In April 1912, Mrs. Frances Hurd Stadler’s parents, Carlos, a reporter for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and Katherine Hurd, embarked on a European vacation aboard the Cunard liner Carpathia. Their journey was pleasant but uneventful until the morning of Monday, April 15, when the Hurds awoke to discover that their ship was standing still. A stewardess informed them that the Titanic had struck an iceberg and gone down in the night, and the Carpathia was taking on her passengers. When word of the Titanic's sinking reached the states, New York World publisher Ralph Pulitzer wired a message to Hurd instructing him to write a complete story of the sinking, including all obtainable interviews with survivors. Seeking to keep the story from the press, the Carpathia's wireless operator did not forward the message to Hurd, who had identified himself as a newspaperman. The Carpathia's captain, Arthur Henry Rostron, refused to allow Hurd any wireless communication with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch or its affiliate, the New York World. Hurd's reporter's instinct led him to recognize the magnitude of the story, and he enlisted Katherine's help in piecing together the details of the Titanic's sinking. Both Carlos and Katherine interviewed the survivors, their task made difficult when, in an effort to prevent note-taking about the disaster, Captain Rostron ordered all stationery removed from the ship's writing salons. The Hurds took notes on whatever scraps of paper they could find, including toilet paper. Upon realizing their cabin had been searched, Katherine began to remain in the room when the stewards came in, sitting on the notes to keep them from being confiscated. Carlos anticipated that the Carpathia might be met before docking in New York, and so prepared to toss the story overboard to a waiting tugboat, should one appear. He carefully wrapped the manuscript in waterproof material and tied it to a cigar box. For added buoyancy he attached a number of champagne corks to the package. Hurd's foresight paid off as the Carpathia was met in New York harbor by a small fleet of boats sent out by rival newspapers. Recognizing a colleague on one of the tugs, Hurd broke away from the Carpathia crewmen who tried to restrain him at the ship's rail and tossed his story to the boat. The package safely received, the tug quickly headed for port, and before the Carpathia's gangplank had been lowered to the pier, Hurd's story was being telegraphed to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Carlos Hurd's 5,000-word article was the first complete account of the Titanic disaster. On April 19, 1912, his story appeared on the front page of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the New York World, and scores of newspapers around the world.