There are accounts which suggest the screams started when the ship broke and immediately ceased when the stern went under up to 10 minutes later and very likely anyone who heard the screams after the ship "disappeared" from their view had mistakenly believed the ship had completely sunk when the stern was possibly still floating in the darkness for some time before finally going down as several watches stopped around 2.30am when the stern finally went under and victims entered the water. The explosions were estimated to be between 10 - 20 minutes apart as the stern wrestled to stay afloat.
Frank Prentice was on the stern and felt the ship right herself on a level keel and then rise up and then settle back. He then felt her rise up again and then he slipped off and saw the propellers in the air when he dropped into the sea. His watch stopped at 2.22am and he could see the stern was still afloat when he entered the water. Thomas Dillon was on the stern and felt the stern settle back and actually went down with it. When he reached the surface he saw the stern rise out of the water and go down again.
Q - She had sunk when you came up again?
A - Well, I saw what I thought would be the afterpart of her coming up and going down again, final.
Q - Then she had not sunk?
A - She came up and went down again.
Q - You saw what you thought was the afterpart coming up again?
A - I thought it was the ship coming up again. She came up and went down again, finish.
I believe the stern rose up at least 3 times as it tore away from the bow and settled back, then rose up again and separated completely and settled back again, and then it dipped down again and bobbed up like a cork until it finally went down. It is unknown if the watertight doors were sealed as this would create more buoyancy in the stern. The broken decks above would start to flood and cause the stern to become top heavy and roll over to port. Nobody could scream in the water as survivor Thomas Dillon said the water was so cold they could not yell out. Mr. Hyman said - "The cry was blood curdling and never stopped until the Titanic went down, when it seemed to be sort of choked off. The cry is ringing in my ears now and always will." Edith Rosenbaum heard the yells coming from the ship and thought the people were cheering and when the stern went under she said there was absolute silence. Lady Duff Gordon said "After the Titanic sank I never heard a cry."
Q - You never heard anything?
A - No, not after the Titanic sank.
Q - Did not you hear cries at all?
A - Yes, before she sank; terrible cries.
Q - Before she sank?
A - Yes.
Q - Did you see her sink?
A - I did.
Q - You mean you heard nothing at all after that?
A - My impression was that there was absolute silence.
This tells us that everyone who heard the screams after the ship "disappeared" must have assumed the ship had sunk when the stern was still partially afloat in the darkness.
Boxhall was burning green flares before the Titanic sank. He would almost be blinded by the light he was emitting. He saw the ship's lights go out and then saw nothing else as his own light was hampering his vision of the darkness ahead. He assumed the ship had gone down when it was still afloat and he then heard the screams. He said: "I can not say that I saw her sink. I saw the lights go out, and I looked two or three minutes afterward and it was 25 minutes past 2. So I took it that when she sank would be about 20 minutes after 2." He thought the ship had gone down at 2.20am by the disappearance of her lights and sound of the screams, but I believe the stern was still afloat until 2.30 and when it finally went down the screams stopped and watches stopped in the water.
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