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CHAPTER III
THE MAIDEN VOYAGE OF THE TITANIC
PREPARATIONS FOR THE VOYAGE—SCENES OF GAYETY—THE
BOAT SAILS—INCIDENTS OF THE VOYAGE—A COLLISION
NARROWLY AVERTED—THE BOAT ON FIRE—WARNED OF
ICEBERGS.
Sinking of the Titanic and Great Sea Disasters |  |
PASSENGERS IN IGNORANCE
"Of course," he went on, "the passengers knew nothing of the fire. Do you think we'd have let them know about it? No, sir.
"The fire started in bunker No. 6. There were hundreds of tons of coal stored there. The coal on top of the bunker was wet, as all the coal should have been, but down at the bottom of the bunker the coal had been permitted to get dry.
"The dry coal at the bottom of the pile took fire, and smoldered for days. The wet coal on top kept the flames from coming through, but down in the bottom of the bunkers the flames were raging.
"Two men from each watch of stokers were tolled off, to fight that fire. The stokers worked four hours at a time, so twelve of us were fighting flames from the day we put out of Southampton until we hit the iceberg.
"No, we didn't get that fire out, and among the stokers there was talk that we'd have to empty the big coal bunkers after we'd put our passengers off in New York, and then call on the fire-boats there to help us put out the fire.
"The stokers were alarmed over it, but the officers told us to keep our mouths shut—they didn't want to alarm the passengers."
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CHAPTER III
THE MAIDEN VOYAGE OF THE TITANIC
PREPARATIONS FOR THE VOYAGE—SCENES OF GAYETY—THE
BOAT SAILS—INCIDENTS OF THE VOYAGE—A COLLISION
NARROWLY AVERTED—THE BOAT ON FIRE—WARNED OF
ICEBERGS.
Sinking of the Titanic and Great Sea Disasters | |