I was sitting in the smoking room with my friends when we heard a grinding sound which caused the ship to tremble . . . Engines seemed to stop. Walking out on deck, through the smoking rooms' veranda, deck A, the first person I saw was Mr. T. Stead and I asked him what he had seen. He said "an iceberg had ground against the starboard side" I went forward and noticed the forecastle filled with pieces of ice which had fallen from the friction of the ship against the iceberg.
The forecastle made a heavy list to the starboard. I was there found by several friends and we went up to the boat deck and heard the order given to put on our life belts. We returned to our cabins and put them on and went up again on deck. Again, I noticed that the band was playing a waltz tune. Soon afterwards we went to see the boats lowered. The escaping steam making a deafening sound, women and children were put into the boats first. When most of the boats had left the ship, she began to list forward. By this time I had decided that the only thing to do for saving my life was to (indecipherable) ...with my two best friends, I climbed up on the boat deck railing and dropped about thirty feet into the sea. I had on a fur coat with the life belt strapped on the outside. When I came up, I swam for all I was worth to get away from the sinking ship.
Coming across a floating plank, I rested upon it. Looking over my shoulder I saw the Titanic disappear with a volley of loud reports so I swam slowly around and came luckily up on an overturned lifeboat. I climbed up on this at this time. The screams of the drowning was most terrible. Several more people climbed up the stern of our boat, which was now full.
We 'competed' to keep everyone else from gathering upon. We drifted until daybreak when we sighted the Carpathia about five miles off. Shortly after we got near to the Titanic lifeboat which rescued us from our perilous position. With daylight, a strong breeze arose which threatened to submerge us. When we were rescued the water was up over our knees. We had two dead men on our stern, one of which fell off. The other one was taken aboard the Carpathia and was afterwards buried. When taken aboard, we were treated most kindly.
Dr. A Barkworth, Yorkshire, England.
Dictated to Mr. Francis because his hands were frozen. On medical stationery of Dr. Blackmarr. Confirmed on Collapsible B by "Unsinkable" which also mentioned his fur coat making him look like "some waterlogged sheepdog"
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