Shipwrecks -- North Atlantic Ocean; Titanic (Steamship)
"I remembered I had an extra jacket and a pair of boots, and I put them
on. I saw Phillips standing out there still sending away, giving the
Carpathia details of just how we were doing.
"We picked up the Olympic and told her we were sinking by the head and
were about all down. As Phillips was sending the message I strapped his
life-belt to his back. I had already put on his overcoat. Every minute
was precious, so I helped him all I could.
BAND PLAYS IN RAG-TIME
"From aft came the tunes of the band. It was a rag-time tune, I don't
know what. Then there was 'Autumn.' Phillips ran aft and that was the
last I ever saw of him.
"I went to the place where I had seen a collapsible boat on the boat
deck, and to my surprise I saw the boat and the men still trying to push
it off. I guess there wasn't a sailor in the crowd. They couldn't do
it. I went up to them and was just lending a hand when a large wave came
awash of the deck.
"The big wave carried the boat off. I had hold of a row-lock and I went
off with it. The next I knew I was in the boat.
"But that was not all. I was in the boat and the boat was upside down
and I was under it. And I remember realizing I was wet through, and that
whatever happened I must not breathe, for I was under water.
"I knew I had to fight for it and I did. How I got out from under the
boat I do not know, but I felt a breath of air at last.
"There were men all around me hundreds of them. The sea was dotted with
them, all depending on their life-belts. I felt I simply had to get away
from the ship. She was a beautiful sight then.
"Smoke and sparks were rushing out of her funnel, and there must have
been an explosion, but we had heard none. We only saw the big stream of
sparks. The ship was gradually turning on her nose just like a duck does
that goes down for a dive. I had one thing on my mind--to get away from
the suction. The band was still playing, and I guess they all went down.
"They were playing 'Autumn' then. I swam with all my might. I suppose I
was 150 feet away when the Titanic, on her nose, with her after-quarter
sticking straight up in the air, began to settle slowly.
"When at last the waves washed over her rudder there wasn't the least
bit of suction I could feel. She must have kept going just as slowly as
she had been.
"I forgot to mention that, besides the Olympic and Carpathia, we spoke
some German boat, I don't know which, and told them how we were. We also
spoke the Baltic. I remembered those things as I began to figure what
ships would be coming toward us.
"I felt, after a little while, like sinking. I was very cold. I saw a
boat of some kind near me and put all my strength into an effort to swim
to it. It was hard work. I was all done when a hand reached out from the
boat and pulled me aboard. It was our same collapsible.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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