Титаник

           Thenthebusinessofclearing,filling,andloweringtheboatswasbegun­abusinessquicklydescribed,butoccupyingagooddealoftimeinthetransaction.Mr.Murdoch,theChiefOfficer,orderedthecrewstotheboats;andwithsomeconfusiondifferentpartiesofstewardsandsailorsdisentangledthemselvesfromthethrongandstoodintheirpositionsbyeachofthesixteenboats.Everymemberofthecrew,whenhesignsonforavoyageinabigpassengership,isgivenanumberdenotingwhichboat’screwhebelongsto.Iftherehasbeenboatdrill,everymanknowsandremembershisnumber;if,asinthecaseoftheTitanic,therehasbeennoboatdrill,someofthemenremembertheirnumbersandsomedonot,theresultbeingacertainamountofconfusion.Butatlastacertainnumberofmenwereallottedtoeachboat,andbeganthebusinessofhoistingthemout.

           Firstofallthecovershadtobetakenoffandtheheavymastsandsailsliftedoutofthem.Ship’sboatsappearverysmallthingswhenoneseesalineofthemswinginghighupondeck;but,asamatteroffact,theyareextremelyheavy,eachofthemthesizeofasmallsailingyacht.EverythingontheTitanichavingbeennewlypainted,everythingwasstiffanddifficulttomove.Thelashingsoftheheavycanvascoverswerelikewire,andthecoversthemselveslikegreatboards;thenewropesranstifflyinthenewgear.Atlastaboatwasclearedandtheordergiven,“Womenandchildrenfirst.”Theofficershadrevolversintheirhandsreadytopreventarush;buttherewasnorush.Therewasacertainamountoflaughter.