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)
“He told Main to answer the Titanic and tell Captain Smith that we were
making for his ship, full steam ahead.
“Phillips, the operators of the Titanic, evidently did not get our
reply, or, if he did receive it, he could not answer us in any way.
Captain Rostrom told Mrs. Smith, the stewardess, to prepare for any
emergency. He told me to get coffee, sandwiches and other food ready
for the survivors.
“On our way to the Titanic the captain went below and told the engineer
that he must get to the Titanic before she sank. I doubt if Captain
Rostrom ever got as much speed out of the Carpathia as he did on the
way to the Titanic.
“Long before the Carpathia got near the scene of the wreck our boats
were ready to be lowered into the water.
PROMPTNESS IN HANDLING LIFEBOATS.
“Two men were stationed at each boat, and I and Thomas McKenna, seaman,
were in charge of boat No. 1. We have sixteen boats on the ship, and
they were hanging suspended from the davits within fifteen minutes
after we received the ‘S. O. S.’ call for help.
“I must not forget the women who were on the Carpathia. They were the
most self-sacrificing women I ever saw. Their fortitude under the
distressing circumstances was so remarkable that each one ought to be
rewarded for the work she did after the survivors were lifted aboard
the Carpathia.
“As we got near the scene of the wreck the barometer dropped
considerably. It became cold--bitter cold. We did not see the icebergs
then, but Captain Rostrom said that we were nearing them. Suddenly, as
the iceberg loomed up ahead of our ship, Captain Rostrom ran to the
pilot house and took charge of the helm.
“The night was clear and starlight, but we did not see an iceberg until
the Carpathia was within a half mile of it. Of course, we had ample
time to steer clear of the floes.
“At 3.30 o’clock our vessel plunged into a sea of open ice. I believe
there must have been thirty or forty icebergs in the water around the
Carpathia. Captain Rostrom took his ship safely through the floe and
suddenly we heard a shriek. It was faint at first and then it became
louder.
“‘The women and children, get them first,’ Captain Rostrom shouted to
the crew on the boat deck who were awaiting the signal to cut loose
lifeboats. Our searchlight was trained on the sea ahead and the boats
filled with the shipwrecked passengers stood out in bold relief.
“I shall never forget the sight. There were many boats from the Titanic
loaded with women and children wedged among the ice. Even before we got
up to the first boat from the Titanic we could see the iceberg which
sank her. It looked to be as big as the Rock of Gibraltar. It towered
high in the air and it moved very slowly.
AVOIDS CRASHING INTO SHIPWRECKED PASSENGERS.
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