INTRODUCTION.

Let the joy bells ring and the bands play loud !
Hoist the flags to the top of the mast !
For the world has decided the laurels must go
To the shipbuilders of Belfast.
For there they constructed a mighty ship,
With dimensions great and grand,
To plough through the main with her human freight
As steady as if on land.

When this great ship glided off from to ways,
With a plunge, sending waves far and wide;
Neptune was angry, and said, "I'll revenge
When I get you in deeper tide."
But her makers said she's unsinkable,
While excitement and cheers ran high ;
But this soon died down like a powder flash,
And echo made no reply.

o o o o o o

'Twas on the tenth day of April,
The year nineteen-one-two,
The "Titanic" left Southampton
For New York with her crew;
Two thousand three-and-forty souls
She bore away on board,
Both rich and poor, and lettered men
Who in journalism scored.

Loud cheers went ringing from the land
On leaving port that day,
While compliments were waved back,
The band did sweetly play.
The land folks seemed to envy them,
Still keeping up their gaze
Until the ship went out of sight
Enshrouded in the Haze.

The passengers now felt themselves
Shut up to their own sport,
Which each according to his class
Did gleefully resort;
For this great ship was in herself
A world in miniature,
Where each might bid dull care depart,
Feel happy and secure.

And thus the time went gliding in,
Until the Sunday came,
When passing icebergs did attract
Them like another game;
Those interesting floating rocks,
Which so attracted all,
Were but the forebodings of death,
To terror and appal.

Before the night had far advanced
A grinding noise was heard,
The captain knew all was not well -
He felt the ship was marred.
He called the engines to a halt,
And sent to view the wrong,
And, lo! the ship far down below
Was ripped for yards along.

The thirty-seven men below -
The engineering staff -
Now wrought with every might and main,
Upon the ship's behalf ;
They tried to stem, and pump, and pack
The still inrushing tide,
And when the ship took her last plunge
They all as heroes died.

The wireless operating lad
Was told to ready be,
The Captain said, "Send S.O.S.,
We're sinking now I see."
Meantime, some men were playing cards
As though all things were well ;
While some had asked why they had stopped,
But few could truly tell.

"All hands on deck with lifebelts on,"
The captain loudly cried;
"Swing off the boats and women first,
Men must on deck abide."
Death's terror struck all hands on board,
They spoke with bated breath,
For well they knew the boats were short,
And many must meet death.

Then women from their husbands' sides
Were hauled their lives to save,
While some clung on out of sheer love,
And found a watery grave.
The children were like chattels then,
They must submit to go,
The scenes were indescribable
God only knows the woe.

Some worthy, good, and kindly deeds
Were done that awful night,
Where men gave up their lives to save
The women in their plight.
Jack_Phillips¹, too, played well his part,
Of honours give him most,
For hurrying on the saving ships,
Dared death still at his post.

The world has lost some worthy men,
Now numbered with the dead,
Among them, prince of journalists,
Brave William_Thomas_Stead¹.
He helped the women to the boats
Though for himself no room,
He knew like many hundreds more
He must go to his doom.

The Captain, too, did his part well,
Nor would from duty budge,
Until the ship was going down
Did he jump off the bridge.
And when he in the water saw
A little child afloat,
He shouldered it as best he could
And reached it to a boat.

They then reached out to pull him in
But he refused to go,
"Where's Murdoch¹, the first mate?" he said,
"For I would like to know."
On hearing he had shot himself
No safety would he crave,
But dropped a hero and a man into the sailor's grave.

Now all who could were in the boats,
And still kept circling round
To gaze with awe on the last scene
Which did the world astound.
There they beheld an awful sight -
The rudder high in air,
While sixteen hundred souls cried out
With horror and despair.

Some lost their reason in the boats
On seeing such a sight
In the cold mid Atlantic waves
That fatal Sunday night.
And there she plunged into the depths
'Midst cries, and none to save ;
Oh! " ring the curtain, ring it down,"
She's in her two miles' grave.

Shall we now say that all those souls
Are gone down into hell ?
No, if they trusted Christ that night,
With Him they'll ever dwell.
The jailer cried for to be saved
When just about to die,
"Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ,
You're saved," was Paul's reply.

And now what will the remnant do,
They are not fully saved,
Life to them scarce is worth the name
For most have been bereaved.
But, lo! they have not long to wait,
"Carpathia" did its work,
With joy they're lifted up on board
And landed in New York.
Now that "Titanic's" dead and gone
The burial service hold,
Let us a certain scripture read
While funeral bells are tolled;
Let Solomon, the great wise king,
Unto Lord_Pirrie¹ say,
"There's nothing here unsinkable,
For all is vanity."

T.D.