Thrilling Experience of Oscar Hedman
Almost the Last Man to Leave Sinking Ship
Saved by Gallantry to Ladies

To the awful scenes enacted upon the deck of the great ocean liner Titanic when she struck upon an iceberg and sank, there was one eye-witness from Bowman, who was a passenger upon the ill-fated vessel.

Oscar Hedman, a farmer, having a homestead about two miles south of Scranton, was returning from a trip to his parents' home in Sweden, and booked passage upon this great ocean leviathan as she started upon her maiden trip across the deep.

Mr. Hedman, who is expected to be in Bowman before the close of the week, will have a thrilling tale to tell upon his arrival. His experience was such that the balance of his life will not serve to blot it from his memory.

When the ship crashed into the iceberg, he like most of the other passengers had retired for the night. Jumping from his bunk he hastily dressed and rushed upon the deck only to find everything in confusion.

The captain had given the order for the lowering of the boats and the women were being loaded into them as fast as possible.

It was solely owing to his gallantry in assisting the ladies to embark that his life was spared.

He had picked a number of them up and placed them in the boat when one of the sailors whose place it was to help manage the craft, fell overboard into the water, and the officer who was superintending the work told Hedman to jump in and take his place, an order with which he gladly complied.

The boat in which he found himself was the last one to put off from the ship and he was almost the last passenger to embark before the ocean monster took the plunge that left her two miles beneath the surface.

Mr. Hedman says that before the boat had got far away from the Titanic, the wrecked vessel was blown to pieces by an explosion which reminded him of what occurs in a hopper on his farm.

There was great suffering from the cold among the passengers of the little boat before the Carpathian [sic] sighted them and took them aboard.

Mr. Hedman has lived in this vicinity for five to six years. For a long time he was associated with J. P. Rodgers and last summer was a partner with Obert Olsen in the land business. He resided at the Carter Hotel for about two years.

He is known among his friends as "Happy" Hedman, and the pleasure that he feels in being fortunate enough to escape the fate of nearly 1500 souls who perished in the wreck, will in no way detract from his reputation along this line. The CITIZEN congratulates Mr. Hedman upon his fortunate escape and upon his return to this part of the state.