1959-06-27 — Page 7

THE CHINA MAIL, SATURDAY, JUNE 27, 1959.

Pare

and courage

A story of panic, terror

Mothers leave dance to save children

(Continued from page 5) rister-in-law who had been in' the next cabin.

But when he reached the main corridor carrying the threej bright orange kipok jackets, two hugo Italian passengers spied film, and without Д word pounced on him.

He managed to hold on only one of the jackets.

Confusion

10

What panic there was on the Andres Doria immediately after the collision soon abated Into general confusion.

Panie, terror, fright, or calm- ness are sil subjective and re- lative concepts, it must be ad- mitted, and what one person daw

as panic another judged as re-

ţ

The death of a fine ship... the Andrea Doria just before the final plange.

markable calm in the circum- cover these boats could not be

launched. stances,

But if one could measure From the sundry lounges, bars, reading-rooms terror with a Gelger counter, the card-rooms and

would have become as well as the ballrooms on the clicking sharper and faster the farther upper decks of the ship, passen down one went on the eight-gers headed for their individual decks accommodating passengers destinations. on the Andrea Doris,

There were strange incidents. A bewildered young American Actress 'Betsy Drake, wife of Cary Grant, occupying one of tourist, who thought the ship had the 20 alry Arst-class single been blown up, leaped from her cabins on the Boat Deck, needed bed nude and dashed from her only to put on the clothes she cabin.

walk had just taken off and down a short corridor to be on an open deck in sight of the life- boats on the high side of the ship. Only later did

she dis-

Amid screams and confu-

slon, she was caught up in the

press of human traille In the corridor before she noticed

CURIOUS CHARACTERS: NO. 6

The first man to

No

ride a crocodile

the lares of others. She had chip's watertight compartment

to fight her way back to her system. cabin for her pyjamas neatly

The fuel tank comportmeit folded beneath her pillow. was connected to the next And a 20-year-old secretary, section, the generator poor by пізо slept ou naturel, an access tunnel 47ft high, ozd who awakened alone in her cabin, 4ft wide. And incredibly, this trapped beneath a fallen upper tunel had no watertight seal bunk.

Thus the sea entering the tank compartment flooded into the generator room almost" de li there was no bulkhead at all.

wad

She struggled futilely in the dark crying and screaming all the while, until her door

husity, fall thrown open by steward who lifted her from the wreckage of her bed and

carried her to the corridor.

To the boats

We're going on.

a plonio, actress Ruth Roman teld *ber young son.

This was baw

| they came":

· ́ashors.

stretching out almost the full trying to launch the boats from Calamai had been round ships the engine telegraph gently for-

and the sea long enough. length of the superstructure, The the high side.

to ward to the position slow boat crews with the officers Captain Calamai told him to know that drills during ahedd. The bell signal of the working alongside them fever see to the launching of the pleasure voyage were no meinure telegraph was answered from starboard of what passengers OT crow the engine room and the sètip The wheelhouse was in a ishly ripped the tarpaulin covers eight boats on the

would do in response to a real began to rumble with the vibra- 19 he started down the furore as Captain Calamal reel- from the bouts, hammered away side,

Both med silli foured the alarm on a listing. ship that tions of the engines. The ship passageway and she realised the ed off orders for the men and the chucks.

were likelihood of trominent cap might sink.

moved slowly in the water for was safe but naked, she pleaded oficerA kireaming up to the The launching davits

supposed to swing over the side sizing. They both realised also

perhaps an instant or more and that he release her.

bridge.

of the ship and the boats

then she wobbled precariously. were that with the eight port sich "Put me down!" she screamed, Fearing his ship would soon supposed to fall of their own lebonts useless, the remaining the ship's alarm sirens were cet

The captain jerked the telo- but he ran on.

go down, the captain

the starboard off. He feared a stampeding of ordered weight. But this did not hap- eight boats on

Bide could accommodate at the starboard lifeboats it it were graph handle to stop and he virtually everyone on the bridge. pen.

full to turn to and launch the life-

not, realised that the last hope for The men and officers pushed, absolute

capacity 1,004 learned that there were boats. He directed then first to shoved, and heaved against the persons. There were 1708 enough lieboats available for saving his ship was gone.

everyone on the ship, the port side lifeboats Dn the Inert metal lifeboats, but neither passengers and crew aboard. they, nor the davits moved. high side of the ship.

She beat her fists upon, his chest until he suddenly dropped her, and she retreated to her cabin for appropriate clothing.

Vulnerable

All the ship's outboard lights were switched on, including the two powerful searchlights atop whistle signal Theoretically, the Andrea the mast. The

was reset to sound continuous It was Dorla was unsinkable.

double

blasts, the Eignai dficult for the designers io con-

for a ship out of control. more than two of her watertight

eclve any contingency in which

WAS

The captain feared panie i

One hope-

To try run the ship with a Second Officer Bodano

40-foot hole in ita side was tob sent to the loudspeaker system, and, with the captain standing

dangerous. It would increase the beside him, dictaling, Badano

capsizing. It would pre-. vent the sate launching of the announced: "Si pregano,, Captain Calamal still had ona starboard lifeboats, and, even if signori passeggeri di portare at slight

Baving the hope for

the Doria did reach the shoals, propri posti di reunione.” Ho Andrea Dorla. Sixteen years be-

no rescue'ship could be expected was repeated it in Kallan and then fore, when he was executive

her into allow the made the same announcement officer of the torpedoed Italian to follow boats twice in

English; "If

Binco the Andrea Doria had been designed to list no more than 15 degrees, the davits had been designed as launch able up to 15 degrees. But now that the Doria heeling some 22 degrees, davit arms holding the Stoff Captain Megagnini, were facing skyward instead of please, passengers are requested saved that ship by running her The only thing to do was to Cafemal's deputy, who had rushed toward the sea. To be treed to go to their muster stations." up on a nearby beach. before call for help. From the Dorla's to the bridge from his cabin in the -boats would have to be

Badano, after making the in- she sank. And if only two were led his pyjamas and slippers, led the pushed uphill, and

was nouncement, turned to the cap- impossible, others had way to the port side lifeboats.

one in England in the 1860's had more energy than 80-year-old Squire Waterton compartments would be rup His unfortunate guests, after feasting on mous meals, would be invited to climb trees and

enor-tured.

admire birds' nests. Terrified of the height, but with water, the

enough buoyancy to keep her still more of their imperious host, the fattest alder afloat at a list of 15 degrees, the men were often to be seen swaying · precariously maximum

eventuality.

over the Waterton estate,

envisaged in any

Impossible

that

the Against

mechanics launching the right boats

of

you converted cruiser Duilio, he had

.

off-shore

waters.

radio - room went, the message that was to set in motion the

Now, he decided to try the The men continued to struggle tain. "Is there any more?"

peace-time hlatory "No, no more," said Calamai. same thing with the Andrea greatest sea-rescue operation in

805 DE ICEй, 808 HERE' "Shall I ring the alarm?" agic Doria The shallow оп

waters of the United Sletes the high side of the ship, and ed the younger officer.

were to the norti Although AT 03.30 G.M.T. LAT. 40.30 N, 1.53 W. NEED IMMEDIATE "No, no, we have only half he did not stop to compute the › The ship's two: first officers, Captain Calamai watched the

ABSISTANCE, Luigi Oneto and Carlo Kim, situation from the wing of the the lifeboats," said the captain.

actual distance, he knew that fallowed. Before long the high bridge,

All passengers had supposedly if he could reach shallow water side of the ship was sworming After about five or six minutes been Instructed how to respond or a sandbar, the Darla could

Captain Magagnini, who had to the alarm during the aban- be inexpensively refloated. Two factors were responsible, Eight lifeboats hung there in kicked off his slippers, padded don-ship drill which had been up to the bridge and bell the day after the Doria FIRSTLY, there was the fact a row at the level of the Lido, back

Noples hopelessness of left one below the tridge, reported" that the Stockholtn's bow had Deck,

the rammed into that part of Italian liner

the where, in bottom of the ship, the ship's 10 fuel tanks wore. |

Yet, in fewer thru.. Ave two or minutes after the collision, the under Birds were Waterton's obses- foot

a pump

Andrea Doria was llating more hion. He had a fantastic know- three times a day to ease the

Waterton calculated than 20 degrees. ledge of them. He never travel swelling. led without an aviary.

that if he held his swollen foot would under. Niagara Falls, it

cured much quicker. be that is what he did.

Once, at the end of a trip to Italy, he solemnly bathed him self, then thoroughly lathered a large collection of owls he had with him.

Squire Waterton travelled widely in South America. One day, he made up his mind to become the first man to ride a crocodile. He caught one on a batted rope so that the natives, on the banks, could keep it on the surface, straddled it and, by gripping its forelegs in a sort of Half-Nelson, atcered it to shore.

Blut, then, nothing ever frightened Squire Waterton, He designed a pair of gigantle wings, attached them to his arme, and was preparing is leap from the roof of a stable before friend, after a great deal of argument, managed to falk him out of H.

He had art amazing way with animals. Once, he entered the cage of a dangerous orang- Keepers outeng at the Zoo. hold their breath while Squire and the beast Inspected each other, then fell into friendly embrace.

the

Waterton loved to shock his friends, When he sprained on ankle in North America, he was told by a doctor to hold his

CHESS

So

Because the liner's journey was nearly over, the tanks were: empty. Unlike some ships, her empty tanks were not ballasted with sex water. He safety

by LEONARD BARDEN certicate did not require it,

(Na)

Here is a problem by C. R. B. Sumner (B.C.F., 1950), White to play and mate in two moves. Solution No. 5637; 1 KI-88 chi, Pykt: 2 ̧0-Kté ch, Q- Rt 3 BxP!, Rezipas.

London Areas Service

The Stockholm's bow ruptured the Ave tanks on the starboard side. The dive on the port side were undamaged.

Some 500 tons at water gushed into the damngud tanks, causing the ship to lean over within less than a minute. And port the air-filled undamaged alde tanks rose out of the

SCO

te a balloon,, accentuating the ilst to a point at which water could pour over the top of the bulkheads from one compart- ment to another.

SECONDLY, by a fantastic mlschance, the crash had found the one vulnerable spot in the

The book Collision Course, from which this series is adapted, will be published in Britain by Longmana.

with bont crews.

FOUR, D. JONES

WELL, HERE WIT ARE, THATS YONE MDGNTAIN INE GOING TO GUAME. GET YOUR GENA HER-READY

"KPERT"""YOUNGIN IVEVE GOT TO SHIN UP THAT LOT?

ERMOT EXACTLY) SHIN, UP IT.

FERDINAND

the

OF THE

MY GOSHL

M

But

The captain, with hope in his Captain heart, pushed the left handlo pl

by MADDOCKS

THIS IS FAR ENOUGH

FOR NOW, WE'LL MAKE CAMP IN THAT GAVE AND CONTINUE THE

SEARCH FROM THERE

NEXT WEEK: RESCUE BEGINS::.DRAMA.

IN THE LIFEBOATS-

näen Expieds 'Karetes).

FYEW: GOLDGRN), ITAIN ALL.IN. HONESTLY THE THINGS | LEY MYSELF IN FOR

JUST STICK TO THE SUPE THATS ALL

Sheaffer

FOUNTAIN PÉRE

Never betona Fruotsin pen to express your petesział Lanča in šina jewelry, Navar goma tomar ma lak bosilo...

santa repris cartridge of Skrip writing Bald.

+

VECTED PAPER COUSTA

1

By Mik

Snnouncers prefer

should have sent 11 by Pan American

PER CARGO

BRICK BRADFORD

BRICK REVIVES. ONE ON, THA MEN OF VINES, AND THEN

HEG SHOOTING

AT UB

HOLD IT STUPID3/ "WE'RE TRYING. TO SAVE YOUR

WINSTEADING CUT AGAIN.NE NEEDA MORS CARBON DIOXOF

By Paul Norris

LATS SEE IF WE CAN) GOOD PEA,CABEY/

PAGARH HIM BEFORE YOU GAS HIM UP

ABAIN!

LITE INSPECT THAT

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