THE TITANIC DISASTER

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 279, 22 May 1912, Page 5

THE TITANIC DISASTER

i THE DUFF-GORDONS' TESTIMONY. By Oable—Presa iAsiociation—Copyright. £ London, May 20. Sir Cosmo Duff-Oordon testified that tis wife and her secretary refused to leave him, and no other passengers were •Visible when he entered the boat. He heard no suggestion that they should return and pick up victims, and the possibility of saving anyone did not occur to him. He denied promising to pay five pounds to the sailors or having anything to do in connection with the direction of the boat. Lady Duff-Gordon gave evidence that she did not remember expressing a fear that the boat would swamp if they returned. A fireman named Collins gave evidence that no suggestion was made for the boat to return. THE ÜBIQUITOUS INTERVIEWEE. London, May 20. Lady Duff-Oordon denied the accuracy of the major portion of the story, cabled on April 21, allegedly giving an account by her of the wreck. She said the story was largely the work of an American interviewer. SECOND OFFICER'S EVIDENCE. London, May 20. Lightoller, the second officer, gave evidence as to receiving a warning of the presence of ice. He calculated the Titanic would reach the danger zone at niie, but another officer calculated the time at eleven. The night was clear, and he ought, during his watch, to have -Been any berg likely to do damage. THE DUFF-GORDON INCIDENT. Received 21, 11.35 p.m. London, May 21. Lightoller stated that he had never know the speed reduced on any vessel in the North Atlantic in clear weather on account of ice. Pusey, a seaman in the Duff-Gordons' boat, explaining why they failed to go to the rescue of the drowning, said that all were half dazed. FIRST FULL STORY. COOLNESS OF THE BRITISH SEAMEN. AN INCREDIBLE DISASTER. The Sydney Morning Herald publishes the following details of the loss of the Titanic fr,om its London correspondent, as telegraphed from Fremantle:— After the tangle of half-read wireless ' messages and sensational American inventions, which for four days has passed for news, there has come through at last one account which bears the stamp of truth all over it. As in the case of the Tripoli occurrences, it is Reuter's special service that gives us this straight, clear, discriminating account. The narrative was given to Reuter's correspondent by a Mr. Beisley. of London, and in its bare horror one "could not add to it if one wished to do so. "The voyage from Queenstown was quiet and successful," Mr. Beisley said. "We had met with very fine weather. The temperature was very cold, particularly on the last day,- 'in fact, after dinner on Sunday evening it was almost too cold to be on deck.

"I had been in my berth about ten minutes, when, at about a quarter past ten, I felt a slight jar. Then, soon afterwards, there was a second shock, feut it was not sufficiently large to cause any anxiety to anyone, however nervous they may have "been. The engines, however, stopped immediately afterwards. IN THE .SMOKIXIi-ROOM. '"'At first I thought the ship had lost a propellor. I went up on deck in my dressing gown, and I found only a few people there, who had come up in the game ■way to enquire why we had stopped, and there was no thought of anxiety in the mind of anyone. We •aw through the smoking-room window that a game of cards was going on, and I went in to ask if they knew anything. They had noticed the jar a little, and, looking through the window, had seen a huge iceberg go by close to the side of the boat. They thought that we had just grazed it with a glancing blow, and they had been to see if any damage had been done.

"None of us, of course, had any conception that she had been pierced below by part of a submerged iceberg. The game of cards was resumed, and, without any thought of disaster, I retired to my cabin to Tead until we started again. I never saw any of the players or the onlookers again. THE GRAZING SHOCK. "It may be mentioned here that, although some American accounts have described a tremendous cash and shock, it is certain that Mr. Beisley's statement is right, and the shock was curiously slight. Mr. Daniel, a Philadelphia cotton broker, who was in his room in the second-class when the ship struck the iceberg, said that the impact was hardly perceptible; jh fact, he did not know that an accident had happened until the steward rushed in, and told him to put on his life-preserver and come on deck at once. At the time he wag dictating to a shorthand writer, and they both rushed on deck. He was told they had struck an iceberg, but the Titanic was on the water without an, iceberg to be seen. "The sea was as smooth as glass," Mr. Daniel said, "and there was absolutely no sign of icebergs in the vicinity of the Titanic, the berg which the Titanic had struck having been left astern " At this time none of the passengers had any idea the steamer could be sinking. High up on the boat deck the captain walked into the wireless operators' cabin. 'We have struck an iceberg," he said. "You had better get ready to send out a call for assistance, but don't send until I tell you." Ten minutes later the captain came back, and said, "Send the call out." The operator, Mr. Phillips, asked what call he should send. "The regulation international call for help," was the reply. "Just that." The call was immediately sent out, and was continued until almost the last moment. "WHY HAD THE ENGINES STOPPED?"

To return to Mr. Beisley's narrative. It will be remembered that he had returned to his cabin to read. He says, "A little later, hearing people going upstairs, I went out again to know why .the engines had stopped. No doubt many of them had been awakened from their sleep by the sudden stopping of the vibration to which they had become accustomed during the four days we had been on board. Going up to the deck again, I saw that there was an unmistakable list downwards from the stern to the bows; but, knowing nothing of what had happened, I concluded that some of the front compartments had filled and weighed her down. Again I went to my cabin, where I put on some warmer clothing. WORK OF OFFICERS AND CREW. "As I dressed I heard the order shouted: "All passengers on deck with lifebelts on!' We all walked up slowly with the lifebelts tied on over our clothing, but even then we presumed that this was merely a wise precaution the captain was taking, and that we should all return in a short time to go to bed.

There was a total absence of any panic I or alarm. I suppose this must be ac-j counted for by the exceeding calmness > of the night, and the absence of any signs' of accident. The ship was absolutely still, and, except for a gentle tilt downwards, which I don't think one person in ten thousand would have noticed at the time, there was no visible sign of the approaching disaster. She lay just as if waiting to go on again when some trifling matter had been adjusted. But, in a few moments, we saw the covers being lifted f from the boats and the crews allotted to them standing by and uncoiling the Topes which were to lower them. We then be- , gan to Tealise that it was a more serious matter than we had at first supposed. "My first thought was to go down to get more clothing and aome money, but seeing people pouring up the stairs', I decided it was better to cause no confusion 1 to the people coming up by attempting to set to my cabin. "Presently we heard the order, 'All men stand back from the boats! all ladies retire to the deck below!' which was the smoking-room, or 'B end' deck. The men all stood away, and waited in absolute silence, .some ' leaning against the end railings of the deck, others pacing slowly up and down. The boats were then swung out, and lowered from the 'A end' deck. When 'they were level with the 'B deck,' where all' the women were collected, the women got in quietly, with the exception of some who refused to leave their husbands. In some cases they were torn from their husbands, and pushed into the boats, but in many instances they were allowed to remain. There was no one to insist that they should go. ''Looking over the side, one saw the boats from aft already in the water slipping quietly away into the darkness. Presently the boats near me were low- ■ era! with much creaking as the new ropes slipped through the pulleys and blocks down the DO feet which separated them from the water. An officer came up as one boat went down, and shouted out, 'When you're afloat row round to the companion ladder, and stand by with the other boats for orders!' 'Aye, aye. sir!' came the reply, but I don't think any boat was able to obey the orders, i for when they were afloat and had their oars at work the condition of the rapidly sinking liner was much more apparent. In common prudence the sailors saw that they could do nothing but row from the sinking ship, and so save, at anyrate, some lives. They no doubt anticipated that the suction from such an enormous vessel would be more than usually dangerous. THE LAST BOATS. ' "All this time there was no panic or rush to the boats, and there were no scenes of women sobbing hysterically, such as one generally pictures* happening at such times. Everyone seemed to realise so slowly that there was imminent danger that when it was realised that we might all be presently in the sea, with nothing but our lifebelts to support us until we were picked up by passing steamers, it was extraordinary how calm everyone was, how completely self-eon-trolled we were as one by one'the boats, filled with women and children, were lowered and rowed away into the night. "ANY MORE LADIES V "Presently word went round among us that the men were to be put iu boats on } the starboard side. I was on the port side. Most of the men walked across the > deck to see if this was true. I remained where I was, and shortly afterwards 1 heard the call, 'Any more ladies?' Looking over the side of the ship I saw boat No. 13 swinging level with the B deck.! It was half full of women. Again the! call was repeated, 'Any more ladies?'] Then one of the crew looked up and sam\ 'Any ladies on your deck, sir V ] "No," I replied. * , "Then you had better jump." said he. 1 ! "I dropped, and fell into the bottom of the boat as they cried 'Lower away.' As the boat began to descend, two ladies were pushed hurriedly through the crowd on B deck, and a baby, ten mouths old, was pased after them. Then down we went, the crew shouting directions to those lowering us, "Level,' 'aft,' 'stern'—-Tjoth together,' until we were some ten feet from the water." ;

Mr. Beisley's narrative goes to describe the escape which the boat had from being swamped through being opposite to a large exhaust in the side of the vessel. She had no officer on board, and no petty officer in charge, and no one knew how to release her from the ropes which attached her to the davits. Meantime they had been swept along the ship's side, and boat No. H was be°ing lowered directly on top of them. Both crews shouted to stop lowering, but it was difficult to hear them through the creaking of the pulleys, and No. | 14 had been dropped till some of them' cached her keel with their hands. At this moment a stoker dashed forward and cut the pulley rope of No. 13 with two slashes of his knife. The swerved, and the next moment boat No. 14 dropped into the water so close that the gunwales almost touched. ELECTING A CAPTAIN. Mr. Beisley's narrative goes- on: "The crew seemd to be mostly cooks. They sat in their white jackets two to an oar, with a stoker at the tiller. There was a certain amount of shouting from one end of the boat to the other, and the discussion as to which way we should go waß finally decided by our electing a captain, the stoker who was steering, and by all agreeing to obey his orders. He set to work at once to get into touch with the other boats, calling upon them and getting as close to them as seemed wise, so that when ; the search boats came in the morning to look for us there would be more chance that all would be rescued. THE TITANIC. "It was now 1 o'clock in the morning. The starlight night was beautiful. But as there was no moan it was not very light. The seas were as calm as a pond. There was just a little heave as the boat dipped up and down to the swell. It was an ideal night, except foT the cold. "In the distance the Titanic looked enormous. Her length and her great bulk were outlined in black against the starry sky. Every porthole and saloon was blazing with light. It was impossible to think that anything could be wrong with"" such a leviathan, were it not for the ominous tilt downwards in that bow, where the water was bv now up to the lowest row of portholes. THE TERRIBLE END. "About 2 o'clock we observed her settling very rapidly, with the bow and the bridge completely under water. She slowly tilted straight on end, with the stern vertically unwards; as she did so the lights in the cabins and the saloon, which had not flickered for a moment since we left, died down, and then went out altogether. At the same time the machinery roared down through the vessel with a groaning rattle that could have, been heard for miles. "It was the weirdest sound surely that could have been heard in the middle of the ocean. It was not quite the end. To our amazement she remained in that upright position for a time, which I estimated at five minutes. It was certainly for some minutes that we watched at least 150 ft of the Titanic towering up above the level of the sea. looming black against he sky. Then with a quiet, slanting dive she disappeared beneath the waves. "Then there fell on our ears the most appalling noise thai human beincr ever heard—the erics of hundreds of our f e j.

low beings, struggling in the icy waters, crying for help that we knew could not be answered. We longed to return to pick up some of them who were swimming, but this would have meant swamping our own boat and the loss of all of us." THE MEN LEFT BEHIND. That is easily the best account of the scene from the boats that has so far been published. Mr .Beisley was lucky enough, to get a place in one of the last lifeboats. There are a few apparently accurate facts showing what happened to the men who had M be left on the liner. Mr. Daniel, the cotton broker, mentioned above, waited on "B deck" until the water reached it, and then jumped into the sea, and after swimming for twenty minutes was picked up by a lifeboat. Captain Smith was seen on the ship to the last. He was swept off his feet by a wave, but managed to swim and catch hold again, until another wave swept past 'and he disappeared. Mr. Isadore Strauss, a New York millionaire, was seen standing quietly arm-in-arm with Mrs. Strauss, who had refused to leave him, tenderlv bending over her to Tcass.ure her. They were Darby and Joan in life, and in their death they were not separated. Mr. W. T. Stead, after work-in? amongst the women and children, helping thpm to embark, remained on the ship. Major Butt. President Tnft's aide-de-camp*, was seen leaning on the rails looking into the water, and was apparently on the bridge talking ouietlv t 0 Colonel Astor when the vessel canted. THE LAST MAN.

"Probably at least ?. thousand men jumped from the ship. Some of the last few lifeboats to leave the ship were not filled. There was. strangplv. little disturbance when the ship went down, and the man who is said to have been actually the last on the ship was saved. This wa« Colonel Gracie, of the U.s! army. He is said to have been the sole survivor after the waves had swept the Titanic, just before the final plunge. By chance he managed to grasp a. brass railing on the deck. He hung on to it for all he was worth. When the ship plunged he was swirled around for an apparently interminable time, but he eventually camp to the surface. Tn time he caught hold of a gratng near bv, and then found a large canvas and cork raft near to him. Another man was struggling to it. Both of them managed to get on to it, and then the two of them set to work to haul on to it as manv as thev could of those who were floundering in the water. When dawn broke there were 30 people on the raft, standing knee-deep in icv cold water, afraid tn move lest ther should be overturned. Numbers of people in the lifeboats seemed to have died of sheer exposure before the morning. 'There seems no doubt about the truth of the store thnt th" hand wis playing operatic music until near the end. when it changed to 'Nearer mv God to Thee.' The fact is related from so many sources. "Practically the whole of the erew consisted of Southampton men. and out of the disaster there stands prominent at least one fact of which the whole race may well be proud—that the British seamen in this last calamity, and in these supposedly degenerate days. have shown themselves in every respect equal to the magnificnt traditions which it is their honor to uphold."