At 12:35 am on April 15, 1912, the wireless operator and first officer of the Carpathia woke Captain Arthur Rostron with news that the Titanic had struck ice and was sinking. Rostron turned his ship around at once. The Titanic was 58 miles away. He called out extra stokers to make all possible speed, while the crew got doctors, blankets, and hot coffee ready. Through the dark they steamed past icebergs, dodging them as they went. The Carpathia reached the first lifeboat at 4:10 am, about three and a half hours after the call. They were too late for many, but more than 700 people were saved because one captain ran toward danger instead of away.
