Mrs. Lucien P. Smith, of Huntingdon, W. Va., daughter of Representative James Hughes, West Virginia, was in the third boat that was launched, and in that boat was Mrs. John Jacob Astor. “My niece saw Mr. Ismay leaving the boat. He was attended by several of the crew and every assistance was given him to get into the boat,” says Mrs. Smith. “And when the Carpathia finally came along and rescued the shipwrecked passengers, some of the crew of the Carpathia, together with men of the Titanic, actually carried Mr. Ismay to spacious rooms that had been set aside for him. As soon as Mr. Ismay had been placed in this stateroom a sign was placed on the door: “Please don’t knock.”
MRS. W. J. CARDEZA’S NARRATIVE.
According to Mrs. W. J. Cardeza, of Philadelphia, who gave her narrative after she had arrived at the Ritz-Carlton with T. D. M. Cardeza, J. Bruce Ismay was not only safely seated in a lifeboat before it was filled, but he also selected the crew that rowed the boat. According to Mrs. Cardeza, Mr. Ismay knew that Mr. Cardeza was an expert oarsman and he beckoned him into the boat. Mr. Cardeza manned an oar until Mr. Ismay’s boat was picked up about two hours later.
The White Star Line, through Ismay, disclaimed responsibility, saying that it was “an act of God.” Ismay defended his action in taking to the lifeboat. He said that he took the last boat that left the ship. “Were there any women and children left on the Titanic when you entered the boat?” he was asked. The reply was, “I am sure I cannot say.”
J. Bruce Ismay described to a reporter how the catastrophe occurred. “I was asleep in my cabin,” said Mr. Ismay, “when the crash came. It woke me instantly. I experienced a sensation as if the big liner were sliding up on something.
“We struck a glancing blow, not head on, as some persons have supposed. The iceberg, so great was the force of the blow, tore the ship’s plates half way back, I think, although I cannot say definitely. There was absolutely no disorder.
“I left in the last boat. I did not see the Titanic sink. I cannot remember how far away the lifeboat in which I was had been rowed from the ship when she sank.”
Mr. Ismay began his interview by reading a prepared statement, to this effect:
“In the presence and under the shadow of so overwhelming a tragedy I am overcome with feelings too deep for words. The White Star Line will do everything humanly possible to alleviate the sufferings of the survivors and the relatives of those who were lost.
“The Titanic was the last word in ship building. Every British regulation had been complied with and her masters, officers and crew were the most experienced and skillful in the British service.