There were at the time 715 persons on board, including about 30 officers
and men of the Army. Some of these were sick and two soldiers were
totally paralyzed.
The alarm was immediately sounded and everyone went to his proper
station which had been designated at previous drills. There was not the
slightest confusion and the crew and passengers waited for and acted on
orders from the commanding officer with a coolness which was truly
inspiring.
[Sidenote: No confusion in leaving ship.]
Inspections were made below decks and it was found that the ship was
rapidly filling with water, both forward and aft, and that there was
little likelihood that she would remain afloat. The boats were lowered
and the life rafts were placed in the water and about 15 minutes after
the ship was struck all hands except the guns' crews were ordered to
abandon the ship.
[Sidenote: Saving the sick and wounded.]
It had been previously planned that in order to avoid the losses which
have occurred in such instances by filling the boats at the davits
before lowering them, that only one officer and five men would get into
the boats before lowering and that everyone else would get into the
water and get on the life rafts and then be picked up by the boats, this
being entirely feasible, as everyone was provided with an efficient
life-saving jacket. One exception was made to this plan, however, in
that one boat was filled with the sick before being lowered and it was
in this boat that the paralyzed soldiers were saved without difficulty.
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