"STORY OF A LIFETIME"

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 93, 17 October 1934, Page 11

"STORY OF A LIFETIME"

WOMAN WRITER'S EXPERIENCE

Agnes M. Prince, society editor of the "Pottstown Mercury," who was tho only newspaper writer aboard the illfated Morro Castle, survived the disaster by leaping overboard and swimming six hours until picked up, and then wrote "the story of her lifetime," packed with harrowing details of her experience, says "Tho Editor and Publisher." Paul L. Dicumderfer, editor of tho "Mercury," issued an extra at 1.15 p.m.- oil the Saturday, the day of the disaster, after he had ascertained that his society editor, her younger sister, Ruth, and another companion on a vacn- I tion tour to Havana, Evelyn Henricks, i were safe. j Mirf Prince wrote her "biggest story" i'or the "Mercury" on the way home on the Sunday with her brother and sister. She made the trip also in a pair of shoos three sizes too large, an oversized coat, and a dress lent by friends. She was near exhaustion when picked up at sea, but overnight regained her strength and composure. Miss Prince agreed, in relating her experience to the "Editor and Publisher" correspondent that "it was some story." "No movie, no story I hsivo ever read |or heard, hns quite caught, the actual j feeling, the real dread of .such an event," said Miss Prince. "It was a harrowing experience, tho horrors and thrills of which will remain for ever. I wanted to scream out to Sunday's sightseers that my sister and I are survivors. It was a marvellous feeling." Miss Prince and her sister were just falling asleep about 3 a.m. on Saturday when they smelt smoke. They called tho ship's operator on tho telephone and learned there was a fire aboard, but lie did not know how serious it was. FEAR-CRAZED PASSENGERS. Donning life-preservers, the Prince sisters "wanted to play safe" and tried to go to the fore part of the ship ito reach a lifeboat, but smoke and j names stopped them. . They ran back through hallways filled with fear-crazed, men and women passengers, hoping to reach a lifeboat aft, but in tho confusion were unable to reach one. "Men, women, and children were on their knees, praying for God to save them," Miss Prince wrote in her vivid account, of the tragedy. "Many were kissing rosaries. Mothers who had left little ones at liQine were hysterical with the thought of leaving them for ever. Wo heard people screaming: 'Oh, God, save our lives.' "Some few were calm and were telling others not to worry, that everything would turn out all right, that the boat was heading for the shore, and 'for God's sake, don't anybody jump.' " But Miss Prince and her sister did jump. Shifting winds carried the flames nearer and there was no other alternative. "Throughout the ordeal," she related, "J. kept thinking what a story it would make, so I wanted a last bird's-eye view of the whole thing. A hugo flame came close, striking the rail on which I stood. I know I'd better jump right away. AVith a prayer on my lips and my eyes closed, 1 jumped off backwards. INTO THE COLD SEA. "Oh, that feeling going down, down, down. The dread of! wondering— what in tho world was going to happen. Finally, I hit the cold water and felt myself going under. After what seemed years I came up again and was amazed at the buoyancy afforded by tho lifebelt. Gee, what a thrill to feel my head above water! "I was too dazed by the horror of it all to call for Buthie at first, nor did I hear her call me. I seemed to be racing away from everybody at a dizzy, breath-taking speed. The waves were mountainous and a stiff _wind and heavy, stinging rain made it necessary to forget everything but just trying to keep my head. Flames wore leaping 50 feet, 'into the air from the ship and I could sec people going over, some alone, some holding dear ones. I could hear screams as they jumped. It was horrible. "I called my sister, "but heard, no answer. I called again. Still no answer. All the time I was trying to get away from the boat. Suddenly I heard my name above the sound of the waves. It was Buthie. I thanked God and answered. I couldn't see her because it was pitch-black and waves separated us. "Almost, until dawn we .swam this wnv, calling back nnd forth, but we wore unable to reach one another bo- j cause oE the rough sea. Once in the distance wo saw the light of what' seemed to bo n. ship. We could sco the lights of Asbury Park plainly, though we didn't know what shore it was. A TERRIBLE DAWN. "Dawn began to break and we could distinguish dead bodies floating with us on tho waves. They were face downwards and. they seemed mostly to be women. AYe tried to swim away, but the bodies followed ns wherever we swam. It was gruesome.

"As we swam, others began joining us, and soon we could see a ship in the distance, surrounded by throo or four other large boats. AYe hoped and prayed they would send out lifeboats to us. But none came. AYe frantically asked onc^nother why they didn't come.

"When some of us became too worried or too seasick, others of us helped to keep up the morale. We kept telling one another (o 'keep your chin lip.' We sung once or twice. Kuthie talked Dutch.- We told ourselves they'd see us sooner or Inter. But still no one came. And the sight of (hose (lend boilirs iv;is sickening.

"A my c>r li'ipir came \vhni wo saw

a seaplane coming over the water. But it, too, seemed not to see us. But then it flew overhead and wo were so happy we started screaming for help and waving our arms.. What a thrill when wo saw them wave back. But tho aeroplane roared back to shore and still no one came. "We tried to swim to shore when it seemed no one would get us. But we couldn't make any progress in the heavy seas. We were too weak. "Suddenly, out of the rain, wo saw a small fisherman's schooner near ns, picking up survivors. Wo called frantically and tried to swim in its direction. " Wo. waved .'md they waved hack! We fervently thanked God again. Soon they were heading for. us. They threw ' ropes and life lireservers. ' The tired rescuers, who had already picked up 50 or 60 passengers, dragged ns aboard one by one. Most of us were too exhausted to move when we .finally got. info Ihe boat."