiu, and I heard her bows crashing, for sho had dashed clean against the baulks of the stokehole. Ono shrill scream camo shuddering up from tho cabin—only one—then a murmur, then a hoarse burst of yelling; then a man camo up and cried, "Oh, my God!" and then, in a wild, remorseless, ferocious crowd, tho steerage men trampled up, struggling, tearing each other's clothes, cursing praying. Somo of the women battered and screamed as they tried to forco tho bolts of thoir door; then tho whole crowd broke clear, and soon (hey wero clinging to the men, praying, jabbering with notes of horrible pathos all kinds of incoherences. I ran aft, and faw the barque waver, lurch, and then sink. I remember now observing how her masts quivered, and I heard a report like that of a heavy cannon as her natenes wero thrust up by tho air. A green and white mountain gleamed in tho grey of tho dawn, and then tho ship was no moio seen. Tho ladies from tho cabin wcro mostly in their nightdresses, and tho men also had taken no timo to dress. I taw white, drawn, faces, and I noticed particularly my English gentleman and his daughter. 'Sho was hanging (o his run, and I thought sho was shaking convulsively, but she kept hor lips tight, and only the deadly staro of her writhing face told of hor trouble. Tho captain rushed forward, buckling his oolt us ho camo. Ho was in his shirt sleeves, and I saw tho butt of a Derringer peejifrom his Yankee pocket behind him. From below there camo a queer Sucking sound, with an occasional long gurgle, and I saw'that the vessel seemed to "hang" as the sens met her. Tho second'officer, who was a smart man, had passed a sparo sail over tho side, and I knew he wanted to reeve it under her, but ho might just as well have fried lo stop the middle arch of I,ondon Bridge. Tho engines were sfill kept going, but the deck slanted steadily, and tho list to_ starboard reached an nnglo that mado it difficult to stand at nil, especially as (ho uneasy, staggering lunges of tho steamer were raking her anyhow. A loud crack, followed by a wallowing noiso Jiko thunder,, rendorod all other sounds insignificant, and a captain who was going out to New York, said: "Tho bulkhead's gono. Wo must take our chance now." Tho ship stopped nenrlv dead, and began to tremble curiously, but that was only the river of water pouring aft, and we soon saw the firemen driven up like rats from a burrow. "Stand by the Boats 1" Tho order was given, and tho boatswain's call roso in a long, tremulous screech. The sailors tried to get to thoir quarters, and 1 observed that their occasional drills had dono them good. But tHon tho drills bad been carried, nu while the passengers slood aloof, so that tho sailors were used to having thoir own way. At this juncture there was a maddened host of cowardly nion and hysterical women to bo dealt with. I forced my ™r ferwwd fawud one of the rtsu-board Wti,

crush, an Irishwoman clung to me will - ono arm. whilo she held up iv ;Hhjv,('iiji|j,';; baby with tho other. Tho woman was nearly nnkcd, but sho" never heeded the. cold. "Mother of God," sho cried, "lal;<> my little one, and make suro ul' him." I shook her off, aud pushed on, A terrified navvy sought to keep mo back, and ho scratched at my fnco like a cat; Imt I roaehed tho davits. Tho men, had tho boat swung round, and tho carpenter wna about to Jot hor run, when a mixed mob of English and foreigners tonic possession, and in an instant _ tho 'little trait was packed with a weltering leap o.' men who had quite lost their senses. I miiv tho captain le.avo tho bridge with a llyins spring, and I saw also the gleam of lint pistol barrels; then I heard on the larboard sido tho rapid "smash, smash" of a rovolver-shot, and tho captain slicull'd':'." "You hear what they're getting on tho - other sidof Out of it, or 1 lake you otia aftor tho other." Tho sailors were light-' ing hard, but tho men in tho boat fought also with Iho oars and boathooks; ono seaman had his head split; another received a wound from a boathook, which '". look his check away in ono nasty flap. "Women First Here." Still tho ruffians did not know how trt lower away, and ono of them bogau to lash at tho forward fall with an axe. • "Como down, you, sir." "You be d d." Crack! The man flung up his arms, dropped his axe, and fell headlong into'" 1 tho sea. "New, down with you,' said tho captain, livid and half-blind with fury. Cut no. A furious fool succeeded , , in letting the boat go by tho head, and' the whole crowd of poltroons were emptied into (he swnshiiig sen, where they gasped and struggled till tho last two men .: throttled each ether, and rolled under.' One of the starboard boats was success-,... fully launched, and the chief oflicet stood, revolver in hand. "Women first here. • Thompson, yon will steer her. Take four men and no more." The young English • lady was lowered down, although she clung hard to her father, and begged him lo let her stay. "No, darling, good-bye, 13e happy!" he said, and then stood com- . posedly amid tho hurly-burly. A pretty actress mid two Irish women were next sent down; then four children wero put in, and thin sailors sprang over tho side, and prepared to help others. A man shouted: "Now, hoys!" His voico scorned lo send an impulse through tho crowd, ~., and tho roughs toro themselves reckless- ' ly—some into the boat, some into th«. ~. water. The officer fired two bnrrels. and ' ' missed each time; a sailor shoved off, and wo saw an overladen boat lumbei heavily away astern. ■-' -•• An Agonised Multitude. All this scene of horror took place in less than two minutes, and tho ship settled more and more every second. A prize-fighter' and his gang wero not successful in their attempt to steal tho boat forward. Tho purser and the steward armed themselves with firemen's rods,and ,;.' beat tho follows down; then tho baker a. quick young lad, who had learned his business as a seaman in addition to hii trade—lot the boat slip, and four gallant men withstood tho ferocious rowdies until 18 women had been pitched over tho side ■ and carelessly lowered. A seaman took tho tiller, four stokers, tho purser, and i\u> baker jumped in at tho last moment, and this second boat went adrift. Meanwhile tho captain had reloaded—alas I what a pity ho only had two barrels— and a third and fourth boat went off,'with half their proper complement. 'Another • boat load might havo escaped, but six men sprang from tho port side, and acta- : . ally stove tho cutter in.- At last, only ono light boat romiim.l, and slill thcra ; wero over 700 of us jammed in the narrow space left by tho awful list. Tho captain had dropped his hands; ho could do ' no more. Tfiu third mato took a handspike and went smashing among the men who wero wrestling around our last hope. Ono 'sailor said: "We've stood it long enough, Tom. Let's have our.turn." And ho, with thrco sturdy Swedes, mau- : aged to get at tho davits. They were just in time, for tho steamer began to sway as they floated, and thoy wcro all but swamped by tho ohnrgo and leap of a crowd who flung themselves into the water. Then I was left with a great multitude, whoso agonised clamour stunned mo. I felt a mighty, convulsivo movement; then tho sea seemed to flash down on mo in ono mass, as if tho water fell , from a high crag Then I heard a humming noise in my ears, and with a gasp I was up amid a blackened muggling sheet of drowning creatures'. A boat camo past me, and I struck out lustily. - I laised myself to tho gunwale. "Shall l hit his fingers?" said a man. "No, let - him come," and then I was laid, sick and - dizzy, or. the bottom boards of a crowd- '■■'." ed boat. You,know that wo wore picked,,,, '' : up after a nasty time, and I ain-'at hbm«"'••minus my kit. ... ..'".'.'.'.-., '".'..',.,!„"