A Standard New York cablegram, dated New York, Tuesday, says:-

"The most appalling disaster in Mercantile Marine history has resulted, so far as can at present be ascertained, in the death of 1,252 souls and the rescue of 868. All the latter are on board the Carpathia, slowly making her way towards New York, through the same glacial sea of drifting ice which sent the Titanic to destruction.

"The Virginia and Parisian have announced definitely by wireless that they have no survivors on board, destroying the faint hope that the awful death list might be lessened.

"The Titanic drifted thirty-four miles after striking the iceberg and before she foundered.

"The Leyland liner Californian is continuing the search over a radius reaching out beyond this path for any possible raft or lifeboat still on the surface, but it is admitted that there is hardly a chance of the quest proving fruitful.

"A terrific thunderstorm which raged over Nova Scotia yesterday evening moved seaward in the direction of the Titanic disaster to-day, and would seem to have destroyed any chance that an imiprovised raft may be buoying up a few final survivors.

"The Carpathia's wireless apparatus is sending slowly the names of survivors. Of 201 first cabin passengers thus far accounted for, 132 are women, 63 men and six children. Of 114 second-class, 88 are women, 16 men, and 10 children.

"The constant use of the wireless to send the names of the living prevents the transmission of any details of the catastrophe. All that is known is that Neptune thrust an icy hand beneath the waters, and crushed the mighty Titanic as if to scorn her name.

"How death came suddenly out of the chilling fog, how the frightened passengers gathered amid the useless luxury of the palatial liner, strapping lifebelts on one another; how the fearful cry, 'Women and children to the boats,' rang out as distress rockets tried to blaze a gleam of light through the overhanging pall; who here the heroes, who - if any - were the cowards when confronted with this swift ending of their human hopes; how the democracy of death made all men equal; how the Anglo-Saxon spirit sprang forth and lifted the lowliest immigrant woman in her weakness above the millionaire when the most crucial of all earthly tests came - these are things that the wireless has not yet had an opportunity to tell, and, may be, the world must wait until the Carpathia, with her pitiful consignment of widows and orphans, arrives to relate the story by word of mouth.

"She arrives in New York on Thursday evening or Friday morning, preferring to take the longer course to the southern haven rather than attempt to gain the nearer Canadian port, and risk an encounter with that northern ice which sent the Titanic to her grave.

"New York was stunned this morning when she awoke to the realisation that yesterday's wireless messages were all untrue, and that the real facts of the Titanic's fate had been suppressed. It is understood that the White Star officials first realised the awful extent of the disaster at two p.m. yesterday, but held back the news, hoping against hope, until late at night, when they were driven by the final passage of all doubt to announce the appalling death-roll.

"By the time the White Star offices opened in Lower Broadway this morning the front of the Shipping Trust's building was blocked with people, many weeping hysterically, inquiring for more news than was contained in the slow-arriving list of survivors. Police reserves were summoned, but had not the heart to drive away the pitiful, struggling crowds of relatives, who refused to disperse while a chance remained that the names they vainly looked for would appear in the next list received. Rich and poor mingled their grief as sober-faced clerks behind the counter gave negative answers to their passionate inquiries.

"The land wireless stations having lost touch with the Carpathia, the Government has ordered the cruiser Salem, which is one of the most powerful wireless ships in the United States Navy, having a radius of a thousand miles, to proceed from Hampton Roads to convoy the Carpathia in and act as a relay ship for handling messages."

Very little could be added on Thursday to the reliable information already published regarding the disaster. What little news there was was bad. On Wednesday night the White Star Line in London received the following cable from their New York offices:-"The Carpathia is now in communication with Saisconset, and reports 705 survivors aboard." It is very difficult indeed to explain away the fact that this message points to a reduction of the previous official figure of 868 survivors. Throughout Wednesday the figure 705 persistently cropped up in New York advices, and although optimists still pinned their faith to the previous day's messages, and explained that 'survivors' perhaps did not include members of the crew, there was nevertheless a feeling that the death-roll might prove to be 163 heavier than even the terrible telegrams of Monday evening had indicated.