Shipwrecks -- North Atlantic Ocean -- History -- 20th century; Titanic (Steamship)
My friend, Clinch Smith, urged immediate obedience to Lightoller’s
orders, and, with other men passengers, we crossed over to the
starboard quarter of the ship, forward on the same Boat Deck where, as
I afterwards learned, the officer in command was First Officer
Murdoch, who had also done noble work, and was soon thereafter to lose
his life. Though the deck here was not so noticeably aslant as on the
port side, the conditions appeared fully as desperate. All the
lifeboats had been lowered and had departed. There was somewhat of a
crowd congregated along the rail. The light was sufficient for me to
recognize distinctly many of those with whom I was well acquainted.
Here, pale and determined, was Mr. John B. Thayer, Second
Vice-President of the Pennsylvania Railroad, and Mr. George D.
Widener. They were looking over the ship’s gunwale, talking earnestly
as if debating what to do. Next to them it pained me to discover Mrs.
J. M. Brown and Miss Evans, the two ladies whom more than an hour
previous I had, as related, consigned to the care of Sixth Officer
Moody on Deck A, where he, as previously described, blocked my purpose
of accompanying these ladies and personally assisting them into the
boat. They showed no signs of perturbation whatever as they conversed
quietly with me. Mrs. Brown quickly related how they became separated,
in the crowd, from her sisters, Mrs. Appleton and Mrs. Cornell. Alas!
that they had not remained on the same port side of the ship, or moved
forward on Deck A, or the Boat Deck! Instead, they had wandered in
some unexplained way to the very furthest point diagonally from where
they were at first. At the time of introduction I had not caught Miss
Evans’ name, and when we were here together at this critical moment I
thought it important to ask, and she gave me her name. Meantime the
crew were working on the roof of the officers’ quarters to cut loose
one of the Engelhardt boats. All this took place more quickly than it
takes to write it.
Meantime, I will describe what was going on at the quarter where I
left Lightoller loading the last boat on the port side. The
information was obtained personally from him, in answer to my careful
questioning during the next few days on board the _Carpathia_, when I
made notes thereof, which were confirmed again the next week in
Washington, where we were both summoned before the Senate
Investigating Committee. “Men from the steerage,” he said, “rushed the
boat.” “Rush” is the word he used, meaning they got in without his
permission. He drew his pistol and ordered them out, threatening to
shoot if they attempted to enter the boat again. I presume it was in
consequence of this incident that the crew established the line which
I encountered, presently referred to, which blocked the men passengers
from approaching the last boat loaded on the port side forward, where
we had been, and the last one that was safely loaded from the ship.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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