Every man among
the survivors acted as though it were first necessary to explain
how he came to be in a life-boat. Some of the stories smacked
of Munchausen. Others were as plain and unvarnished as
a pike staff. Those that were most sincere and trustworthy
had to be fairly pulled from those who gave their sad testimony.
Far into the night the recitals were made. They were
told in the rooms of hotels, in the wards of hospitals and upon
trains that sped toward saddened homes. It was a symposium
of horror and heroism, the like of which has not been known
in the civilized world since man established his dominion over
the sea.
STEERAGE PASSENGERS
The two hundred and more steerage passengers did not
leave the ship until 11 o'clock. They were in a sad condition.
The women were without wraps and the few men there were
wore very little clothing. A poor Syrian woman who said
she was Mrs. Habush, bound for Youngstown, Ohio, carried
in her arms a six-year-old baby girl. This woman had lost
her husband and three brothers. "I lost four of my men
folks," she cried.
TWO LITTLE BOYS
Among the survivors who elicited a large measure of sympathy
were two little French boys who were dropped, almost
naked, from the deck of the sinking Titanic into a life-boat.
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