Sinking of the "Titanic" : $b most appalling ocean horror; with graphic descriptions of hundreds swept to eternity beneath the waves ...Mowbray, Jay Henry
History
Sinking of the "Titanic" : $b most appalling ocean horror; with graphic descriptions of hundreds swept to eternity beneath the waves ...
Mowbray, Jay Henry
Shipwrecks -- North Atlantic Ocean -- History -- 20th century; Titanic (Steamship)
“Things weren’t so bad at first, but when I saw Mr. Guggenheim about
three-quarters of an hour after the crash there was great excitement.
What surprised me was that both Mr. Guggenheim and his secretary were
dressed in their evening clothes. They had deliberately taken off their
sweaters, and as nearly as I can remember they wore no lifebelts at all.
“‘What’s that for?’ I asked.
“‘We’ve dressed up in our best,’ replied Mr. Guggenheim, and are
prepared to go down like gentlemen.’ It was then he told me about the
message to his wife and that is what I have come here for.
“Well, shortly after the last few boats were lowered and I was ordered
by the deck officer to man an oar, I waved good-bye to Mr. Guggenheim,
and that was the last I saw of him and his secretary.”
Taking refuge on the bridge of the ill-fated Titanic, two little
children remained by the side of Captain Smith until that portion of
the big ship had been swept by water. Survivors of the crew who went
down with the Titanic, but were saved by clinging to an overturned
lifeboat, told of their gallant commander’s effort to save the life of
one of the children. He died a sailor’s death, and the little girl who
had intrusted her life to his care died with him.
“He held the little girl under one arm,” said James McGann, a fireman,
“as he jumped into the sea and endeavored to reach the nearest lifeboat
with the child. I took the other child into my arms as I was swept from
the bridge deck. When I plunged into the cold water I was compelled to
release my hold on the child, and I am satisfied that the same thing
happened to Captain Smith.
“I had gone to the bridge deck to assist in lowering a collapsible
boat. The water was then coming over the bridge, and we were unable
to launch the boat properly. It was overturned and was used as a life
raft, some thirty or more of us, mostly firemen, clinging to it.
Captain Smith looked as though he was trying to keep back the tears as
he thought of the doomed ship.
EVERY MAN FOR HIMSELF.
“He turned to the men lowering the boat and shouted: ‘Well, boys, it’s
every man for himself.’ He then took one of the children standing by
him on the bridge and jumped into the sea. He endeavored to reach
the overturned boat, but did not succeed. That was the last I saw of
Captain Smith.”
Other graphic accounts of the final plunge of the Titanic were related
by two Englishmen, survivors by the merest chance. One of them
struggled for hours to hold himself afloat on an overturned collapsible
lifeboat, to one end of which John B. Thayer, Jr., of Philadelphia,
whose father perished, hung until rescued.
The men give their names as A. H. Barkworth, justice of the peace of
East Riding, Yorkshire, England, and W. J. Mellors, of Christ Church
Terrace, Chelsea, London. The latter, a young man, had started for this
country with his savings to seek his fortune, and lost all but his life.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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