by Nic Compton
Alfred Crawford – Bedroom Steward
We filled No 8 boat up with women first. Mrs Isidor Straus and her husband were there. Mrs Straus attempted to get into the boat first. She stepped on to the gunwales, but then stepped back and clung to her husband and said, ‘We have been together all these years. Where you go, I go.’ Their maid got in the boat and was saved.
After that, Captain Smith came to the boat and asked how many men were in the boat. There were two sailors. He told me to get into the boat. Myself and a cook were the last to get in the boat – there were so many ladies that there wasn’t room for any more.
Ella White – First Class Passenger
I entered the lifeboat from the top deck, where the boats were. We had to enter the boat there. There was no other open deck to the steamer except the top deck. It was a perfect rat trap. I got in the second boat that was lowered. They handled me very carefully, because I could hardly step. It did not hang far out. My condition was such that I had to be handled rather carefully, and there was no inconvenience at all. We got into it very easily. There was no excitement whatever. Nobody seemed frightened. Nobody was panic-stricken. There was a lot of pathos when husbands and wives kissed each other goodbye, of course.
Harold Lowe – Fifth Officer
It was not the launching of the boats that took the time. We got the whole boat out and in the water in less than ten minutes. It was getting the people together that took the time.
There was no such thing as selecting. I simply shouted, ‘Women and children first; men stand back.’ It was simply the first woman, whether First Class, Second Class, Third Class, or sixty-seventh class. It was all the same. The first woman was first into the boat, and the second woman was second into the boat, regardless of class, or nationality, or pedigree. She was treated just the same, if she was a woman. There was no distinction whatsoever. Even if we had wished to draw a distinction, we would not know who were the stewardesses and who were not.
During the course of the evening, I distinctly remember saying ‘One more woman,’ or ‘Two more women,’ or ‘Three more women,’ and they would step forward and I would pass them into the boat. Mr Murdoch said, ‘That will do,’ and it was stopped. Then, ‘Lower away.’
Everybody was free to go where they wanted to. There was no restraint. Whether there were women there and they would not get into the boat is a different matter. I do not know. I saw some women there, but I did not have time to go and drive them away. I simply shouted, ‘Women and children.’
Everything was quite quiet and calm. The only thing – and of course you would expect that – was that the people were messing up the falls, getting foul of the falls, and I had to halloa a bit to get them off the falls. Everything else went nicely; quietly and orderly. The discipline could not have been better. The thing was done as I do not suppose any other ship could do it. No ship could have done it in better time, and better in all respects – in every respect.
Paul Mauge – Secretary to the Chef, A La Carte Restaurant
Well, I go down again, and I said to the chef, ‘There is some danger happening; we must get up.’ He lost his temper – he lost himself. I said to the other cooks to wait for us. After that we had been by the Third Class deck just at the back, and we have been trying to go on the Second Class passenger deck. Two or three stewards were there, and would not let us go. I was dressed and the chef was too. He was not in his working dress; he was just like me. I asked the stewards to pass. I said I was the secretary to the chef, and the stewards said, ‘Pass along, get away.’
But the other cooks were obliged to stay on the deck there; they could not go up, because the stewards would not let them pass. I think all the members of the restaurant were there. Perhaps 60 people: 20 cooks and 40 waiters.
That is where they die. It was not possible for them to be saved, because on the Third Class passenger deck there was no lifeboat at all, and it was not possible for them to go on the Second Class passenger deck. Some stewards were keeping them from going there. I cannot say if they tried to pass, but anyway they could not, because I stood on the Second Class passenger deck for half an hour. I did not see them.
‘The officers drew their revolvers, and fired shots over our heads’
Olaus Abelseth – Third Class Passenger
We stayed a little while longer, and then they said, ‘Everybody.’ I do not know who that was, but I think it was some of the officers that said it. I could not say that, but it was somebody that said ‘Everybody’. We went up. We went over to the port side of the ship, and there were just one or two boats on the port side that were left. We were standing there looking at them lowering this boat. We could see them, some of the crew helping take the ladies in their arms and throwing them into the lifeboats. We saw them lower this boat, and there were no more boats on the port side.
So we walked over to the starboard side of the ship, and just as we were standing there, one of the officers came up and he said just as he walked by, ‘Are there any sailors here?’ I did not say anything. I have been a fishing man for six years, and, of course, this officer walked right by me and asked, ‘Are there any sailors here?’ I would have gone, but my brother-in-law and my cousin said, in the Norwegian language, as we were speaking Norwegian, ‘Let us stay here together.’
Then we stayed there, and we were just standing still there. We did not talk very much. Just a little ways from us I saw there was an old couple standing there on the deck, and I heard this man say to the lady, ‘Go into the lifeboat and get saved.’ He put his hand on her shoulder and I think he said: ‘Please get into the lifeboat and get saved.’ She replied: ‘No, let me stay with you.’ I could not say who it was, but I saw that he was an old man. I did not pay much attention to him, because I did not know him.
Samuel Hemming – Lamp-trimmer
The last time I saw the captain was just as I was coming down off the house. He was by himself, and he sung out: ‘Everyone over to the starboard side, to keep the ship up as long as possible.’ It amounted to just one or two hundred men. There were no women.
Archibald Gracie – First Class Passenger
Next we went to the boat deck, which was the deck above, where we loaded at least two boats. When we were loading the last boat, just a short time before it was fully loaded, a palpable list toward the port side began, and the officer called out, ‘All passengers to the starboard side,’ and Smith and myself went to the starboard side. When we got there, to my surprise, I found there were ladies still there, and Mrs Browne and Miss Evans particularly, the ones whom I supposed had been loaded into a boat from A deck, below, about three-quarters of an hour before.
Of a sudden, I heard the cry that there was room for more women on the port side; so I grabbed by the arm these two ladies, Miss Evans and Mrs Browne, and conducted them to the port side. But I did not get but half way, when the crew made what you might call a dead line, and said, ‘No men are allowed beyond this line.’ So I let the ladies go beyond, and then about six ladies followed after the two that I had particular charge of.
Frank Evans – Able Seaman
I then went next to No 10, and I lowered the boat with the assistance of a steward. The chief officer, Mr Murdoch, was standing there, and said, ‘What are you, Evans?’ I said, ‘A seaman, sir.’ He said, ‘All right; get into that boat with the other seamen.’ So I got into the bows of this boat.
A young ship’s baker was getting the children and chucking them into the boat, and the women were jumping. Mr Murdoch made them jump across into the boat. It was about two feet and a half from the side of the ship. One or two women hesitated; but he compelled them to jump. He told them that they must. One or two women refused, in the first place, to jump; but after he told them, they finally went.
He was making the women jump across, and the children he was chucking across, along with this baker. He throwed them on to the women, and he was catching the children by their dresses and chucking them in. One woman slipped and fell.
Her heel must have caught on the rail of the deck, and she fell down and someone on the deck below caught her and pulled her up. Her heel caught in the rail, I think, as she was jumping, and they pulled her in on to the next deck. She was a woman in a black dress.
Charles Joughin – Chief Baker
We had difficulty in finding them. They ran away from the boats and said they were safer where they were. I myself and three or four other chaps went on the next deck and forcibly brought up women and children from the A deck. We brought them up to the boat deck – there are only about ten stairs to go up. We threw them in. The boat was standing off about a yard and a half from the ship’s side, with a slight list. We could not put them in; we could either hand them in or just drop them in.
I went down below to my room after that, and had a drop of liqueur that I had down there. When I came upstairs again, I saw that all the boats had gone.
James Widgery – Bath Steward
Just then some biscuits came up from the storekeeper. I helped him put one of the boxes into the bottom of the boat, and the purser took hold of my arm and said, ‘Get in the boat and help the boatswain’s mate pass the ladies in.’ So I got in the boat, and stepped on the side, and we passed the ladies in. We thought we had them all in, and the purser called out, ‘Are there any more women?’ Just then someone said, ‘Yes.’ This woman came along, rather an oldish lady, and she was frightened, and she gave me her hand. I took one hand, and gave it to the boatswain’s mate, and he caught hold of the other hand. Then she pulled her hand away, and went back to the door and would not get in. One of them went after her, but she had gone down the stairs.
Joseph Scarrott – Able Seaman
Directly I got to my boat I jumped in, saw the plug in, and saw my dropping ladder was ready to be worked at a moment’s notice. Then Mr Wilde, the chief officer, came along and said, ‘All right, take the women and children,’ and we started taking the women and children. There would be 20 women got into the boat, I should say, when some men tried to rush the boats – foreigners they were, because they could not understand the order which I gave them, and I had to use a bit of persuasion. The only thing I could use was the boat’s tiller. I prevented five getting in. One man jumped in twice and I had to throw him out the third time.
When Mr Lowe came and took charge he asked me how many were in the boat; I told him as far as I could count there were 54 women and four children, one of those children being a baby in arms. It was a very small baby which came under my notice more than anything because of the way the mother was looking after it, being a very small child. The members of the crew were myself, two firemen, and three or four stewards. We were practically full up.
I told Mr Lowe that I had had a bit of trouble through the rushing business, and he said, ‘All right.’ He pulled out his revolver and he fired two shots into the water between the ship and the boat’s side, and issued a warning to the remainder of the men that were about there. He told them that if there was any more rushing he would use it.
He asked me, ‘How many got into the boat?’ I told him as near as I could count that that was the number, and he said to me, ‘Do you think the boat will stand it?’ I said, ‘Yes, she is hanging all right.’ ‘All right,’ he said, ‘lower away 14.’
The forward fall lowered all right, sufficiently far enough that the forepart of the boat was afloat and the forward fall slack. But her aft part hung up, and the boat was at an angle of pretty well 45 degrees. I called Mr Lowe’s attention to it. He said, ‘What do you think is best to be done?’ I said, ‘I can ease it. I will cut one part of the fall, and it will come easy. I have not the least doubt but what she will come away with her releasing gear.’ He said, ‘Do not you think the distance rather too much?’ I said ‘No. She might start a plug, but I will look out for that.’ We dropped her by the releasing gear, and when she was clear I jumped to the plug to see if the impact of the water had started it, but it remained fast. After that we got clear of the ship.
Harold Lowe – Fifth Officer
I saw five boats go away without an officer, and I told Mr Moody that I had seen five boats go away, and an officer ought to go in one of these boats. I asked him who it was to be – him or I – and he told me, ‘You go; I will get in another boat.’ So I was lowered in No 14.
As I was going down the decks I knew, or I expected every moment, that my boat would double up under my feet. I was quite scared of it, although of course it would not do for me to mention the fact to anybody else. I had overcrowded her, but I knew that I had to take a certain amount of risk. So I thought, ‘Well, I shall have to see that nobody else gets into the boat or else it will be a case.’
I thought if one additional body was to fall into that boat, that slight jerk of the additional weight might part the hooks or carry away something, no one would know what. There were a hundred and one things to carry away. Then, I thought, well, I will keep an eye open. So, as we were coming down the decks, coming down past the open decks, I saw a lot of Italians, Latin people, all along the ship’s rails. They were all glaring, more or less like wild beasts, ready to spring. That is why I yelled out to look out, and let go, bang, right along the ship’s side.
I shot between the boat and the ship’s side, so these people would hear and see the discharge. I fired these shots without the intention of hurting anybody and also with the knowledge that I did not hurt anybody. Because I looked where I fired. A man does not want to shoot over here and look over there; or to shoot there and look here, but to look where he shoots. I am absolutely positive I hit nobody. If you shoot at a man directly, you can only see a round blur of the discharge, but if you shoot across him, you will see the length of it.
I fired three times. I shot so for them to know that I was fully armed. That is the reason. Then I put the pistol in my pocket and put the safety catch on, because it is a Browning automatic. I think it carries eight rounds. There were, I suppose, four more remaining.
Daniel Buckley – Third Class Passenger
There was a great crowd of people. They were all terribly excited. They were all going for the decks as quick as they could. The girls were very excited, and they were crying; and all the boys were trying to console them and saying that it was nothing serious. Then the lifeboats were preparing. There were five lifeboats sent out. I was in the sixth. I was holding the ropes all the time, helping to let down the five lifeboats that went down first, as well as I could.
When the sixth lifeboat was prepared, there was a big crowd of men standing on the deck, passengers and sailors and firemen mixed. And they all jumped in. So I said I would take my chance with them. There were no ladies there at the same time.
I went into the boat. Then two officers came along and said all of the men could come out. And they brought a lot of steerage passengers with them; and they were mixed, every way, ladies and gentlemen. They said all the men could get out and let the ladies in. The men that were in the boat at first fought, and would not get out, but the officers drew their revolvers, and fired shots over our heads, and then the men got out. Six men were left in the boat; I think they were firemen and sailors.
I was crying. There was a woman in the boat, and she had thrown her shawl over me, and she told me to stay in there. I believe she was Mrs Astor.r Then they did not see me, and the boat was lowered down into the water, and we rowed away out from the steamer.
There was a girl from my place, and just when she got down into the lifeboat she thought that the boat was sinking into the water. Her name was Bridget Bradley. She climbed one of the ropes as far as she could and tried to get back into the Titanic again, as she thought she would be safer in it than in the lifeboat. She was just getting up when one of the sailors went out to her and pulled her down again.
Frederick Ray – Saloon Steward
I walked leisurely up to the main stairway, saw the two pursers in the purser’s office and the clerks busy at the safe, taking things out and putting them in bags. Just then Mr Rothschild le
ft his stateroom and I waited for him – I had waited on him on the Olympic. I spoke to him and asked him where his wife was. He said she had gone off in a boat. I said, ‘This seems rather serious.’ He said, ‘I do not think there is any occasion for it.’ So we walked leisurely up the stairs until I got to A deck and went through the door.
No 9 boat was just being filled with women and children. I assisted, and saw that lowered away. Then I went along to No 11 boat, and saw that loaded with women and children and then that was lowered away. Then I went to No 13 boat. I saw that about half filled with women and children. They said, ‘A few of you men get in here.’ There were about nine to a dozen men there, passengers and crew.
The boat was not touching the rail, but it was quite close enough to get in without any exertion at all. It may have been a foot. There was not any difficulty in getting into the boat, anyway.
I saw Mr Washington Dodge there, asking where his wife and child were. He said they had gone away in one of the boats. He was standing well back from the boat, and I said, ‘You had better get in here, then.’ I got behind him and pushed him and I followed. After I got in, there was a rather big woman came along, and we helped her in the boat. She was crying all the time and saying, ‘Don’t put me in the boat; I don’t want to go in the boat; I have never been in an open boat in my life. Don’t let me stay in.’ I said, ‘You have got to go, and you may as well keep quiet.’