t
Though the Titanic Had Gone
Down Several Hours Be?
fore She Reached the Spot,
705 Persons Were Picked
Up?Harrowing Scenes
on Cunard Pier.
IT was not until several .lays after,
the- Carpathian docking;, however,
that the public learned of messaged
which were sent by Mr. Istnay tu
General Manager Franklin In Now York.
They were addressed: " Isle-Frank, N.
V.." the code address of .Mr. Franklin,
and were signed " Yamsl," easily rec- '
from the ?h 0f th, passengers. I .*.I<1
V"L .a,<" .' " p.ac? ?' BM>' "t,"%1' human
be ins; on that boat.
U n-aa :?::;<> o'clock on the night of
Thursday, April ks. that the Carpathlu
commenced warping Into her Her at
tin; foot -if West Fourteenth Street.
New York, it was little more than an
hour before this that the news of the
J Bruce Ismay Con right) Leaving
the Capitol With Vice-President
Franklin of White Star Line. ;
ognizable as Mr. Ismay's code signa?
ture. They read;
isle-Frank. N. V. Very important you
should hold Cedrlc daylight Friday for
Titanic crew. Answer. YAMSI.
Isle-I ran!;. N Y. Think mast unwise
to keep Titanic crew until Saturday,
strongiv urge detaining Cedrlc, Milling
her midnight, if desirable. YAMSI.
Isle-Frank, N. y. Unless you have
good, substantial reasons for not hold?
ing Ouric please arrange to do so. Most
i.ndeslrable to have crew In New York
to long. YAMSI.
But the Cedrlc did not wait. Sho
sailed at noon on Thursday, and Mr.
isrnay was met on the Carpathln's
decks with the demand that he appear
before the Senate Investigating Com?
mitted His obvious desire to have the
Cedrlc held until his arrival, suggested
to tho public mind another question to
add to that over which there had been
tho greater si-eculatlon ever since it
was learned that he was among the
rescued. How had he come to be saved,
and did he seek passage on tho Cedrlc
to avoid the investigation which he
must have known would havo been he- j
Btin In this country? Mr. Ismay an-!
swercd both of these questions after a \
hearing by the Senato Investigating
Committee. He said:
T did want the Cedrlc held, as 1 was
anxious to tranship to her immediately
on my arrival and yo to Bllglttnd, where
I am very much needed at present, said
he. I was also anxious that the res?
cued members of the cr< w should have
an opportunity to get back home at the
earliest possible opportunity, f feared
?bey might go ashore here and pel Into
trouble. These plans wer.- n it due to
any desire to withhold from th'?. com?
mittee any Information the committee
might want, and which either I or any
member of the crew inlgl)l be In a i osl
tion to Impart. The company i.as noth?
ing to cenceal, but, on the other hand,
is anxious to co-operate with the c un
mlttco In every way possible.
Tho Senate investigation seemed to
bother Mr. Ismay. He referred to it.
In Its treatment of him. as " brutally
unfair," declaring:
" T cannot mid'island this Senatorial
Inquiry. They are ".oing at .t In a man?
ner that seems unjust, and the injus?
tice lies heaviest upon me. Why, 1 can?
not owtri protect myself by having my
counsel ask questions. By that I do not
mean questions calculated to twist wit?
nesses. On tho contrary, questions in?
tended to clarify involved meanings.
" Would yotl care to say anything re?
garding your i ai ape from the Titanic.' "
Mr. Ismay was asked.
"Only this. That I have searched my
mind and my conscience with the deep?
est care. I have thought long ovor each ,
single incident that I could recall. I am i
sure, that I did nothing that I should
not have done. My conscience Is clear,
and T have not been a lenient judge of [
my own acts. But 1 suppose there is i
nothing for me. to do but remain silent {
for the present under the. very severe
and very unjust criticism to which I
am being subjected Just now.
" If I thought that in the slightest way
T had done what I ought not to have
elone I would forfeit every happy mo?
ment in the future. T took tny chance
of escape.--yes. It came to me, though:
T did not seek it. As far as I knew,
every woman and child on the Titanic
had been sent off and cared fur before.
I left In a lifeboat. And?what is tnnro
?ovcry man within reach had been
taken "care of liefen: I took my nu n.
"And why shouldn't I take my turn?
On board a ship there afo two classes
only In an emergency like that. One
cluss is tho passengers and the other
is the crew. 1 \vns n passenger. It is
true that I am the head of the com?
pany. Hul at thai there was m> reason
Why 1 should consider myself different
Loid Mersey, Conducting the Titanic
.steamship's arrival, which had been
predicted for 1 or - o'clock the next
morning-, began to be known through?
out New York City, it found many of
the friends and relatives of the Titan-j
Ic's survivors, who had come from all j
parts o( tiie United States, unprepared.;
As the news of the change in time
arrival spread, however, a rush com?
menced to get to the pier in time to
meet the big hospital ship. For folk
from uptown Seventh Avenue, asphalt?
ed its whole length, afforded the most
direct and rapid road to the. pier.
As early as 8: )?"> o'clock Seventh Ave?
nue began to fill w ith limousines, tour?
ing cars, smaller autos and taxlcabs.
It seemed as though all traffic was
bound south along this thoroughfare.
It hail been raining, and the asphalt
wits slippery and wet. yet over it the
raclns autolstfi sped at high speed, now
skidding dangerously close, one to the
other, now almost overturning as a fly?
ing car swayed sickcnlngly and brought
up against the curbstone.
Automobiles filled the avenue almost
from curb to curb. It was like the old
mad rush along the Jericho Turnpike
in the days of the famous Vanderbllt
Cup race, only -now there were no
dawning rays of morning to light the:
way, and now there wero no cheery
calls from car to* car,
The sirens and horns tooted, shrieked
and honked. Drivers; took the same
chances which they had taken pre?
viously on Cup Day morning to .twist
their racing vehicles around the ntilk
of the one ahead. Hut there were no
boasting shouts thrown backward over
Court of Inquiry in London.
I
a shoulder when the feat was accom?
plished. The risk was taken and the <
inches of vantage won In deadly so- j
rlousncss. It was as though they In I
the cars felt that they were racing with .
death, and In some instances It was i
almost so.
But at Fifteenth Street Inspector
Russell and several hundred policemen ;
held the autos up. It was not that the
police would delay their arrival at tho
pier toward which they had raced. But
pollco lines had been formed which ex
j tended from Seventh Avenue west to!
I Tenth, and from Seventeenth Street
south to Eleventh. The autolsts were
I passed through Hie breastworks of this'
defense, but they were diverted from |
'the Avenue and Fifteenth Street and!
turned westward through this thor-1
OUghfarc. Fourteenth Street must be i
kept clear for tho twenty or more am- !
balances, from all the hospitals of the
city, which wore already speeding to?
ward t lie pier.
Ninth Avenue elevated trains depos?
ited crowds at intervals of only a min?
ute or SO, at tho Fourteenth Street sta?
tion, and men and women paddled |
along the glistening streets, intent on
gaining a vantage-point where they
might witness tho arrival of tho Tl- j
tonic's survivors. Some among them
came, to give aid to those who bad suf?
fered. A great majority were spurred j
by curiosity, and, for them, the police
i had no kindly courtesy,
j Traffic In Fourteenth Street was bad
| ly confused by this arrangement, the
only one which could bo made. Cross
| tow n curs were halted at Tenth Avenue
* '." -? . . - -
and thrlr passengers made to alight.
Then the gates were, closed and with
only the motorman and conductor
aboard, they were sent through to their
terminus, there to turn about and start
buck to Tenth Avenue, where the s?tes .
were opened again.
The automobile parking space in
front of the piers was marked off with .
ropes strtmfc from posts some twenty j
feet apart, and dotted with swinging
green traffic lanterns. Three police?
men clustered about each post ready to
repel any attempted invasion.
Fifteen automobile trucks from a big
department store drew up In front of
Pier 00 shortly before 0 o'clock. Each
was fitted with seats and 'capable of
holding twenty-four persons. There
was a stretcher tucked beneath the
seats in each truck, und three nurses
accompanied them. Tiny carried 200
blankets.
From the same store came four lour?
ing cars loaded with the families of
B. P. Calderhcad and J. P.. Flynn of
New York, and J. Ft, McCough of Phil?
adelphia! foreign buyers, u ho had" re?
turned on the Titanic.
As early as 8:30 o'clock more than
500 relatives and friends of tho rescued
ones aboard the Carpathia bad reached
the pier. Some 2,000 plor passes had
been given out. and by 0 o'clock It
seemed that the holder of the last one
of these must have arrived. Customs |
men directed them to take positions I
under the customs alphabetical guido!
arrangement, each under the Initial of |
the survivor for whom he or sho was
waiting.
In the stream of folk which was con?
stantly passing into the pier came n
committco from the Now York stock
Exchange carrying $20,000 In cash to
be distributed among those who needed
financial assistance. The money had
been raised on the Exchange by pop?
ular subscription and was under escort
of E, H. Thomas, President of the
Exchange; Charles Knoblauch, H. N.
Paruch. Charles Ilolzderber. and J.
Carlisle. It was carried in a big ob?
long box. Surveyor Henry assigned tho
little Custom llouso on tho pier to tho
uso of this committee.
Nono dared say what tho arrival of
tho Carpathia might bring forth,
but In evidence of preparation for
an emergency, white?Jacketed doctors
walked nervously around tho pier.
Nurses in uniform were Scattered about
tho outer edges of the crowd, and
ngitUist the walls of the Pier rested
THE TITANIC INVESTIGATIONS HERE AND ABROAD
'M . ?T T ' "-g m mamt-1 i ?wt ? i.i ? ? _._ 1 ??-1 -
S nator
William Alden
Smith
J. Bruce Ismay.
many stretchers. There were repre-1
seutatives also Ol tho Coroners' Office.
Miss Bv? Booth and u delogatlon
from the .Salvation Army were prepared
to furnish clothes at?prfnod to any of
the survivors who needed them. MIfs
Booth offered to Immigration Commis?
sioner William Williams, who was on
the pier with men of his staff, a homo
for any of the steerage passengers who
might require It temporarily. Sho
planned to send the malo passengers to
lite headquarters in Chatham Squaro
atid to have the women escorted to the
Women's Hotel in West Fifteenth
Street.
Commissioner Williams had a squad
of assistants detailed especially to look
after the steerage passengers of the
Titanic and planned to assemble them
on the first floor of the pier whero the
Immigration men could hco that they
were properly identified and registered,
and could aid them in making a speedy
departure. lie accepted Miss Ruoth's
offer. Mgr. Lavclle, with ten Sisters of
Mercy from various Catholic institu?
tions In New York, was on the pier also.
The throng inside tho plor was
strangely quiet. Here and there a wo?
man wept silently and steadily while a
man tried to comfort her. More per?
son-; were continually pushing in be
neatli the covered pier and more auto-1
mobiles continually deposited their pas?
sengers in front of It. But there wa3
perfect order, though tho watchers fair?
ly quivered witft expectancy, tho tense
strain beneath which they labored
showing in tho faces of men nnd women
alike.
it was approximately 0:10 o'clock
when the Carpathla was sighted off
Sandy Hook. It was one hour and a
half later that she reached Quarantine,
The big vessel was proceeding slowly.
Her lights gleamed dimly as though in
omen of what hot* arrival at the pier
was to reveal, siiie was delayed only
an Instant ttt Quarantine and then be?
gan her slow passage through the ship-,
ping of the upper bay toward her pier
nt Fourteenth Street.
Sho passed the Statue of Liberty at
7:50 o'clock, nnd at 8:10 was off the
Battery. She moved slowly, cautiously,
through the forest of shipping which
rose on each side of the river.
Behind her followed a tug on which
were photographers and at Intervals of
only instants there wero loud reporta
foliowed by bursts of brilliant light as
flashlight photographs of tho ship were
taken. The lns.tant of brilliancy, like'
Unit afforded by a Hash of lightning,
revealed the decks of the Carpnthla
black with passengers.
The rest of the boat wns as dark as
her decks. sh* showed few lights,
though now and then her dim outline
would come into relief as she passed
In front of electrical advertising signs.
Tho steamship was yff her pier at
0 o'clock, and though many <y the pier
could not see her. they knew she was
there, and tho worst period of waiting
of tho whole night began as the Car- |
pathia lingered In midstream, to drop
the Titanlc's lifeboats that they might
be lowed to tho White Star pier.
The ports in the big inclosed pier of
tho Cunard Lino were opened and
through them the wailing hundreds, al?
most frantic with anxiety over what
the Carpathia might reveal, watched
her us with nerve-destroying leisure.
:!:?? swung about In the river, dropping
overboard the Titanlc's lifeboat.-. It
was dark In the river, but the lower?
ing of tho boats could be seen from
the Carpathia'a pier and a deep sigh
arose from the multitude there as they
caught this first glimpse of something
associated with the Titanic.
Then the Carpnthla started for bet
own pier. The minutes passed while
the crowd stood in anxious silence. It
grew to bo 0:10 o'clock?fifteen, twenty
past, and. finally, half past nine.
The Carpathia. however, was \lery
near her own pier now. As she ap?
proached It, the ports on tho north sides
of Pier 51 wore closed, that the Car?
pathia might land there, but through
the two left open to ncoomod.it,! the
forward nnd tho after gangplanks of
the big liner the watchers could see her
looming larger and larger In the dark?
ness until finally site was directly
alongside the pier.
And now tht <'.lrp-tthln ii.ul got a line
on to tho pier and was warping slowly
to her moorings It tuol; only minutes,
scarcely more than seconds, to make
tho big liner last to tho pier, but these
minutes proved a period of waiting the
suspense of which waa almost too much
for tho hundreds gathered to greet
friends and relatives or to learn, with
certainty at last, that thoio for whom
they watched would never come ashore.
There was almost complete silence
on the pier. Doctors and nurses, mem?
bers of the Women's Relief Committee,
City nnd Government officials, as well
as officials of tho line, moved nervous?
ly about. Seated where they had been
afislgu/."J beneath the bis customs let
The Senate Titanic Committee in
Session. Fourth Officer Boxhall
Testifying. i. Boxhall. 2. Vice?
Prec. Franklin of White Star Line.
.3. Senator Smith Chairman.) 44
Major Peuchen, a Survivor. 5. Mrs.
Pcuchcn. 6. J. Bruce Ismay.
^tors corresponding to the Initials of the
names of survivors they came to meet,
was the mass of the '-.',000 on the pier.
Women wept, hut they wept quietly.
not hysterically, and the sotmd of >Jj
their sobs made many times less noisi
than tho hum and bustle which Is usual
j on tho pier among those awaiting an N
Incoming liner.
Then the Cnrpnthin was made fast,
t the gangplanks shot Into place, and
j from tho forward one walked a sailor
dressed completely In yellow oilskins.
About each gangplank a portable
fence had been put In placo marking off'
some 50 feet of the pier, within which;;.
I stood I no or more customs officials./
Next to the fence, crowded close against t
It. were anxious men and women, their' jj
gazo strained for a glance of the first.
from the ship, their mouths opened to
draw their breaths In spasrriodlc, qulv- f
eiing gasps, their very bodies shaking-?:
with suppressed excitement, excitement's:
which only the suspense Itself waaffi
t keeping In subjection.
Tho sailor hurried outsldo the fence
and disappeared, apparently on a mls
' slon for his company. There was ft
, deep drawn sigh as he walked away,
shaking his head sadly toward those
? who peered eagerly at him. Then came
Ja man and a woman of tho Carpnthla's
I own passengers, ns their orderly dress
showed 1 hem to be.
Again a sigh that was like a sob
swept over tho crowd and again tho N
staring eyes turned back to the gang?
plank, a canopied structure like those
which are used at weddings.
Several minutes had passed already
and then a woman, tho dress she wore.jj
obviously patched up from contribu?
tions of the Carpnthla's passengers, her
face red from weeping, her eyes start?
ing almost from her head with tho \'
eagerness with which she stared for a fi
known face, started down the gang?
plank, stopped, perplexed, almost ready .
to drop with terror and exhaustion, and v
was caught by a customs official.
; " A survivor?" he questioned rapidly, j
I apt! a nod of the head answering him,
Ibe demanded:
?? Your name?"
1 The answer given be started to lead
j her toward that section of the pier
where her friends would be waiting.
When she stepped from the gangplank
there was quiet on the pier. The an?
swers of tho woman almost could bo
heard by thoso fifty feet away, but as
sho staggered rather than walked,
clinging to the officer's arm, toward
the waiting throng outside the fence, a
low walling sound started from the
crowd. It:; cadences, wild and weird,
grew steadily louder and louder till
they culminated in a mighty shriek,
which swept the whole big pier as
though at the direction of some mus?
ter hand.
In the roaring volume, tho shriller
I cries of women could bo distinguished
[above the heavy sobbing of men. No
otlu-r sound was audible, and to the ac?
companiment of the terrible chorus
I the. woman was led from the incloaure,
to bo swept Into the arms of a man
who threw his arms about her, his
I tears fulling over her as ho struggled
I to greet her with a voice that broke .
into sobs.
At the appearance of each tho cries
of the crowd swelled stronger and
stronger. Nurses and doctors rushed
to the sides of women who seemed
about to faint, and half led. half car?
ried them out of tho crush to parts of f,?
the pier then almost deserted.
Steerage women, recognizable by
their dress and appearance, came dowM
the gangplank", seme of them not wceiMgJJ
ing as others were, but gazing with?:;'!.
fixed eyes hopelessly about them. There9
was no relative with an automobile.
I heavy rugs au 1 additional clothing
I waiting for them, but there were tho.p
1 Sisters of Mercy, the Salvation Armjf''|
I corps, and tue Wpi.vn's Relief Com* 'lj
mitt. e. and no steerage passengers loft";^
the ship without receiving a welcome
and .1 helping hand. Somo carried ?
rMbi.-s in tle lr at 111.-. h.ibi?? who Sasctfc^
about then:, and even crowed or chuck
;,-,] as vvci ping mothcra carried them';,
down to the pier. <?
Mr.-, lap-tan It. Smith, tho bride of
:.;w weeks, who was forced to sit.help-', ?
less in a lifeboat while she watched thf?g
Titanic can y her husband to his dtath^|
was one of the first off the ship. Her.'7;?
' .t'.ier. Congressman Hughes of Vit*??
i;ini.i. was waiting for her. " JB
ituutiuucd on I'olliMiluii l'ast.J