Colonel Archibald Gracie page 7 by ric gustafson
I looked and saw an upturned boat which was half reclining on her bottom. I reached the side of the boat but nobody extended a hand to me. I threw my right leg over the boat to straddle it and somebody grabbed one of my arms. I fell into the bottom of the boat. At least a dozen more swimmers eventually got on board too. All together, 30 men ended up on that bottom up Englehardt boat. As each man got on board, the boat submerged in the water more and more. We could see men splashing in the water all around us. After a while, we refused to take on any more people in fear of the boat capsizing. After a while, I had to turn my head to the screaming and thrashing of people in the water. Those manning the oars carefully avoided those still in the water. Everyone on the boat had to run from one side to another to keep it from sinking. I prayed for deliverance and then somebody suggested that we all say the Lord's Prayer together. So we did. We prayed all night that the sea would stay calm. As it got toward morning, the water got rougher and we had to stand in a column at the bow. All of us suffered from exhaustion and exposure. Some could not last and fell off.
As dawn broke. we noticed something in the distance.
research help: ' Titanic, a survivor's story' by Colonel Archibald Gracie
Peace and God's blessings. Love Ric
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