How did the fate of the 9 surviving Titanic passengers come about?

The catastrophe of November 14, 1912, claimed hundreds of lives. And the passengers who managed to escape were haunted by the horrors of this disaster for the rest of their lives. Biography.com was interested in how their lives unfolded.

1. Elizabeth Shutes

Elizabeth Shutes sailed on the Titanic with a family where she worked as a governess. She was 40 years old at the time. He was placed among the passengers who were immediately ordered to leave their cabins and rush to the upper deck immediately after colliding with the iceberg. He later described the chaos that existed on the lifeboat before the Carpathia appeared: “It is difficult to put into words what happened on the lifeboat. The people in it were not united. Panic, chaos, and fear overshadowed the last vestiges of common sense. Our men knew nothing about the position of the stars and did not know how to row together. The water was so cold that they could no longer control their hands and simply released the oars. Soon, two rowers found themselves overboard. These men’s hands were too tight for them to survive …

Terrible moans echoed off the surface of the water, moans of people who were drowning. The situation reminded me of a stupid dream that had to end when I opened my eyes. But this nightmare was real. All I could think of at the time was in the mindless luxury of the Titanic, which was given priority over lifeboats and other safety measures. “

2. Laura Mabel Francatelli

Laura Mabel Francatelli, a 30-year-old secretary from London who accompanied Lady Daff-Gordon with her husband, described Carpathia’s dramatic performance a little later: Finally, around 6:30 a.m., we were picked up by beloved Carpathia . Our boat in front of this giant looked like dust. Then a moment of weakness struck me. They lowered the rope swings, where it was very uncomfortable to sit in a life jacket. They started to lift me over the side of the boat. Can you imagine swinging in the air over the water? I just closed my eyes, held on tight, and asked myself, “Am I safe?” Finally I felt a strong hand that pushed me inside the boat … ”.

3. Charlotte Collyer

The passengers, who were lucky enough to be rescued by the Carpathia, arrived in New York a few days later, where they began feverishly searching for their loved ones. They desperately expected to be saved as well. Ch. Collyer, a second-class passenger, who was 31 at the time of the disaster, later describes not only how she was searching for her husband, but also what was going on that tragic night.

“I grabbed Harvey’s hand with all my might, I didn’t want to sit in a lifeboat without him. But everyone around him was just yelling that the women and children came first. Suddenly a sailor grabbed me with my daughter and literally he threw me into the lifeboat, ”he recalled.

A week later, with her daughter Ch. Collyer arrived in New York, tried to find her husband. “There was almost no man who had not lost a man, a child or a friend. Maybe he’s among a handful of saviors? … I tried to find my husband and firmly believed that he was in one of the lifeboats. But he was not there, “she wrote. Ch. Collyer stayed behind to deliver a tragic message to his mother-in-law.” My dear mother, I don’t know how to write to you or what to say to you. Sometimes I seem to go crazy. However, my dear, I eat My heart hurts, it hurts you too, because he was your son and the best of all who ever lived …

Two years later, Ch. Collyer died of tuberculosis.

4. Lawrence as Beesley

Lawrence Beesley, a young widow and science teacher from London, left her young son at home and embarked on a voyage to the Titanic to visit his brother in Toronto. Nine weeks after the disaster, Beesley published the famous memoir, The Loss of the SS Titanic. This book contains many strong recommendations on how to avoid similar disasters in the future. He also had good reason to stop believing in certain superstitions. “I will never say that number 13 is unhappy again. It was the thirteenth lifeboat that was the best thing that ever happened to me ”.

5. Bruce` as Ismay

White Star Line President Bruce Ismay boarded the lifeboat, taking maximum care of its safety. For this reason, he received angry public and press criticism, which quelled hundreds of accusations against this English businessman. Reproaches, curses and insults spilled on Mr. Ismay’s head from all sides. Although he proclaimed that women and children were put into boats first, he himself violated this rule and, in an attempt to save his fur, left hundreds of women and children drowned with the boat. He vehemently denied the accusation and tried to convince the media that there were no women or children sitting on the boat.

After the disaster, Ismay retired from business and moved with his wife to Ireland, where he began to live a more closed life. Soon he was diagnosed with diabetes, for which he had to amputate part of his leg and spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair. B. Ismay died of a stroke at the age of 74.

6. Eva Hart

Eva Hart was 7 years old at the time of the Titanic disaster. He sailed with his parents in the second grade and lost his father during this tragedy. However, he continued to live an active life and often spoke about the Titanic disaster and his outlook on life. “People I know are often surprised that I am not afraid to travel by train, car, plane or boat. It seems to you that at the mere thought of a trip you would begin to tremble with fear. If that was the case, I would have been scared to death a long time ago. It is necessary to live without thinking about the possible dangers or tragedies that lurk around the corner, ”he wrote.

7. Molly Brown

Molly Brown, a spokesperson for the American nobility, whose husband amassed wealth from the mining business, was famous for her flamboyant hats and charm. Although Ms. Brown enjoyed wealth, she donated a lot to charity, championed the rights of women and children, and talked a lot about the importance of education. Although Maggie knew her from those closest to her, she was nicknamed “Molly Brown” after her death, a nickname she earned for her bravery and heroism during the Titanic disaster. According to various sources, Mr. Brown helped put people in lifeboats and later took control of his own boat (lifeboat No. 6). It is also said that Mr. Brown, played by Kathy Bates in the 1997 film The Titanic, has returned to the scene of the tragedy several times in search of survivors. However, there is no reliable data to suggest that this was the case.

8. Cosmo go Lucy Duff-Gordon

Like B. Ismay, a British noble couple, Sir Cosmo and Lady Lucy Duff-Gordon, infamous for escaping the Titanic. This couple was one of the first to meet in the first lifeboat. Lady Duff-Gordon, a famous British fashion designer of the time, later shared her memories: “Everyone seems to be rushing towards that ship. Some men attempting to enter retreated to the sides when Captain Smith threatened them with a revolver, and several more were shot until order was restored. I remember someone pushing me into a boat and helping me get on it. “

Meanwhile, the American press attacked Sir Cosmo for disobeying the rule of putting women and children in boats first. However, the wealthy landowner, like B. Ismay, claimed that neither women nor children were seen sitting in the boat. He was also charged with attempting to bribe his lifeboat crew to keep people alive out of the water; the rich were afraid they would spin the boat (only 12 people sailed on the Cosmo boat, although it was for 40 passengers).

Interestingly, in 1915, Lady Duff-Gordon prevented another ocean liner accident by canceling her trip on the Lusitania, which was sunk by a German torpedo.

9. Millvina Dean

Millvina Dean was the youngest surviving passenger on the Titanic, just two months old at the time of the accident. She also became the longest-living and deadliest passenger on the Titanic, a world Dean left in 2009. Ms. Dean, her older brother, and their parents all swam in third grade. The British family planned to emigrate to Kansas, where Dean’s father intended to open a tobacco shop with relatives.

However, the iceberg that hit the Titanic changed the course of their lives forever. Although Ms. Dean, her brother, and her mother were among the first third-class passengers who were lucky enough to board the lifeboat, Ms. Dean’s father died and his remains were never found.

Scared by the disaster, Dean’s mother abandoned her business plans and returned to England with both children. His daughter had been the center of media attention for some time.

In his later life, Dean actively cared for the memory of the Titanic victims. She died in 2009 at the age of 97 and became the last passenger to leave the world who was lucky enough to survive one of the most tragic and famous disasters in the history of commercial shipping.