The Sinking of the “Vestris”

The Sinking of the 'Vestris" By David H. Huish IT REQUIRES but 1 i 1 1 1 e time to make fast friends of people, heretofore unac- quainted, if they are drawn to- gether by a common purpose. This was the case with Elder Keith W. Burt and myself. We met at the Mission Home in Salt Lake City, and inasmuch as we had been assigned to the same field, the South American mis- sion, a deep friendship was in- stantly formed. As days passed, this feeling ripened into a sin- cere love, at least on my part, and I think Elder Burt felt the same way. We traveled together from Salt Lake City to New York, by way of Denver, Chicago and Washington, D. C, and spent two and a half days looking over our nation's greatest city, and boarded the S. S. Vestris about 2 p. m. on Saturday, November 10, and immedi- ately saw to it that our trunks and baggage were taken to our room. The ship left Hoboken at 3:45 p. m. and traveled down the Hudson river to the ocean. Everybody ate supper that night, although some of us didn't feel like eating much. Elder Burt and I went up to our room after supper, wrote our diaries to date, and also wrote letters and some postal cards to our loved ones at home — which never reached their destination. Then we had our prayers and went to bed. The boat was rocking quite a bit, taking us back to our cradle days, and soon we feel asleep. Sunday morning we awoke, had our prayers, and were a little hesitant about getting off our beds for fear of becoming sea- Elder David H. Huish

186 IMPROVEMENT ERA sick. I went to the dining room and tried to take breakfast but could eat only a grapefruit. I noticed a solemn look on the kitchen steward's face and perspiration on his forehead, although it seemed cool to me. The ship was rocking badly and it was a hard thing to make the dishes stay in place. I was obliged to leave the table, was dizzy and became seasick — the only time on the ship. On going back to our room I found that Elder Burt had been sick while I was gone, and he was ill several times during the day. The ship listed and rocked considerably, so we stayed on our beds and slept practically all day Sunday, our main reason being not so much sleepiness as fear of seasickness. We remained in bed all that night, but did not sleep much. It was a hard matter for me to stay on the bed, due to the list and rocking of the ship. We had stopped moving forward about noon Sunday and heard the men bailing and the pumps pumping out water. The captain had sent out an S. O. S. that morning but cancelled jt because he thought he could handle the situation. We knew nothing about the trouble as it was our first trip out at sea, and all the sailors said everything would be all right. I sang some songs and played a few tunes on my har- monica. Elder Burt had a saxaphone along with him. He took it out and tried to play a few pieces but found that it had a few keys out of commission. So ended the Sabbath on the S. S. Vestris. Early Monday morning we arose and went down for some breakfast. It was almost impossible to stand up in the halls, and we had to cling to the railing in order to walk. On arriving there, we found people strung around on the floor, sick and worn out. I asked where the steward was, and a man replied, "They're all down in the coal bunkers bailing out water. Wouldn't you rather go without your breakfast than lose your life?" This was the first time we felt any alarm at our prospect, and Elder Burt remarked, "This is getting to be a serious matter; something is dreadfully wrong." We didn't get any breakfast, so we went up to the parlor and sat for a while and listened to some conversation, which was interesting but not very encouraging, about the S. O. S. being sent out and cancelled, about the ship not moving forward, and the terrible manner in which it listed. We went back to our room and waited, lying flat on our backs to avoid sickness. The ship was tipped so much that it was hardly possible to stay on the bed, in spite of the railing. We had had our prayers both Sunday night and also that morning, so all we could do was hope and trust in the Lord. About 11:00 a. m. (ship time) we heard a noise in the hall, and I got up to see what it was all about. There were some colored passengers on the ship and one colored woman gasped when she saw me, "For heaven's sake, boy, get out of your room, this ship is

SINKING OF THE "VESTRIS" 187 going to sink." I asked the sailor helping her if we should take our life belts, and he said, "Oh, I guess you'd better take one along for safety, but I don't think you will need it." So we pulled down life belts and started to leave the room, Elder Burt remarked, "We'd better take our money and passports." I said, "We might not need them any more." He replied, "Oh, yes we will." Then we got them and started for the top deck. It took us quite a while to get there; sometimes we couldn't climb the slant of the ship and once I slipped and was thrown against a chair the other side of the room and broke the chair into pieces. We finally reached the deck and had to lean against the wall or hold to the railing of the ship in order to stand up. Even ropes were used to help people from the stairways to the railing. We watched them lower the life boats, which they did with much difficulty, because they had to pry the boats away from the side of the ship, due to the list. It took them about two hours to lower the boats. I asked an officer, standing near, if there was any danger and he said, "No, the ship could go on like this for a week probably." It sounded like a fairy tale to me and I asked him why they were lowering the life boats, and he answered, "Just a matter of precaution." Almost all the passengers were attaching their life belts. Elder Burt and I had ours on over our overcoats. About 2:00 p. m. there came a call for all the women and children to go on the first life boats, which were loaded with a few sailors and let down on the other side of the vessel, which was almost level with the water. After this we started to load our boats, got them all loaded and two of them cut loose and away. Elder Burt and I were sitting side by side in No. 4 boat, which never was loosened from the ship, as the vessel started to sink fast. A crowd of people started to run for our boat and got on it, but immediately we saw it was still tied to the ship, so we all had to jump out and take to the water. Elder Burt was a little ahead of me and I believe he got into the water, but I was still on the side of the ship when it went down and a big wave came, along with the suction of the ship, and took me under. While in the water I caught hold of a panel, the bottom of a life boat or something, and came up. I looked for Elder Burt but I never saw him again. I floated on a 2 x 12 plank for a few minutes and pretty soon a life boat, No. 14, came somewhat close and I swam over to it and was helped in the boat. We picked up about twelve more people — 19 in all. I looked constantly in the water and into theother life boats for Elder Burt, but he was not to be seen. The waves soon drove us from the wreck: we had no rudder and only three oars, so we were helpless in picking up any more people. The water was warm at first, but towards evening it became

188 IMPROVEMENT ERA cold and I never shook so much through fear of facing the public as I did during that night from cold. We drifted all night, without any flares or torpedoes. Two or three storms came up, one hail storm. By morning the waves were very high and we did not know at any time whether we would be swallowed up or not. About 11:00 p. m. at night came our first hope, when we saw a flash- light. The ship came nearer and about 4:00 a. m. they picked up one life boat. From then until 8:00 a. m., we drifted and were finally picked up by the American Shipper — the last of the five boats that this ship picked up. We had been trying all the time to get their attention with a flash-light and with our shouts, but to no avail until after dawn. They gave us something to eat on the ship, and a place to get warm and to dry our clothes. They searched for more survivors as long as there was any hope and then set sail for New York, and arrived here about 9:00 a. m. We were treated well on the ship, but slept on blankets on the hard floor and were glad to get that. Brothers Steed and West met me at the pier and brought me to the mission home in Brooklyn, bought me clothes, and I'm waiting now for further instructions. Elder Burt has never been heard of; but we acknowledge that God can over-rule all things for good. I am very grateful for my own life, but am very sorry for the loss of my beloved companion. Rareness in Design Don't count your troubles unless you would increase them many per cent. Trample them under your feet, mix them with the leaf-mold of understanding. Don't repeat your troubles. Let them slip away like a leaf in a current; they will soon drift into the forgotten past. Don't brood over your troubles. Let them pass like ghostly steps on a dim-lighted stair; they will leave no mark, stain, nor echo. Don't remember your troubles. Let them fly as swiftly and silently as a weaver's thread; view them safely, perchance they were sent to break the rapid flow of self-conceit's river. Don't review your troubles, the years wing swiftly. Take your petty cares and annoyances gracefully; they are absolutely necessary to make life's fair pattern rarer in design than it possibly could be if skies were always blue and cloudless. 'San Diego, California DOROTHY C. R.ETSLOFF "Religion gives man courage. I mean the higher moral courage which can look danger in the face unawed and undismayed; the courage that can en- counter loss of ease, of wealth, of friends, of your own good name; the courage that can face a world full of howling and of scorn — aye, of loathing and of hate; can see all this with a smile, and, suffering it all, can still toil on, con- scious of the result, yet fearless still." — Theodore Parker.