The bow of the Titanic was now well below the water, yet her lights still shone brightly - as if in defiance of the inevitable. Many of the steerage passengers had retreated to the seeming safety of the stern, while those in second and first-class stayed on the boat deck.

Jack Phillips, the Titanic's wireless operator, realized that the Titanic would not last much longer. He had just looked around the ship and seen that the forward well deck was awash and that things looked 'queer'. He returned to the wireless room where he had left Harold Bride in charge and suggested that they both put on their lifejackets.

Sometime later Captain Smith arrived. "Men, you have done your full duty. You can do no more. Abandon your cabin," he said. Phillips and Bride made no effort to move, however. "You look out for yourselves," the captain continued. " I release you. That's the way of it at this kind of time. Every man for himself."

After Smith had left, Phillips returned to his work, determined to stay at his post until the last possible moment. Bride left for a moment to retrieve some valuables from his sleeping quarters and upon his return he found a stoker quietly trying to lift Phillip's lifejacket (which lay behind him). Bride immediately grabbed the man and Phillip jumped up to assist him.

Soon Bride managed to get a hold of the man and Phillip's swung at him until he collapsed to the floor. Phillips picked up his lifejacket and told Bride that they had better leave. They both climbed up onto the roof of the officers' quarters and Bride went to help free collapsible B.

Those working on releasing collapsible A had used several oars leaning against the boat deck so that they could slide the boat down to the boat deck. However, as they pushed the boat the oars broke at it crashed to the boat deck, upright.

Meanwhile, on the port side of the ship, collapsible B came crashing down upside down onto the boat deck. There was no time, however, to flip it back up. Water began pouring onto the bridge and those standing beside the collapsible clambered onto it as it was washed out to sea.

A crowd of people began pouring out of the first-class entrance but, at the sight of the rapidly advancing water, turned and attempted to run towards the stern. However, they found their way blocked by the railing that separated the first-class and engineers' promenade areas.

As the stern rose into the air there was heard a tremendous crashing sound. The forward funnel of the ship, with a great tearing of metal, suddenly came crashing down toward the bow of the ship. Some were crushed while those on the overturned collapsible B were swept off by the huge wave the falling funnel had created.

The ship was now at such an extreme angle that many of those still aboard began to slide off into the water. The lights of the ship, which had remained lit for so long, suddenly winked once and then went out, plunging the ocean into an eerie darkness. Those in lifeboats far away from the Titanic could only make it out as a dark outline against the starry sky.

There was tremendous noise from inside the ship as its contents crashed and broke. Bruce Ismay, who was aboard collapsible, couldn't bear the sight of his ship sinking and turned away. Ruth Baker in boat no.13 could hear screaming and watched in horror as people jumped from the ship.

Suddenly there was another, different sound. The ship, between the third and fourth funnels, began to split apart. As the bow of the ship broke off and slipped beneath the surface of the ocean, the stern settled back, almost to an even keel. This was momentary, however, and as it quickly filled with water the stern rose quickly into the air until it was almost perpendicular to the water.

Horribly, there was still hundreds of people clinging for the lives to the highest parts of the stern section. Many survivors later said that the stern section of the ship remained vertical and motionless for up to several minutes before it plunged, picking up speed as it did so, into the sea.

Chief Baker Charles, who was standing on the very stern, said that he felt as if he were riding an elevator. As the ship went under he stepped off into the water without even getting his head wet.

Four final sounds, like gunshots, were heard just as the Titanic's stern disappeared under the water. "She's gone, lads," a crewman in boat No.3 said.

The tiny lifeboats, the only remainder of a great ship, lay scattered now on an empty ocean.

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Copyright ©1996 Gary Arnold