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)
We soon found ourselves in a field of bergs, large and small, and had
to alter course several times to clear bergs; weather fine clear,
light airs, calm sea, beautifully clear night, though dark.
We stopped at 4 A. M., thus doing distance in three hours and a half,
picking up the first boat at 4.10 A. M.; boat in charge of an officer
and he reported to me that Titanic had foundered.
At 8.30 A. M. last boat picked up. All survivors aboard and all
boats accounted for, viz fifteen lifeboats alongside, one lifeboat
abandoned, two Berthon boats alongside (saw one bottom upward among
wreckage) and according to second officer not been launched, it having
got jammed, making sixteen lifeboats and four Berthon boats accounted
for.
By the time we had cleared first boat it was breaking day, and we
could distinguish the other boats all within an area of four miles.
We also saw that we were surrounded by icebergs, large and small, and
three miles to the N. W. of us a huge field of drift ice with large
and small bergs in it, the ice field trending from N. W. round by W.
and S. to S. E., as far as we could see either way.
PROMPT IN RESCUE WORK.
At 8 A. M. the Leyland S. S. California came up. I gave him the
principal news and asked him to search and I would proceed to New
York; at 8.50 proceeded full speed. While searching over vicinity of
disaster and while we were getting people aboard I gave orders to get
Spare hands along and swing in all our boats, disconnect the falls and
hoist us as many Titanic boats as possible in our davits; also, get
some on fo’castle deck by derricks. We got thirteen lifeboats, six on
forward deck and seven in davits.
After getting all survivors aboard and while searching I got a
clergyman to offer a short prayer of thankfulness for those saved and
also a short burial service for those lost.
Before deciding definitely where to make for I conferred with Mr.
Ismay, and though he told me to do what I thought best I informed him,
taking everything into consideration, I considered New York best.
I knew we should require more provisions, clean linen, blankets and so
forth, even if we went to the Azores.
As most of the passengers saved were women and children, and they were
very hysterical, and not knowing what medical attention they might
require, thought it best to go to New York; also thought it would be
better for Mr. Ismay to get to New York or England as soon as possible
and knowing that I should be out of wireless communication with
anything very soon if I proceeded to the Azores.
Again, passengers were all hysterical about ice, and pointed out to
Mr. Ismay the possibility of seeing ice if we went to Halifax. Then I
knew from the gravity of the disaster that it would be desirable to
keep in touch with land stations all we could.
THE MAJORITY OF THE WOMEN LOSE THEIR HUSBANDS.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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