"CHORUS OF UTTER AGONY."

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1421, 23 April 1912, Page 5

"CHORUS OF UTTER AGONY."

LADY DUFF-GORDON'S NARRATIVE. AFTER THE SHIP WENT UNDER. London, April 21. Lady Cosmo Duff-Gordon, who wa3 one of the rescued passengers in the Titanic disaster, in an interview published in tho "Daily News" says:— "I was asloop when the crash came. I had previously been watching the Colds of ice, when nn ollicer pointed Out one, apparently a hundred feet high and several miles long. I was awakened by a long, grinding crash, and I aroused Sir Cosmo Duli'-Gordon. Ho ran to investigate, and returned and taid, 'We'have hit a big bjrg.'

"Wo adjusted our life-preservers and wort nn deck. There was no excitement, tho, ship hid linted elichUr, but nobody U'cire of tha ucir. ikouid remain,

dreamed she could sink. There was little alarm, even when tho officers came running down announcing that the women and children must go to the boats. It was thought that this was hut an ordinary precaution. Laughed At For Taking To Boats. "Our boat was the twelfth or thirteenth launched, and those in it included five stokers, two Americans named Solomon and Stengel, two sailor?, Sir Cosmo DuffGordon and myself, Miss Frank, an English girl. Numbers of men who wero standing near joked at us because we were going out on tile ocean. 'You'll get your death of cold out amid the ice,' they said. "We cruised around for two hours, and then suddenly saw the Titanic give a curious shiver. There were no lights on the ship except a, few lanterns. "I heard several pistol shots and fjroat screaming from the decks. The vessel's stern lifted in the air, there was a tremondoug explosion, then another explosion, and tho whole forward part went under. The stern rose a hundred feet, like an enormous black finger against the sky. Little figures hung to the point of the finger, and then dropped into the water. The screaming was agonising. I have never heard such a continued chorus of utter agony. Stern Slcwly Disappears. "A minute or two later," said Lady Gordon, "tho Titanic's stern slowly disappeared, as though a great hand was pushing it gently under the waves. As she sank (ho screaming of the poor souls aboard seemed te grow louder.

"Wo were two hundred yards away and watched her go down slowly, almost peacefully. For a. moment there was an awful silence, tlen from the water where the Titanic had been arose a bedlam of shrieks and cries of women and men clinging to wreckage in tho icy water. It was at least an hour before the awful chorus of shrieks ceased, gradually dying into ft moan of despair. Tho very last cry was a man's. 'My God, my 'God,' ho cried monotonously, in a dull, hopeless way. In the Morning. "There was ono iceberg," continued Lady Gordon, "possibly the ouo the Titanic struck, which seemed to pursue us. The rowers mado frantic efforts to get past it.- At last morning camo. On one side there wero ice-floes and big bergs, and on the other wo were horrified to seo n school of tremendous whales. "We then caught sight of tho Carpathia looming up in the distance and heading straight for us. Wo were too numb with cold and horror to utter a sound. .. There wero more than fifty women who lost their husbands, including fifteen brides. Tho gloom on the Cnrpathia was ghastly. I buried myself in my cabin, and did not come on deck until wo reached Now York."

MR. ISMAY ACCUSED.

WILD REPORTS IN AMERICA,

A SENATOR REBUKED, (Rec. April 22, 10.35 p.m.)

New York, April 22. Wild reports, abetted by excitable' members of Congress, QeclaTe that Mr. Bnico Ismay was responsible for the wreck, as lie virtually superseded Captain Smith and compelled liim to take an unusually high northern course, and to maintain an excessive speed.

Referring to Senator Kayner's violent attack on Mr. Ismay, Senator M'Curaber in the Senate protested against the trial, conviction, sentencing, and execution ot Air. Ismay, without fair and honest consideration, when tho feelings of the civilised world desired a victim upon whom to vent its wrath. The Senate should be particularly deliberate.

Senator Lodge endorsed Senator M'Cunv bet's remarks.