Endless Night 2:20 A.M

14 The only remains afloat of the Titanic after Endless Night 2:20 a.m. were 20 lifeboats carrying just over seven hundred survivors. People in the boats were seasick and freezing. Nobody knew if or when a rescue ship would arrive. For most of those swimming in the frigid water, there was little hope. One survivor said that their cries for help at first sounded like the crowd’s roar at a baseball stadium when the batter hits a home run. But soon, the shouting faded away as the cold silenced the voices.

r THE BIGGEST salty seawater a few minutes. “Striking the water was threat to people in was around 28°F, Hypothermia like a thousand knives the water was four degrees causes the activity being driven into one’s hypothermia, a below freezing, of the organs to body.” SURVIVOR CHARLES LIGHTOLLER, THE TITANIC’S dangerous lower- and no person slow down, and SECOND OFFICER ing of the body’s could survive in eventually they temperature. The it for more than stop working.

d WHEN THE CAR- Carpathia four l SHIPS’ RADIOS reported that all pathia got the hours to get were all on the the passengers message that everyone from same frequency, had been saved. the Titanic was the Titanic’s causing messages Others, lacking in grave danger, lifeboats on from the Titanic facts, made up it raced to help. board. The ship’s and other ships to stories. As the In doing so, it captain, Arthur become garbled or Carpathia entered had to ignore Rostron (right), merged. This left New York harbor, caution and run was awarded a people on shore crowds gathered, an obstacle specially com- desperate for and people eager- course of ice- missioned Medal news. Some news- ly sought out bergs in the of Honor by the papers mistakenly loved ones. dark. It took the U.S. Congress. (Portsmouth, NH:(Portsmouth, Heinemann). classroom use only. be reproduced for This page may

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Can hypothermia ever save lives? Despite the terrible cries for help, just one (answer on back lifeboat—No. 14 (below)—went back to pick up cover) people in the water. Those in the other boats were afraid of being pulled down by the suc- tion of the TITANIC sinking (which, as it turned out, was not very strong). They were also afraid “. . . and finally the ghastly noise of being over- of the people thrashing about and turned by des- screaming and drowning, that perate people trying to scram- finally ceased. I remember saying ble on board. to my mother once, ‘How dread- The lifeboat that ful that noise was,’ and I always went back remember her reply, and she found only four said, ‘Yes, but think back about people alive in the silence that followed it . . .’ ” the water—and SURVIVOR EVA HART, A SEVEN-YEAR- one of them OLD SECOND-CLASS PASSENGER soon died.

l FROM NEW YORK, the Lapland. At some survivors Plymouth, they went to Washing- were taken to the ton, D.C., to testi- train station (left) fy about what had before going to happened. Others testify at the went to Plymouth, British inquiry England, aboard into the disaster. (Portsmouth, NH:(Portsmouth, Heinemann). classroom use only. be reproduced for This page may

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3:30 a.m. Survivors in 4:10 a.m. Lifeboat 8:30 a.m. Lifeboat No. 12 is the the lifeboats see signal No. 2 is the first last one rescued. Three days later, rockets from the rescue picked up by the the Carpathia arrives in New York ship, Carpathia. Carpathia. with 705 Titanic survivors. 11 © and Anne Goudvis from Stephanie Harvey 2005 by From Kids Discover — Titanic, © 2005. All rights reserved. Lesson 10: Titanic (10 of 12) 29