"NEARER MY GOD, TO THEE."

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1740, 3 May 1913, Page 6

"NEARER MY GOD, TO THEE."

NOT PLAYED ON THE SINKING TITANIC. "A Musical Director" eonds tho follow, tag' interesting statement to tho "Yorkshire Post":—"lt will bo remembered how tho accouat of tho Titanio band playing 'Nearer, my God, to Tlieo' «os tho ship g r.nk into tho angry waves was sent broadcast tironghout tho world, as a substantiated fact. Thou a rumour was whispered tliat the story was, to say tho least, a flight of imagmuion. Now comes an authoritative contradiction, and tin wliolo affair has been branded by Colonel Archibald Grade, 0110 of tho survivors, as an entire fabrioitio.i. This has been fully reported in American papers, but not a word (that I have Men),, has been breathe ed by our press. Colonel "Archibald Gracio, as I have said, was 0110 of the survivors of tho awful ocean tragedy, and in nil address before tho University Club, Washington, Ims cmpliiticn.il)- d"niwl Hint the musicians of tho Titanic played 'Nearer, mv God, to Tlieo,' or jhiv other hymn as the ship went dtown. 110 says that the last the musicians, playett was 'rag-time' music, which ccasol fully half nil hour before tho Titanic sank, and ho himself saw tho ban-Jsiiion throw aside their instruments, realising that their time could lv> much better spent in helping to load (he boits. Colonel Graeio further shows how ridiculous tho wholo story is when he "ays,' 'If the baud had played that familiar hymn, panic would havo resulted Fixing tho minds of the passengers on' the possibility of their being nearer to God, and I sav it seriously, would havo been tho last thing wanted Thiis we haw <a final witness to quiet tho myth of tho Titmic band. Of course, 1. is vory unfortunate that such a nice dramatic storv should be pricks! liko a bubble, but truth has a nasty habit of interfering with sentiment."