it
suicide. The captain jumped from the bridge, Mellers declares, and he
heard him say to his officers and crew: "You have done your duty, boys.
Now every man for himself." Mellers and Barkworth, who say their names
have been spelled incorrectly in most of the lists of survivors, both
declare there were three distinct explosions before the Titanic broke in
two, and bow section first, and stern part last, settled with her human
cargo into the sea.

Her four whistles kept up a deafening blast until the explosions,
declare the men. The death cries from the shrill throats of the
blatant steam screechers beside the smokestacks so rent the air that
conversation among the passengers was possible only when one yelled into
the ear of a fellow-unfortunate.

"I did not know the Thayer family well," declared Mr. Barkworth, "but I
had met young Thayer, a clear-cut chap, and his father on the trip. The
lad and I struggled in the water for several hours endeavoring to hold
afloat by grabbing to the sides and end of an overturned life-boat.
Now and again we lost our grip and fell back into the water. I did not
recognize young Thayer in the darkness, as we struggled for our lives,
but I did recall having met him before when we were picked up by a
life-boat. We were saved by the merest chance, because the survivors on
a life-boat that rescued us hesitated in doing so, it seemed, fearing
perhaps that additional burdens would swamp the frail craft.

"I considered my fur overcoat helped to keep me afloat. I had a life
preserver over it, under my arms, but it would not have held me up so
well out of the water but for the coat. The fur of the coat seemed not
to get wet through, and retained a certain amount of air that added to
buoyance. I shall never part with it.

"The testimony of J. Bruce Ismay, managing director of the White Star
Line, that he had not heard explosions before the Titanic settled,
indicates that he must have gotten some distance from her in his
life-boat. There were three distinct explosions and the ship broke in
the center. The bow settled headlong first, and the stern last. I was
looking toward her from the raft to which young Thayer and I had clung."

HOW CAPTAIN SMITH DIED

Barkworth jumped, just before the Titanic went down. He said there were
enough life-preservers for all the passengers, but in the confusion many
may not have known where to look for them. Mellers, who had donned a
life-preserver, was hurled