Later on he went back to the wreck
with the crew of one of the boats and succeeded in picking up
some of those who had jumped overboard and were swimming
about. On his way back to the Carpathia he passed one of
the collapsible boats which was on the point of sinking with
thirty passengers aboard, most of them in scant night-clothing.
They were rescued just in the nick of time.
ENGINEERS DIED AT POSTS
There were brave men below deck, too. "A lot has been
printed in the papers about the heroism of the officers," said
one survivor, "but little has been said of the bravery of the
men below decks. I was told that seventeen enginemen who
were drowned side by side got down on their knees on the
platform of the engine room and prayed until the water surged
up to their necks. Then they stood up, clasped hands so as
to form a circle and died together. All of these men helped
rake the fires out from ten of the forward boilers after the
crash. This delayed the explosion and undoubtedly permitted
the ship to remain afloat nearly an hour longer, and
thus saved hundreds of lives."
In the list of heroes who went down on the Titanic the
names of her engineers will have a high place, for not a single
engineer was saved.
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