Chapter 15

           Fromeveryquarteroftheocean,summonedbythemiracleofthewirelessvoice,manyshipshadbeenracingsincemidnighttothehelpofthedoomedliner.Frommidnightonwardscaptainswerebeingcalledbymessagesfromthewirelessoperatorsoftheirships,tellingthemthattheTitanicwasaskingforhelp;courseswerebeingalteredandchiefengineerscalledupontourgetheirstokeholdcrewstospecialefforts;forcoalmeanssteam,andsteammeansspeed,andspeedmaymeanlife.ManyshipsthatcouldreceivethestrongelectricimpulsessentoutfromtheTitanichadnotelectricstrengthenoughtoanswer;buttheyturnedandcametothatinvisiblespotrepresentedbyafewfigureswhichthefaithfulwirelessindicated.Evenasfarasfivehundredmilesaway,theParisianturnedinhertracksinobediencetothecallandcameracingtowardsthenorth-west.Butthereweretragediesevenwiththewireless.TheLeylandlinerCalifornian,boundforBoston,wasonlyseventeenmilesawayfromtheTitanicwhenshestruck,andcouldhavesavedeverysoulonboard;butherwirelessapparatuswasnotworking,andshewasdeaftotheagonizedcallsthatwerebeingsentoutfromonlyafewmilesaway.TheParisian,fivehundredmilesaway,couldhearandcome,thoughitwasuseless;theCaliforniancouldnothearandsodidnotcomethough,ifshehad,shewouldprobablyhavesavedeverylifeonboard.TheCincinnati,theAmerika,thePrinzFriedrichWilhelm,theMenominee,theLaProvence,thePrinzAdalbert,theVirginian,theOlympic,andtheBalticallheardthenewsandallturnedtowardsLadeg.46’N.,Londeg.