The Pittsburg Enterprise (Pittsburg, Okla.), Vol. 8, No. 16, Ed. 1 Thursday, April 25, 1912 Page: 1 of 8
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NO. IB.
THE PITTSBURG ENTERPRISE
VOL. VIII.
IMTTSI.I IIO. OKLA.. THI KSIlAV. Al’IML 25.
1912.
CAPT. ROSTRON
IN STATEMENT
Carpathia's Commander Tells
of incidents Leading Up
to the Rescue.
GOES TO SPEEDILY
Say* Ha Does Not Remember Receiv-
ing Any Message From Scout
Cruiser Salem ae Coming
From Prealdent Taft.
BY CAPT. R. W. ROSTRON.
Statement by the captain of the
Uunard steamship I'arpathla, rescuer
of the Titanic survivors:
i cannot yet make a connected
statement. I have gone through so
much since I received aboard my ship
the first distress call of the Titanic
that a complete narrative Is Impos-
sible. I was between 50 and 60 miles
sway from the Titanic when the wire-
less sang Into the ears of my operator
the first call for help. The operator
said that we received only one call.
The sllenoe after the first frantic
appeal for relief was ominous to me.
Our Marconi sent out rays that
scraped the sky In vain, but there was
no response whatever to any of our
Inquiries. I swung the Oarpathia
around straight to the position the
poor Titanic’s firet aerogram Baid she
occupied. Our engines were put at top
speed.
The silence of the air so far as the
Titanic was concerned made me shud-
der as wo Bped on our way to the res-
cue. I realised what It meant. On
and on we sped. Our stokers never
worked harder. When the first faint
daylight came and J knew we were
still miles from the spot of the trag-
edy. I felt as If we should arrive too
late to be of any service.
Sights First Lifeboats.
When, however, after full daylight
we sighted the first llfeho"' filled with
women and children and eight or ten
strong armed and brave hearted men
of the Titanic’s crew, I realized that
we could at least save a few human
lives. I was too busy for the next
hour or so to recall now just what oc-
curred. My mind was wholly set up-
on saving the lives of the people who
crowded the boats.
The sea was calm. There was
scarcely a ripple upon Its face. Great
Ice floes were crunching down from
the north, in the distance several
icebergs shimmered like mirrors Why
the lifeboats were not crushed by the
swiftly moving ice floes I could not
understand. The 16 boats seemed at
first nearly all women.
I remember that It occurred to me
that the good God had stretched out
Ills mighty hand and had checked
further murder by his elements.
We got aboard the Carpathla every
human being In the 16 lifeboats of the
Titanic. Every officer and member of
our crew stood by like the brave and
lojTil lads they are and did his full
duty
My mind Is In no condition now to
tel! yon much more of what I heard
and felt during the two hours’ work
of t e rescues.
We took aboard 705 women and chil-
dren who were alive, but gome of
them were unconscious. We also
dragged to the decks of the Carpathla
four members of the Titanic’s crew
who had been tolled off to man the
lifeboats and were stark dead. They
ha. been frozen to death. Their
strong, horny fingers still clutched the
oars that they had been desperately
pulling. We buried these men In
sailors’ graves only yesterday from
the deck of the Carpatlria
Doesn’t Recall President’s Message.
1 am told that It was reported to
President Taft by Captain Chanler of
the scout cruiser Salem that the Car-
pathla had received Wednesday night
wireless messages from the command-
er of the Salem asking In the name of
the president if Major Butt, John Ja-
cob Astor, Frank Millet, Clarence
Moore and Isidor Straus were aboard
his vessel.
Upon my word as a man—upon my
honor as a sailor, I cannot remember
receiving any such message from
Captain Chanler or anybody else In
the name of the president or any oth-
er person. Had such a message been
referred to me 1 Immediately would
have ordered that all other business
of the wireless be sidetracked until
the answer could have been sent to
the president that none cf his friends,
of whom he had inquired, was aboard
the Carpathla.
It is possible the Carpathia’s wire-
less operator acknowledged, but re-
fused to answer messages even fram
the president of the United States re-
ceived after Wednesday night, as he
had then been at his post more than
72 hours without rest. But he never
reported such a message to me and I
do not blame him.
Knows Nothing of Shooting.
After 1 reached the Cuuaio uier 1
was asked as to the truth of reports
that some passengers, and particular
ly some men passengers on the Ti-
tanic, were kept back front the life-
boats at the point of the pistol and
that two well-known men were shot
Of course, 1 was not there. I did not
see the ship go down Hut from the
survivors who came aboard my ship 1
heard no such story.
1 do not give the least credence to
that report. If 1 had to write about It
I would denounce It as an abominable
lie
The Carpathla was amply provi-
sioned for the accommodation of the
706 persons rescued and likewise there
wus abundant comfortable sleeping
room for the unexpected Increase of
her passenger list by bringing Into
requisition the big lounges In the sa-
loons.
I thank the people who have con-
gratulated me, but I am not entitled to
any more credit than would have been
due any other man of the sea had the j
opportunity for the service my ship j
rendered been afforded to others. I
thank Almighty God that I was with-
in wireless hailing distance and that
I got there in time to pick up every
one of the 706 survivors of the Ti-
tanic wreck.
ISMAY IN STATEMENT
Say? He Left Titanic on the
Last Boat.
Welcomes Investlgatlon by Committee
From U. 8. Senate or Any Other
Source, Is His Comment.
New York, April 19.—J. Bruce la- j
may left the ship last night and went
to the rear of the dock where the offi-
ces of the Cunard line are located. He
was guarded by detectives and only a
limited number of newspaper men
\. a to hts room. He wore
a new suit of clothes and one of the
new fashioned Scotch caps. He gave
out a carefully prepared statement at
his desk. His statement was read by
one of the officers of the White Star
line and then someone asked
‘‘On what boat did you leave the
Titanic?”
He said: "What do you mean; I
don’t know what you mean.”
He was asked on what boat he left
the ship and replied: “I left on a boat
leaving from the center."
He was aBked what the number of
the boat was and replied: “The last
one. 1 left from the starboard forward
collapsible, the last boat to leave.”
He said regarding the collision that
the Titanic hit the Iceberg a glancing
blow and that she slid off, and that In
his opinion and In the opinion of ex-
perts she tore out a large part of her
keel. He then went on to state, as
follows:
"In tfie presence and under the
shadow of a catastrophe so over-
whelming my feelings are too deep
for expression in words. I have only
to say that the White Star line, Its
officers and employes, will do every-
thing possible to alleviate the suf-
fering and sorrows of the survivors
and the relatives and friends of those
who have perished. The Titanic was
the last word In shipbuilding. Every
regulation prescribed by the British
board of trade had been rigidly com-
plied with. The master, officers and
crew were the most experienced and
skillful in the British service. 1 am
Informed that a committee of the
United States senate has been ap-
pointed to Investigate the circum-
stances of the accident
"I heartily welcome the most com-
plete and exhaustive Inquiry and any
aid that I or my associates or our
builders or navigators can render Is !
at the service of the public and ths
governments of both the United States
and Great Britain. Under these cir-
cumstances I must respectfully defer
making a further statement at this
time.”
J. Bruce lsmay, managing director
of the White Star line and one of
those who was saved from the wreck
of the Titanic, was found 111 and In
the care of a surgeon and a physician
In the surgeon’s quarters on board the
Carpathla immediately after the res-
cue ship reached her pier, by the sub-
committee of the United States senate
Investigating committee.
Mr. lsmay was visited by United
States Senators William Alden Smith
and Francis G. Newlands, who com-
pose the subcommittee.
After two conferences, each of
which lasted half an hour, Senators
Smith and Newlands succeeded In ex-
acting from Mr. lsmay his personal
promise that he would attend today a
session of the subcommittee that will
be held In the Waldorf-Astoria.
Sultan of Turkey Wants Peace.
Constantinople. April 19.—The buI-
tan of Turkey in his speech at the
j opening of parliament, referring to
the war In Tripoli, said: "We desire
j peace, but that peace must be on the
| condition of an effective and Integral
i maintenance of our sovereign rights.”
THE STORY OF A SURVIVOR
Graphic Description of Scenes Given
By L. Beasley
New York, April 18.—Following is
the account of Mr. Beasley of London:
“The voyage from Queenstown had
been quite uneventful; very tine
weather was experienced and the sea
was quite calm. The wind had been
very cold, particularly the last day;
in fact, after dinner on Sunday even-
ing it was almost too cold to be out
on deck at all. I had been in my berth
for about ten minutes when, at about
11:15 p. m., I felt a slight jar and then
soon after a second one, hut not suf-
ficiently largo to cause any anxiety.
However, the engines stopped imme-
diately afterwards and my first
thought was she had lost a propeller.
I went up on the top (boat) deck in
a dressing gown and found only a few
people there who had come up sim-
ilarly to Inquire why we had stopped,
but there was no sort of anxiety in the
minds of any of us.
“A little later hearing people going
upstairs I went out again and found
everyone wanting to know why the en-
gines had stopped. No doubt many
counted for by the exceedingly calm
night and the absence of any sigue
of the accident. The ship was abso-
lutely still and except for a gentle
tilt downward, which 1 don't think one
person in ten would have noticed all
that time no signs of the approaching
disaster were visible*. But in a few
moments we saw* the covers lifted
from the boats and the crews allotted
to them which were to lower them by
the pulley blocks Into the water.
“One by one tin- oats were filled
with women and children, lowered
and rode away into the night. Pres-
ently the word went round among the
men. ‘The men are to be put in boats
on the starboard side! I was on the
port side and most of the men walked
across the deck to see Is this was so.
I remained where I was and presently
heard the call:
"‘Any more ladles?’
"Looking over the side of the ship.
I saw* the boat number 13 swinging
level with B deck, half full of ladies.
Again the call was repeated:
"‘Any more ladies?’
"I saw none come on and then one
of the crew* took It up and said:
"‘Any ladies on your deck, sir?'
"‘No.' j replied.’
"‘Then you had better Jump.’
"I dropped and fell in the bottom
impossible to think anything should
be wrong with such a leviathan, were
it not that ominous tilt downwards in
the bows, where the water was up to
the lowest row of portholes.
“About 2 a. m., as near us i can re-
member, we observed her settling
very rapidly with the bows and the
bridge completely under water and
concluded it was only a question of
minutes before she went, und so it
proved. She slowly tilted straight on
end with the stern vertically upward
and as she did the lights in the cabins
and saloon, which had not flickered
for a moment since we left, died out,
; came on again for a single tlash and
finally went altogether. At the same
time the machinery roared down
through the vessel with a rattle and a
groaning that could be heard for miles,
tin* weirdest sound that surely could
be heard in the middle of the ocean, a
thousand miles away from land. But
tills was not quite the end.
“To our amazement she remained
in that upright position for a time
which 1 estimated at five minutes;
others In the boat less, hut It was
! certainly some minutes—while we
watched at’ least 150 feet of the Ti-
! tnnis towering up above the level of
the sea.
"Then with a quickly Blanting dive
FIRST SHIP AT SCENE OF DISASTER
? ■'
■ V"
.... •
The steamship Carpathia, the ocean liner which was the first to arrive at the scene of the terrific disaster after
the Titanic went down and picked up some of the passengers on board the doomed vessel who succeeded in get-
ting into the life boats, which were being tossed about on the sea when the Carpathia arrived. The Carpathia
reached New York at 9 p. m. Thursday.
were awakened from sleep by the sud-
den stopping of vibration to which
they become accustomed during the
voyage. Naturally with such powerful
engines as the Titanic carried, the vi-
bration was very noticeable all the
time and the sudden stopping hud
something of the same effect as the
stopping of a large ticking grand-
father’s clock in a room.
"On going back again I saw that
there was an undoubted list down-
wards from stern to bows but knowing
nothing of what had happened, con-
cluded some of the front compartment
had filled and were bearing her down.
I went down again to put on warmer
clothing and as I dressed heard an
order shouted:
" ‘All passengers on deck with life-
belts on!’
“We all walked slowly up with them
tied over our clothing, hut even then
presumed this was a wise precaution
the captain was taking and that we
should return in a short time and re-
tire to bed. There was a total absence
of any panic or any expressions of
alarm and I suppose this was ac-
|they cried, ‘Lower away.’ As the boat
began to descend two ladies were
pushed hurriedly through the crowd on
the deck and heaved over into the
boats, and a baby of ten months was
passed down after them. Down we
went, the crew calling to those lower-
ing which end to keep her lever, ’aft,’
stem,’ both together,* until we were
ten feet from the water
“We drifted away easily as the oars
were got out and headed directly away
from the ship. The crew seemed to
me to be mostly cooks in white jackets,
two to an oar with a stocker at the
head
’The captain-sto :ker told us that he
had been at sea twenty-fouf years and
had never yet seen such a calm night
on the Atlantic.
"As we rowed away from the Ti-
] tunic we looked back from time tl
[ time to watch her and a more strik-
| ing spectacle it was not possible for
j any one to see.
“In the distance she looked an enor-
mous length, her great bulk outlined
against the starry sky, every porthole
! and saloon blazing with light. It was
she disappeared beneath the waters
’’And then with all there, there fell
on the ear the most appalling noise
that human being ever listened to—
the cries of hundreds of our fellow
beings struggling in the icy cold water
crying for help with a cry that we
knew could not be answered
“We tried to sing to keep the women
from hearing the cries and rowed hard
to get away from the scene of the
wreck, but ! think those sounds will
be one of the things the rescued will
find it difficult to efface from memory.
“Presently low down'in the horizon
we saw a double light. They proved to
be the mast head and deck light be-
low on a rescuing steamer. We swung
around and headed for her. The steers-
man shouted:
‘‘‘Now boys, sing now,’ and for the
til’s! time the boat broke into song
with ’Pull for the Shore Sailors,’ and
for the first time tears came to the
eyes of us all as we realized that
safety was In hand
The above account of the disaster
was given by L. Beasley, a Cambridge
university man.
MAP SHOWING TITANIC'S LOCATION
At ‘he time of the disaster the Titanic was 400 miles off the coast of New Foundland in a sea covered with
floating ice and close to the Grand Banks. .
RECOVER BODIES
REPORT THAT SIXTY FOUR HAVE
BEEN PICKED UP
SOME WERE UNIDENTIFIED
I
STEAMER MACKAYBENNETT A*
SCENE OF WRECK
Marine Company to Make Every Ef-
fort To Find AM Bodies That Can
Be Located—Other News of
General Interest
St. Johns, N. K„ April 21.—Sixty,
four hodioh have been recovered by
the cahloship Mackey Bennett which
has been searching the vicinity of the
Titanic disaster, according lo u report
that reached this city Sunday night.
It is said a number of bodies which
were recovered were sunk again as
they were without Identification marks.
The names of those identified could
not he obtained through the Cape
’lace v. Ireless station.
Message From Bremen
Halifax. N. S., April 21. A wireless
dispatch from the steamship Bremen,
via the Sable Island and Camperdowu
wireless stations, received Sunday
night, reads:
"The steamer Bremen, hound Tor
New York and the steamer Kheln
passed on Saturday afternoon on 42.0
north latitude and 49.2 west lougtitude,
in the neighborhood of three large Ice-
bergs. Sighted numerous pieces of
wreckage and a great number of hu-
man bodies with life preservers on
flouting in the sea. Sighted and spoke
to the cable steamer Mackey-Hennett
on the way to recover floating bodies.
(Signed) “CAPTAIN PRAGER.”
No direct word has been received
here up to a late hour tonight from
the steamer Mackey-Bennett which
probably is unable to communicate di-
rectly with Cape Race, which 1h about
360 miles away, because its wireless
range Is only about two hundred miles.
Titanic's Dead 1,442
New York.-- ltevsed otUcial figures
issued by the Vh."e Star line officials
show that 2,147 persons sailed on the
Titanic and that 1,442 lost their lives
when the liner went down.
Under Instructions
New York, April 21.—Two wireless
messages addressed to J. Hruce lsmay,
president of the International Mercan-
tile Marine company, were received
Sunday at the office of the White Star
line from the cable Hhip Mackey Ben-
nett via Cape Race, one of which re-
ported that the steamship Rhein had
sighted bodies near the scene of the
Titanic wreck. The first message,
which was dated April 20. read:
"Steamer Rhein reports passing
wreckage and bodies 42.1 north; 49.13
west; eight miles west of three big
icebergs. Now making for that posi-
tion Expect to arrive there tonight.
(Signed ‘'MACKAY-BENNETT.”
The second message reads:
"Received further information from
(presumably steamship Bremen) and
arrive on ground at 8 o’clock p. m.
Sturt on operations tomorrow. Hava
been considerably delayed on passage
by denBe fog.
(Signed) "MACKAY-BENNETT.”
Before his departure for Washington
Mr. lsmay, after reading the two me*,
sages, said:
"The cable ship Mackay-Bennett has
been chartered by the White Star Una
and ordered to proceed to the scene of
the disaster and to do all she could
to recover bodies and glean all Infor-
mation possible.
"Every effort will be made to Identfy
bodies recovered and any news will be
sent through Immediately by wireless.
In addition to any such messages as
these, the Mackey-Bennett will make
a report of Its activities each morning
by wireless and such reports will be
made public at the offices of the White
Star line.
"The cable ship has orders to re-
main on the scene of the wreck for at
least a week but should a large number
of bodies be recovered before that
time, she will return to Halifax with
them. The search for bodies will not
be abandoned until tioT a vestige of
hope remains for any more recoveries.
"The Mackay-Bennett will not mako
any sounding as they would not serve
any useful purpose because the depth
where the Titanic sank Is more than
2,000 fathoms.”
U. S. Cannot Prosecute
New York.—United States Senator
Newlands of the committee investi-
gating the Titanic disaster declared
that, even if criminal negligence u»
shown on the part of the White Star
company or qffleers of the Titanic,
criminal prosecutions will not be in-
stituted in this country. "The Titanic
was a British ship," said the senator,
"and is therefore subject to the laws
of England. If it is shown that the
tragedy as attended by criminal neg-
ligence, I believe the British authori-
ties will prosecute the guilty parties.
We caused this inquiry to be made to
pave the way for legislation to t>"event
a recurrence of such disasters.
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Williams, B. W. The Pittsburg Enterprise (Pittsburg, Okla.), Vol. 8, No. 16, Ed. 1 Thursday, April 25, 1912, newspaper, April 25, 1912; (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc1042851/m1/1/: accessed April 24, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.