Calmness Marked First Moments, Says Mr. Beasley

Lawrence Beesley

Second-class passenger

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London Man Declares Shocks of Collision Were so Slight Few Realized Danger – Card Players Continued On and Went Down

Here is the account of Mr. Lawrence Beasley, of London: – "I had been in my berth for about ten minutes when at about fifteen minutes after eleven o'clock I felt a slight jar and then soon after a second one, but not sufficiently large to cause any anxiety to any one, however nervous they may have been.

"However, the engines stopped immediately afterward and I first thought 'she 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 similarly to inquire why we had stopped, but there was no sort of anxiety in the mind of any one.

"We saw through the smoking room window a game of cards going on and went in to inquire if they knew anything; it seems they felt more of the jar, and, looking through the window, had seen a huge iceberg go by close to the side of the boat. They thought we had just grazed it with a glancing blow and the engines had been stopped to see if any damage had been done. No one, of course, had any conception that she had been pierced below by part of the submerged iceberg.

Game of Cards Undisturbed

"The game went on without any thought of disaster and I retired to my cabin to read until we went on again. I never saw any of the players or the onlookers again. A little later, hearing people going upstairs, I went out again and found everyone wanting to know why the engines had stopped.

"On going on deck again I saw that there was an undoubted list downward from stern to bow, but, knowing nothing of what had happened, concluded some of the front compartments had filled and weighed her down. I went down again to put on warmer clothing, and as I dressed herd an order shouted: – 'All passengers on deck with life belts on.'

"We all walked slowly up with them tied on over our clothing, but even then presumed this was a wise precaution the captain was taking, and that we should return in a short time and retire to bed. There was a total absence of any panic or any expressions of alarm, and I suppose this can be accounted for by the exceedingly calm night and the absence of any signs of the accident.

"The ship was absolutely still, and except for a gentle tilt downward, which I don't think one person in ten would have noticed at that time, no signs of the approaching disaster were visible. She lay just as if she were waiting the order to go on again when some trifling matter had been adjusted. But in a few moments we saw the covers lifted from the lifeboats, and the crews allotted to them standing by and curling up the ropes which were to lower them by the pulley blocks into the water.

Realization Came Slowly

"We then began to realize it was more serious than it had been supposed and my first thought was to go down and get more clothing and some money, but seeing people pouring up the stairs decided it was better to cause no confusion to people coming up by doing so. Presently we heard the order: – 'All men stand back away from the boats and all women retire to next deck below' – the smoking room deck or B deck.

"The men all stood away and remained in absolute silence leaning against the end railings of the deck or pacing slowly up and down. The boats were swung out and lowered from A deck. When they were to the level of B deck where all the women were collected, the women got in quietly with the exception of some who refused to leave their husbands. In some cases they were torn from them and pushed into the boats, but in many instances they were allowed to remain because there was no one to insist they should go.

"Looking over the side one saw boats from aft already in the water slipping quietly away into the darkness, and presently the boats near me were lowered, and with much creaking, as the new ropes slipped through the pulley blocks down the ninety feet which separated them from the water.

"One by one the boats were filled with women and children, lowered and rowed away into the night. Presently 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 if this was so. I remained where I was and presently heard the call: –

No More Women, He Jumped

"'Any more women?'

"Looking over the side of the ship, I saw the boat No. 13 swinging level with B deck, half full of women. Again the call was repeated: –

"'Any more women?'

"I saw none come on and then one of the crew looked up and said: –

"'Any women on your deck, sir?'.

"'No,' I replied.

"'Then you had better jump.'

"I dropped in and fell in the bottom, as they cried, 'Lower away.' As the boat began to descend two women were pushed hurriedly through the crowd on B deck and heaved over into the boat and a baby of ten months passed down after them. Down we went, the crew calling to those lowering each end to keep her level. 'Aft,' 'Stern,' 'Both together,' until we were some ten feet from the water, and here occurred the only anxious moment we had during the whole of our experience.

Trouble in Launching

"Immediately below our boat was the exhaust of the condensers, a huge stream of water pouring out all the time. Down we went and presently floated, with our ropes still holding us, the exhaust washing us away from the side of the vessel and the swell of the sea urging us back against the side again. The resultant of all these forces was a force which carried us parallel to the ship's side and directly under boat 14, which had filled rapidly with men and was coming down on us in a way that threatened to submerge our boat.

"Just before she dropped a stoker sprang to the ropes with his knife.

"'One,' I heard him say; 'two,' as his knife cut through the pulley ropes, and in a moment the exhaust stream had carried us clear, while boat No. 14 dropped into the water, into the space we had the moment before occupied, our gunwales almost touching.

"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 stoker at the tiller.

"It was decided to elect the stoker who was steering captain, and for all to obey his orders. He set to work at once to get into touch with the other boats, calling to them and getting as close as seemed wise, so that when the search boats came in the morning to look for us there would be more chance for all to be rescued by keeping together.