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)
NOT AS MUCH SUCTION AS EXPECTED.
A few seconds later the Titanic went down. There was a swirling of
the waters, though not as much suction as had been expected. To save
himself from the tug of the indraw waters, young Thayer grasped a
floating cake of ice. To this he clung until another boat, filled with
people of more kindly hearts, came by and pulled him aboard.
In this boat was Miss Brown, a friend of the boy’s mother. She took
charge of him until they were taken on board the Carpathia. Mrs. Thayer
had not seen the rescue of her son. She had fainted, it is said, but
revived a few moments later and did yeoman service at the oars. Other
survivors in her boat spoke in the highest terms of her calm courage,
which served to keep up the spirits of the women, half frozen from
the bitter cold, insufficiently clad and bereft of their loved ones.
Taking an oar, without waiting to be asked, she used every ounce of
her strength for long hours before the Carpathia arrived, aiding the
few sailors aboard to keep the boat’s head to the sea and to dodge the
myriads of ice cakes.
The exercise, however, served to keep her warm, and when she was lifted
to the deck of the Carpathia she did not need hospital treatment.
Her son, however, was in bad shape when he was rescued. His clothing
was frozen to his body and he was exhausted from his battle with the
ice-filled sea. Restoratives and hot water bottles in the Carpathia’s
hospital brought him around in time, however, and the moment he was
able to stand on his feet he rushed through the ship, seeking his
mother. That was a joyful reunion for both, but particularly for Mrs.
Thayer, as she had given her son up for lost.
STAYED ON BOARD UNTIL SHE SANK.
Broken in spirits, bowed with grief, Mrs. Thayer stepped off the
Carpathia at New York with the other few hundreds of survivors last
night. With her was her young son, John B. Thayer, Jr., who stayed on
board the vessel until she sank to share his father’s fate, but who
proved more fortunate than the railroad magnate, and was saved. She
was heavily veiled and was supported by the son, who seemed, with his
experience, to have aged twice his sixteen years.
Awaiting her arrival was a special train, sent by officers of the
Pennsylvania Railroad for her arrival. One of the cars was that in
which she and Mr. Thayer frequently had taken trips together. It was
in this car that she rode to Philadelphia, the last time she ever will
enter it.
Every arrangement had been made for the care and comfort of Mrs.
Thayer. Immediately upon her arrival at the pier where the rescue ship,
Carpathia, docked, relatives and representatives of the railroad were
ready to receive her.
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