The Survivors

* Fifth Officer Harold Lowe had been apprenticed by his father, a Liverpool businessman, at the age of 14 but Lowe announced he would not work for nothing for anybody and left to sign on as a cabin boy on a schooner. Soon, he moved up to square-rigged ships and earned all his certificates while spending 5 years sailing up and down the West African coast. Lowe finally joined the White Star Line in early 1911. At around 12:45am, April 14,1912, Lowe was late to help with the loading of the lifeboats due to the heavy sleeper he was. He later stated, "You must understand that we do not have any much sleep, and therefore when we sleep we die." Lowe had slept thru the collision and even the venting of the steam. Voices outside his cabin is what had woke him and when he looked out his porthole and saw the Boat Deck filled with people wearing lifebelts, he jumped out of bed, got dressed and rushed out on deck. Now, at about 12:45am, he was assisting Pitman in the loading of lifeboat #5. After seeing Boat #13 safely into the water, Lowe had gone to the port side of Titanic and told Sixth Officer Moody that he just sent 5 boats away without a single officer in any of them and there must be an officer in the rest of them. Moody told Lowe to go into Boat #14 and take charge of it. By the time Lowe had started loading Boat #14, the Titanic was clear to be doomed. A young man climbed over into the boat and tried to hide under the seats of the women. Furious, Lowe drew his revolver and demanded the boy out of the boat. The boy would not go and Lowe told him, "I'll give you just ten seconds to get back onto that ship before I blow your brains out," while he shoved the gun in the boy's face. Crying, the boy pleaded with Lowe and Lowe then said, "For God's sake, be a man! We've got women and children to save!" The young man then got back onto the decks of the Titanic. Seconds later, another man tried to rush the lifeboat but was caught by Lowe and thrown back into a bunch of Second Class men who began to beat him senseless. Another group of "Italians" tried to force their way into Boat #14 and Seaman Scarrott drove them back by using the tiller bar like a club. Lowe then drew his revolver once more and yelled, "If anyone else tries that this is what he'll get!" and fired his gun 3 times along the side of the ship. The group of people fell back and Lowe boarded Boat #14 and the boat was lowered. (Lowe had stated that all the men that tried to sneak aboard a lifeboat was either a "Dago" or an "Italian".) After the Titanic had sunk, Lowe decided to go back to help swimmers in the water to safety. Once Boat #14 had pulled away from the Titanic, he began rounding up as many other boats as he could find. He got Boats 10, 12 and 4 and Collapsible D around his boat and began to tie them together then tranferred passengers into the boats leaving Boat #14 empty to go back for swimmers. It was about 45 minutes later when Boat #14 was finally ready to go back to the site where voices were still yelling for help. By now however, the voices had faded tremendously. The first person Lowe had reached was First Class passenger, W. H. Hoyt. Hoyt was a large man and it took everyone on Boat #14 to bring him aboard. Hoyt was unconcious and bleeding from his nose and mouth. He died within the hour. Other voices were heard but they could not pin-point where they were coming from and trying to find survivors became a hard task. Eventually they found Steward John Stewart who was revived once they rubbed him down and massaged his limbs. They then came upon an Asian man who was lying face down on a door. They were unsure if he was alive or dead so Lowe ordered him aboard. He was indeed alive and after a moment, he got up, shook his legs out to get the circulation going and minutes later he grabbed an oar and started pulling hard. Lowe continued to search for an hour but did not find any other survivors. He then told his men to lay back on their oars and they drifted in the sea along with the other 19 lifeboats. When the Carpathia had come into view, Lowe hoisted the sail aboard Boat #14. He noticed Collapsible D was low in the water and swung his boat over to it. He tied Collapsible D to Boat #14 and then saw that Collapsible A could sink any minute. Almost all who were aboard Collapsible A had died within the night, frozen to death and fallen overboard. Now only a dozen men and one woman were alive. Lowe quickly tranferred all left in Collapsible A aboard Boat #14 and they made their way to the Carpathia. AFTERMATH: During his testimony for the U.S. Senate Inquiry, Fifth Officer Harold Lowe had described every man who tried to force their way into a lifeboat or tried to stow away in one, as an "Italian." The defamation of character that statement gave-that all Italians were cowards, was so degrading, the Italian Ambassador of the United States had demanded-and received-a written apology from Lowe. Lowe had served in the Royal Navy in WWI then never sailed again. He retired in Wales and died quietly in 1944.

* Captain Arthur Rostron was the captain of the Carpathia. When Rostron got word that the Titanic was sinking, he began to head her way hard. He knew the iceberg situtation so he posted extra lookouts to keep an eye out for icebergs along the way as they increased speed. He made sure there were hot drinks and blankets ready for survivors for when they boarded the Carpathia. After all were aboard, he continued to roam the area where the Titanic had gone down, looking for any more survivors. When he found none, the Carpathia headed for New York. AFTERMATH: Captain Arthur Rostron's career was made by his impeccable seamanship in the early morning hours of April 15,1912. In 1915 he was given command of the Mauretania. It was the most prestigious command on the North Atlantic run. He held that position until 1926. In 1928, we was made Commodore of the Cunard Line, and retired with full honors in 1931. Rostron died in 1940.

* Fourth Officer Joseph Boxhall had been with the White Star Line for five years now. He had already acquired a reputation of being an outstanding navigator. Captain Smith had so much confidence in Boxhall's skill that he assigned him the responsibility of keeping the ship's charts up-to-date, including any positions, weather, or ice reports the Titanic may receive. Boxhall was the first to be asked to inspect the damage from the iceberg. Boxhall reported he found no damage to the decks below however moments later carpenter Jim Hutchinson pushed past him and announced, "She's making water fast!" Boxhall had assisted Quartermaster Rowe in firing the distress rockets and then also by trying to capture the attention of the "mystery ship" in the distance by Morse lamp. When they got no response after repeated attempts and after all the rockets had been fired, they gave up and Boxhall remained on the bridge waiting for his next orders. Finally, Captain Smith had told Fourth Officer Boxhall to take charge of lifeboat #2. Boxhall then went to the port side of the Titanic where Lightoller was loading the lifeboats and boarded Boat #2. Later, after the Titanic had sunk, Boxhall suggested the lifeboat go back and look for survivors. The women in the lifeboat had pleaded with Boxhall not to go back stating if they did, they would end up losing their lives as the swimmers would try to get into their boat for safety. Boxhall couldn't believe these were the same women only a short while before that pleaded with Capt. Smith to let their men aboard a lifeboat to be saved and were in angish to leave their husbands behind. Now these same women were raising a cry of protest at the idea of going back to help those people struggling in the freezing waters. When the Carpathia came to their rescue, Boxhall helped each of the passengers in Boat #2 aboard. The first was Miss Elizabeth Allen who arrived on the decks of the Carpathia at 4:10am. AFTERMATH: Over the years the accuracy of the final position he had worked out for the Titanic would be questioned by critics but he defended his position of 41.40 N 50.14 W until the end of his life. His highest rank and last posting was on the Cunard's Aquitania in the 1930s as First Officer. In 1955 Walter Lord wrote a book called "A Night To Remember." Two years later, a movie bearing the same title apperaed in theaters on both sides of the Atlantic. Fourth Officer Boxhall, who along with Third officer Pitman were the last surviving officers from the Titanic, was one of the film's technical advisors. In 1963, after Boxhall's death, in compliance with his last wishes, his ashes were scattered over the North Atlantic, at the spot that marks the Titanic's grave.

* Lawrence Beesley was a young school teacher from London who was traveling to America to visit his brother. When lifeboat #13 was being loaded and launched, Officer Lowe had asked for any more women and children to come forward. When none came, Lawrence Beesley and some other male second class passengers who were standing near, were allowed in. ** AFTERMATH: Lawrence Beesley had published a book in 1913 about the Titanic. Mr. Beesley had died at the age of eighty-nine in 1967.

* Kate Buss was a young Englishwoman who was going to America to join her fiance Samuel Willis in San Diego, California. She had made friends with Lillian Carter, wife of Rev. Earnest Carter-who had lead the hymn singing that Sunday morning at mass, while on the Titanic together. They both would be saved in lifeboat #9, although Rev. Carter would perish. ** AFTERMATH: Kate Buss finally made it to San Diego. On May 11,1912, she would marry Samuel Willis. Their daughter would be named Lillian-after Lillian Carter. Kate was widowed in 1953. She was never able to speak of the Titanic disaster without breaking down into tears. She died in 1972 at the age of ninety-six.

* Jack (John Jr) Thayer was the teenage son of John B Thayer who was the president of the Pennsylvania Railroad. He was traveling with his parents on the Titanic. About 2am, after the Titanic hit the iceberg, Jack was standing on the starboard side of the Boat Deck with Milton Long-unaware that his father was only a few yards away on the other side of the deck talking to George Widener. Jack and Milton saw there were no more lifeboats and didn't want to chance collapsible C after the problems they had with getting it down so they waited a little longer before abandoning the ship. They soon saw the water closing in on them and decided to jump. Milton jumped first and Jack waited a beat behind him-then jumping as far as he could into the ocean. When he surfaced, Milton was nowhere to be found-he had been pulled under by the sinking ship. Jack was one who had made it to the overturned lifeboat collapsible B and climbed on top. Later when they were rescued and pulled into lifeboat #12, he was so cold he didnt even notice his mother in lifeboat #4, only a few feet away. His father did not make it. ** AFTERMATH-Jack graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and made a career in banking. Later, he became treasurer of the University and eventually became vice-president as well. He was always scarred by the events of April14/15,1912 and in 1945, still depressed about losing his son in World War I, he took his own life. Jack was 50 years old.

* Nellie Becker was traveling on the Titanic with her three children, Ruth, Marion and Richard. Nellie and her husband Allen were missionaries in India and that was where all her three children were born. Little Richard, who was only 20 months old was very sickly.His parents had been told that the only was Richard could survive would be to take him away from the harsh Indian climate. Nellie had made arrangements for her and her children to travel to America to go back home to Benton Harbor, Michigan.(It would be a homecoming for her.) ** AFTERMATH- Nellie and her children all survived and found a home in Michigan. Allen Becker joined them a year later. The Titanic disaster was something Nellie could never speak of without bursting into tears. She died in 1961. ** Marion contracted tuberculosis and died of complications in 1944 at the age of 36. ** Ruth eventually became a schoolteacher. She had been married and divorced. She could never talk of the Titanic disaster until her children were just about grown. At the age of 90, Ruth had taken a cruise to Mexico-the first time she had boarded a ship since the Titanic. She died later that year, in 1990. ** Richard became a popular singer and then a social worker. He was twice widowed by the time of his own death at the age of 65 in 1975.

* Colonel Archibald Gracie was an American officer. He had just written a book called The Truth About Chickamauga and needed a well deserved rest. He booked passage on the Titanic. After Titanic had hit the berg, Gracie had assisted Lightoller in helping the women and children into the lifeboats. At around 2:15am, the water started rushing over the forward skylight and around the base of the second funnel. Col. Gracie found himself caught up in swirling water and was afraid he would be pulled under. He gave a mighty kick and was able to break free of the ship and didn't surface until he was about 20 yards from the Titanic. Col. Gracie also had made it to the collapsible B overturned lifeboat and climbed aboard. The more men that climbed aboard collapsible B, the deeper the boat would sink into the cold water until eventually the men standing on top of collapsible B had water up to their knees. They had no protection from the wind and their constant movement to try to keep the boat level and afloat was taking every bit of strength from them. Gracie was so cold and wet that his hair was frozen to his scalp. **AFTERMATH- In late 1912 he wrote a book called The Truth About the Titanic. He never fully recovered from the ordeal on the overturned lifeboat and became ill due to complications of that night being so cold and wet. He died a few months later, just as his book was going to press.

* Benjamin and Esther Hart were second class passengers aboard the Titanic. Traveling with them was their 7 year old daughter Eva. They were bound for Canada where Mr. Hart was starting a new business. Benjamin and his daughter Eva were excited about the Titanic and spent much time exploring the ship together. Mrs. Hart however never felt comfortable with the Titanic since she set foot aboard her. She felt so strongly that catastrophe would strike at night that she stayed up all night long knitting and reading every night and slept during the day. After disaster did indeed happen, Esther and Eva were able to make it to lifeboat #14. As the ship was taking it's final plunge into the ocean, Esther held Eva tight against her chest so she would not have to watch her father die, who still aboard the Titanic. **AFTERMATH- Eva and her mother had been deported from the United States as they were indigent. They had lost everything they owned in the disaster and went back home to Great Britain. Esther never did remarry and died of cancer in 1928. Eva had grown up to become a British magistrate and was honored by Queen Elizabeth for her charitable work. She never had forgotten her father and kept memories of that night deep in her memory. She rarely spoke of Titanic. Eva died in 1996 at the age of 91.

* Sir Cosmo Duff Gordon was a member of a moderately distinguished branch of the Scottish nobility, while Lady Duff Gordon, his wife, was the owner of "Lucile's"-one of the most expensive and exclusive women's fashion salons. Sir Cosmo and Lady Duff Gordon were traveling incognito, registering under the name of "Mr. and Mrs. Morgan" because Lady Duff Gordon was so well known among the passengers they would be joining. After the accident, Sir Cosmo was standing at the forward end of the Boat Deck at Boat #1 with Lady Duff Gordon and his secretary. Officer Murdoch who was not enforcing "women and children first" as strongly as Lightoller, had just ordered lifeboat #3 down. Finally Sir Cosmo asked if they could get in Boat #1. Murdoch had said "Yes, jump in!" Lifeboat #1 consisted of seven crewmen and five passengers although it could hold up to forty people. Sir Cosmo got into a discussion that night that almost ruined his reputation. The conversation started between Fireman Pusey and Lady Duff Gordon. As she watched the Titanic go down, she remarked to secretary, Mrs. Francatelli, "There is your beautiful night dress gone." When Pusey overheard that, he said to Lady Duff Gordon, "Nevermind that, you have saved your lives; but we have lost our kit." Pusey then said to Sir Cosmo, "I suppose you have lost everything?" Sir Cosmo replied, "Of course." Pusey: "But you can get more?" Sir Cosmo: "Yes." Pusey then replied, "Well, we have lost our kit and the company wont give us any more. And what's more, our pay stops from tonight." Sir Cosmo was a bit mad about that comment and wanted to stop the conversation as charitably as he could and snapped, "Very well, I will give you a fiver each to start a new kit!" (Kit:personal belongings.) He was as good as his word, however when it got out that Boat #1 did not go back for survivors, the promise of a new kit suddenly appeared as a payoff of sorts and Sir Cosmo would eventually have to resort to legal action to clear his name. Another blunder took place for the Duff Gordons on the Carpathia as well. Lady Duff Gordon had what seemed to be a good idea to her-why not take a group picture of all the people who were in her lifeboat? So, the day after they were rescued, all 12 gathered on the Carpathia's foredeck-the crewmen wearing their lifebelts. Other survivors stared in disbelief as Dr. McGhee, the Carpathia's surgeon, prepared to take the picture with the words, "Now smile everyone!" Both incidents were never meant to be disrespectful by the Duff Gordons however it came off that way to many people. *AFTERMATH-Sir Cosmo Duff Gordon was exonerated by Lord Mersey of any wrong doing but spent the rest of his days in the shadow of the Titanic and Lifeboat #1. Proud and aloof as he was, he refused to respond to the continuing criticism of his actions on April 14-15, 1912, right up to his death in 1931. However unlikable that he may have been, at worst Sir Cosmo was guilty of a monumental lapse into bad taste. Lady Duff Gordon prospered for a while longer in her dress making business however WWI spelled the end of the style of fashion that "Lucile's" was founded on and the business folded. Lady Duff remained spirited and continued to defend her husband up to her death in 1935.

* Dickenson and Helen Bishop were newlyweds from Dowagiac, Michigan. They had decided to close their honeymoon with a First Class trip on the most luxurious and largest ship in the world on its maiden voyage. When the Titanic had hit the iceberg, the Bishops felt a slight bump in their B-47 cabin and came out on deck to see what the problem had been. Steward Crawford had told them, "You go back downstairs. There's nothing to be afraid of. We have only struck a little piece of ice and have passed it." The Bishops walked around on deck for a bit and then returned to their stateroom. Mrs. Bishop undressed for bed and Mr. Bishop began reading. Just then, Mr. Albert Stewart (part owner of the Barnum and Bailey Circus) knocked on their door and asked Dickenson to join him on deck for the fun. They went on deck but could no longer see the berg. They did however see third class passengers playing and kicking around the ice that had fallen on the decks of the third class area. They were told shortly after to have all women and children on deck as soon as possible. Most people did not believe the situation was as grave as it was, including Mrs. Bishop who sent her husband back to their room to collect her muff but left behind $11,000 worth of jewelry expecting to return. AFTERMATH: They both had survived the Titanic disaster but soon disaster would hit again for the Bishops. Less than a year later, the Bishops had divorced, in part due to a vicious rumor claiming that Mr. Bishop dressed in women's clothing in order to escape in a lifeboat. After the divorce, the former Mrs. Bishop vanished, while Mr. Bishop died in relative obscurity in 1961.

* Marion Wright was traveling to America to marry an Oregon fruit farmer. She had a lovely soprano singing voice and was asked to accompany Reverend Carter in a Sunday night hymn at mass. Kate Buss had become friendly with Marion as well as the Carters, Dr. Pain and Douglas Norman. When the Titanic hit the berg, Kate had gone to Marion's room to get her and together they went up to the Boat Deck. They were joined on the starboard side of the ship with Dr. Pain and Douglas Norman. When the call for "any more ladies" was heard, the two men hustled Kate and Marion up to Boat #9. They were saved but their gentlemen friends had to stay behind. After the ship had gone down, together they grieved for their friends and the Carters-who they hoped had been saved. AFTERMATH: Marion Wright's marriage to Arthur Woolcott took place as planned on April 20,1912. They lived in Cottage Grove, Oregon where they raised three sons. Marion would only talk of the Titanic disaster with close family and friends and only on the anniversary of the disaster. She died in 1965.

* Mrs. J.J. Brown (Molly Brown) was from Denver Colorado. She had married James Joseph Brown, the manager of a Leadville gold mine who had 'struck it rich' in 1894. Molly's one desire in life was to be accepted by the elite social class of Denver but her rough-and-ready manner reminded the socialites of their own origins and they cut her mercilessly. Her husband did not share Molly's socialite ambitions and eventually it caused a hole between them in their marriage and they separated. Molly was traveling alone on the Titanic on its maiden voyage. Molly was rescued in Boat #6 as the Titanic was sinking. After the ship went down, many women, with Molly as their leader, insisted upon going back to save at least some of those in the freezing waters. Quartermaster Robert Hitchens was in charge of the lifeboat. Hitchens refused, explaining how they would be swamped by swimmers trying to get into their boat and eventually would be overturned themselves if they were to go back. When Major Peuchen had added to the women's pleas of going back, Hitchens shouted back, " There's no use going back, 'cause there's only alot of stiffs there." That was enough for Molly Brown and she got up and pushed past Hitchens, grabbing the tiller bar. Molly and the rest of the women wanted to row to keep themselves warm. Molly had told the women to go ahead and start to row and when Hitchens made a move for her, she told him to sit down or she'd throw him overboard. An arguement of sorts broke out in Boat #6--women in the boat called Hitchens a coward and Molly told him to shut up. Hitchens swore at Molly and a stoker yelled at Hitchens for cussing at a lady. While this arguement was going on, the cries from the swimmers began to diminish and fall into silence. It was too late to go back now so Boat #6 rowed into the night with Molly Brown standing at the tiller. AFTERMATH: Molly became known as the "Unsinkbale Molly Brown". Her sometimes uncouth behavior was taken more as charming and she became more acceptable in the elite socialite community. Molly died in 1942.

* J. Bruce Ismay (Joseph Bruce Ismay) was the eldest son of one of the greatest shipping magnates of the century-Thomas Ismay. After Thomas's death J. Bruce Ismay succeeded to the directorship of the White Star Line. In the summer of 1907, Ismay and Lord Pirrie had begun their ideas and sketches to build the largest, most luxurious ship ever built to out-do the Lusitania and the Mauretania. Their ideas became a reality and Titanic's keel was laid down on March 31,1909. Two years and two months later on May 31,1911, the Titanic had been launched. Sailing day would be April 10,1912. J. Bruce Ismay had joined the passenger list to travel aboard the Titanic on its maiden voyage. On April 14,1912, Ismay had a conversation with Titanic's captain, Captain Smith. He told Smith-"Today we did better than yesterday and tomorrow we shall do even better. We shall beat the Olympic's time to New York and arrive on Tuesday night!" Ismay saw nothing wrong in his usurping some of the captain's authorities, although Capt. Smith may have seen it differently. Ismay believed that as the owner's representative he had the right to interfere with the ship's operations and navigation. (In fact, when Capt. Smith had shown Ismay an ice warning from the Baltic around 1:30pm the afternoon of April 14,1912, he stuck it in his pocket and apparently forgot about it. It would later be returned to Capt. Smith that evening.) After the Titanic had hit the berg, J. Bruce Ismay helped getting passengers off in the lifeboats, clad only in his pajamas and slippers. Just as Collapsible C's gunwale reached the level of the deck, Ismay stepped forward and jumped into an empty spot near the bow of the lifeboat without so much as a glance back at the other men on the Boat Deck. Collapsible C was lowered and safe. As the Titanic began to slip underwater, gaining speed as she went, Ismay turned his back and couldn't watch any longer. AFTERMATH: J. Bruce Ismay would never be able to live down the whispered accusations of cowardice that followed him almost from the moment the Carpathia docked in New York. His accusers, on both sides of the Atlantic, believed Ismay should have gone down with the ship for several reasons-1.He was the owner's respresentative and like Capt. Smith, he should have been one of the last to leave his failing ship, 2.He pressured Capt. Smith to light the last boiler to make a "record breaking speed," and 3.He was a 'gentleman' who should've let women and children off first. Less than a year after the disaster, Ismay was forced to resign as chairman of the White Star Line, which he had planned on doing anyway, and also to step down from the board of IMM, his fellow directors considering him a liability. He became a virtual recluse, rarely leaving the estate he bought in western Ireland, and died there of complications caused by diabetes in 1937. Mrs. Ismay was often heard remarking, "The Titanic ruined our lives...."

* Second Officer Charles Herbert Lightoller almost died the night of April 14,1912. As the bow was sinking lower and the stern began to rise, Lightoller decided to dive into the water. Surfacing, he saw the crow's nest, now level with the water, and started to swim to it thinking it was a safe place to be. Realizing it wasn't safe, he began to swim clear of the ship but tons of seawater came pouring down the ventilator shafts in front of the forward funnel and created an irresistible suction. The suction pulled Lightoller back and pinned him against a grating just below the surface of the water. >From somewhere deep within the ship a burst of hot air surged up the ventilator shaft and pushed him up to the surface. Lightoller barely had time to breathe before he was sucked back down and pinned again to another grating then spit back up again. This time Lightoller was able to quickly swim away from the sinking ship and the suction and make it to the overturned Collapsible B. AFTERMATH: Second Officer Lightoller never did receive a command of his own, nor did any surviving officers of the Titanic. He retired from the sea in the early 1920s, but never lost his lust for adventure. In 1940 he took his 60 foot yacht, the 'Sundowner', to Dunkirk, and despite being bombed and machine gunned by the Luftwaffe, managed to bring back 131 British soldiers. He died peacefully in 1952.

* Third Officer Herbert Pitman helped get passengers into lifeboats and lower them. Pitman was told by First Officer Murdoch to get into Lifeboat #5 and take charge of it. As the Titanic went under completely, Pitman glanced at his watch and quietly announced, "It is 2:20am." AFTERMATH: Third Officer Pitman soon decided that his eyesight had deteriorated enough not to be watch qualified so he took jobs in the Purser's Department, still with the White Star Line, and at one point serving on the Olympic. He spent another 35 years at sea until retiring to Pitcombe, England, where he died in December, 1961.