THE WRECK OF THE TITANIC

New Zealand Tablet, 25 April 1912, Page 31

THE WRECK OF THE TITANIC

GREAT LOSS OF LIFE Out of the many contradictory and conflicting cable messages which have come to hand regarding the loss of the White Star Company’s steamer Titanic, we are at least certain of one thing, and that is the loss of life was appalling. ■ ... The vessel struck an iceberg shortly before midnignt on Sunday week on her passage from Liverpool to blew York, and two and a-half hours later she sank, taking with her nearly 1600 souls. There were aboard the. Titanic 2340 persons, made up as follow: First class passengers, 330 ; second class, 320; steerage, 750; officers and crew, 940." The Carpathia on the voyage to New York picked up 745 persons who had left the Titanic in lifeboats. She received a call for assistance from the Titanic, and sighted 16 boats at 3 o’clock on Monday morning. The following narrative of the disaster was given by Mr. Beesley, a science - master: —There was fine weather and a calm sea on Sunday, but very cold. A slight jar was felt, lasting 10 to 15 seconds, which became greater, but insufficient to create anxiety. The engines stopped, and he thought perhaps a propeller was lost. He went on deck, and found only a few about. There were card-players in the smoking-room, and these had noticed the jar. Looking out, he saw an iceberg near the vessel’s side, grazing her bow. Tie then went into his .cabin,/but returned on deck later, and found that the ship was unmistakably down at the head. He went below again, but heard the cry: ‘ All passengers on deck with lifebelts oh.’ The passengers merely regarded this as a precaution. There was no panic or alarm, and- no visible signs of disaster./ The boats ; were swung out, and this awakened them to danger. The next/ order was: ‘All men stand from the boats, and all women retire to the deck below.’ As the boats reached the lower deck the women quietly entered them, with the exception of some, who refused to leave their husbands. In some cases they were forcibly tom from their husbands and pushed into the boats. As the boats touched the water they slipped away into the darkness. There was no hysterical sobbing,^ but an extraordinary cairn. . \ Three men were then ordered into each of the boats. He saw. a boat half full of women on the port side. A sailor asked one if there were any more ladies on his deck, and as there were none he invited me to jump in. There were no officers in this boat. ; No one seemed to know what to do. We swung under another descending boat, and the promptitude of the stoker alone prevented us from all being smashed. The stoker

took charge.

- Mr. Beesley; continued: The leviathan loomed ; up against i the sky; ; every porthole' being alight. '-i : At -2 o'clock she '. settled rapidly at the bows. : The bridge' was under water. The lights^ nickered, and were then extinguished. -Her stern tilted into the air, and the machinery roared down through vessel with a rattle that was audible for miles. About 150 feet of the stern protruded straight /up for" about five minutes, and then made: a slanting.;dive, followed by appalling cries for help from hundreds of human beings in the icy water. Survivors at a safe distance witnessed 1 the Titanic- plunge, and heard the band playing, " %.'- 4;U:i ./■ A New York message says:—Mr. Thomas McCormick, who is jin the hospital suffering "from-wounds- on the head, declares that he jumped when the Titanic was sinking. He got his hands the gunwale of .a lifeboat, but the members of the crew struck him on the head and tore his hands loose. After making repeated efforts to get aboard/ swam to' another boat, but met with the same reception. Finally two sisters, named Mary and Kate Murphy, pulled him aboard', despite the crew's efforts to keep him out of the boat.