Sinking of the Titanic and Great Sea Disasters by Unknown
page 72 of 357 (20%)
page 72 of 357 (20%)
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"I floated on my life-preserver for several hours," he said,
"then I came across a big oak dresser with two men clinging to it. I hung on to this till daybreak and the two men dropped off. When the sun came up I saw the collapsible raft in the distance, just black with men. They were all standing up, and I swam to it--almost a mile, it seemed to me --and they would not let me aboard. Mr. Lightoller, the second officer, was one of them. " `It's thirty-one lives against yours,, he said, `you can't come aboard. There's not room.' " "I pleaded with him in vain, and then I confess I prayed that somebody might die, so I could take his place. It was only human. And then some one did die, and they let me aboard. "By and by, we saw seven life-boats lashed together, and we were taken into them." MEN SHOT DOWN The officers had to assert their authority by force, and three foreigners from the steerage who tried to force their way in among the women and children were shot down without mercy. Robert Daniel, a Philadelphia passenger, told of terrible scenes at this period of the disaster. He said men fought |
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