A Titanic Love Story - Part I

Thirteen newlywed couples boarded Titanic—nine in first class, two in second class, and two in steerage. The youngest were teenagers, the oldest in their 40s. Some were already expecting their first child. What did they experience on that fateful night of April 14^th, 1912? Did they survive? And what happened to them afterward? Beginning this week, here are their stories.

John Jacob and Madeleine Astor

Titanic's most well-known passenger, 48-year-old John Jacob Astor was one of the richest men in the world. He’d divorced his first wife, Ava, just two years before announcing his engagement to Madeleine Force. Rumors spread, especially when newspaper reporters learned Madeleine’s age. At 18, Madeleine was a year younger than the multi-millionaire’s son.

Several ministers turned down the generous fee John offered them to officiate. Finally, one agreed to perform the wedding at Astor’s Rhode Island home. Those in attendance at the romantic ceremony claimed the bride and groom were obviously in love.

In order to quiet the scandal surrounding them, the newlyweds decided to embark on a long European honeymoon, beginning with a trans-Atlantic cruise aboard the Olympic, Titanic’s older sister. Accompanying them were John’s valet, Madeleine’s maid, and Kitty, their pet Airedale. A nurse for Madeleine, who was three months pregnant, traveled with them as well.

John Jacob Astor

Madeleine Astor

On the Olympic, the couple met Margaret Brown, an outspoken advocate for women’s suffrage. She visited the pyramids in Egypt with them, then Italy and France, where she received word that her grandson was ill back home. She booked passage on Titanic and would board at Cherbourg. Madeleine, not wanting to risk having her child far from home, asked John if they could join Margaret on the voyage.

The Astor’s were given a superior suite of rooms in Titanic’s first class section. Madeleine loved the ship but couldn’t help feel the cold stares from passengers who knew her husband and his first wife. Margaret Brown encouraged her to ignore the gossip and enjoy herself, and soon the couple became acquainted with other newlywed passengers.

When the ship struck the iceberg, John and Madeleine were sent to the boat deck and told to wear their lifebelts. Hoping another ship would come along before boarding the lifeboats became necessary, John led his wife to the gymnasium to wait. But by 1:40 am, Titanic had a severe list. Despite Madeleine’s protests, John helped her board Lifeboat 4 and asked Second Officer Lightoller if he could join her. When his request was denied, he helped Madeleine’s maid and nurse board the boat, then waved goodbye.

Madeleine hoped her husband would take another lifeboat. She helped row Lifeboat 4 until the Carpathia came to their rescue the next morning. On board, she asked everyone about her husband until it was finally determined that he had been one of the many men who had gone to their death. Madeleine was inconsolable.

John Jacob Astor’s body was recovered and a private funeral held at the family’s Rhode Island estate. His pockets contained $2,500 in cash and a watch that had stopped at 3:20.

Madeleine gave birth to a healthy baby boy exactly four months later and named him John Jacob. She remained in mourning a long time for the man she had loved, caring for her baby and only seeing close friends. A pre-nuptial agreement stated that she was entitled to interest on a five-million-dollar trust fund as long as she didn’t remarry. But in 1916, she married a childhood friend, ending her rights to the Astor money. She had two more sons, and died in 1940 in Palm Beach, Florida.

A City in Sorrow

One million Great Britain coal miners went on a national strike in February of 1912 with the main goal of an increase in their minimum wage. In the city of Southampton, the strike left 17,000 men without work. Soon, many of them needed help from charities and survived by pawning clothes and furniture to buy food.

Miners during Great Britain coal strike of 1912

The strike ended on April 6^th with the institution of the Minimum Wage Act, but train and ship schedules were still feeling the effects. Return to steady work was not yet in sight for the miners, and the RMS Titanic was about to make her maiden voyage to New York from Southampton. In order to have enough coal for Titanic’s massive steam engines, the White Star Line ordered its smaller ships to remain in port and their coal delivered to the Titanic. Their New York-bound passengers would be transferred to the Titanic as well.

Southampton had only recently become England’s main port, taking over that position from Liverpool. Now, with so many men out of work in the city, White Star Line advertised job openings for crew members on its new steamer. A fireman, or stoker, could earn 6 pounds a month, and a steward, over 3 pounds. Hundreds applied and were hired.

RMS Titanic leaving Southampton

Of the 1,517 people who died in the sinking, 685 were crew members. Over three quarters, 538 of them, were from Southampton. On one street alone, nearly every house lost someone: a husband, a father, a son, a brother. Some women lost their husbands and sons as well. Those alive at the time reported a great hush descending on the city. An entire generation had been lost.

Most families were left in complete financial ruin. The Titanic Relief Fund raised the equivalent of around $20 million in today’s money for the families of all those who died. For the widows of non-salaried crew members in Southampton, the payments were small. The Salvation Army helped by supplying basics, like milk, soup, and bread. No compensation came from the White Star Line.

Memorial to Southampton's Titanic Crew Members

Today in Southampton, descendants still remember their loved ones who perished on the Titanic, and those who were left behind to carry on during such difficult times. On April 10, 2012, exactly 100 years to the day Titanic departed Southampton , the SeaCity Museum opened, featuring the city’s Titanic story. For more information, please visit http://www.seacitymuseum.co.uk/

The Last Crewman

The youngest of nine children, 18-year-old Sidney Daniels of Portsmouth, England, signed on as a third-class steward aboard the RMS Titanic. He’d already worked for one year aboard the Olympic, and he had his superiors’ strongest recommendations. His son, Richard Daniels, states, “Dad’s steward’s uniform was impeccable. He had to make sure the rooms were spotless and the passengers well cared for.”

Titanic Steward Sidney Daniels

On the night of the sinking, a night watchman entered his room and woke Sidney in his bunk. He and his roommates thought it was drill, until he was told to dress immediately, wake the passengers in his care and help them to the lifeboats. Sidney did as he was instructed, assisting at least 24 passengers to the boat deck. Among them was first class passenger Ida Strauss, who refused to leave her husband Isidor. The couple perished together in the sinking.

Richard Daniels continues, “But when he had done his job and was back on deck there was only a collapsible lifeboat left. He helped cut it free but it bobbed over the rail with no one on board.

His superiors told him ‘jump now, lad. There’s nothing here.’ He looked over the rail into the pitch black icy water but was too petrified to jump.

“But he knew it was the only way and leaped off and began swimming from the boat.

“He made for a shape in the distance which turned out to be the collapsible lifeboat. It was upturned and had two dozen survivors on it.

“He got on and was about to fall asleep when someone on said, ‘if you fall asleep, son, it will be your last.’

“The man next to him died and another clung on to Dad’s leg.”

Sidney reported the men in the boat saying the Lord’s Prayer in unison. They were later rescued and brought aboard the Carpathia.

Page from Sidney Daniels' Diary

He returned to work aboard the Olympic, crossing the Atlantic more than 200 times to New York and back to Southampton. In 1914, he joined the Royal Army Service Corps, but to his dismay, saw no direct combat. He married in 1916, but his wife died two years later. In 1920, he remarried and had seven children.

Sidney Daniels was the last surviving member of Titanic’s crew. He died in Portsmouth at the age of 89.

Richard Daniels holding a photo of his father Sidney

The Allison Family Tragedy

Alice Catherine Cleaver, 22, had worked as a nursemaid for wealthy English families since her teen years. In 1912, young Montreal millionaires Hudson and Bess Allison hired her to look after their children, two-year-old Loraine and eleven-month-old Trevor. The family had been in England for Trevor’s baptism and to purchase several horses for their racing stable, and booked passage home on Titanic in order to travel with friends. In addition to Alice, the family also traveled with a lady’s maid, a cook, and a butler.

When the ship struck the iceberg on the night of April 14, some claimed that Hudson Allison immediately went to see what happened and returned to find his wife in hysterics. She’d told him a steward had come to their cabin and insisted they put on lifebelts and head to the boat deck, and Alice immediately left with baby Trevor. Hudson and Bess took their daughter Loraine and went to the boat deck but refused to board a lifeboat without first knowing the whereabouts of Alice and their son. But stories conflicted from survivors who knew them. Some said Alice had told Bess she planned to find the other servants and would meet Mr. and Mrs. Allison at the boats; other said Alice had simply grabbed Trevor and disappeared.

Trevor Allison with his nurse, Alice Cleaver

A dinner companion of the Allison's, Major Peuchen, stated Bess and little Loraine had somehow been forced into his lifeboat, #6, even though Bess still was searching for Trevor. But when Bess heard that her husband was on the opposite side of the ship, she climbed out of the lifeboat with Loraine and went after him. “Apparently,” the major said, “she reached the other side to find Mr. Allison not there. Meanwhile, our boat had put off.”

An hour later, the family’s butler, George Swane, saw Alice, Trevor, and the cook, Mildred Brown, safely board Lifeboat #11. The lady’s maid, Sarah Daniels, had managed to get on an earlier boat. It’s possible that Swane informed the Allison’s of their son’s safety, if he indeed found them, but by then it was too late. All the lifeboats had left the Titanic.

Hudson and Bess Allison, their daughter Loraine, and George Swane all perished. Bess was one of five women traveling in first class to die in the sinking, and Loraine was the only child. Only the bodies of Hudson Allison and George Swane were recovered. Then a woman claiming to be Loraine Allison came forward in 1940, saying she’d been handed to a man in one of the lifeboats and raised on a farm in the Midwest. Although she stood by her story until her death, her claim was always denied by the Allison family. It wasn’t until 2012 when her daughter agreed to DNA testing that her story was finally proven false. The two families were not related in any way.

Bess Allison with her children, Loraine and Trevor

For some time after the sinking, Alice Catherine Cleaver was mistaken for Alice Mary Cleaver, who had murdered her infant son in 1909, born out wedlock. Confusion still exists among some historic records. But Alice Catherine, who had taken Trevor and boarded Lifeboat #11, turned him over to his aunt and uncle in New York and returned to England until the rumors quieted. She eventually married, had two daughters, and lived to be 95.

But the Allison family was to meet with more tragedy. Trevor Allison, who had survived the sinking and been raised by his aunt and uncle in Canada, died of ptomaine poisoning at the age of 18.

A Newlywed Couple's Titanic Journey

Three brothers from Belgium, anxious to seek their fortunes in America, heard about unclaimed land in Montana and decided to emigrate in 1901. Guillaume, Emanuel, and Jacques De Messemaeker settled between Tampico and Vandalia, Montana. They cleared many acres of land and began farming. In 1911, 35-year-old Guillaume (Bill) decided to return home to Belgium to visit family and to marry.

Guillaume De Messemaeker

In early 1912, Bill married Anna De Becker and made plans to bring her to Montana. The couple boarded the Titanic as third class passengers. After the collision with the iceberg on the night of April 14^th, they managed to get to the boat deck ahead of many others from third class, partly due to Bill’s understanding of English.

When Anna was ordered into Lifeboat 13, she clung to her husband and refused to leave him. Bill finally picked her up and handed her to an officer already in the boat. At that point, he did not expect to survive. But another officer asked if there were any experienced crewmen available to help with Lifeboat 15. Bill volunteered and jumped into the crowded boat. He helped row all night, and was reunited with Anna aboard the Carpathia.

Even after the couple headed to their home in Montana, Anna did not recover from her experience on the Titanic and the thought that she had lost her husband. She died in a mental hospital in 1918.

Anna Messemaeker

Bill went back to Belgium for another visit and remarried in 1920. He and his new wife, Marie, returned to Montana where they became the parents of four children and had a successful sheep and cattle ranch. Bill died in 1955 at age 79 and was buried next to Anna in Glasgow, Montana. Marie was also buried next to him when she died in 1983.

One Mother's Story

Leah Rosen met Samuel Aks while living in London. They were both Jewish and both from Warsaw, Poland. The two were soon married, and Samuel worked as a tailor but was barely able to make a living. A cousin who lived in America visited him in London, and convinced him to move to Norfolk, Virginia. As soon as he moved and got a job in the scrap metal business, Samuel saved every penny he could to bring Leah to America, as well as his new son, Frank Philip (Filly), whom he’d never met. The day finally came when 18-year-old Leah and 10-month-old Filly boarded Titanic at Southampton for the voyage to their new home.

On the night Titanic struck the iceberg, Leah made her way from her third class cabin to the boat deck with Filly in her arms. Madeleine Astor, wife of multi-millionaire John Jacob Astor, happened to be standing nearby and covered Filly’s head with her silk scarf. A man who had been refused a seat in the lifeboats ran up to Leah, grabbed Filly, and said, “I’ll show you women and children first!” and tossed the baby overboard.

Leah searched for her son in the chaos, but was somehow urged or pushed into Lifeboat 13. Filly had fallen into Lifeboat 11, into the arms of pregnant Italian immigrant Argene del Carlo. She held Filly close and cared for him through the long cold night in the lifeboat as the survivors waited to be rescued. Argene’s husband had been turned away as his wife boarded the lifeboat, and now Argene hoped this baby was somehow sent to her by God to replace her lost husband.

Argene and Sebastian del Carlo on their wedding day

On board the Carpathia, a despondent Leah heard a familiar cry. She recognized Filly, now in Argene’s arms, but the woman refused to give Leah her child. Leah appealed to Captain Rostron, who was forced to play the role of King Solomon in deciding who the real mother was. The conflict was resolved when Leah stated her son was circumcised and Argene, as an Italian Catholic of that day, would not have circumcised her son. Filly was then correctly identified as belonging to Leah.

Samuel, Filly, and Leah Aks

After being reunited with Samuel and beginning her new life in America, Leah gave birth to a baby girl 9 months later. She wanted to name the baby Sara Carpathia Aks. However, due to confusion at the hospital, the nuns in attendance wrote the name Sara Titanic Aks on her birth certificate.

Leah’s ear drums had been damaged by the bitter cold on board the lifeboat, and she suffered from a partial hearing loss the rest of her life. She died in 1967 in Norfolk, Virginia.

The blanket used by Argene del Carlo to keep Filly warm in the lifeboat is on display at the Maritime Museum in Newport, Virginia. Argene delivered a baby girl in November of 1912 and soon returned to Italy, where she eventually remarried.

An Irishwoman's Tale of Survival

Anna Katherine Kelly left her home in Cuilmullagh, County Mayo, Ireland at the age of 20 and boarded the Titanic at Queenstown as a third class passenger. Bound for Chicago, she planned to meet her cousins, Anna and Mary Garvey, who had already moved there. On board the ship, Anna joined a group of other young Irish men and women she knew, led by Katherine McGowan, all dreaming of new lives in America.

Third class Titanic passengers in Queenstown, Ireland

When Titanic struck the iceberg, Anna woke and noticed the hum of the engines had stopped. But no stewards came to inform the steerage passengers of what happened. Some of the men went up on deck, but were told there was no danger. Later, a steward pounded on Anna’s cabin door. Minutes later on deck, she stood with her friends in ankle-deep water while the remaining seats in the last lifeboats were filled.

A married couple Anna knew, Mr and Mrs. Bourke, argued at the railing. Mrs. Bourke refused to enter the lifeboat without her husband. A steward dragged Anna forward and she was thrust into the lifeboat in Mrs. Bourke’s place. That lifeboat, #16, was the last to be launched from the Titanic, except for the collapsible boats near the bridge.

Anna and her friend Katherine McGowan reached New York aboard the rescue ship Carpathia. After a short stay in the hospital, they were given old coats and shoes and train tickets to Chicago.

Titanic passengers in lifeboat as seen from Carpathia

Out of the fourteen friends who had boarded the ship together at Queenstown, only three survived the sinking: Anna, Katherine, and another woman.

Anna became a nun, Sister Patrick Joseph Kelly. She spent most of her life teaching in the Chicago area and also in Detroit. She traveled home to Ireland once, to visit her sister. She died in 1969 in Adrian, Michigan at age 77.

Sister Patrick Joseph (Anna Kelly)

The Last Survivor

It’s a new year, and we’re off to explore the Titanic once again! So far, we’ve looked at many aspects of the ship including her crew and passengers, what led to the sinking, how the rescue took place, and the search for bodies. One blog subscriber has told me how much she enjoys reading about the passengers and has asked about third class survivors.

The Goodwin family, third class passengers

Although 174 third class passengers survived the sinking, not many were questioned afterward about their experiences. Few could speak English, and most avoided reporters after reaching New York, so they were not asked to testify at the inquiries into the disaster. The stories that made the headlines came mostly from those traveling in first class, and those same passengers spoke at the US and British inquiries. But some of those in third class did manage to tell their stories to others. We’ll begin with a look at one of them today.

Millvena Dean with her mother

Elizabeth Gladys Dean, known better as Millvena, was just nine weeks old when her parents, Bertram and Georgette Dean and her brother Bertram boarded the Titanic in Southampton. Her father planned to open a tobacco shop in Wichita, Kansas. He perished in the sinking, but Millvena, her mother, and brother all survived.

The family returned to England, and Millvena found out at age eight that she’d been a Titanic passenger. She never married, but worked for the government during World War II drawing maps. She later worked for an engineering firm. It wasn’t until she reached her 70s that Millvena became a Titanic celebrity, appearing at conventions, on talk shows, and in documentaries. She was the last Titanic survivor, and died in 2009 at the age of 97 after a short illness.

Millvena Dean

The Unsinkable Charles Lightoller

When Titanic’s Second Officer Charles Lightoller knew the ship was sinking, he wasted no time in asking Captain Smith for orders to fill the lifeboats. He’d seen plenty of trouble at sea before. Working aboard ships since the age of thirteen, he’d already survived one shipwreck, a shipboard fire, and a cyclone, all by the time he’d turned twenty-one.

In his early twenties, “Lights” Lightoller had been working aboard a steamship on the West African coast when he nearly died from malaria. He took a break from his life at sea and went prospecting for gold in the Yukon, became a cowboy in Alberta, Canada, traveled as a hobo by train across Canada, and found a job on a cattle boat back home to England. The call of the sea won out, and he studied to become a ship’s officer. Joining the White Star Line at age twenty-six, he met a passenger on a voyage to Australia. She became his bride on the return trip.

Under the command of Captain Edward Smith who later would captain the Titanic, Lightoller held the Fourth Officer’s position aboard the Majestic for some time. He was then promoted to Third Officer on the Oceanic, Titanic’s sister ship. When preparations were underway for Titanic’s maiden voyage, “Lights” was originally set to be its First Officer. But Captain Smith brought on another officer from the Oceanic as his Chief Officer, shifting all the other officers’ positions. Lightoller was forced to accept the role of Second Officer, while the original man in that position had to drop out.

Charles Lightoller, second from left, with Titanic officers. Captain Smith on far right.

On the night of April 14, 1912, Charles Lightoller noticed the abrupt drop in temperature, even though the winds and waves were calm. During his evening duties, he alerted those in the crow’s nest to watch for small ice. Ships in the area had sent repeated ice warnings during the afternoon, but not all of them reached the bridge, preventing the officers from knowing the full extent of the warnings.

After completing his rounds, Lightoller went to his cabin. As he fell asleep, a grinding sensation awakened him. He ran to the deck in his pajamas to investigate. Within minutes, he was informed that water was rapidly filling the mail room. He returned to his cabin to grab his uniform coat and was soon directing crewmembers in the launch of the boats.

When all lifeboats had been lowered and three of the four collapsible boats had been launched, Charles Lightoller climbed onto the overturned Collapsible B as the Boat Deck went underwater. Hours later, he made sure all passengers from every lifeboat and the sinking Collapsible B were on board the rescue ship Carpathia before climbing the ship’s rope ladder to safety.

As the highest ranking officer to survive, Lightoller testified at the American inquiry. He staunchly defended the actions of Titanic’s crew, including that of Captain Smith. He returned to sea the following year as First Officer on the Oceanic. With the start of World War I, the Oceanic became an armed merchant cruiser and Lightoller became a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy. When it ran aground, he again supervised the filling of lifeboats. He was then given command of a torpedo boat which collided with a trawler and sank, exactly six years, nearly to the minute, after the Titanic sinking.

At war’s end, Lightoller left the Royal Navy as full Commander and returned to White Star for several years. Then during World War II, the sixty-six-year-old helped rescue 130 soldiers from the beaches at Dunkirk using his own yacht. He lost two sons in the war.

“Lights” went on to run a boatyard and build motor launches for the London River Police in his 70s. He died in 1952, at the age of 78.

Titanic's Popular Chief Purser

Two Titanic officers were extremely popular with passengers who had regularly sailed the Atlantic. When their names were listed as part of the crew on other White Star Line ships, bookings increased. One was Captain Edward J. Smith. The other was Chief Purser Hugh McElroy. With both men sailing on Titanic, many first class passengers looked forward to not only the new, luxurious ship but to seeing the men who they’d come to know during other Atlantic crossings.

Chief Purser McElroy with Captain Smith just prior to Titanic launch

Irishman Hugh McElroy had served the White Star Line for thirteen years. He’d worked aboard military ships during the Boar War, and had studied to be a Roman Catholic priest in his late teens. When he signed on as Titanic’s Chief Purser, McElroy was 37.

The Purser’s office, located on C Deck, was a hub of activity throughout the voyage. Passengers left their money and valuables there for safekeeping; they reserved deck chairs, and bought tickets for the Turkish Baths, swimming pool, and electric baths. If they wished to send a telegram, either to someone on land or on a passing ship, they visited the Purser’s office. From there, McElroy or his assistants would take the message to the Marconi room. He was also the one to see with a complaint or to make any special requests.

Second Class Purser's Office aboard the Olympic

McElroy had a wonderful sense of humor, according to many surviving passengers. He was the perfect man for the demanding job, always pleasant and calm, always ready to help. He enjoyed visiting with all the passengers in the dining rooms, charmed all the ladies, and seemed to know everyone and everything. He often invited those traveling alone to join him at his table, where he served as a friendly host.

Chief Purser Hugh McElroy

On the night of the sinking, passengers lined up outside the Purser’s office demanding their valuables. Assistant Pursers hurried to comply, until Chief Purser McElroy showed up and urged them to get their lifebelts on and head to the lifeboats. The Countess of Rothes stated he told her, “‘Hurry, little lady, there is not much time. I’m glad you didn’t ask me for your jewels as other ladies have.’ McElroy was also seen by crewmen assisting with the loading of one of the last lifeboats. Another survivor, stewardess Annie Robinson, stated she last saw Purser McElroy and Captain Smith walking toward the mailroom.

Hugh McElroy’s body was picked up by the recovery ship, Mackay-Bennett, and identified first as Herbert McElroy:

157. 157. — MALE. — ESTIMATED AGE, 32. — HAIR, DARK. CLOTHING - Ship's uniform; white jacket; ship's keys; 10 pence; 50 cents; fountain pen. CHIEF PURSER. — NAME — HERBERT W. McELROY.

Due to the condition of the body, it was decided to bury him at sea. He was the most senior member of the crew whose body was recovered. Hugh McElroy left behind his wife of only two years, Barbara. The couple had no children.

The Actress aboard the Titanic

Silent screen actress Dorothy Gibson, 22, had just completed her role in the romantic comedy, “The Easter Bonnet,” and she and her mother decided to vacation in Europe. After a few weeks, her producer wired her to return to the US and begin a new series of films. From Paris, they booked passage on Titanic and boarded the ship in Cherbourg.

Dorothy Winifred Brown was born in New Jersey in 1889. Her father died when she was a child, and her mother married John Gibson. Beginning in 1907, Dorothy sang and danced in several Broadway musicals. She began modeling in 1909, and her image was soon seen on magazine covers, postcards, and various merchandise.

In 1911, she was hired as leading lady for the American branch of Éclair, a French film-making company. She became a popular star in a series of comedies and dramas. Her most famous role was that of Molly Pitcher in the Revolutionary War drama, “Hands across the Sea.”

On the night of April 14^th, 1912, Dorothy played bridge with “a couple of friendly New York bankers” aboard Titanic. When the game ended around 11:40 pm, she headed for the cabin she and her mother shared. She later recalled hearing “a long drawn sickening crunch” and soon noticed a slant in the deck. She hurried to awaken her mother.

They boarded Lifeboat 7, the first lifeboat to be lowered. Carrying only 28 passengers, the boat was less than half full. Water gushed in through a hole as soon as it reached the ocean’s surface, but Dorothy stated it “was remedied by the volunteer contributions of the lingerie of women and the garments of men.” Regarding the sinking, she said, “I will never forget the terrible cry that rang out from people who were thrown into the sea or who were afraid for their loved ones.”

Barely a month after the sinking, she starred in the first film made about the disaster, “Saved from the Titanic.” She wore the same gown in the film that she wore on her last night on the ship. The movie was criticized for being released so soon, when many were still grieving and coming to terms with what happened. Her career faltered, and after a brief marriage, she gave up acting and moved to Paris. Dorothy Gibson died in 1946 at the age of 57.

Advertising poster for Dorothy Gibson's last film

Titanic's Baron-in-Residence

For various reasons, at least fifteen passengers aboard the Titanic were traveling under false names. One man, Alfred Nourney, called himself “Baron von Drachstedt” and used this name to get himself a cabin in first class with only a second class ticket.

Alfred Nourney

Born in the Netherlands and living with his mother in Germany, 20-year-old Nourney had purchased a new wardrobe for his venture on the Titanic as Baron von Drachstedt. He also bought jewelry, fountain pens, walking sticks, and carried a revolver to defend himself, as he put it, in the “wild west.”

Nourney boarded the ship in Cherbourg, France with a second class ticket. Apparently dissatisfied with the accommodations, he complained to the purser, using his status as “Baron.” He was moved to a first class cabin, and sent his mother a postcard saying how much he enjoyed first class and that he had met John Jacob Astor. He also sent a telegram to a young lady in Germany, calling it a “wireless kiss.”

On Sunday night, April 14^th, Nourney played cards in the first class smoke room with two other passengers. When the Titanic struck the iceberg, the men went to investigate but soon returned to their card game. Later, as the order came for lifeboats to be filled with women and children first, Nourney nevertheless managed to secure a seat in one of the first lifeboats to be lowered. As his lifeboat was rowed away from the sinking ship, he smoked one cigarette after another and eventually fired off all the cartridges in his revolver.

On board the rescue ship Carpathia, Nourney fell asleep on a pile of blankets meant for survivors. One young woman pulled the top blanket away, sending Nourney rolling on the floor. Everyone watching applauded. The same day, he tried to send a telegram to a friend about the sinking and said he was safe on the Carpathia. The telegram was never transmitted, due to the number of telegrams those on board wanted to send.

"Titanic sunk!"

Most of Nourney’s money had gone down with the Titanic. After the Carpathia reached New York, he soon returned to Germany, where he later married and had two daughters. He became a salesman for Daimler-Benz and competed in motorsports. He died in 1972.

The real von Drachstedt family denied any connection to Alfred Nourney.

Salvaging Titanic

Since the discovery of the sunken Titanic in 1985, four separate organizations have worked to salvage artifacts from the site. Around 5000 items have been recovered and are now on public display at various exhibits around the world. They include parts of the ship, fixtures from staterooms, dishes and glassware from the various dining rooms, and personal items belonging to passengers and crew. The exhibits offer a fascinating look into perhaps the most famous ship in history and those that sailed with her.

Cherub from the Grand Staircase

Dishes

Pocket Watch

Diamond necklace

(Two passengers were named Amy.)

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is responsible for protecting and preserving the Titanic wreck site. It has published guidelines for research, exploration, and salvage of Titanic artifacts and worked with the Department of State to form the International Agreement on Titanic in 2003. One NOAA ruling states no ship is allowed to discharge waste of any kind within ten miles of the site.

Although the ship was a British liner, the US has always felt a strong connection to her. American passengers numbered 306, and American Dr. Robert Ballard discovered the lost ship with the backing of the U.S. Navy.

RMS Titanic Inc. is now the sole “salvor” and has exclusive rights to the artifacts. They must be available for “public display, historical review, scientific and scholarly research, and educational purposes.” None of the items may be sold or auctioned individually. For more information about the role of NOAA and RMST, click here: http://www.noaa.gov/titanic/noaasrole.html.

Some families of those who perished on Titanic, as well as many others, have argued that the shipwreck is a grave site and should not be disturbed. Although no human remains have been found, there are photographs of shoes and other items indicating where a body may have come to rest and decomposed. NOAA guidelines state that disturbance of artifacts that may be associated with human remains is prohibited, even if there is no evidence of a human body. Entry into the hull sections must be avoided for that reason, according to NOAA. However, a section of the hull was raised in 1998, creating an outcry among many.

Shoes amid the wreckage

17-ton hull section

It’s not known at this time if more salvage operations are planned. Experts disagree on whether or not the ship will stay intact and if not, how long before it will crumble away. But interest in Titanic remains high, and efforts to locate and preserve as much as possible from the Queen of the Seas will no doubt continue.

Finding Titanic

Robert Ballard dreamed of becoming an underwater explorer ever since reading Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea as a young teen. Those dreams would one day lead him to discover a shipwreck thought to be too deep to ever be found: the RMS Titanic.

Dr. Robert Ballard

Armed with dual degrees in chemistry and marine geology from the University of California, Robert Ballard moved to Boston in 1967 and began his career at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. An accomplished scuba diver, he joined one of the world’s oldest diving clubs, the Boston Sea Rovers. It was there where his interest in shipwrecks took hold.

In 1973, a research submersible known as Alvin could reach a depth of 6000 feet. Scientists at Woods Hole used Alvin to study marine life and geology in the world’s oceans, but Ballard was frustrated by its inability to go deeper. When Alvin’s steel hull was replaced with one made of titanium, it was then capable of diving twice as far, up to 12,000 feet. At the time, this was roughly the depth Titanic was thought to rest in.

Alvin

Ballard became obsessed with finding the famous ship. In 1977, he decided to search for the Titanic using the Alcoa Seaprobe, a drilling ship owned by Alcoa Aluminum. He had to convince Woods Hole to back him, which they eventually did, even though some at the company thought him to be interested only in self-promotion. He built a new equipment pod and made other adjustments necessary for the venture. The journey began in October 1977, but a mistake in the building of certain components in the rigging caused the whole thing to break and fall into the sea.

Alcoa Seaprobe

Others took up the challenge to find the Titanic. Ballard watched, finding it difficult to obtain backing after his failed attempt. Using the best team of scientists and researchers available, expeditions were conducted in 1980, 1981, and 1983 by Texas millionaire Jack Grimm, but to no avail.

During this time, Robert Ballard continued to dream of locating the ship himself. He worked at developing a new way to do underwater research without using a manned submersible like Alvin. Instead, cameras would be mounted aboard a robot and images sent back to the team on the surface. He also focused on finding Titanic’s debris field, which would most likely cover a much larger area than just the ship itself. If he could find the debris field, he reasoned, it would lead them to Titanic.

In 1984, Ballard had perfected the new system, known as Argo, and assembled a team from Woods Hole to find Titanic. The U.S. Navy agreed to fund a three week long test of Argo in the summer of 1985, provided the Woods Hole crew would also locate and photograph the remains of the US Navy nuclear submarine Scorpion.

 Argo

I hope you’ll join me again next week when we’ll take a look at what happened.

Titanic's most exclusive restaurant

First class passengers aboard Titanic usually dined in the enormous and breathtaking first class dining saloon, and the meals there were included in the price of a first class ticket. (At the time, the word “saloon” meant a large, comfortable room.) But there was also another option available if they chose to pay extra—the A la carte restaurant known as The Ritz.

Photo of The Ritz restaurant aboard RMS Titanic

Located on Deck B next to the Café Parisien, the elegant 140-seat restaurant was said to be the best in the world. Both restaurants were owned and managed by Gaspare Antonio Gatti, known to passengers as Luigi. He’d emigrated from Italy and became a well-known restaurant owner in London until the White Star Line convinced him to open his own restaurants on Titanic.

Passengers lined up for the privilege of eating at The Ritz and it was always completely booked for dinner. Nothing was too much trouble for Gatti, and he and his staff went out of their way to cater to every passenger’s request.

Luigi Gatti

Gatti hired his own 66-member staff of chefs, waiters, and kitchen help, mostly Italian or French nationals. None of them were White Star Line employees, nor were they passengers. When the ship struck the iceberg, stewards kept the restaurant staff from boarding the lifeboats. All but three of the staff perished in the sinking, including Gatti, who left a wife and young son in England.

Those saved were two female cashiers and the French Maitre D’, Paul Mauge. He tried persuading the Ritz’s chef to jump into a lifeboat with him, but the chef said he was “too fat" and refused.  Mauge managed to leap onto a lifeboat as it was being lowered into the ocean. His jump broke both legs of a woman already in the boat.

Paul Mauge, Maitre D'

Orphans of the Titanic

Michel Navratil of Slovakia had married Marcelle Carette of Buenos Aires, settled in France and had two sons, Michel and Edmund. When the couple entered divorce proceedings, Marcelle was given full custody of the boys. However, when her husband asked to keep them over the Easter holiday in 1912, she consented. Little did she know what lay ahead for them. Mr. Navratil borrowed his employer’s passport and on April 10^th, signed on to the Titanic as Louis Hoffman. He gave the boys, ages four and two, the names of Lolo and Momon. During the voyage, he only let them out of his sight once to play cards, asking a French-speaking woman to watch them for a few hours.

Michel and Edmund Navratil

As the ship sank and the lifeboats were loaded, Mr. Navratil placed his sons in the arms of passenger Margaret Hays in the last boat available. Michel Jr. remembered his father’s last words to him: “My child, when your mother comes for you, as she surely will, tell her that I loved her dearly and still do. Tell her I expected her to follow us, so that we might all live happily together in the peace and freedom of the New World.”

Following rescue, Margaret Hays offered to take care of little Michel and Edmund in New York until relatives could be located. Around the world, newspapers printed their story and photograph, calling them the Orphans of the Titanic.

In France, Marcelle had known the boys and their father had disappeared but had no idea they’d sailed on the Titanic until she recognized her sons in the newspaper. She immediately contacted the White Star Line and was given passage aboard the Oceanic to New York. They were reunited on May 16, thirty-one days after the sinking, and returned to France. The body of Mr. Navratil was recovered and buried in Nova Scotia.

Michel and Edmund with their mother

Michel Jr. became a professor of philosophy and was one of the last survivors of the Titanic. He once said, “I only lived up to four years old. Since then I’ve been a floater, someone grabbing at extra time and I’ve let myself go on this ocean.” In 1987, he returned to America for the first time since the sinking to mark the 75^th anniversary, and visited his father’s grave as well. He died in 2001 at the age of 92.

Edmund became an architect and was involved in the Resistance during World War II. He was captured and made a prisoner of war, and although he escaped, his health suffered. He died in 1953 at age 43.

A Last Minute Passenger

Lady Lucy Duff-Gordon never planned to sail on Titanic. But with urgent business in New York, she needed the first ship available. With homes in London and Paris and a thriving fashion design business, she and her husband, Sir Cosmo Duff-Gordon, boarded the Titanic at Cherbourg, France. They registered as Mr. and Mrs. Morgan and occupied two first class cabins.

Born Lucy Christiana Sutherland, she married James Wallace at age 18 and had a child. When they divorced, she began a dressmaking business in 1888 to support herself. Her talent for creating unique and fashionable dresses led to her shop, The Maison Lucile, becoming one of the great fashion houses of London by 1900. Well-known clientele included the Duchess of York, who later became Queen Mary. Madame Lucile opened another shop in New York in 1910 and one in Paris in 1912.

Madame Lucile's designs, 1912

Sir Cosmo Duff-Gordon first became Lucy's business partner. They then married in 1900, giving her financial security as well as aristocratic connections.

In her autobiography, Discretions and Indiscretions, Lady Duff-Gordon remembered the last evening on the Titanic:

“We had a big vase of beautiful daffodils on the table, which were as fresh as if they had just been picked. Everyone was very gay, and at a neighbouring table people were making bets on the probable time of this record breaking run. Various opinions were put forward, but none dreamed that Titanic would make her harbour that night ...I had been in bed for about an hour and the lights were all out, when I was awakened by a funny, rumbling noise...”

She and Sir Cosmo boarded Lifeboat 1, along with her maid. The boat had a capacity of 40, but was lowered with only 12 people aboard, 7 crewmen and 5 passengers. It’s believed it may have been lowered quickly in order to make room for the ship’s two collapsible boats to be readied.

Later, when Sir Cosmo paid the crewmen, he and his wife were accused of bribing them to not go back for more passengers. The Duff-Gordons testified at the British inquiry and were vindicated. The crewmen in the lifeboat had decided it was too dark to go back for anyone, and Sir Cosmo had paid them five pounds each, not as a bribe, but to help them during their search for new employment.

Sir Cosmo and Lady Duff Gordon, 1914

Sir Cosmo died in 1931, and Lady Duff-Gordon’s business eventually collapsed. She died in 1935 at the age of 71 in a London nursing home, and is buried alongside her husband near London.

Lady Duff-Gordon

A sampler of survivor stories

Out of 2,223 passengers and crew aboard the Titanic, only 706 survived. Here are three survivor stories. Lucy Dyer-Edwards of London had married the nineteenth Earl of Rothes in 1900 and became the Countess of Rothes. Bound for Vancouver, BC, to meet her husband, she boarded the Titanic at age 33, accompanied by her cousin and her maid.

The Countess had some prior sailing experience, and manned the tiller for most of the night in Lifeboat 8, while her cousin helped row. Able seaman Thomas Jones, the crewman in charge, admired her courage and gave her the number plate from the boat afterward. They corresponded for several years.

 The Countess of Rothes

Esther Hart of England, her husband Benjamin and seven-year-old daughter Eva were on their way to a new life in Winnipeg, Canada. Their tickets were changed from another ship to the Titanic at the last minute. Certain that something dreadful was going to happen to the Titanic, Esther slept during the day and stayed awake every night, fully dressed. She enjoyed the voyage enough, however, to write a letter to a friend back home, saying what a wonderful journey it had been so far. The letter was kept in Benjamin’s coat pocket until they reached New York.

Esther felt the collision with the iceberg and immediately rushed her family out from their second class cabin. Benjamin gave her his coat as she and Eva boarded Lifeboat 14. Benjamin went down with the ship.

With her husband gone, Esther chose to take Eva back to England and live with her parents. The letter was saved by family members, and was sold this past April for 119,000 British pounds.

Benjamin, Eva, and Esther Hart

Olaus Abelseth, born and raised in Norway, had left his homeland in 1902 at the age of sixteen to seek his fortune in America. He managed to start a farm in South Dakota, and went back to Norway to visit family. With him on the Titanic were five other Norwegians, all traveling in steerage. Olaus was 26.

Following the sinking, he was one of the few available third class passengers who could speak English, so he testified at the American inquiry. He described the confusion amid the third class decks after the collision, how the lifeboats were all taken by the time he reached them, and how he waited to jump into the freezing water. With his life vest on and surrounded by men trying to hang on to him, he swam toward one of the collapsible rafts. No one helped him aboard because of the fear it would capsize. He gradually pulled himself aboard and endured waist-deep ice cold water until rescued by the Carpathia eight hours later.

Olaus returned to farming in the United States, married and had four children.

Olaus Abelseth

Titanic's Crew

The list of the RMS Titanic crew named 869 men and 23 women as crewmembers, in addition to her officers. Most of the crew boarded in Southampton, England, just after sunrise on the day of her maiden voyage, April 10, 1912. All of the officers, except for Captain Edward Smith, had already spent the night on board. They would be in charge of all the day-to-day navigation duties. Captain Smith said goodbye-to his wife and daughter at his home in Southampton and boarded the ship around 7:30 am.

Titanic officers. Captain Smith is seated, 2nd from right

The crew included seamen, who assisted the officers; firemen (or "stokers"), who shoveled the coal into boilers; engineers, who helped run the engines and machinery; saloon stewards, bedroom stewards, and chefs. The women included 18 stewardesses, two cashiers, a masseuse, a Turkish Bath attendant, and a woman who chaperoned the single women in third class.

Titanic crew members wearing lifevests

Several teenage boys, a few as young as 14 and 15, were employed as crewmembers. They worked as bellboys (also called “buttons”) and carried luggage, as pageboys, running errands and delivering telegrams, or as “liftboys” operating the elevators.

Only 214 crew members survived the sinking of the Titanic, 194 men and 20 women. None of the bellboys, pageboys, or liftboys survived. Most of the crew came from Southampton. On one street alone, 20 families lost loved ones in the disaster. Their families could not claim any compensation from the Titanic’s White Star Line. However, over $2 million was raised by the British Titanic Relief Fund and other British charities to help the families of those hardest hit. In the United States, $261,000 was raised.

Do you have a question about the crew, or something else related to the Titanic? Leave a comment and I'll do my best to answer it next week. Thanks!

Pets on the Titanic

When the RMS Titanic sank in the Atlantic in 1912, over 1500 lives were lost. In addition to the men, women, and children who died, several animals also lost their lives. It’s not clear exactly how many live animals boarded the Titanic because they were not included in the passenger lists, even though they did not travel for free. Passengers had to pay roughly the price of a child’s ticket to bring their pet aboard. It’s believed the ship carried twelve dogs belonging to first and second class passengers, and several roosters and hens, most likely owned by steerage passengers who hoped they would help them start off their new lives on American farms. One canary also boarded the ship in Southampton, England, but disembarked with its owner in Cherbourg, France. A few dogs stayed in their owners’ cabins, while others were kept in kennels in the cargo area, along with the chickens.

One pet belonged to the crew: Jenny the cat, whose job was to keep rats and mice at bay. Jenny had given birth to a litter of kittens prior to the ship’s first voyage out of Southampton. She was seen carrying each kitten, one by one, off the ship and into the city. A crew member who saw her decided Jenny knew something was about to happen and was protecting her family. He quit his post and left the ship before it sailed.

When the Titanic struck an iceberg on the night of April 14^th and began sinking fast, a crew member reportedly went below and opened the kennels so the dogs would have a chance to save themselves. But only three of the twelve dogs aboard survived: a Pekinese belonging to Henry Sleeper Harper of Harper Publishing, and two Pomeranians. They were all taken onto the lifeboats by their owners. A story surfaced not long after the sinking that First Officer William Murdoch’s black Newfoundland, Rigel, was seen swimming toward the rescue ship Carpathia and was adopted by the Carpathia crew. That story was never proven true. Murdoch perished in the disaster.

A dog show had been planned for the day of the sinking, which would have featured all the dogs on board. Also lost that day were the chickens. The fate of Jenny the cat is unclear, but we hope she remained with her kittens and did not return to the ship.

Is there something you would like to know about the Titanic? Leave a comment and I’ll try to have the answer here next week.