It is difficult to find a person who would not know the sad story of the sunken "Titanic". In the more than a hundred years since its downfall, many myths and theories have emerged as to why this happened. Some people think that the speed of the ship was too high, which is unacceptable in that dangerous part of the Atlantic Ocean, others blame the weather for everything, and still others believe that this is nothing more than a coincidence and failure. But only people who managed to survive the disaster can tell about what actually happened on that fateful day. Today we will tell you about the people who were able to escape during the world's most famous shipwreck.
On April 10, 1912, the Titanic cruise ship set off on its first and, as it turned out, its last voyage. There were more than 2 thousand passengers on board the ship, while another thousand people came to say goodbye to their relatives before sailing. On the night of April 14-15, a huge ship crashed into an iceberg and sank. Only 7 hundred passengers managed to survive.
Orphans of the "Titanic"
Michelle, 3, and Edmond Navratila, 2, were on the ship with their father under the assumed names of Luis and Otto. Their father, also named Michelle, called himself a widower. In fact, he divorced his wife, and took the children from her, without even informing about it. When it became clear that the ship was sinking, Michel put the children in the last lifeboat. These are the words that he said to them: “My children, when your mother comes for you (which she, of course, will do), tell her that I have always loved her, and still love her. Tell her I expected her to follow us and we can all live happily together in a free new world. Since the children's father did not manage to escape, and they were too young and did not know English, it was very difficult for the relatives to find them. The boys' mother saw their photo in the newspaper only a month later and reunited with them on May 16. How did their life go on? Michel married a girl from his college, trained as a psychologist, and stayed in Montpellier all his life. He died at the age of 92.
Edmond also married and was educated as an architect. During World War II, he enlisted in the French army and died at the age of 43.
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Unsinkable Molly
Mrs. Margaret Brown's name was known long before the Titanic sank. She became one of the first American women to run for political office eight years before women were officially allowed to do so.
While in Europe, she received a message about her grandson's illness and therefore decided to immediately come to New York. Precisely because the decision was made in a hurry, few people knew that Margaret was on the Titanic. After the ship crashed into the iceberg, Margaret ended up in rescue boat number 6, where she had to lead the people, since the person who was actually responsible for this turned out to be emotionally unstable. Back at Carpathia, Margaret was chosen as chairman of the committee of survivors, and she managed to raise almost 10,000 dollars for those in need. She did not leave the ship until she was sure that all passengers received the medical attention they needed.
Margaret Brown received a medal for helping the surviving passengers of the Titanic. She died of a brain tumor when she was 65 years old.
Another interesting fact about Margaret Brown is that no one has ever called her Molly. The name was coined in Hollywood.
The girl who survived three shipwrecks
Violetta Constance Jessop worked as a flight attendant on the White Star cruise ships. She was aboard the Olympic when it crashed into Hawk in 1911, then the Titanic, and during World War I was aboard the Britannic, which sank after a mine explosion.
Despite surviving shipwrecks, Violetta continued to work on ships, and only in 1950 moved to Great Ashfield in Suffolk. Her total work experience on ships is 42 years. Violetta Jessop died of heart failure when she was 83 years old.
Crash survivor actress starred in the same outfit she was wearing that day
Actress Dorothy Gibson was in Paris with her mother when they decided to buy first class tickets for the Titanic. On April 14, Dorothy was playing bridge with the bankers and was walking to her cabin at about 11:40 pm when she heard the beat. Dorothy, along with her mother and bankers, got into lifeboat No. 7, which turned out to be half empty. But the boat also began to sink due to the leak. Fortunately, they managed to cover the hole with clothes.
Upon her return to New York, Dorothy was determined to star in a film about a shipwreck. She wrote the script and even starred in the same clothes she was wearing during the crash. The film was filmed a month after the tragedy.
Soon after, Dorothy decided to end her film career and started working at the Metropolitan Opera. In 1928, she moved to Paris with her mother. During World War II, the actress lived in Italy, where she was charged with anti-fascist views and was sent to San Vittore prison, but Dorothy managed to escape. She spent the rest of her life in Paris and died at the age of 65.
The guy who could walk again after frostbite
Richard Norris Williams was on the ship with his father, and both of them remained very calm during the crash. Williams even wanted to go to the bar, but the door was closed. So they decided to go to the gym to escape the cold. When all the people were in the water, Richard saw the boat and managed to get into it. His father was unable to survive as a steam pipe fell on him. The passengers who were able to survive in that boat were transferred to lifeboat number 14.
But not without sacrifice. It turned out that Richard had frostbitten legs, and already on board the "Carpathia" doctors advised him to amputate them. However, the man refused. Later, Richard was able to recover and even continue his tennis career. He won a gold medal at the Olympics, fought in World War I, and became a successful banker in Philadelphia. For 22 consecutive years, he served as president of the Pennsylvania Historical Society. Richard died of emphysema when he was 77 years old.
The youngest passenger to remember the crash
Eva Miriam Hart got on the Titanic at the age of 7 with her parents. She says her mother barely slept at night as she suffered from anxiety and had a bad feeling about swimming. When the ship began to sink, her father rushed into the cabin, wrapped Eve in a blanket and sat her with her mother in a lifeboat, saying goodbye to her mother by the hand and behave herself. The father's body was never found.
Eva became a singer and one of the organizers of the British Conservative Party. She led a very active life and described the day of the disaster in detail. Eva died when she was 91.
Manager who escaped from the ship
Joseph Bruce Ismay was chairman of the White Star Line and actually responsible for the construction of the Titanic. He managed to escape by boat. In his testimony, Joseph said that in the last minutes, when the Titanic sank under the water, he turned away, because he could not look at it.
After the crash, Ismay was heavily criticized by the press. He was accused of fleeing the ship while women and children were still on board. He later donated a lot of money to the Dead Seafarers' Fund and the Trade Fund during the First World War.
Ismay stayed away from everyone all his life and died at the age of 74 from thrombosis.
Rare photos taken after the Titanic sank
The surviving passengers of the Titanic aboard the Carpathia.
Survivors aboard the Carpathia.
A crowd awaits the Carpathia, the ship carrying the survivors of the Titanic wreck. New York, April 1912.
Announcement of the sinking of the Titanic in 1912.
Anna Pismenna