14

PANIC ON BOARD

The orchestra had by now moved out of the lounge onto the open deck. The musicians had put on their overcoats and life-jackets. The music gave an eerie and unreal feeling to the life and death battle, taking place around the musicians.

Despite the cheerful music, which up to now had helped calm the passengers, panic was beginning to set in. The ship was sinking at the bow minute by minute as thousands of litres of water continued to pour in through the gash in its hull.

As passengers were loaded onto the lifeboats, poignant scenes continued to be seen. Reverend Robert James Bateman, on being separated from his sister-in-law, removed his tie and threw it down to her as a memento.

Another passenger, a gambler travelling under an assumed name, passed a hastily written note to a woman in one of the lifeboats. It read: ‘If saved, inform my sister, Mrs F.J. Adams of Findlay, Ohio. Love, J.L. Rogers.’

All around, terrible scenes of distress were being enacted. Families were still being separated as women and children were put into the boats. Their cries of despair mingled with the music and the sound of exploding rockets.

On the Californian, the exploding rockets were still visible and another report was made to Captain Lord. But again he took no action. Why he did not get his radio operator, Evans, to try and contact the ship seems incomprehensible.

But at this time, passengers mostly used radio to contact the outside world. Therefore, on many ships, the radio was not manned on a 24-hour basis. Evans, the radio operator on the Californian, had been on duty all day that Sunday. Perhaps Captain Lord did not wish to disturb the man's sleep.

Whatever the reason, the Californian remained where she was. Unknown to Captain Lord and his crew, just a few miles away, people were now dying. Many were already dead. Many, many more would die before the dawn.

On the Titanic the situation was becoming more and more desperate. The bow was so low in the water that the name Titanic was now level with the waterline. Captain Smith, aware of the perilous situation and also aware that most of the lifeboats were only half full, tried to recall them to pick up more passengers. But not a single boat returned.

Thomas Andrews was also aware of the desperate situation. He moved among the passengers, urging women and children into the lifeboats. He also spoke to the crew in the hope of maintaining calm.

But there was still great confusion and many passengers had narrow escapes even before they entered the lifeboats. One woman slipped as she was getting into a boat. She would have plunged head first to her death if a fast-acting sailor had not grabbed her ankles. He held her until others came to his aid and they were able to pull her up and help her into the boat.

Some men, both crew and passengers, jumped into the lifeboats as they were being lowered. One man broke a woman's ribs by jumping into a lifeboat. Many others received cuts and bruises. But it was a small price to pay in return for your life.

Lifeboat Number 10 was launched from the port side with 47 people on board. Then lifeboat Number 5 was launched from the starboard side with 54 on board. By now, Murdoch and Lightoller and the other officers were no longer worried that the davits and cables would take the weight. It was becoming imperative to get as many off the ship as quickly as possible.

Officer Lowe was in charge of lowering lifeboat Number 5. As it was being lowered, he had to fire his pistol in the air to prevent passengers on G deck from jumping into the boat. By now all those on the ship knew that she was doomed. They were also becoming aware that the lifeboats could not take everyone. As these two facts became obvious, people became more and more desperate to save their lives.

Despite the fact that the ship was sinking and that water was flooding the lower decks, the electricity still functioned. This was due to the heroic work of Chief Engineer Bell and his men.

They had rigged up pipes and pumps to clear the water from boiler room Number 4 so that they could keep the electrical generators running. For a while the pumps coped with the water pouring in. But when it rose to the men's waists, they had to abandon the boiler room and move to the next one. Soon, water began to enter boiler room Number 3. Time and hope were slowly but surely running out.

In the radio room, Phillips continued to tap out the distress call, SOS. By now many ships were responding to the call. But all were too far away to be of any help. And there was still much confusion.

The radio operator on the Olympic did not appear to fully understand the situation and asked for more information. Perhaps this was understandable due to the fact that the Titanic was generally regarded as unsinkable.

Phillips became angry at this point. He knew that the Titanic would soon sink and that the only hope for the passengers and crew was that he might contact a ship that could come to their assistance.

Phillips had not put on a life-jacket. Now Harold Bride fitted him with one. But in the intense situation, Phillips was hardly aware of Bride's presence. Instead he kept sending the distress call, still hoping for a miracle.

By now it was becoming obvious that a miracle was required. The Titanic was listing. The angle of the decks was becoming steeper as the bow sank even deeper into the water. It was becoming more difficult to stand upright.

Lifeboats Number 12, with 32 on board, and Number 9, with 48 on board, were launched. Men, mostly from the crew, were then found hiding under a tarpaulin in lifeboat Number 14. Officer Lowe, now on the lifeboat, again drew his pistol and ordered them off. With the assistance of some passengers, they were forcibly removed.

As the boat was being loaded, Edward Ryan, a passenger, disguised himself as a woman. With a shawl wrapped about his head and shoulders, he took a place in the boat and was saved. Nearby a group of men were ready to rush the boat and get on board.

Seaman Joseph Scarrott, aware of this, grabbed a boat's tiller and waved it threateningly to keep the men back. Lowe again fired his pistol in the air to try to maintain order.

As Number 14 was being lowered, the cables jammed. The boat hung perilously out over the sea. Again Joseph Scarrott came to the rescue. With his knife, he cut the jammed cables and the boat dropped a metre or so to the water. Despite the jar of the impact, no one on board was injured.

As lifeboat Number 11 was being loaded, Steward James Witter was saved by a quirk of fate. As he was helping a female passenger into the boat, both stumbled and fell in. Witter was about to get out when Murdoch ordered him to stay where he was. He would be needed to help row when the boat was lowered.

Still the lights blazed brightly. Still the music wafted on the cold night air. But now the liner was listing badly. Water was lapping at the foot of the crow's nest where just two hours before Fleet had rung the bell to warn of the iceberg.

Thomas Andrews’ prediction was coming true. Right now the Titanic had little more than half an hour remaining before she slipped beneath the mirror-smooth surface of the Atlantic.