Eyewitnesses to the rescue from the sea of the 745 survivors of the wrecked Titanic: Rev. Henry Burke, of Hawley, and Rev. Daniel McCarthy, of Mount Pleasant, tell of this work by the Carpathia on which they were passengers, most in most interestingly.

They were met at the Cunard Pier in New York by a delegation of six priests from Scranton diocese, headed by Rev. John J Curran, of Wilkes-Barre, who had gone to New York specially to greet them. The others were Rev. Dr. J.W. Malone, Rev. Dr. J.J. Loughran, Rev. P.J. Lavalle, Rev. James Gilleogley and Rev. Hawley.

They tell of the rescue, as follows: "The Carpathia was about 90 miles away when the wireless operator picked up the Titanic's message of distress. Immediately the Carpathia changed her course about and made towards the point where the Titanic reported herself to be, the steam being crowded on by doubling the force of firemen and engineers, so as to get into action at the earliest moment possible. Fathers Burke and McCarthy were aroused by their stewards to witness the work of rescue, the Carpathia covering the distance in about four hours. From the moment the first persons were lifted from the first lifeboat until all were picked up from the ocean five hours elapsed, so that some of the survivors were fully nine hours imperilled by the cold and the waves which beat against and over them. The women and children rescued were all in light attire, mostly in their night clothing, and their suffering and agony must have been intense.

While on the way to the rescue those on the Carpathia distinctly heard reverberating over the ocean the sound of the explosions which are believed to have been the boilers of the Titanic going up when the water rushed in on them, and which explosions bloke the great vessel in two and hastened her sinking.

Nothing of the Titanic was visible when the Carpathia got near, only the tossing lifeboats and rafts with the saved from the doomed ship clinging to them."

Fathers Burke and McCarthy gave aid and comfort to the survivors as they were assisted on the Carpathia.