It was 12:45 a.m. when the first blinding flash appeared high above the disabled ship. At the command of Captain Smith, rockets were to be fired skyward every five minutes with the hope of attracting ships in the area.
Fearfully, passengers realizing the seriousness of the situation were beginning to form into small groups on the now slanting decks. Captain Smith watched each rocket burst with a shower of light and he, too, was very concerned about his once proud ship. Ten miles away, an officer on board the Californian thought it strange that a distant ship was going lower into the water. He ordered an apprentice to inform the captain an unidentified ship had fired eight rockets. “Were they all white?” he asked. “Yes,” was the reply and the captain rolled over and went back to sleep. Why did he not order his vessel to investigate and immediately go to the rescue of the stricken Titanic? Was he reluctant to endanger his own ship in the ice field between his ship and the Titanic, or was he just not thinking clearly when wakened from a sound sleep? Regardless of the reason, sadly, he took no action.
Meanwhile, twenty-five-year-old wireless operator Jack Phillips continued tapping out the new International Distress Call SOS, SOS, along with the ship’s location 41 degrees, 46 minutes North and 50 degrees and 14 minutes West. On the starboard side of the ship, Quartermaster Rowe had been busy firing his rocket gun when the Captain asked if he could operate a Morse Lamp. When he replied, “Yes, Sir,” he was ordered to send a message in the direction of the light the Captain had identified and hoped was a ship. When no response was received, the Captain studied the light through his binoculars and realized it was a distant planet. Every means of communication was used to summon help to the disabled vessel, her passengers and crew. A few hours before, wireless operator Phillips had rebuffed the Carpathia’s warning of a nearby ice flow with a curt, “Shut-up,” but the recent collision now changed Phillip’s tone as he pleaded, “come at once. We have struck a berg. It’s a CQD, old man. Position 41-46 N—50-14 W.”
Like the Titanic, many individuals, and you may be one, have indifferently brushed aside the warnings of God. His solemn warning is clear and direct. If you reject His free offer of everlasting salvation you will be lost eternally. The Bible asks in Hebrews chapter 2 and verse 3, “How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?” It is one of scripture’s great unanswered questions. There is no escape.
High on the upper decks, every effort was being made to place as many passengers in lifeboats as possible. Deep in the cavernous vessel, stokers and firemen were doing their best to keep the boilers and generators functioning to keep lights in and outside the ship illuminated. Hopefully, other ships in the area would see them and come to their aid. Men were risking their lives to help and to save others. In Boiler Room Number Five, safety valves blew, filling the room with steam. Confused in the thick vapor, John Shepherd tripped and broke his leg. Two of his work mates carried him to the Pump Room, but when unwelcomed water rushed toward the injured man, he disappeared in the torrent of cold Atlantic water.
On the upper decks, passengers noticed the ship was further down at the bow. On the various decks, stewards busily locked state room doors to make certain no looting took place and that passengers’ possessions would be safe until their anticipated return to the ship.
In the two hours and forty minutes from the collision until the sinking of the “Unsinkable Titanic,” numerous acts of heroism were played out, and among them there must be included the eight members of the ship’s orchestra. These were hand-picked men with unique musical skills.
As panic and concern were sweeping the ship, these gallant musicians continued to perform, moving to various locations on the ship in an effort to calm the passengers. From their broad repertoire they played selections from ragtime, operas, waltzes and hymns. There has been much speculation as to the last hymn played before these brave men went with the ship to the bottom of the Atlantic. Some of the rescued gave differing reports. Some said the last hymn was Sarah Adam’s immortal “Nearer My God to Thee,” while others said it was the Episcopalian hymn, “Autumn.” Harold Bride, the assistant wireless operator, stated that he had heard the band playing while he frantically tapped out the distress call. The last he heard from them was as he floated on the icy waters. “It was then,” he said, “I heard them playing Autumn. How those brave fellows ever did it, I cannot imagine.” The third verse includes appropriate words for those who were passing through the horrific ordeal. They are:
When temptations fierce assault me,
When mine enemies I find,
Sin and guilt and death and Satan,
All against my soul combined,
Hold me up in mighty waters,
Keep my eyes on things above—
Righteousness, divine atonement,
Peace and everlasting love.
Sadly, when the list of those lost at sea was posted, the names of these eight valiant men appeared. In their final few minutes, the last lines of their last hymn may well have been their final prayer.
Hold me up in mighty waters,
Keep my eyes on things above,
Righteousness, Divine atonement,
Peace and everlasting love.
Men and women who were engulfed in the cold Atlantic waters may well have heard that tune as they slipped into eternity. They were words of hope for those in a hopeless situation. What words were these to be recalled at the hour of death, “Righteousness, Divine atonement!” For the drowning there was hope for eternity through the divine atonement made possible through the death of the Lord Jesus Christ on Calvary’s cross. The message remains the same today; “Peace and Everlasting Love” are available for all who will turn from sin and avail themselves of the Savior’s atonement.
Mr. and Mrs. John B. Thayer, along with their son Jack, had been enjoying the voyage in their luxurious first-class staterooms. Late on the evening of April 14th, seventeen-year-old Jack had called “good-night” to his parents from his stateroom. Soon their joy would be shattered when ship and iceberg met. In the trauma that followed, parents and son were separated. Mr. and Mrs. Thayer worked their way through the crowd toward the lifeboats. At one point en route, she became very frustrated when a crew member gave conflicting orders. “Tell us,” she said, “where to go and we will.” Eventually, Mrs. Thayer was placed safely in lifeboat number four and did more than her share of handling a heavy oar.
Jack and his father searched for each other on the inclined decks of the doomed vessel, but sadly never made contact with one another. They were separated for eternity. When Jack and his mother were reunited on board the rescue ship, they realized that only two of their three family members would reach New York. Mr. Thayer had gone to the bottom with the Titanic.
Weren’t those interesting words of Mrs. Thayer’s? “Tell us where to go and we will.” She was looking for clear directions from an informed seaman. Unfortunately, he was unable to give them. Thankfully, there are clear directions for you and me to follow, and they are the words of the Lord Jesus Christ. If they are followed, they assure the believer of a safe arrival in heaven. He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me” (John 14:66Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6)). Place your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and follow Him. Only then will you be assured of a safe arrival on heaven’s shore.