17 岁泰坦尼克号生还者的故事

The RMS Titanic of the White Star Line, largest ship the world had ever known, sailed from Southampton on her maiden voyage to New York, on April 10, 1912. She was built by Messrs. Harland and Wolff, at Belfast. She was a fabricated steel vessel of gigantic dimensions, registered at Liverpool, her gross tonnage was 46,328 tons, her length overall being 882 feet, with a breadth of 92 feet and a depth of 65 feet. The distance from the keel to the top of the funnels was 175 feet.
  1912年4月10日,白星航运的“泰坦尼克”号是世界上已知最大的船只,从南安普敦启航,前往纽约,这是她的处女航,她由哈兰德与沃尔夫造船厂在贝尔法斯特建造。她是在利物浦注册的尺寸巨大的预制钢船,总吨位为46,328吨,总长度为882英尺,宽度为92英尺,深度为65英尺。从龙骨到烟囱顶部的距离为175英尺。
She had a double bottom extending the full length of the ship, with a space five to six feet between the inner and outer plates, and was divided into 16 water-tight compartments, with access to each compartment through water-tight doors. The rudder alone weighed 100 tons. She was driven by three enormous screws, the center one weighing 22 tons, the other two 38 tons each, and was capable of making 23 knots. The last word in luxury, she was thought unsinkable.
  她有延伸到整艘船长度的双层底仓,内板与外板之间有五六英尺的空间,被分成16个水密舱,每个水密舱都通过水密门隔开。泰坦尼克号的舵就重达100吨,由三个巨大的螺旋桨驱动,其中一个重22吨,其它两个重38吨,最高航行速度高达23节,她号称“永不沉没”。
Captain EJ Smith, her commander, commodore of the White Star Line fleet, was on his last round-trip from Southampton, before having to retire on age. In his 38 years of service he had never met with a serious accident. On this trip he had under him a splendid complement of officers and men.
  白星航运舰队的司令官爱德华·约翰·史密斯是泰坦尼克号的船长,这是他最后一次从南安普敦出发,返回后,他就可以退休了。在他服役的38年中,从未遇到过严重事故,在这次旅行中,他领导着许多出色的官兵。
The Titanic had a passenger certificate to carry 3,547 passengers and crew. She carried 16 lifeboats and four Engelhart collapsible boats, all of which had a total carrying capacity of 1,167 persons, or approximately 60 to 65 in each boat. She carried 3,560 life belts or their equivalent.
  泰坦尼克号拥有允许承载3547名乘客与船员的乘客定额证书,她运载了16艘救生艇和4辆恩格尔哈特可折叠救生艇,所有这些救生艇的总载人数为1167人,每艘救生艇大约可容纳60至65人,她携带了3560件,或等量的救生衣。
On this maiden voyage the ship carried a total of 2,208 persons, of whom 1,316 were passengers and 892 crew. There were 332 first-class passengers, 277 second-class passengers and 709 third class passengers. I have in my safe deposit box an original first-class passenger list. It was carried off the ship in the pocket of the overcoat worn by my mother.
  在此次处女航中,这艘船共运载2208人,包括1316名乘客和892名船员。其中,头等舱乘客332人,二等舱乘客277人,三等舱乘客709人。我的保管箱里有一张原始的头等舱乘客名单,它在我母亲穿的大衣口袋里,被我的母亲从船上带了下来。
My father, John B. Thayer, second vice-president of the Pennsylvania Railroad, my mother, Mirian Longstreth Morris Thayer, my mother’s maid, Margaret Fleming, and I were all in one party that sailed first-class from Southampton.
  我和我的父亲约翰·B·泰耶——宾夕法尼亚州铁路公司第二副总裁,我的母亲米里安·朗斯特斯·莫里斯·赛耶以及她的女仆玛格丽特·弗莱明都在头等舱,我们从南安普敦启航。
We had no more than started down the narrow channel, and were commencing to make headway under our own power, when we passed the American Liner USS St. Paul, tied up to the RMS Oceanic which was lying alongside the dock. The suction created by our port propeller, as we made a turn in the narrow channel, broke the strong cables mooring her to the Oceanic causing her stern to swing toward us at a rapid rate. It looked as though there would surely be a collision. Her stern could not have been more than a yard or two from our side. It almost hit us. Luckily, the combined effort of several tugs, which had quickly made fast to her, pulled her stern back.
  我们刚从狭窄的海峡出发,正准备靠自己的力量前进,这时,我们经过停泊在码头旁边的美国圣保罗号客轮,它通过绳索与 R.M.S. 海洋号绑在一起。当我们在狭窄的航道中 转弯时,左舷推进器的吸力破坏了系在 R.M.S. 海洋号上牢固的缆绳,使 R.M.S. 海洋号的船尾迅速地向我们这边摆动,看起来好像肯定会发生碰撞,她的船尾与我们近在咫尺,几乎就要撞到我们。幸运的是,几艘拖船很快就把她的船尾拉了回去。
This narrowly averted collision was considered an ill-omen by all those accustomed to the sea.
  所有习惯于海上航行的人都将这场险些避免的碰撞视为不祥的预兆。
We called at Cherbourg, and from there proceeded to Queenstown. We left Queenstown at 1:30 in the afternoon of Thursday, April 11. The weather was fair and clear, the ship palatial, the food delicious. Almost everyone was counting the days till we would see the Statue of Liberty.
  我们在瑟堡停泊,然后出发去往皇后镇。4月11日下午1点30分,我们离开了皇后镇,天气晴朗无云,这艘船很豪华,食物也非常美味可口,几乎所有人都数着日子,直到看到自由女神像的那天。
I occupied a stateroom adjoining that of my father and mother on the port side of “C” deck; and, needless to say, being 17 years old, I was all over the ship.
  我住在一间和我父母的船舱毗连的头等舱,在“C”层甲板左舷。不用说,那时我17岁,我的好奇心拥抱着整艘船。
Sunday, April 14th, dawned bright and clear. It looked as if we were in for another very pleasant day. I spent most of that day walking around the decks with my mother and father. We had short chats with many of the other promenaders, among whom I particularly remember J. Bruce Ismay, chairman of the board and managing director of the Oceanic Steam Navigation Company, Limited, owners of the White Star Line; Thomas Andrews, one of the ship’s designers and Charles M. Hays, who was President of the Grand Trunk Railway of Canada; with all of whom we spent quite a lot of time.
  4月14日,星期天,破晓后,天气晴朗,万里无云,看来今天又是一个非常愉快的日子。那天大部分时间我都和爸爸妈妈在甲板上散步,我们和其他许多散步的人进行了简短的交谈,其中我特别记得 J. 布鲁斯·伊斯梅,他是海洋蒸汽航行有限公司的董事长和董事总经理,也是白星公司的所有者;托马斯·安德鲁斯是这艘船的设计者之一;查尔斯·m·海斯是加拿大大干线铁路的总裁,我们和他们一起度过了很长时间。
It became noticeably colder as the afternoon wore on. I remember Mr. Ismay showing us a wire regarding the presence of ice and remarking that we would not reach that position until around 9 pm. We went to our staterooms about 6:30 to dress for dinner. My father and mother were invited out to dinner that night, so I dined alone at our regular table.
  随着下午的过去,气温急剧下降。我记得伊斯梅先生给我们看了一份关于存在冰情的电报,并说我们要到晚上9点左右才能到达那里。6点半左右,我们回到各自的头等舱穿衣,准备吃晚饭,那天晚上,我的父母被邀请去吃饭,所以我就一个人在我们常坐的那张桌子旁吃晚饭。
After dinner I was enjoying a cup of coffee, when a man about 28 or 30 years of age drew up, and introduced himself as Milton C. Long, son of Judge Charles M. Long, of Springfield, Massachusetts. He was travelling alone. We talked together for an hour or so. Afterwards I put on an overcoat and took a few turns around the deck.
  晚饭后,我正喝着一杯咖啡,一个大约二十八、三十岁的男子走了过来,自我介绍说,他叫米尔顿·c·朗,是马萨诸塞州斯普林菲尔德的查尔斯·m·朗法官的儿子,他独自旅行。我们在一起聊了一个小时左右。我穿上一件大衣,然后在甲板上转了几圈。
It had become very much colder. It was a brilliant, starry night. There was no moon and I have never seen the stars shine brighter; they appeared to stand right out of the sky, sparkling like cut diamonds. A very light haze, hardly noticeable, hung low over the water. I have spent much time on the ocean, yet I have never seen the sea smoother than it was that night; it was like a mill pond, and just as innocent looking, as the great ship quietly rippled through it.
  天气变得更冷了,那是个星光灿烂的夜晚,没有月亮,我从未见过这样的夜晚。天空中的星星就像切割过的钻石一样,闪闪发光。水面上笼罩着一片极轻的薄雾,几乎看不出来。我经常坐船渡海,然而,我从未见过比那天晚上更平静的大海;它就像一个小池塘,当大船静静地驶过时,它看起来依然还是那样的平静,没有一丝波澜。
I went onto the boat deck — it was deserted and lonely. The wind whistled through the stays, and blackish smoke poured out of the three forward funnels; the fourth funnel was a dummy for ventilation purposes. It was the kind of a night that made one feel glad to be alive.
  我走到甲板上,上面空无一人,只有我一个人。风从烟囱里呼啸而过,前面三个烟囱里冒出黑烟,第四个烟囱是通气用的假烟囱。
About 11 I went below to my stateroom. After a short conversation with my father and mother, and saying good night to them, I stepped into my room to put on pajamas expecting to have another delightful night’s rest like the four preceding.
  大约十一点左右,我下楼回到我的头等舱,我和爸爸妈妈简短地聊了几句,并向他们道了晚安,然后走进自己的房间,换上睡衣,希望能像前四次那样,再梦中,度过一个愉快的夜晚。
The ship was so large and extensive that all I can tell about the tragedy is only a small part of all that actually occurred. I will try to recount all that I actually saw or heard, or heard from others and afterwards verified.
  这艘船是如此的巨大,我所能告诉你的只是这场悲剧中所有实际发生的事情中的一小部分。我将试着叙述所有我实际看到或听到的,或从别人那里听到的并在后来被证实的。
We were steaming along a 22 or 23 knots, not reducing speed at all, in spite of the many warnings of the presence of ice, which had come in from other ships during the afternoon and evening.
  我们正在以每小时22到23结的速度航行,丝毫没有减速,尽管下午和晚上的时候我们收到了从其他许多船只传来的冰情警告。
  We were out for a record run.
I had called “Good night” to my father and mother in the next room. In order to get plenty of air, I had half opened the port, and the breeze was coming through with a quiet humming whistle.
  我向隔壁房间的爸爸妈妈说了声“晚安”。为了获得充足的空气,我把舷窗打开了一半,微风伴着低吟的汽笛声吹了进来。
There was the steady rhythmic pulsation of the engines and screws, the feel and heaving of which becomes second nature to one, after a few hours at sea. It was a fine night for sleeping, and with the day’s air and exercise, I was sleepy.
  在海上航行了几个小时之后,感觉机器和螺旋桨稳定的脉动和起伏成了人的第二天性。这是一个适合睡觉的美好夜晚,有了白天的航行和运动,我想要睡觉了。
I wound my watch — it was 11:45 pm — and was just about to step into bed when I seemed to sway slightly. I immediately realized that the ship had veered to port as though she had been gently pushed. If I had had brimful glass of water in my hand, not a drop would have been spilled, the shock was so slight.
  我给手表上了链——当时是晚上11点45分——当我正要上床睡觉时,我的身体似乎微微摇晃了一下。我立刻意识到船已转向左舷,好像是被轻轻推了一下。我受到的冲击是如此轻微,如果我手里拿着满满一杯水,一滴也不会溅出来。
Almost instantaneously the engines stopped.
  几乎就在瞬间,引擎停住了。
The sudden quiet was startling and disturbing. Like the subdued quiet in a sleeping car, at a stop, after a continuous run. Not a sound except the breeze whistling through the half-open port. Then there was the distant noise of running feet and muffled voices, as several people hurried through the passageway. Very shortly the engines started up again — slowly — not with the bright vibration to which we were accustomed, but as though they were tired. After very few revolutions they again stopped.
  突然的寂静令人吃惊和不安,就像卧铺车厢里那种压抑的安静,在停车时,它连续行驶后停止了。除了微风吹过半开着的舷窗外,什么声音也没有。接着是远处传来的脚步声和朦胧的说话声,几个人匆匆穿过过道,不久,引擎又重新启动了——很慢很慢——不是像我们所习惯的那样发出有力的震动,而是好像它们已经疲劳了,几次旋转之后,他们又停止了。
I hurried into my heavy overcoat and drew on my slippers. All excited, but not thinking anything serious had occurred, I called in to my father and mother that “I was going up on deck to see the fun.” Father said he would put on his clothes and come right up and join me. It was bitterly cold.
  我匆忙穿上厚大衣和拖鞋,我很兴奋,但并没有想到发生了什么严重的事情,我跟爸爸和妈妈说“我要到甲板上去看热闹。”父亲说他会穿上衣服,马上过来和我在一起。天气冷得厉害。
I walked around the deck looking over the side from time to time. As far as I could see, there was nothing to be seen, except something scattered on the well deck forward, which I afterwards learned was ice. There was no sign of any large iceberg.
  我在甲板上走来走去,不时地看看船的侧面。在我所能看到的范围内,除了前面的井围甲板上散落着一些东西,什么也看不见,后来我才知道那是冰,没有任何大冰山的迹象。
Only two or three people were on deck when I arrived, but many rapidly gathered. My father joined me very soon. He and I moved around the deck trying to discover what had happened and finally found one of the crew who told us we had hit an iceberg, which he tried to point out to us, as possibly our eyes were not accustomed to the dark after coming out of the lighted ship.
  我到达时,甲板上只有两三个人,但很快就聚集了许多人。我父亲很快就和我在一起,他和我在甲板上走来走去,想弄清楚到底发生了什么事,最后我们找到了一个船员,他告诉我们说已经撞上了冰山,他试图向我们指出,因为他们的视线从船上的灯光出来以后,可能还不习惯黑暗。
The ship took on a very slight list to starboard. We did not know it at the moment, but we learned afterward that the iceberg had ripped open probably four of her larger forward compartments on the starboard side; and also that if we had only hit the ice head on, instead of making too late an attempt to avoid it, the ship would in all probability have survived the collision.
  这艘船向右舷微微倾斜,我们当时并不知道,但后来我们才知道,冰山可能把她右舷前部的四个较大的水密舱撕裂了;而且,如果我们只是迎头撞上了冰山,而不是进行太迟的躲避,船很可能会在碰撞中幸存下来。
About 15 minutes after the collision, she developed a list to port and was distinctly down by the head.
  碰撞后大约15分钟,她向左舷倾斜了,头部明显朝下。
Here we were 800 miles out from New York, off the Grand Banks, our position latitude 41 degrees, 46 minutes north, longitude 50 degrees, 14 minutes west. No one yet thought of any serious trouble. The ship was unsinkable.
  我们现在距离纽约八百海里,纽芬兰的大浅滩外,我们的方位是北纬41度46分,西经50度14分。还没有人想到有什么严重的麻烦,因为这是一艘“永不沉没”的船。
It was now shortly after midnight. My father and I came in from the cold deck to the hallway or lounge. There were quite a few people standing around questioning each other in a dazed kind of way. No one seemed to know what next to do.
  现在刚过午夜不久,我和父亲从冰冷的甲板上走到走廊或休息室。周围站着好几个人,茫然地互相问着发生了什么,似乎没有人知道下一步该做什么。
We saw, as they passed, Mr. Ismay, Mr. Andrews and some of the ship’s officers. Mr. Andrews told us he did not give the ship much over an hour to live. We could hardly believe it, and yet if he said so, it must be true. No one was better qualified to know.
  当他们经过时,我们看到伊斯梅先生、安德鲁斯先生和船上的一些高级船员。安德鲁斯先生告诉我们,他预计这艘船“只能活一个小时”。我们简直不敢相信,但如果他这么说,那一定是真的,没有人更有资格知道了。
I was still just dressed in pajamas and overcoat. At about 12:15 am. the stewards passed the word around for every one to get fully clothed and put on life preservers, which were in each stateroom. We went below right away and found my mother and her maid fully dressed. I hurried into my clothes — a warm greenish tweed suit and vest with another mohair vest underneath my coat. We all tied on life preservers, which were really large, thick cork vests. On top of these we put our overcoats.
  我还是穿着睡衣和大衣。大约凌晨12点15分,船员们开始要求每个人都穿上衣服和救生衣,救生衣就在每个头等舱里。我们立刻下了楼,发现母亲和她的女仆都穿好了。我赶紧穿上我的衣服——一件温暖的绿色粗花呢套装和背心,外套下面还有一件马海毛背心。我们都系上了救生衣,那是非常大而厚的软木背心,我们把大衣穿在上面。
We then hurried up to the lounge on “A” deck, which was now crowded with people, some standing, some hurrying, some pushing out onto the deck. My friend Milton Long came by at the time and asked if he could stay with us. There was a great deal of noise. The band was playing lively tunes without apparently receiving much attention from the worried moving audience.
  然后,我们匆匆来到“A”层甲板上的休息室,那里现在挤满了人,有的站着,有的很匆忙,有的挤在甲板上。我的朋友弥尔顿·朗当时来了,他问我们他是否能和我们在一起。周围有很多噪声,乐队演奏着欢快的曲子,显然没有引起忧心忡忡的观众的注意。
We all went out onto “A” deck, trying to find where we were supposed to go. They were then uncovering the boats and making preparations to swing them out. Everything was fairly orderly, and the crew at least seemed to know what they were doing.
  我们都走到“A”层甲板上,试图找到我们应该去的地方。他们把小艇解开,准备把它们荡出去。一切都很有秩序,至少船员们似乎知道他们在做什么。
It was now about 12:45 am. The noise was terrific. The deep vibrating roar of the exhaust steam blowing off through the safety valves was deafening, in addition to which they had commenced to send up rockets. There was more and more action. After standing there for some minutes, talking above the din, trying to determine what we should do next, we finally decided to go back into the crowded hallway where it was warm.
  现在大约是凌晨12点45分,噪音太可怕了,从蒸汽安全阀喷出的废气发出了强烈的震动和咆哮声,除此之外,他们还开始发射信号弹,并采取了越来越多的行动。我们在那里站了几分钟,在嘈杂声中交谈,试图决定下一步该做什么,我们最终决定回到温暖拥挤的走廊。
Shortly we heard the stewards passing the word around “all women to the port side.” We then said good-bye to my mother at the head of the stairs on “A” deck and she and the maid went out onto the port side of that deck, supposedly to get into a lifeboat. Father and I went out on the starboard side, watching what was going on about us. It seemed we were always waiting for orders and no orders ever came. No one knew his boat position, as no lifeboat drill had been held. The men had not yet commenced to lower any of the forward starboard lifeboats, of which there were four. The noise kept up. The deck seemed to be well lighted.
  不久,我们听到船员们传话“所有的女士,请到左舷。”然后,我们在“A”层甲板的楼梯口向母亲道别,她和她的女仆来到甲板左舷那边,推测是要登上救生艇。父亲和我走到右舷,注视着我们周围发生的一切。我们似乎总是在等待命令,但从未有命令。因为没有举行过逃生演习,所以没有人知道他的救生艇的位置。人们还没有开始放下右舷前侧的救生艇,那有四艘。噪音还在继续,甲板上似乎灯火辉煌。
People like ourselves were just standing around, out of the way. The stokers, dining-room stewards, and some others of the crew were lined up, waiting for orders. The second- and third-class passengers were pouring up onto the deck from the stern, augmenting the already large crowd.
  像我们这样的人只是站在一边,不碍事。火工、餐厅服务员和其他一些船员都排好了队,等待命令。二等舱和三等舱的乘客从船尾涌上甲板,让本已拥挤的人群变得更加拥挤了。
Finally we thought we had better inquire whether or not mother had been able to get a boat. We went into the hall and happened to meet the chief dining-room steward. He told us that he had just seen my mother, and that she had not yet been put into a boat. We found her, and were told that they were loading the forward boats on the port side from the deck below. The ship had a substantial list to port, which made quite a space between the side of the ship and the life boats, swinging out over the water, so the crew stretched folded steamer chairs across the space, over which the people were helped into the boats. We proceeded to the deck below. Father, mother and the maid went ahead of Long and myself.
  最后,我们想我们最好问问母亲是否得到了一艘救生艇,我们走进大厅,碰巧遇见了首席餐厅服务员。他告诉我们,他刚刚看到了我的母亲,她还没有被放到救生艇上。我们找到了她,并被告知他们正在下面的甲板上,从左舷装载救生艇。这艘船显著地向左舷倾斜,在船舷和救生艇之间留出了相当大的空间,在水面上摇摆着,所以船员们把折叠着的轮船椅伸展到整个空间,在那里,人们被扶上救生艇。我们走到下面的甲板上,父亲、母亲和女仆走在我和朗的前面。
The lounge on “B” deck was filled with a milling crowd, and as we went through the doorway out onto the deck, people pushed between my father and mother and Long and me. Long and I could not catch up and were entirely separated from them. I never saw my Father again.
  “B”层甲板上的休息室里挤满了人群,当我们穿过通往甲板的门口时,人们在我和朗、我和我的父母之间挤来挤去,我和朗追不上他们,和他们走散了,我再也没见过我父亲。
We looked for them, following along to where the port boats were being loaded, but could see nothing of either father or mother. Fully believing that they had both been successful in getting into a boat, Long and I went back through the lounge to the starboard side, thinking of what we should do, and not looking further for my father at all.
  我们寻找着他们,顺着他们一直走到左舷登船的地方,但是没有看到我的父母,我和朗完全相信他们俩都上了船,便穿过客厅向右舷那边走去,想了想该怎么办,也就不再寻找父亲了。
It must now have been about 1:25 am. The ship was way down by the head with water entirely covering her bow. She gradually came out of her list to port, and if anything, had a slight list to starboard. The crew had commenced to load and lower the forward starboard boats. These could hold over 60 people, but the officers were afraid to load them to capacity, while suspended by falls, bow and stern, 60 feet over the water. They might have buckled or broken from the falls.
  现在应该是凌晨1点25分左右,船向船头下沉,海水完全覆盖了船首。她逐渐地向左舷倾斜,如果有什么区别的话,也只是稍微地向右舷倾斜。船员们开始往右舷装载并放下救生艇。这些救生艇可以容纳60多人,高级船员们不敢让救生艇装满,因为担心它们被从水面60英尺的高度放下时,在船首和船尾悬挂的情况下无法承受最大的容量而断掉或损坏。
The stern lifeboats, four on the port and four on the starboard side, had already left the ship. One of the first boats to leave carried only 12 people, Sir Cosmo and Lady Duff Gordon, and 10 others. Most of the boats were loaded with about 40 to 45, with the exception of the last few to go, which were loaded to full capacity.
  船尾的八艘救生艇,四艘在左舷,四艘在右舷,已经离开了船。第一艘离开的救生艇中只装载了12人,包括科斯莫爵士和达夫·戈登夫人,以及另外10人。除了最后几艘满载的救生艇,大多数救生艇只装载了大约40到45个人。
One could see the boats that had already left the ship, standing off about five or six hundred yards.
  人们可以看到那些已经离开大船的救生艇,大约距离五六百码远。
Apparently there was only one light, about which most of them congregated. They were plainly visible and looked very safe on that calm sea.
  显然只有一处光亮,大多数人都聚集在那里。他们清晰可见,在那平静的海面上看起来很安全。
On deck, the exhaust steam was still roaring. The lights were still strong. The band, wiOn deck, the exhaust steam was still roaring. The lights were still strong. The band, with life preservers on, was still playing. The crowd was fairly orderly. Our own situation was too pressing, the scene too kaleidoscopic for me to retain any detailed picture of individual behavior.th life preservers on, was still playing. The crowd was fairly orderly. Our own situation was too pressing, the scene too kaleidoscopic for me to retain any detailed picture of individual behavior.
  甲板上,释放的蒸汽还在咆哮,灯光依然很亮,穿着救生衣的乐队在演奏,人群相当有序。我们自己的情况太紧迫,场面太千变万化,我无法记住任何个人行为的详细细节。
I did see one man come through the door out onto the deck with a full bottle of Gordon’s gin. He put it to his mouth and practically drained it. If ever I get out of this alive, I thought, there is one man I will never see again.
  我看到一个人从门口出来,拿着满满一瓶戈登的杜松子酒来到甲板上,他把它放进嘴里,几乎把它喝干了。我想,如果我能活着离开这里,我就再也见不到那个人了。
He apparently fought his way into one of the last two boats, for he was one of the first men I recognized upon reaching the deck of the RMS Carpathia. Someone told me afterwards that he was a state senator or congressman from Virginia or West Virginia.
  他显然奋力挤进了最后两艘救生艇中的一艘,因为他是我到达卡帕非亚号甲板上第一批认出来的人之一。后来有人告诉我,他是弗吉尼亚州或西弗吉尼亚州的州参议员或国会议员。
There was some disturbance in loading the last two forward starboard boats. A large crowd of men was pressing to get into them. No women were around as far as I could see. I saw Ismay, who had been assisting in the loading of the last boat, push his way into it. It was really every man for himself.
  在装载右舷的最后两艘救生艇时出了点骚动,一大群人挤着要进去,我看到周围没有女人。我看见一直在帮助装载最后一艘船的伊斯梅挤了进去,实际上,每个人都为自己着想。
Many of the crew and men from the stokehold were lined up, with apparently not a thought of attempting to get into a boat without orders. Purser H.W. McElroy, as brave and as fine a man as ever lived, was standing up in the next to last boat, loading it. Two men, I think they were dining-room stewards, dropped into the boat from the deck above. As they jumped, he fired twice into the air. I do not believe they were hit, but they were quickly thrown out. McElroy did not take a boat and was not saved. I should say that all this took place on “A” deck, just under the boat deck.
  锅炉舱里的许多船员都排好了队,显然不想要在没有得到命令的情况下登上救生艇。事务长 h·w·麦克尔罗伊是个勇敢而又高尚的人,他站在最后一艘救生艇上,装载它。有两个人,我想他们是餐厅的服务员,从甲板上跳到救生艇上,当他们跳的时候,罗伊向空中开了两枪,我不相信他们被击中了,但他们很快就被扔出了救生艇,麦克尔罗伊没有乘上救生艇,也没有获救。我应该说,这一切都发生在“A”层甲板上,就在小艇甲板下面。
Long and I debated whether or not we should fight our way into one of the last two boats. We could almost see the ship slowly going down by the head. There was so much confusion, we did not think they would reach the water right side up and decided not to attempt it. I do not know what I thought could happen, but we had not given up hope.
  我和朗讨论了我们是否应该争取到最后两艘救生艇中的一艘,我们几乎可以看到这艘船正朝着船头缓缓下沉。这里有太多的混乱,我们不认为他们能够正确到达水面,我们决定不尝试登上救生艇。我不知道会发生什么,但我们没有放弃希望。
We leaned over the side to watch the next to last boat being lowered. It was terrible. Apparently, for some seconds, there was no one above directing the lowering of the bow and stern falls so that she might be held level. The bow was lowered so fast that the people were almost dumped out into the water. I think, if Long and I, and others, had not yelled up — “Hold the bow,” they all would have been spilled out. Finally, in a few minutes, she reached the water safely.
  我们靠在船舷上,看着倒数第二艘救生艇下水,这个过程相当可怕。显然,在那几秒钟内,没有人指挥船头和船尾的放下,以便让她保持水平。船头放得那么快,人们几乎都被抛到水里去了。我想,如果我和朗,还有其他人没有大喊一声:“握住船头!”他们都会被抛到水里,几分钟后,她最终安全地到了水里。
It must now have been about 1:50 am., and, as far as we knew, the last boat had gone. We were not aware of the fact that Second Officer Charles Herbert Lightoller and some of the crew were working desperately on top of one of the deck houses to free and launch one of the four Engelhart collapsible lifeboats. These boats had strong wooden bottoms with sides which could be raised, and all around the hull ran a canvas-covered cork fender with a curved surface.
  现在应该是凌晨1点50分左右,据我们所知,最后一艘救生艇已经开走了。我们没有注意到,二副查尔斯·赫伯特·莱托勒和一些船员正在顶层甲板上拼命地工作,要解开并将四艘恩格尔哈特折叠式救生艇中的一艘放下水。这些救生艇有坚固的木制船底,以及可以升起的船舷,在船身的四周,还环绕着一个表面弯曲、覆盖着帆布的软木挡板。
I argued with Long about our chances. I wanted to jump out and catch the empty lifeboat falls, which were swinging free all the way to the water’s edge, with the idea of sliding down and swimming out to the partially filled boats lying off in the distance, for I could swim well. In this way we would be away from the crowd, and away from the suction of the ship when she finally went down.
  我和朗争论着我们的机会,我想跳出去,抓住放下去的空救生艇,它们自由地摇摆着,一直荡到水边,我想滑下去,游到远处那几艘半满的救生艇上,因为我擅长游泳,这样我们就可以远离人群,以及船下沉时的吸力。
We were still 50 or 60 feet above the water. We could not just jump, for we might hit wreckage or a steamer chair and be knocked unconscious. He argued against it and dissuaded me from doing so. Thank heaven he did. The temperature of the water was 28 degrees Fahrenheit. Four degrees below freezing.
  我们离水面还有五六十英尺,我们现在不能跳下去,因为我们可能撞到残骸或汽船椅上,被撞得失去知觉。他反对并劝阻我这样做,谢天谢地,他做到了。水的温度是零下四度。
We then went up a sheltered stairway onto the starboard side of the boat deck. There were crowds of people up there. They all seemed to keep as far as possible from the ship’s rail. We stood there talking from about 2 am on. We sent messages through each other to our families. At times we were just thoughtful and quiet, but the noise around us did not stop.
  然后我们爬上一个遮蔽着的楼梯,来到船甲板的右舷,那里有很多人,看起来,人群中的人们似乎都在尽量远离船舷。从大约凌晨两点开始,我们就站在那里交谈,我们通过彼此,给我们的家人传递信息。有时,我们只是沉思和安静,但我们周围的噪音并没有停止。
So many thoughts passed so quickly through my mind! I thought of all the good times I had had, and of all the future pleasures I would never enjoy; of my father and mother; of my sisters and brother. I looked at myself as though from some far-off place. I sincerely pitied myself. It seemed so unnecessary, but we still had a chance, if only we could keep away from the crowd and the suction of the sinking ship.
  许许多多的想法在我的脑海里转瞬即逝!我想到了所有我曾经拥有的美好时光,以及所有我永远也享受不到的未来的快乐。我的父母;我的姐妹和兄弟。我仿佛从遥远的地方看着自己,我真切地同情自己。这似乎是多余的,我们还有机会,只要我们能远离人群和船下沉时的吸力。
I only wish I had kept on looking for my father. I should have realized that he would not have taken a boat, leaving me behind. I afterwards heard from my friend, Richard Norris Williams, the tennis player, that his father and mine were standing in a group consisting of Mr. George D. Widener and his son Harry, together with some others. They were close in under the second funnel, which was very near to where Long and I were.
  我真希望我一直在寻找我的父亲,我相信,他不会把我留在船上,自己登上救生艇。后来,我从我的朋友,网球运动员理查德·诺里斯·威廉姆斯那里听说,他的父亲和我的父亲站在一群人当中,其中包括乔治·d·威德纳先生和他的儿子哈里,还有其他一些人,他们就在第二个烟囱下面,离我和朗所在的地方很近。
It was now about 2:15 am. We could see the water creeping up the deck, as the ship was going down by the head at a pretty fast rate. The water was right up to the bridge. There must have been over 60 feet of it on top of the bow. As the water gained headway along the deck, the crowd gradually moved with it, always pushing toward the floating stern and keeping in from the rail of the ship as far as they could.
  现在大约是凌晨2点15分,我们看到水逐渐漫过甲板,因为船头正以相当快的速度下沉,海水一直流向舰桥,船首的顶部一定有60英尺高。随着海水在甲板上逐渐蔓延,人群也逐渐跟着水势移动,他们总是挤向浮在水面上的船尾,尽量远离船舷。
We were a mass of hopeless, dazed humanity, attempting, as the Almighty and Nature made us, to keep our final breath until the last possible moment. The roaring of the exhaust steam suddenly stopped, making a great quietness, in spite of many mixed noises of hurrying human effort and anguish. As I recall it, the lights were still on, even then. There seemed to be quite a ruddy glare, but it was a murky light, with distant people and objects vaguely outlined.
  我们是一群绝望、茫然的人,像万能的上帝和大自然所造的那样,试图保持着最后一口气,直到可能的最后一刻。蒸汽的咆哮声突然停止了,变得非常安静,尽管混杂着许多人挣扎和痛苦的噪音。我记得,即使在那时,灯还是开着的,那里似乎有一股红光,但那是模糊的光,只能勾勒出远处的人和物体的轮廓。
The stars were brilliant and the water oily. Occasionally there had been a muffled thud or deadened explosion within the ship. Now, without warning, she seemed to start forward, moving forward and into the water at an angle of about 15 degrees. This movement, with the water rushing up toward us was accompanied by a rumbling roar, mixed with more muffled explosions.
  星光非常灿烂,海水像油面一样。船上偶尔发出沉闷的撞击声和爆炸声。现在,没有任何征兆,随着水涌向我们,伴随着隆隆的轰鸣声,夹杂着更多沉闷的爆炸声,她以大约15度的角度向前沉入水中。
It was like standing under a steel railway bridge while an express train passes overhead, mingled with the noise of a pressed steel factory and wholesale breakage of china.
  就像站在一座铁路桥下,一列特快列车从头顶驶过,夹杂着大量钢铁被压垮和大量瓷器破碎的声音。
Long and I had been standing by the starboard rail, about abreast of the second funnel. Our main thought was to keep away from the crowd and the suction. At the rail we were entirely free of the crowd. We had previously decided to jump into the water before she actually went down, so that we might swim some distance away, and avoid what we thought would be terrific suction. Still we did not wish to jump before the place where we were standing would be only a few yards over the water, for we might be injured and not be able to swim.
  我和朗沿着右舷的栏杆站着,大约在第二个烟囱的旁边。我们的主要想法是远离人群和吸力。在栏杆旁边,我们完全摆脱了人群。我们之前就决定在她完全下沉之前跳进水里,这样我们就可以游得远一些,远离并且避开船下沉时可怕的吸力。但我们还是不愿意跳到离水面只有几码远的地方,因为我们可能会受伤,这将使我们不能游泳。
We had no time to think now, only to act. We shook hands, wished each other luck. I said, “Go ahead, I’ll be right with you.” I threw my overcoat off as he climbed over the rail, sliding down facing the ship. Ten seconds later I sat on the rail. I faced out, and with a push of my arms and hands, jumped into the water as far out from the ship as I could. When we jumped we were only 12 or 15 feet above the water.
  我们现在没有时间思考,必须采取行动。我们互相握了手,互祝好运。我说:“去吧,我马上就来。”他爬过栏杆,面向着船往下滑,我把大一扔了下去。十秒钟后,我坐在栏杆上。我把脸探出水面,用胳膊和手使劲一推,尽可能地跳进了离船最远的水里,当我们跳的时候,我们离水面只有12到15英尺。
I never saw Long again. His body was later recovered. I am afraid that the few seconds elapsing between our going, meant the difference between being sucked into the deck below, as I believe he was, or pushed out by the backwash. I was pushed out and then sucked down.
  我再也没见过朗,后来,他的遗体被找到了。我想,在我们出发的时间间隔里,他是被吸进下面的甲板里,还是被逆流挤出去了?我被推出去,然后被吸了下去。
The cold was terrific. The shock of the water took the breath out of my lungs. Down and down I went, spinning in all directions. Swimming as hard as I could in the direction which I thought to be away from the ship, I finally came up with my lungs bursting, but not having taken any water. The ship was in front of me, 40 yards away. How long I had been swimming under water, I don’t know. Perhaps a minute or less. Incidentally, my watch stopped at 2:22 am.
  天气冷得可怕,水的冲击使我喘不过气来。我不停的往下,朝着各个方向旋转着。我竭尽全力朝着我认为远离船的方向游去,最后,我的肺破裂了,但没有吸入海水。船就在我前面40码远的地方。我不知道我在水下游了多久,也许一分钟或更少。顺便说一句,我的手表在凌晨2点22分停止了。
The ship seemed to be surrounded with a glare and stood out of the night as though she were on fire. I watched her. I don’t know why I didn’t keep swimming away. Fascinated, I seemed tied to the spot. Already I was tired out with the cold and struggling, although the life preserver held my head and shoulders above the water.
  这艘船就像被一道炫目的光包围着,矗立在黑夜中,她好像着火了。我看着她,我不知道我为什么没有一直游开她,我被迷住了,似乎被绑在了原地。尽管救生衣帮助我的头和肩膀露出水面,可是我已经被寒冷和挣扎弄得筋疲力尽了。
She continued to make the same forward progress as when I left her. The water was over the base of the first funnel. The mass of people on board were surging back, always back toward the floating stern. The rumble and roar continued, with even louder distinct wrenchings and tearings of boilers and engines from their beds.
  她继续向前并且下沉,就像我离开她时一样。海水漫过了第一个烟囱的底部,船上的人总是朝着漂浮的船尾往后退。轰隆声和咆哮声还在继续,底仓传来锅炉和引擎更响亮的扭转和撕扯声。
Suddenly the whole superstructure of the ship appeared to split, well forward to midship, and blow or buckle upwards. The second funnel, large enough for two automobiles to pass through abreast, seemed to be lifted off, emitting a cloud of sparks. It looked as if it would fall on top of me. It missed me by only 20 or 30 feet. The suction of it drew me down and down, struggling and swimming, practically spent.
  突然,船的整个上层结构似乎裂开了,从船头一直裂开到船的中间,然后向上吹,或者弯曲。第二个烟囱大得足以让两辆汽车并排通过,它似乎被举起了,喷出一团火花。它距离我只有二三十英尺,看起来好像就要落在我身上。它的吸力把我拉了又拉,我挣扎着,游泳着,几乎精疲力竭。
As I finally came to the surface I put my hand over my head, in order to push away any obstruction. My hand came against something smooth and firm with rounded shape. I looked up and realized that it was the cork fender of one of the collapsible lifeboats, which was floating in the water bottom-side up. About four or five men were clinging to her bottom. I pulled myself up as far as I could, almost exhausted, but could not get my legs up. I asked them to give me a hand up, which they readily did.
  当我终于浮出水面时,我把手放在我的头上,以便推开任何障碍物。我的手碰到了一个光滑、结实的圆形物体。我抬头一看,发现是一艘可折叠救生艇的软木护舷,它正底部朝上漂浮在水面上。大约有四五个人紧贴她的底部。我竭尽全力地往上爬,几乎累得筋疲力尽,但我的腿还是站不起来。我请他们拉我一把,他们欣然答应了。
Sitting on my haunches and holding on for dear life, I was again facing the Titanic.
  我坐了下来,拼命地抓住一切,再次面对着泰坦尼克号。
It seemed as though hours had passed since I left the ship; yet it was probably not more than four minutes, if that long. There was the gigantic mass, about 50 or 60 yards away. The forward motion had stopped. She was pivoting on a point just abaft of midship. Her stern was gradually rising into the air, seemingly in no hurry, just slowly and deliberately. The last funnel was about on the surface of the water. It was the dummy funnel, and I do not believe it fell.
  自从我离开这艘大船以来,似乎已经过去了好几个小时,然而,最长也只过了四分钟。在大约 50 或 60 码远的地方有一个庞然大物。向前的移动停止了。她在船中央的一个点上旋转。她的尾部逐渐升到空中,看起来并不着急,只是慢慢地、故意地。最后一个烟囱大约在水面上,它是一个假烟囱,我不认为它会掉下来。
Her deck was turned slightly toward us. We could see groups of the almost 1,500 people still aboard, clinging in clusters or bunches, like swarming bees; only to fall in masses, pairs or singly, as the great after part of the ship, 250 feet of it, rose into the sky, till it reached a 65- or 70-degree angle.
  她的甲板微微朝我们这边倾斜。我们看到还有一千五百人仍在船上,像蜂群那样紧紧的聚集成一团。巨大无比的船尾耸立著,有 250 英尺高,直入云霄。与水面呈 65 到 70 度角,这时,人们开始大量成群或单个地落入水中。
Here it seemed to pause, and just hung, for what felt like minutes. Gradually she turned her deck away from us, as though to hide from our sight the awful spectacle.
  她似乎停了下来,只是悬着,似乎持续了好几分钟。她慢慢地把甲板从我们这边移开,仿佛要把这可怕的景象掩藏起来,不让我们看见。
We had an oar on our overturned boat. In spite of several men working it, amid our cries and prayers, we were being gradually sucked in toward the great pivoting mass. I looked upwards — we were right underneath the three enormous propellers.
  我们所在的翻倒的救生艇上有一只桨,尽管有几个人在工作,在我们哭喊和祈祷中,我们逐渐被朝着旋转体的方向吸引,我往上看,三根巨大的烟囱就在我们的正上方。
For an instant, I thought they were sure to come right down on top of us. Then, with the deadened noise of the bursting of her last few gallant bulkheads, she slid quietly away from us into the sea.
  有那么一瞬间,我以为它们一定会落到我们头上。然后,伴随最后几面兼顾的舱壁爆裂时发出的闷响,她悄悄地从我们身边滑进了海里。
There was no final apparent suction, and practically no wreckage that we could see.
  最终,没有明显的吸力,海面上也几乎没有我们能看到的残骸。
I don’t remember all the wild talk and calls that were going on on our boat, but there was one concerted sigh or sob as she went from view.
  我不记得我们船上那些疯狂的交谈和叫唤,但当她从我们的视线中消失时,人们发出了一致的叹息或啜泣。
Probably a minute passed with almost dead silence and quiet. Then an individual call for help, from here, from there; gradually swelling into a composite volume of one long continuous wailing chant, from the 1,500 in the water all around us. It sounded like locusts on a midsummer night, in the woods in Pennsylvania.
  大概有一分钟是在死一般的寂静中过去的,然后有人从这里,从那里呼救,声音逐渐增大,来自周围海水中1500个人的哀嚎声,合成了一个连续而长时间的合成体。这声音听起来像是宾夕法尼亚州的树林里仲夏夜的蝗虫。
This terrible continuing cry lasted for 20 or 30 minutes, gradually dying away, as one after another could no longer withstand the cold and exposure. Practically no one was drowned, as no water was found in the lungs of those later recovered. Everyone had on a life preserver.
  这种可怕的哭声持续了20到30分钟,渐渐地消失了,因为一个接一个的人再也不能忍受暴露于寒冷之中而死去。实际上没有人淹死,因为后来没有从遇难者的肺里发现水,每个人都有一个救生圈。
The partially filled lifeboats standing by, only a few hundred yards away, never came back. Why on earth they did not come back is a mystery.
  几百码远的地方停着几艘没有完全满员的救生艇,它们再也没有回来,他们究竟为什么没有回来是一个谜。
How could any human being fail to heed those cries? They were afraid the boats would be swamped by people in the water.
  怎么可能没有人注意到这些哭声呢?他们担心救生艇会被水里的人占满。
The most heartrending part of the whole tragedy was the failure, right after the Titanic sank, of those boats which were only partially loaded, to pick up the poor souls in the water. There they were, only four or five hundred yards away, listening to the cries, and still they did not come back. If they had turned back, several hundred more would have been saved. No one can explain it. It was not satisfactorily explained in any investigation. It was just one of the many “Acts of God” running through the whole disaster.
  整个悲剧中最令人痛心的是,就在泰坦尼克号沉没后不久,那些仅仅部分满员的救生艇没能把水中可怜的人们救上来,他们就在四五百码开外的地方,听着哭声,无动于衷,如果他们往回走,就能多救几百人。没有人能解释这是为什么,这在任何调查中都没有得到令人满意的解释,这只是贯穿整个灾难的众多“天灾”之一。
During this time, more and more were trying to get aboard the bottom of our overturned boat. We helped them on until we were packed like sardines. Then out of self-preservation, we had to turn some away. There were finally twenty-eight of us altogether on board. We were very low in the water. The water had roughened up slightly and was occasionally washing over us. The stars still shone brilliantly.
  在这段时间里,越来越多的人试图爬上我们这条翻倒的救生艇的底部,我们一直帮助他们,直到我们被拥挤得团团糊糊。然后出于自我保护,我们不得不拒绝了一些人。最后,船上总共有二十八个人。我们距离海水很近。海水稍有起伏,不时冲刷着我们。。星星依然闪耀着灿烂的光芒。
We were standing, sitting, kneeling, lying, in all conceivable positions, in order to get a small hold on the half-inch overlap of the boat’s planking, which was the only means of keeping ourselves from sliding off the slippery surface into that icy water.
  我们有的站着,有的坐着,有的跪着,有的躺着,想尽办法待在所有可能的位置,只为了在船板上获得半英寸的浮力,这是我们避免摔进冰水中的唯一办法。
I was kneeling. A man was kneeling on my legs with his hands on my shoulders, and in turn somebody was on him. Once we obtained our original position we could not move. The assistant wireless man, Harold Bride, was lying across in front of me, with his legs in the water and his feet jammed against the cork fender, which was about two feet under water.
  我跪着,一个男人也跪在我的腿上,双手搭在我肩膀上,有人也搭在他身上。一旦找到可以坚持住的位置后,我们就无法移动了。助理电报员哈罗德·布莱德躺在我面前,他的双脚卡在水里的软木护舷上,大概在水下2英尺。
We prayed and sang hymns. A great many of the men seemed to know each other intimately. Questions and answers were called around — who was on board, and who was lost, or what they had been seen doing? One call that came around was, “Is the chief aboard? ” Whether they meant Mr. Wilde, the chief officer, or the chief engineer, or Capt. Smith, I do not know. I do know that one of the circular life rings from the bridge was there when we got off in the morning. It may be that Capt. Smith was on board with us for a while. Nobody knew where the “Chief ” was.
  我们祈祷着,唱着赞美诗。许多人似乎彼此非常熟悉。周围都在询问和回答——谁在船上,谁失踪了,或者有人看到他们在做什么?其中有一个问题是:“长官在船上吗?”我不知道他们是指魏尔德先生、大副、轮机长还是史密斯船长。我只知道,我们离开大船时,一个救生圈还在舰桥上,史密斯船长可能和我们一起在船上呆了一段时间。没有人知道“长官”在哪里。
About 20 of our whole group were stokers. How they ever withstood the icy temperature after the heat they were accustomed to, is extraordinary, but there was no case of illness resulting.
  我们当中大约有20个火工,他们是如何在习惯了的高温之后经受住冰冷的考验,这是不同寻常的,但却没有导致生病。
They surely were a grimy, wiry, dishevelled, hard-looking lot. Under the surface they were brave human beings, with generous and charitable hearts.
  他们确实是一群肮脏、精瘦、蓬头垢面、相貌冷酷的人。外表之下,他们是勇敢的人,有着慷慨、仁慈的心。
Second Officer Lightoller, I discovered in the morning, was on board. He and some of the crew were trying to launch this boat before the Titanic sank. They were unsuccessful, but she floated off the deck covered with people, all of whom were shortly after washed off. Lightoller himself was washed off and sucked up against one of the ventilator grills. He had a terrific struggle but finally again was able to reach the boat.
  第二天早上我发现二副莱托勒在甲板上,他和一些船员试图在泰坦尼克号沉没前把这艘救生艇放下水,他们没有成功,但她从甲板上被冲走了,甲板上满是人,很快,所有人都被冲走了。莱托勒自己也被冲走了,被吸在通风机的格栅上,经过一番可怕的挣扎,他终于来到了救生艇上。
In August 1914, just as war declared, I sailed on the RMS Oceanic, from New York, to play cricket in and around London, on a Merion Cricket Club team. Lightoller was either chief officer or first officer of the Oceanic, I am not certain which. We again went over our experiences and checked our ideas of just what had happened. We agreed on almost everything, with the exception of the splitting or bending of the ship. He did not think it broke at all.
  1914 年 8 月,第一次世界大战刚刚打响。我从纽约乘坐 R.M.S. 海洋号去伦敦,在伦敦室内及附近的梅里恩板球俱乐部打板球。莱托勒不是 R.M.S. 海洋号的大副就是一副,我不确定。我们再次回顾了我们的经历,并核对了我们对所发生的事情的想法。我们在几乎所有事情上有着相同的见解,除了船的断裂或弯曲,他并不认为船坏掉了。
Only four of us were passengers: Col. Archibald Gracie, Washington, DC; A.H. Barkworth, East Riding, Yorkshire, England; W.J. Mellers, Chelsea, London, England; and myself.
  我们只有四个人是乘客:阿奇博尔德·格雷西上校,来自华盛顿特区、巴克沃斯,来自英格兰约克郡东赖丁、威廉·j·米勒斯,来自英国伦敦切尔西,还有我自己。
Harold Bride helped greatly to keep our hopes up. He told us repeatedly which ships had answered his “CQD” (at that time the Morse Code for help), and just how soon we might expect to sight them. He said time and time again, in answer to despairing doubters, “The Carpathia is coming up as fast as she can. I gave her our position. There is no mistake. We should see her lights at about 4 or a little after.”
  哈罗德·布莱德大大地帮助我们保持希望,他反复告诉我们,哪些船响应了他的“CQD”求救电码,以及我们多久才能看到它们。他一次又一次地告诉绝望的怀疑者们:“卡帕非亚号正在以最快的速度赶来。我给了她我们的正确位置,我们应该会在4点或稍晚一点看到她的灯光。”
During all this time nobody dared to move, for we did not know at what moment our perilous support might over-turn, throwing us all into the sea. The buoyant air was gradually leaking from under the boat, lowering us further and further into the water.
  在这段时间里,谁也不敢动,因为我们不知道救生艇什么时候会翻倒,把我们全部扔进大海。船底的浮力逐渐减弱,使我们越来越沉入水中。
Sure enough, shortly before 4 o’clock we saw the mast head light of the Carpathia come over the horizon and creep toward us. We gave a thankful cheer. She came up slowly, oh so slowly. Indeed she seemed to wait without getting any nearer. We thought hours and hours dragged by as she stood off in the distance. We had been trying all night to hail our other lifeboats. They did not hear us or would not answer. We knew they had plenty of room to take us aboard, if we could only make them realize our predicament.
  果然,快到四点的时候,我们看见卡帕西亚号的桅顶灯出现在地平线上,向我们徐行而来。我们发出了感谢的欢呼。她慢慢驶来,哦,真慢。实际上,她似乎在等待,却没有靠近我们。她站在远处,我们以为时间一小时一小时地过去了。我们整夜都在努力呼叫其他的救生艇,他们不听我们的,也不愿回答。我们知道,只要我们能使他们意识到我们的困境,他们就有足够的空间带我们上船。
The Carpathia, waiting for a little more light, was slowly coming up on the boats and was picking them up. With the dawn breaking, we could see them being hoisted from the water. For us, afraid we might overturn any minute, the suspense was terrible.
  卡帕非亚号等待着天更亮一点,慢慢地靠近救生艇,然后把它们拉上来,破晓时分,我们就看到他们从水里被吊起来。对我们来说,担心救生艇随时可能倾覆,悬念是可怕的。
The long hoped-for dawn actually broke, and with it a breeze came up, making our raft rock more and more. The air under us escaped at a more rapid rate, lowering us still further into the water. We had visions of sinking before the help so near at hand could reach us.
  终于到了期待已久的破晓十分,微风徐徐吹来,我们的救生艇越来越颠簸。我们下面的空气以更快的速度漏出,让我们进一步沉入水中。在如此近距离的救援到达我们之前,我们就有了下沉的幻觉。
With daylight we could see what we were doing and took courage to move, stretch and untangle ourselves.
  天亮了,我们可以看到自己在做什么,并鼓起勇气移动、伸展和解开自己。
One by one, those on top of the freezing group stood up, until all of us who could stand were on our feet, with the exception of poor Bride, who could not bear his weight on his, but could only pull his feet and legs slightly out of the water. The waves washed over the upturned bottom more and more, as we sank lower and the water became rougher. To keep our buoyancy, we tried to offset the roll by leaning all together first to one side and then to the other.
  一个接一个,冻僵了的人站了起来,直到我们所有能站起来的人都站了起来,只有可怜的布莱德例外,她不能承受自己的重量,只能把脚和腿稍微从水里拉出来。随着我们越往下沉,水面变得越来越波涛汹涌,海浪越来越多地冲刷着向上翘起的船底。为了保持浮力,我们试着通过先向一边倾斜再向另一边倾斜来抵消摇晃。
About 6:30, after continued and desperate calling, we attracted the attention of the other lifeboats. Two of them finally realized the position we were in and drew toward us. Lightoller had found his whistle, and more because of it than our hoarse shouts, their attention was attracted.
  大约六点半左右,在继续绝望地呼叫之后,我们引起了其他救生艇的注意。其中两艘终于察觉到我们的位置,朝我们划过来。更重要的是,莱托勒找到了他的哨子,正是因为有了它,而不是我们嘶哑的喊声,才吸引了他们的注意。
It took them ages to cover the three or four hundred yards between us. As they approached, we could see that so few men were in them that some of the oars were being pulled by women. In neither of them was much room for extra passengers, for they were two of the very few boats to be loaded to near capacity. The first took off half of us.
  他们花了很长时间才走完了我们之间三四百码的距离,当他们靠近时,我们看到里面几乎没有男人,一些船桨是由女人划着的。两艘救生艇都没有多余的空间来容纳额外的乘客,因为他们是几艘为数不多的快要装满的船中的两艘,第一艘带走了我们一半的人。
My Mother was in this boat, having rowed most of the night. She says she thought she recognized me. I did not see her. The other boat took aboard the rest of us. We had to lift Harold Bride. He was in a bad way and, I think, would have slipped off the bottom of our overturned boat, if several of us had not held onto him for the last half-hour.
  我妈妈在这条船上,她已经划了大半夜了,她说她以为认出我来了,我没有看见她。另一条船载着我们其余的人,我们得扶起哈罗德·布莱德,他的情况很糟,我想,要不是我们中间有几个人在最后半小时里一直扶着他,他可能会从翻倒的救生艇的船底上滑下去。
It was just about this time that the edge of the sun came above the horizon. Then, to feel its glowing warmth, which we had never expected to see again, was something never to be forgotten.
  就在这个时候,太阳的边缘露出了地平线。那时,去感受那不曾期望再见到的炽热的温暖,是一件永远不会被忘记的事情。
Even through my numbness I began to realize that I was saved — that I would live.
  即使在我麻木的时候,我也开始意识到我得救了——我会活下去的。

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