"They kept it up until the very end. Only the engulfing ocean had power to drown them into silence."

“The final dive of the ship, as the bow lay submerged and the stern rose out of the water, was truly horrendous for all who witnessed it.”

“In the whole history of the sea, there is little to equal the wonderful behavior of these humble players.”

“The story of their gallantry came to epitomize a spirit of courage, duty and self-sacrifice.”

““They were brave and splendid, all the men. They died like brave men.”

“In the last moments of the great ship’s doom, when all was plainly lost, when braver and hardier men might almost have been excused for doing practically anything to save themselves, they stood responsive to their conductor’s baton and played a recessional tune.”

““I shall never forget the sight of that beautiful boat as she went down, the orchestra playing to the last, the lights burning until they were extinguished by the waves. It sounds so unreal, like a scene on the stage.”