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)
“‘In our boat were about twenty persons, most of them women, who
suffered intensely from the exposure. Their scanty clothes were no
protection from the water and ice. Mrs. Thayer rowed us for more than
two hours. She battled with the waves which threatened to overturn us,
and worked as valiantly as any experienced seaman could have done. To
her, for the most part, we owe our lives.
“‘We did not meet with Mrs. Thayer’s son until we had been on the
Carpathia for twenty-four hours. He had been picked up from a raft and
placed in the ship’s hospital. As soon as he was able to get about he
ran hurriedly through the Carpathia, and there was a happy meeting when
he there saw his mother.
“‘While the accommodations on the Carpathia were not very comfortable,
the passengers of the Titanic who were rescued by that vessel were well
treated, and feel grateful to the officers and passengers.’”
The eight musicians who went down in the Titanic and who were playing
“Nearer My God to Thee” when all the boats had gone, were under
the leadership of Bandmaster Hartley, who was transferred from the
Mauretania to take up his duties on the largest steamer of the White
Star Line. Under his direction were John Hume, violinist; Herbert
Taylor, pianist; Fred Clark, bass viol; George Woodward, cellist, and
Messrs. Brailey, Krins and Breicoux, who played when the others were
off duty.
On the Celtic were John S. Carr and Louis Cross, cellist and bass viol
of the orchestra on that steamship. When they got shore leave they told
something about the men on the Titanic, with whom they had made many
voyages. They also were acquainted with the conditions under which the
men lived on the Titanic, and gave a graphic idea of the manner in
which they must have responded when the call of duty came.
A MAN WITH A HIGH SENSE OF DUTY.
“Some were already in bed and some were probably smoking when the
ship hit the iceberg,” said John S. Carr. “The Titanic had a special
lounging and smoking room, with the sleeping rooms opening off it. It
was so late that they all must have been there when the first shock
came. Bandmaster Hartley was a man with the highest sort of a sense of
duty.
“I don’t suppose he waited to be sent for, but after finding how
dangerous the situation was he probably called his men together and
began playing. I know that he often said that music was a bigger weapon
for stopping disorder than anything on earth. He knew the value of the
weapon he had, and I think he proved his point.”
“The thing that hits me hardest,” said Louis Cross, “is the loss of
Happy Jock Hume, who was one of the violinists. Hume was the life of
every ship he ever played on and was beloved by every one from cabin
boys to captains on the White Star Line. He was a young Scotchman, not
over 21, and came of a musical family.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account