Titanic Disaster.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 258, 1 May 1912, Page 5

Titanic Disaster.

THE STOKERS' EVIDENCE. HEROISM IN THE ENGINEROOM. By Cable—Press Association-^Copyright. Received 1, 12.30 a.m. London, April 30. Leading stokers of the Titanic state that the bulkhead doors were wooden. They were opened once to admit Shepherd, who broke his leg by falling through a manhole. Four of the stokeholds remained dry. Work in the engineroom was continued until two o'clock. Thirty-six fires were drawn before the end. One engineer shouted to the stokers. "You have done your best; get on deck.'' The last stoker, looking back, saw the floor of the engineroom break into 'a great hole. It appeared as if the chief engineer fell through to the bottom of the vessel. A RUSSL4N RECOGNITION. St. Petersburg, April 20. An impressive Russian requiem for all the Titanic's victims, at the Admiralty Church, was attended by the British and American Ambassadors, naval and military officers, and representatives of the Duma. THE GREATEST SHIPBUILDER. LORD PIRRIE AND BELFAST. It is a strange coincidence that one of the last character sketches written by Mr. W. T. Stead was that of Lord Pirrie, one of the few men whom Mr. W. T. Stead had never met. and which appeared in the March Review of Reviews. "The greatest shipbuilder whom the world has ■ever seen" has been little in the public eye, though he has served Belfast as Lord Mayor, and has latterly been a powerful supporter of Home Rule. His story is literally that of the "industrious apprentice," for hj? joined Messrs. Harland and Wolff (then a small firm employing a hundred men) as an apprentice at the age of fifteen. At twentyseven he was a partner, and soon became the master of the concern. He was born in Canada, of Ulster parents, and to his mother, who brought him back to Ireland after his father's early death, he attributes his suecew in life. By 1010 lie controlled 207 steamships, including the great White Star liners of 25.000 tons, employed 10 0(10 hands, and paid out a million a year in wages. The business, said Mr. Stead, is a triumph of brains and of "rule of thumb." "None of the trreat men (Tirrie and his partners) who built up this marvel of constructive skill, and made it capable of turning out the leviathans of the modern world could have passed an ordinary Civil Service examination." Lord Pirrie's specialty is said to be '"n magnetic talent for persuading people to entrust him with orders. This Rvpjiiali-like gift of fascination has done wonders for Harland and Wolff."