The Young Cook Aboard Titanic

Forty-three passengers aboard the Titanic were employed by other passengers. They included: three chauffeurs, twenty personal maids, two secretaries, two governesses, one clerk, one personal cook, two nursemaids, eleven servants (valets), and one nurse.

The youngest of these was the personal cook for the Allison family, eighteen-year-old Amelia Mary Brown. The family purchased second class tickets for Amelia and their chauffeur, George Swane, although the family traveled in first class.

Amelia Mary Brown

(photo credit: British Titanic Society)

When the ship was sinking, Amelia didn’t want to get out of bed until her roommate told her she was probably the last person on the ship still in bed. When she made her way to the Boat Deck, she was put into Lifeboat 11. Amelia wrote a letter to her mother from the rescue ship Carpathia.

My dear Mother,

At last I have made myself sit down to write. I don't know how the time has gone since the wreck But I can't help thinking how lucky I was to be amongst the rescued. There were 2000 people about that on board and only about 700 were rescued. If happened at 11.30 Sunday night. Our boat ran into an iceberg and within 1 1/2 hours the vessel had sunk I couldn't believe that it was serious and would not get up until Swain [sic] came and made me that was the last / saw of him poor fellow. No sooner was I on deck that I was bustled to the first class deck and pushed into one of the boats and I found nurse (Alice Cleaver) and the baby (Trevor Allison) were there. It was awful to put the lifebelt on it, seemed as if you really were gone. Then came the lowering of the boats I shut my eyes in hopes I should wake up and find it a dream. Then came the awful suspense of waiting till a vessel happened to pass our way. The wireless telegraphy had beer used and this vessel that was southward bound came miles out of its way to pick us up. By the time we had got out of reach of the suction we stopped to watch her go down and you could watch her go too. It went in the front until it was standing like this then all the lights went out. Shortly after we heard the engines explode and then the cries of the people for help. Never shall I forget it as long as I live. I don't let myself think of it. We were on the water from 12 till 6 in this small boat. Thank goodness it was a calm clear night or I don't know what would have happened. We were nearly frozen as there were Icebergs all round us. Ever since I have been on here I have felt in a stupor. Everything seems too much trouble and I don't care what happens to me. I found Sallie (Sarah Daniels) had got on alright but poor girl she keeps worrying about her things, of course we have lost everything bar what we stand up in. I had my watch on my arm in fact it hasn't left it since we sailed and my money was in my pocket. I have not seen Mr and Mrs Allison. I suppose they have gone under but there is just the hopes that they may have been picked up by another- boat but still I am not going to worry about that as they have several friends on board and then there are the partners of the firm. We have been offered a home until they can find us a place suitable. This vessel has turned back to New York with us. I have slept on the Dining Room floor both nights. We had a most awful thunderstorm last night and today it's that foggy. I shall be glad to be on terra firma again. We had a bad start. The New York broke adrift and ran into us at Southampton Harbour. Well I won't write any more now. Will you let Neil read this and Aunt Em or anyone that you think as I don't feel like going all over it again. Don't worry about me as I shall be well looked after and I have made several well-to-do-friends.

Lots of love to all, From your ever loving daughter Millie

Mr. and Mrs. Allison were lost in the sinking. Amelia later returned to England and married in 1931. She died at the age of 82.

The Invisible Crewmen

 The exact number of crewmembers aboard the Titanic is unknown, but roughly between 860 and 885 men and women worked on the ship, depending on what reference is used. Around 20 were either dismissed prior to sailing or failed to show on sailing day, but were still included in some crew lists. One man quit his job and disembarked at Queenstown. Among the crew, 334 men went unseen by most passengers. As members of the engineering department, they included the engineers, electricians, firemen, trimmers, and greasers. They worked primarily in the hidden recesses of the great ship. Most came from Southampton, and a good number from Belfast. Many were experienced, while others had never been aboard a ship. Many of the Southampton men were coal miners affected by Britain’s coal strike.

The 25 engineers and 10 electricians were responsible for the engines, generators, and other mechanical equipment. They had the most education and training and were paid the most. On the night of the sinking, all worked feverishly to operate the pumps and keep the ship afloat as long as possible. It was they who kept all the lights burning until two minutes before the sinking. None of them survived.

Titanic's Engineers

Firemen were also known as stokers, and numbered 176. A fireman’s job was to constantly shovel coal into one of three furnaces. Because of the intense heat and hard labor, they worked four hours on and eight hours off, usually in their undershirts and shorts. Three lead firemen and around 45 other firemen survived.

Firemen at work

Trimmers, or coal trimmers, were paid the least on the engineering crew. Seventy-three were employed on Titanic. They worked in the coal bunkers, keeping the amount of coal level and shoveling it down to the firemen. Around twenty trimmers survived.

Thirty-three men were employed as greasers. They worked alongside the engineers, keeping the mechanical equipment properly oiled and greased during the voyage. Only four of them survived.

A memorial on the waterfront in Liverpool is dedicated to the victims of Titanic’s engineering department. Liverpool was the original home of the White Star Line and where the ship was registered.

Titanic Engineers Memorial

A Stewardess on Titanic

When the Titanic left Southampton on April 10, 1912, her crew numbered 892. Twenty-three of them were women, eighteen were stewardesses. They served morning and afternoon tea, made beds, tidied staterooms, and cleaned public rooms. They earned approximately $210.00 per year.

Some of Titanic's first class stewardesses

Violet Jessop, 24, was born in Argentina, the child of Irish immigrants. When her father died, her mother and Violet returned to Britain. Violet attended a convent school, but gave it up to become a stewardess when her mother became ill. She first worked for the Royal Mail Line, then for the White Star Line aboard the Olympic. She was aboard the Olympic when it collided with the HMS Hawke in 1911.

Friends encouraged her to join the Titanic for the experience. In her memoir, she stated how she enjoyed a chance to take in some fresh air during the evenings on board. "If the sun did fail to shine so brightly on the fourth day out, and if the little cold nip crept into the air as evening set in, it only served to emphasize the warmth and luxuriousness within."

On the night of April 14, Violet was nearly asleep when Titanic collided with the iceberg.

''I was ordered up on deck. Calmly, passengers strolled about. I stood at the bulkhead with the other stewardesses, watching the women cling to their husbands before being put into the boats with their children. Some time after, a ship's officer ordered us into the boat (16) first to show some women it was safe. As the boat was being lowered the officer called: 'Here, Miss Jessop. Look after this baby.' And a bundle was dropped on to my lap.''

Following rescue by the Carpathia, Violet cared for the baby until a woman ran up and grabbed him away.

''I was still clutching the baby against my hard cork lifebelt I was wearing when a woman leaped at me and grabbed the baby, and rushed off with it, it appeared that she put it down on the deck of the Titanic while she went off to fetch something, and when she came back the baby had gone. I was too frozen and numb to think it strange that this woman had not stopped to say 'thank you'.

Violet Jessop

During World War I, Violet returned to sea as a nurse aboard Britannic, Titanic’s other sister ship. The ship was sunk in the Aegean Sea in 1916. Violet jumped from a lifeboat and hit her head on the ship’s keel. Nevertheless, she was rescued once again.

Violet spent forty-two years at sea. She had a brief marriage that ended in divorce, and never had children. She died at the age of 83.

The Last Man to Know

George Rowe, 32, had served in the Royal Navy and the merchant marine before working aboard White Star Line’s Oceanic. In April 1912, Rowe signed on to be Quartermaster of the Titanic.

On the night of April 14, Rowe was given the task of standing watch on the auxiliary bridge at the far end of Titanic’s stern, on the poop deck. Although the temperature had dropped considerably, the absence of wind kept him from getting too cold as he paced back and forth on the open catwalk.

He noticed what sailors called “whiskers” around the deck lights—thousands of tiny ice splinters reflecting off the lights. He knew the bright colors they gave off were a sign of ice ahead.

Rowe felt a slight change in the motion of the ship. Then he noticed what at first appeared to be a “full-rigged ship, with sails set,” passing close to the starboard side and towering over the bridge where he stood. He soon realized the shape was an iceberg. It passed by and disappeared.

Titanic began venting steam shortly afterward, but Rowe remained at his watch. He had no way of knowing the iceberg had damaged the ship, and he couldn’t see the activity on the Boat Deck as the lifeboats were lowered.

The stern end of Titanic, as seen in Queenstown, Ireland on sailing day

When a lifeboat half-filled with passengers drifted by, the startled Quartermaster telephoned the bridge to ask if they knew about it. Answering the phone, Fourth Officer Boxhall asked who was calling. When Rowe explained, Boxhall realized that in the excitement no one had informed the man on watch in the back of the ship of the emergency. He told Rowe to come to the bridge immediately and bring a box of distress rockets stored in a locker.

Rowe and Boxhall spent the next hour firing rockets every five minutes in an attempt to signal a nearby vessel. They used a Morse lamp in between firing rockets. It was only when ordered by Captain Smith to take charge of Collapsible C that Rowe left his post.

George Rowe returned to work aboard the Oceanic, and joined a hospital ship during World War I. He then worked in a ship repair yard until well into his 80s. He died at the age of 91.

New York Remembers

New York City: RMS Titanic’s destination for her maiden voyage across the Atlantic. New York was home to many first and second class passengers, including the most wealthy and famous. To others, New York would be the place to board a train for another part of the country. And to over 1000 immigrants on board the ship, New York symbolized freedom and a new start in the land of opportunity. Last week, I had the opportunity to visit New York City. Along with seeing a Broadway play, riding to the top of the Empire State Building, and taking in many famous sites, I was able to locate two places in the city where Titanic is still remembered.

After the Carpathia rescued the Titanic survivors, she sailed to New York, passed the Statue of Liberty, and docked here, at the former Cunard Dock, Pier 55. Thousands waited for hours in the cold April rain to meet the ship, including the press. Today, just to the left of the center of the photo, is a building with four light blue sections, representing Titanic's four funnels.

Margaret Brown (Unsinkable Molly Brown) was instrumental in erecting a memorial lighthouse to Titanic victims in 1913. Today, it stands at the entrance to the South Street Seaport Museum, not far from the September 11 Memorial. The photo of the plaque below gives its original location and how it was used until 1967.

I also found it interesting that the Titanic was mentioned during our bus tour, as we passed the home of Isidor and Ida Strauss, the elderly couple who chose to stay on board the ship as it was sinking. In addition, the guide on our tour of the harbor noted that many survivors of the World Trade Center disaster on September 11th were taken to St. Vincent Hospital, the same hospital where Titanic survivors were treated.

Their Last Meal

In the past few weeks, we’ve explored the way passengers in each class boarded Titanic, checked out the accommodations in each class, and looked at typical first class apparel onboard the luxury liner. Today, let’s see what the passengers ate for dinner on April 14, 1912. No one knew, of course, it would be the last meal served on the Titanic.

In third class, all meals for the day were printed on one card. Dinner was the largest meal and was served mid-day.

Second class passengers were served a smaller version of the first class menu but with fewer courses.

Each course in first class was served with a selected wine. Following the last course, fruits and cheeses were available, as well as port.

Dress Aboard the Titanic

When first class passengers boarded the Titanic in April 1912, they did so with large trunks full of clothing for the voyage. It was customary to change clothes several times each day on many of the large ocean liners, and the Titanic would be the most elegant of all. Certainly, fashionable women, and men too, desired to fit in with their peers and show off their finest attire on the grandest ship ever to cross the Atlantic.

Men's Formal Wear in 1912

            Passenger Archibald Gracie later recalled, "Full dress was always en règle; and it was a subject both of observation and admiration, that there were so many beautiful women—then especially in evidence—aboard the ship."

Colonel Archibald Gracie

A well-known fashion designer was aboard, named Lady Duff-Gordon. Famous in New York, London, and Paris, her designs often featured a split skirt, low neckline, less-restrictive corset, and more revealing lingerie. When other first class passengers discovered Lucile, as she was known professionally, would be on board the Titanic, many of them made sure to obtain some her creations to wear during the voyage.

Lady Duff Gordon

The Edwardian style focused on straighter lines and less constricted clothing for women, rather than the bustles and full skirts seen in Victorian days. But the fine details were everywhere, from elegantly trimmed hats and expensive jewelry to silk draping off the shoulder and delicately embroidered footwear.

            Dinner on Titanic was a formal occasion, where men dressed in tailcoat, white waistcoat, and white bow tie. Women wore evening gowns, no hat, long white gloves, kid leather or satin shoes to match their gowns, opera bag, fan, and perhaps a scarf. Hats were worn only during the day.

            After the ship collided with the iceberg on the night of April 14, a steward gave Benjamin Guggenheim a sweater and a lifebelt to wear. When he realized he probably would not survive, he and his valet returned to their cabin and changed into their finest dinner apparel. They then helped load women and children into the lifeboats. Guggenheim told a bystander, "We're dressed in our best and are prepared to go down like gentlemen."

Benjamin Guggenheim

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Dining Titanic-Style

Of all the shipboard activities, passengers on the RMS Titanic enjoyed mealtimes the most. Even those traveling in first class, many of whom were accustomed to lavish dinners and excellent service on other Atlantic crossings, claimed the Titanic had outdone all other ships when it came to making her passengers feel extra-pampered. The food served was delicious, fresh, and plentiful for all three classes. But part of the excitement about the meals had to do with the dining rooms themselves. Those traveling in first class were signaled by a bugle when it was time to dress for dinner. The bugler played the tune, “Roast Beef of Old England”. Men and women would head for their cabins to dress in their finest, then gradually drift into the Grand Dining Saloon via the first class Reception Room, near the Grand Staircase. The word ‘saloon’ comes from the French word salon, meaning a spacious and elegant room.

Titanic's First Class Dining Saloon

The dining saloon was the largest of any room on any ship at the time and seated over 500. At 114 feet long and 92 feet wide, it extended across the center of the ship from port to starboard. The room had leaded glass windows, an elaborate molded plaster ceiling, plush carpet, and green leather chairs surrounding white linen-covered tables. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner were each served on china in a different pattern, all bearing the red flag of the White Star Line in the center. Most dinners consisted of eleven courses and were served on silver platters by the attentive and gracious dining stewards. The eight-piece orchestra split up during dinner and played for first and second class passengers.

"Fancy strawberries in April and in mid-ocean. The whole thing is positively uncanny."

Lady Duff-Gordon, first class passenger

Those in second class were also alerted by the bugle. Their dining saloon was nearly as large as the one for first class, also extending across the width of the ship. When seeing the room for the first time, many second class passengers thought they had wandered into first class by mistake. The room was paneled in oak and had over 500 swivel chairs upholstered in red, bolted to the floor. Second class had their own white china, trimmed in blue and boasting the red WSL flag.

Second Class Dining Saloon

In third class, meals were served in two adjoining rooms at two seatings in order to accommodate over 700 passengers. Bright white enamel walls and plenty of windows overlooking the ocean made the rooms pleasant, but they were otherwise sparsely decorated. Passengers enjoyed hearty, multi-course meals served on simple White Star Line china. Fresh bread and fruit was available at every meal, a luxury to many traveling in third class.

Dining Room for Third Class

Accomodations Aboard the Titanic

In First Class When first class passengers boarded Titanic, they were met by the chief steward and his staff, who escorted them to their staterooms. Men were each given a flower for their buttonholes. Most of their cabins were on the upper decks, away from the noise of the engines and near the dining room, Grand Staircase, and Promenade.

Thirty-nine first class suites were decorated in different period styles. The suites included bedrooms, bathrooms, lounges, and extra rooms for servants. A few had private promenades. Smaller first class cabins consisted of only one large room and a bathroom. A few shared a bathroom with another cabin.

A typical first class cabin

 In Second Class

Second class passengers boarded the ship through a separate gangway on C-Deck, and were given directions to their cabins. Each large cabin was equipped with beds, a desk, dresser with mirror, sofa, and a washbasin with cold water. Passengers could ask their stewards to bring hot water if they wished. Bathrooms were located down the hall and were shared by several passengers.

A separate section of the Boat Deck was set aside for second class passengers to enjoy a stroll in the open air.

Second class Titanic cabin

In Third Class

Passengers in third class were greeted by a medical officer who inspected them for lice or signs of trachoma (an eye disease) or other health problems. Any infectious disease would prevent them from being able to enter the United States. Their tickets were then stamped with a section number and the passengers boarded the ship on E-Deck. Stewards helped direct them to their cabins, but many of the non-English speaking passengers were frustrated with the maze of halls and stairways.

Third class cabins varied in size, but most were fitted with bunk beds, a mirror, and a washbasin. They were below water level so they did not have portholes. There were only two bathtubs in the shared bathrooms for over 700 passengers. Most found their accommodations to be clean, comfortable, and adequate for their needs.

A third class cabin aboard Titanic, showing washbasin between bunk beds

Most stewards’ cabins were on the same deck as the passengers they served. First class stewards could be summoned at any time with the touch of a button in the cabins.

No daily maid service as we know it today was available.

No cabin aboard the ship was given the number 13.

Ten Myths About Titanic

1. Sixteen lifeboats plus four collapsible boats were all that were in the original plans. False. The original plans called for 64 lifeboats. The owners and builders reduced it to 32, then to 16 because that was the number required by law at the time, and in order to make room for more deck space. The four collapsible boats were then added, bringing the number to 20.

Passengers strolling on the deck near lifeboats

2. Each of the four funnels had a purpose.

False. The fourth funnel was a fake, added to make the ship look grander.

Titanic leaving Southampton

3. On launch day, the ship was christened Titanic and a bottle of champagne was broken over her bow.

False. The White Star Line did not have naming ceremonies for any of their ships.

4. All passengers were bound for New York.

False. Fifteen first class passengers and nine second class passengers disembarked at the first port call, Cherbourg, France. A canary made the short trip as well, costing its owner 25 cents for the voyage across the English Channel from Southampton. At the second port call in Queenstown, Ireland, seven passengers disembarked.

One of two tenders used to transport passengers to and from Titanic at Cherbourg

5. There was a grand ballroom for first class passengers.

False. There was no organized dancing onboard, although many steerage passengers danced to the lively music in the third class general room provided by passengers who had brought their instruments along.

Part of the third class general room

6. Only the RMS Carpathia responded to Titanic’s distress call after the collision with the iceberg.

False. Three ships responded—the Olympic, the Frankfurt, and the Carpathia. The Carpathia was the closest at 58 miles away. Captain Smith of the Titanic knew it would not reach Titanic in time before she sank.

RMS Carpathia

7. Third class passengers could not reach the Boat Deck because they were locked behind gates.

False. Some of the gates were not locked. A few that were locked were opened by stewards after the collision. They helped guide women and children to the upper decks, but some of the women refused to leave the men. For others, language barriers and the maze of passageways below decks made it very difficult for steerage passengers to find their way. By the time they reached the Boat Deck, most lifeboats had already gone.

8. The Titanic sank intact.

False. The ship broke in half just prior to sinking. Many eyewitnesses had stated this, and it was proven when the wreck was finally explored.

Artist rendering of Titanic breaking in half prior to sinking

9. The iceberg made a long gash in the ship’s hull.

False. The iceberg scraped and bumped the riveted plates, causing the rivets to pop open and water to rush in. Again, this was discovered during the wreck exploration.

10. Due in part to the Titanic tragedy, cruise ships today are required to have enough lifeboats for all passengers on board.

Partly false. Modern ships are required by law to carry enough lifeboats for every passenger and crew member on board, plus 25%.

Titanic at the Movies

You’re probably familiar with the 1997 blockbuster, Titanic, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. The film won 11 Academy Awards, and was the one of the most expensive movies ever made, costing approximately $200 million. The main characters are fictional, but some of the passengers and crew are based on real people.

In addition to the Titanic mega-hit by director James Cameron, there have been many movies made about the famous ocean liner. The first was released only 29 days after the sinking and starred one of its real passengers, actress Dorothy Gibson. Gibson wore the same dress in the movie as she did in the lifeboat that saved her life. Entitled Saved from the Titanic, all copies were lost in a movie studio fire following its release.

 A few foreign silent films about the Titanic followed. Then in 1929, the first sound film about the sinking was released. Titanic: Disaster in the Atlantic was produced in English, German, and French. It was highly fictionalized, and because it was the first full-length film offered in Germany, it became a big hit there.

In 1943, Nazi Joseph Goebbels oversaw a propaganda film, Titanic, in which a German officer is the hero and the British are the villains. It became the first film to mix fictional subplots and characters with historical figures. It was filmed aboard a German liner which later sank, with the loss of life greater than that of the actual Titanic.

Still regarded as one of the most historically accurate films about the Titanic, A Night to Remember was released in 1958. Based on the book by Walter Lord, some of the special effects scenes from the 1943 German film were ‘borrowed’.

Other Titanic movies include:

The Unsinkable Molly Brown, released in 1964, staring Debbie Reynolds.

Raise the Titanic, 1980, starring Jason Robards.

Titanica, 1995, an IMAX documentary narrated by Leonard Nimoy and featuring interviews with two survivors.

Ghosts of the Abyss, 2003, IMAX documentary from Walt Disney Pictures exploring the wreckage.

Titanic II, 2010, set aboard a new luxury liner Titanic II that hits an iceberg on her maiden voyage.

As long as interest in Titanic remains, there are certain to be more movies featuring some facet of the doomed ship. As for Titanic II, there are plans to build just such a ship—an exact replica of its namesake. More on that in a future post!

The Dream in Their Hearts - Titanic Honeymoons Part XIII

This post concludes our look at each of Titanic’s 13 honeymoon couples. They came from different countries, different walks of life, and had various reasons for sailing on Titanic. Some survived the sinking and were able to carry on with their lives. In some cases, the husband or wife lived but were forever separated from their spouse. Others went to their deaths together. They each had their own love story.

Sir Thomas Lipton grew up in Glasgow, Scotland and started the first Lipton’s grocery store there in 1870. By 1888, one store grew to 300. He then created the Lipton’s tea brand and established it across Europe and North America.

To young Neal McNamee, a new Lipton employee in Derry, Ireland, Sir Thomas was a hero. Neal planned to start his own business one day and became a dedicated, hard-working employee, soon earning a promotion to the London store in 1910. Then, when Eileen O’Leary applied for a cashier’s job at the store in nearby Salisbury, he was so taken with her charm and beauty that he soon began courting her. It wasn’t long before the two fell in love.

Eileen and Neal McNamee

Neal had been offered a position at Lipton’s new store in New York City, so when he proposed to Eileen, she knew she would need to leave her family behind. Also, Neal was Catholic and she was a committed Baptist. With interfaith marriage not being acceptable at the time, Eileen would need to convert to Catholicism. But she loved Neal, and the two had great dreams for the future. She accepted Neal's proposal, and the two were married in January, 1912. For their transportation to their new life in New York, Neal booked a small third class cabin on the new ship everyone was talking about, the RMS Titanic.

One of Titanic's third class public rooms

Sir Thomas Lipton gave Neal a glowing letter of recommendation to present to the manager of his New York store. Eileen received her own letter from the mayor of Salisbury, thanking her for serving as a Sunday School teacher at her church and praising her fine character.

On April 10, the couple checked into their cabin and enjoyed the comfortable third class dining room and other public areas during the voyage. But no surviving witnesses recalled seeing them after the Titanic collided with the iceberg. Some stewards directed third class passengers toward the boat deck, others found it themselves, and many others waited in their cabins for instructions, due in part to language barriers. 

Third class menu from the last day aboard Titanic

Eileen’s body was found by the recovery ship Mackay-Bennett. She had apparently taken some time to dress in several layers of warm clothing and she still clung to her purse. It’s assumed she and Neal had reached the outer decks and were not stuck somewhere inside the ship. Neal’s body, however, was not found.

Today in a Salisbury park, a memorial plaque and bench pay tribute to these two young lives full of hope and dreams for their future together.

I hope you’ve enjoyed the Titanic Honeymoons series of posts. As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts! Next week, we’ll continue with another aspect of the great RMS Titanic.

Ireland's Great Loss - Titanic Honeymoons Part XII

In July 1905, twenty-six-year-old Kate McHugh arrived at Ellis Island with $15.00 in her pocket and the hope of a better life in Chicago than back home in County Mayo, Ireland. A cousin and other relatives had gone to Chicago before her, and she was able to find work. But five years later, Kate was still single. She decided to return to Ireland for a visit and perhaps see if her old friend, John Bourke, was still a bachelor. John, ten years older than Kate and forty-one by this time, had, indeed, never married. The two began courting and were married in 1911, with plans to live on John’s farm. But Kate missed the excitement of Chicago. When another cousin, Catherine McGowan, returned from a visit to the United States, she urged Kate and John to sell the farm and come back with her and her 15-year-old niece on Titanic.

John and Kate Bourke

The Bourkes were persuaded to follow the dream of thousands of others who'd left Ireland. With money from selling the farm, they could start a small business. John purchased two tickets in Titanic's third class. John’s sister chose to join the group as well. In all, fourteen men and women from the area booked passage on Titanic. John and Kate were the oldest and 15-year-old Annie McGowan the youngest. The rest were in their 20s. A “live wake” was given in their honor, a customary sendoff for emigrants to America. Folks wished them well, but no one knew when, or if, they would ever see each other again.

Passengers waiting to board Titanic at Queenstown, Ireland

Aboard the Titanic on the night of April 14, the County Mayo group had all gone to bed after a night of singing and dancing in the third class public rooms. They slept through the collision, but when the engines stopped, John Bourke awoke. He could hear steam releasing, so he went to check with a steward who told him the ship had struck something but there was no danger. Still concerned, he woke the others and gathered them together. Kate led them in prayer.

At 12:15 am, a steward told the group to go up on deck. Some had already dressed, while others pulled coats over their nightclothes. A crowd filled the passageway, but officers now told them to wait. John led Kate, his sister, and two others off to find a ladder he had seen that led to the upper decks. Reaching the boat deck, Kate and John’s sister were given spots in Lifeboat 16, but jumped out when John was not allowed to board. Annie Kelly, another girl in their party who had wandered up to the boat deck on her own, was given their place.

Through the night, after the Titanic sank and those in the boats waited for rescue, Annie thought she was the only one of the County Mayo group to have survived. Then with the light of dawn, she discovered Annie McGowan in the lifeboat with her. Once in New York, they were admitted to a hospital for treatment of shock and exposure.

Some survivors claimed John Bourke and another man from their group helped several other passengers from third class reach the boat deck. Neither John’s nor Kate’s body was ever found.

The devastating news of the sinking soon reached Ireland, while names of survivors trickled in. The families waited and prayed, until it appeared that Annie Kelly and Annie McGowan were the only survivors from the 14-member County Mayo contingent. John Bourke’s tiny village, with a population of only 61, lost not only him but five young women.

Then a third passenger from the group, Delia McDermott, was counted among the survivors. While the lifeboats were loading, Delia had gone back down to her cabin at the last minute to retrieve her new hat. Back on deck, a steward helped her board Lifeboat 13. Following rescue, she stayed in New York rather than head for Chicago as she had planned. Somehow, the press missed adding her to the survivor lists until several days later.

Memorial dedication to the eleven Titanic victims from County Mayo, Ireland

Every April 15th, church bells are rung eleven times at 2:20 am.

When Time Stood Still - Titanic Honeymoons Part XI

John Chapman had worked alongside his father, a tenant farmer, for as long as he could. By age 31, he still hadn’t been able to save enough money to buy a small farm of his own and marry his sweetheart, Lizzie Lawry. Fed up with the fickle climate of Cornwall and frequent arguments with his father, John headed to Canada in 1906, hoping to earn a living and come back for Lizzie.

Lizzie Lawry (bottom right) with her extended family

After four years in Canada, John moved to the state of Washington and worked as a grave digger. Finally, in 1911, he returned to Cornwall, where he and Lizzie were married. She was 28, and John was 36. The couple decided to emigrate to Wisconsin where Lizzie’s brother had moved, so John booked two second class tickets on Titanic.

On board, the Chapmans met other families from Cornwall. After dinner on April 14, they participated in hymn singing in the dining room and had coffee and cookies, brought around by the stewards. Later, as they talked in bed, they felt a jolt. John checked with others in the corridor. When a steward instructed them to come on deck with their lifejackets, he stuffed Lizzie’s purse with their marriage certificate, baggage receipt, baggage insurance form, and all their money.

They reached the port side, where “Women and children only,” was the order given by Second Officer Charles Lightoller. Lizzie boarded a lifeboat, but when she realized John was not able to join her, she immediately climbed out, refusing to be separated from him. John held tight to Lizzie’s purse, and they were last seen clinging to railings as Titanic’s bow dipped below the icy waters of the north Atlantic.

The recovery ship, Mackay-Bennett, picked up John’s body, still clutching Lizzie’s purse. In his pocket was his watch, which had stopped at 1:45 am, approximately 35 minutes before the ship completely sank.  Lizzie’s body was never found.

John Chapman's grave marker, Halifax, Nova Scotia

John’s pocket watch and other personal effects were given to his father, who passed them on to his nephew. The watch is now on display in the Maritime Museum, Cornwall.

Mysterious Rescue – Titanic Honeymoons Part X

At 14, Ethel Clarke of Norwich, England wasn’t ready for marriage. But the thought of emigrating to America appealed to her, so when Edward Beane proposed and asked her to wait until he saved enough money, she said yes.

Edward, 27, crossed the Atlantic with his two brothers and obtained work as a bricklayer in New York, earning better wages than at his old construction job in England. He wrote to Ethel and came home to visit when he could, traveling in steerage to save money. After six years, he and Ethel had saved 500 dollars plus enough for two second class tickets on the Titanic to New York. They were married in Norwich, said goodbye to their families, and left for Southampton.

Edward and Ethel Beane in a 1930s photo

Edward and Ethel were in their cabin when the ship struck the iceberg. They didn’t think much of the jolt they felt until a woman in a nearby cabin came to tell them about the order to come to the boat deck with lifebelts, and to wear warm clothes. Edward urged Ethel to hurry and not worry about bringing any of their few valuables. Most of their savings was locked in the purser's office.

On the boat deck, Ethel was quickly ushered to Lifeboat 13 and had no time for more than a quick kiss from Edward. Three or four more passengers were loaded before it was launched, but Ethel lost sight of her husband. He would surely take another lifeboat, she thought.

Edward was indeed rescued, but the stories conflict of how it happened. He and Ethel told different versions of that night to reporters. In one, Edward stated he kept an eye on his wife’s lifeboat from the deck of the Titanic. Then, as the ship sank, he jumped and swam “for hours” until he reached it and was pulled aboard. The problem with this story is that a passenger in Lifeboat 13, Lawrence Beesley, wrote a detailed account of the entire night shortly afterward and never mentioned rescuing anyone from the water. Some passengers had wanted to return to help those in the water, but most refused, feeling their boat would be swamped.

Another version the Beane’s gave the press stated that Edward was picked up by another lifeboat and he didn’t find Ethel on the Carpathia until after it docked in New York. This seems unlikely, however, because great care was taken to compile accurate passenger lists and roll calls were taken to help passengers find each other.

It’s possible that Edward did jump aboard Lifeboat 13 at the last minute before launch, when no other women or children were available or willing to board. Like other male survivors, he probably encountered public ridicule for not being “a gentleman” and going down with the ship, and he and Ethel made up the other stories to ease his guilt.

Edward Beane is listed as a Lifeboat 13 passenger by Encyclopedia Titanica, one of the main sources I use in my research of the Titanic, and in several other written accounts.

Edward and Ethel with their two sons

The Beanes managed to make a new life in Rochester, New York, raised two sons, and vowed to never cross the ocean again. Edward died at the age of 67 and Ethel at the age of 90.

Beane family descendants in a replica of the Titanic wireless room

Unpleasant Crossings - Titanic Honeymoons Part IX

John Pillsbury Snyder was the grandson of Minnesota's governor, nephew of the founder of the Pillsbury flour company, and son of a well-known Minneapolis lawyer. After college, John opened his own car dealership, right when the automobile was becoming more affordable and not merely a toy for the wealthy.

John Pillsbury Snyder

He married Nelle Stevenson a month later, and they set off on a European honeymoon. The captain of the ship they sailed on gave the "full steam ahead" order while it was still tied to the New York pier, which ripped a good part of the dock away. Then it ran aground on a sandbar near Gibraltar, preventing anyone from going ashore.

Nelle Snyder

For their return voyage from London to New York, the ship they were booked on was cancelled due to the coal strike. But Nelle was thrilled to learn they were being re-booked on the brand new Titanic. That is, until she learned the name of Titanic's captain. The ship's captain on their voyage out of New York was also named Smith. "I don't think this man is careful enough," she told her husband. But John insisted everything would be fine, the Titanic was unsinkable, and she need not worry.

John and Nelle made friends with the Bishops, then the Astors and the Harders. The four honeymoon couples talked of their extensive travels across Europe and their plans for when they returned to the United States. They played cards, read, wrote postcards in the first class lounge, or strolled along the decks.

When Titanic hit the iceberg on the night of April 14, the Snyders were already in bed. A steward told John they should dress and come to the boat deck, where they waited with the Bishops until John Jacob Astor returned from meeting with Captain Smith. All passengers were to don their lifebelts and women and children would be loaded onto the lifeboats. Most passengers thought this was only a precautionary measure; it seemed safer to remain on the ship than get in a small boat dangling high over the dark ocean. At Lifeboat 7, both Nelle and John were allowed to board. Unsure if the boat could take more weight and with no one else willing to board yet, crewmembers lowered it to the water. With a capacity of 65, Lifeboat 7 held just 28 people, including two young crewmen who told the passengers they had never been in a lifeboat.

Letter from John to his father following the sinking. "...I have a mighty fine wife and she is the one you must thank - besides our Lord - for my being able to write this letter."

After the Titanic sank, Helen Bishop comforted Nelle by telling her of the Cairo fortune teller's prediction that Helen would survive a shipwreck. The Snyders managed to recover well from their ordeal and returned to Minneapolis, where they built a large lake home, John's dealership was successful, and they raised three children. John served in World War I. He and Nelle went to Europe again in 1939, but their trip was cut short by the outbreak of World War II. They came home rather than risk being stranded, and never left the USA again.

The White Widow - Titanic Honeymoons Part VIII

The daughter of a Congressman, eighteen-year-old Eloise Hughes met Lucian Smith, 24, at her society debut in January 1912. One month later, they were married in the bride's hometown of Huntington, West Virginia. Their honeymoon included stops in Italy, France, and Holland, plus camel rides around the pyramids in Egypt.

Eloise and Lucian Smith

Blissfully happy, Eloise soon learned she was pregnant. In a letter to her parents, she told them they would sail home on either the "Lusitania or the new Titanic." Choosing the latter, Eloise and Lucian spent their days aboard planning their future on their new farm in Huntington and discussing names for the baby. Eloise didn't feel well on the night of April 14 and went to bed early, while Lucian joined three other men in a card game.

At 11:40 pm, the men heard and felt a scraping along the starboard bow. Checking to see what happened, they saw the iceberg through the port holes. Lucian went to the deck where some ice had fallen, but no one seemed alarmed. Shortly afterward, he ran into John Jacob Astor, who had just spoken to Captain Smith. Passengers were to report to the boat deck and women and children would be loaded into lifeboats. Lucian hurried to awaken Eloise but tried not to worry her. She dressed warmly, and just as she was leaving their stateroom, grabbed her new diamond ring Lucien had bought her in Paris.

Eloise tried to stay on board with Lucian, but he finally told her everyone would be saved and insisted she get in a lifeboat. He kissed his wife goodbye and helped her into Lifeboat 4. As the boat reached the ocean's surface and pulled away from the port side, someone said the men were boarding boats on the starboard side. Eloise thought the cries from the water were from third class passengers who hadn't reached the boats in time.

Following rescue by the Carpathia, a doctor told Eloise to rest and that he would look for her husband. A woman gave Eloise her own cabin, but Eloise couldn't sleep. She questioned other passengers and learned there hadn't been enough lifeboats. She began to realize Lucian had most likely perished.

Robert Daniel of Virginia, another rescued passenger, heard of the young southern woman aboard Carpathia who'd just lost her husband. He sought her out and introduced himself, telling her he'd leaped into the water at the last minute and made his way to a lifeboat. When the Carpathia docked in New York, he escorted Eloise off the ship and looked after her until her father met them. Eloise stoically testified at the US inquiry, wearing a white dress. Reporters called her "the white widow."

Eloise gave birth to a little boy, Lucian Smith, Jr. Robert Daniel continued to call on her, and they announced their engagement a year later. The marriage lasted until 1923, when Eloise discovered Robert had been seeing a woman in New York. She married two more times, with both marriages ending in divorce. She changed her name back to Smith, her son's name and that of the man she had loved. Eloise died of a heart attack at the young age of 46. Her granddaughter told a reporter, "She never completely recovered emotionally from Lucian's death or from witnessing the tragic deaths of the other people on that ship."

A Premonition - Titanic Honeymoons Part VII

Of all the newlyweds aboard the Titanic, Victor and Pepita Penasco of Spain took the longest and most lavish honeymoon, lasting nearly two years. Victor’s wealth came from his grandfather, who was the first minister to King Alfonso XIII. Pepita, whose uncle was Spain’s Premier, had enjoyed the good life as well. They spent their honeymoon visiting Vienna, Monte Carlo, London, Venice, and Paris, and Victor bought Pepita expensive jewelry in every city.

While staying at Maxim’s in Paris, the Penasco’s saw the advertisements for the Titanic’s upcoming maiden voyage to New York. But Victor’s mother had forbidden them from taking any ocean voyages, due to a premonition she’d had. But the couple sent Victor’s manservant, Eulogio, to purchase tickets for them and Pepita’s maid anyway. They wrote several postcards to their families about staying longer in Paris, with the plan for Eulogio to stay behind and mail one every week. They would sail to New York and back without anyone knowing they'd gone, including Victor’s mama.

Victor Penasco

Pepita Penasco

Pepita loved the ship and enjoyed showing off her fabulous jewelry, plus new gowns designed by fellow passenger and fashion designer, Lady Duff Gordon. The Penasco’s hardly spoke English, so they spent most of their time alone together or with first class passengers from Argentina and Uruguay.

After Victor felt the collision on the night of April 14, he asked a steward in halting English if there was a problem. Told there was none, he investigated nevertheless. Passengers had begun to gather on the boat deck, some with lifebelts. Victor hurried to get Pepita and her maid and brought them to the boat deck, where lifeboats were now being loaded. He helped them to board Lifeboat 8. Pepita didn’t understand the order for women and children only to board. She expected her husband to follow her onto the lifeboat, but he’d vanished from her sight, perhaps to keep her from climbing out after him. As the boat was lowered, Pepita and her maid screamed in Spanish for them to wait for Victor, but no one understood. The Countess of Rothe, also in Lifeboat 8, tried to comfort Pepita as they watched the great ship sink.

On April 15, Victor’s mother had a feeling something had happened to her son. She phoned Maxim’s in Paris and was told the couple had checked out. She phoned several embassies until one confirmed Pepita’s name was on a list of Titanic survivors, although Victor’s was not.

Victor’s body was not recovered. Under Spanish law at the time, a person could not be declared dead for 20 years if a body wasn’t found. Because Pepita was still a young woman, her family and Victor’s decided on the next best thing. Money changed hands, an unidentified body was “identified” by Pepita’s maid, and Victor’s death certificate was issued.

Pepita remarried 6 years later and had 3 children. Her maid continued to work for her until she retired. Pepita died in Madrid at the age of 83.

The Teenaged Couple - Titanic Honeymoons Part VI

Daniel Marvin and Mary Farquharson, both 17, were madly in love. Instead of waiting a year or two to get married as their families wished, they went to New York City Hall for a civil ceremony, then each returned to their family’s homes with their secret. But two months later, Mary’s pregnancy could no longer be hidden. A religious ceremony was quickly planned by their parents, and on March 12, 1912, Daniel and Mary were married for the second time.

Frame from movie of Daniel and Mary Marvin's wedding, perhaps the first wedding ever filmed

Daniel’s father owned the Biograph Company, America’s oldest motion picture company, begun in 1895 by a former employee of Thomas Edison. As a wedding gift to his son and his new bride, Mr. Marvin gave them a large, hand-cranked movie camera to take with them on their honeymoon. Daniel planned to join the family business and make movies as soon as he returned.

The newlyweds left the next day for a 5-week tour of Europe, and Daniel enjoyed taking movies of Mary at all the places they visited. When she was just over 3 months pregnant, they bought first class tickets back to New York on Titanic. They paid roughly the equivalent of $4,550 in today’s money.

Mary and Daniel Marvin

Daniel filmed the launch from Titanic’s decks, capturing the moment when the ship nearly collided with the New York in Southampton’s harbor. He and Mary were inseparable during the voyage, filming each other in various parts of the ship. Several survivors later remembered them as high-spirited and frequently embracing.

On the night of April 14, Daniel and Mary felt the collision but didn’t think much of it. Forty-five minutes later, a steward knocked on their door and told them lifeboats were being loaded as a precaution, and to wear their warmest clothes. Daniel calmed Mary as they dressed, and decided to bring along the film from his camera. She grabbed her fur coat.

They were led to the port side of the boat dock, where the call went out for women and children to board the lifeboats. Frantic and not wanting to leave her husband, Mary was nevertheless helped into Lifeboat 10. Daniel then tossed her the heavy film canister and blew her a kiss. Mary desperately looked for him as she scanned the ship’s railings from the water, hoping he’d found a seat in another lifeboat.

Safe on the Carpathia but with no sign of Daniel, Mary refused to eat or drink. Some passengers thought perhaps another ship had come to the rescue, and Mary held out hope. But back in New York, Mary and her mother checked all the survivor lists until the worst was finally confirmed; Daniel Marvin had not survived. His body was never found.

In a newspaper interview shortly afterward, Mary said, “My God, don’t ask me too much. Tell me, have you any news from Dan? He grabbed me in his arms and knocked down men to get me into the boat. As I was put in the boat he cried ‘It’s alright, little girl, you go and I will stay a while. I’ll put on a life preserver and jump off and follow your boat.’ As our boat shoved off, he threw a kiss at me, and that is the last I saw of him.”

Mary hid herself from the public at her parents’ home to grieve and prepare for motherhood. Six months later, she gave birth to a healthy baby girl and named her Mary Margaret Elizabeth Marvin. She remarried a year later, and her new husband adopted the baby, called Peggy. They moved to Long Island, and had two more children. Mary died in 1975 at the age of 81.

The whereabouts of the film Daniel tossed to his bride from the Titanic is unknown. One theory is that Mary gave it to her father-in-law, who may have saved it in the archives of the Biograph Company. Perhaps it will turn up one day, and Daniel Marvin’s honeymoon movie will become a great historical treasure.

The Couple Who Helped - Titanic Honeymoons Part V

Outgoing and handsome George Harder, 25, had worked his way up the ladder in New York and was said to have everything going for him. When he met 21-year-old Dorothy Annan at a Brooklyn social event, George was captivated by her beauty and was determined to make her his bride.

Dorothy Annan Harder

George Harder (1927 passport photo) 

Dorothy accepted his proposal, and they were married in her cousin’s home. They set sail for a three-month European honeymoon the next day, and Dorothy was thrilled when George booked their passage home on the famous Titanic. They were not nearly as wealthy as many of the other first class passengers, so their cabin was located on Deck E, two and three levels below the most exclusive suites on Deck C and B. But they enjoyed all the first class amenities and privileges, and soon met other honeymoon couples, including the Bishops, the Dicks, and the Astors.

On the night of April 14, George and Dorothy were in bed when they felt a dull thump. George immediately checked the porthole and saw an iceberg “50 to 100 feet tall.” The couple then heard a scraping sound along Titanic’s hull. They wasted no time in getting dressed and hurrying upstairs to the boat deck.

No one on the boat deck seemed overly alarmed. Most believed the ship was unsinkable and would be on its way shortly. However, George had felt the collision, unlike many of those whose cabins were higher on the ship. Now, as he walked the deck, he noticed a list. When the announcement came to board the lifeboats, George and Dorothy raced down to their cabin and grabbed their lifebelts, her fur coat, his heavy overcoat, a bottle of brandy, and the button hook Dorothy used to button her shoes.

They ran up the five flights of stairs, not wanting to risk getting stuck in the elevator. They were led to Lifeboat 5 and Dorothy was helped aboard. According to George, the men were asked to wait while any available women boarded the boat, and when no more women were in sight, the men were allowed to board. Much to Dorothy’s relief, George then boarded the lifeboat and sat beside her. During the frigid night as they awaited rescue, they passed around their bottle of brandy to anyone in need.

Aboard the Carpathia, the Harders spent their time comforting passengers who had lost loved ones in the sinking. Below is a well-known photograph of George and Dorothy, talking with a passenger whose husband was among the missing.

 Before the Carpathia reached New York, the couple helped take up a collection to honor Captain Rostron and the crew of the Carpathia for their heroic rescue efforts, and came to the presentation ceremony weeks later. George Harder also testified at the Senate inquiry into the disaster. Like other male survivors, he faced ridicule for having taken a seat in a lifeboat that might have gone to a woman. He insisted no other women were present when he was allowed to board, and he never knew there were not enough lifeboats for all the passengers.

Dorothy died at the age of 36 of chronic kidney problems. George remarried and died in 1959. Their family still has Dorothy’s button hook she kept from her honeymoon voyage on the Titanic.