Community Chat

[Mersha]

I found the haunting photo and story of Charlotte Collyer  interesting and thought I would share.  It is always fascinating to me to read accounts from those surviving a journey on the doomed ship.

Charlotte Collyer (1 October 1881–18 April 1916) and Miss Marjorie Collyer (28 January 1904–26 February 1965).

The Titanic was wonderful, far more splendid and huge than I had dreamed of.

We were traveling second cabin, and from our deck, which was situated well forward, we saw the great send-off that was given to the boat. I do not think there had ever been so large a crowd in Southampton, and I am not surprised that it should have come together.

The other craft in the harbor were like cockle-shells beside her, and they, mind you, were the boats of the American and other lines that a few years ago were thought enormous. Before we left the harbor, I saw the accident to the New York, the liner that was dragged from her moorings and swept against us in the channel. It did not frighten anyone, as it only seemed to prove how powerful the Titanic was.

Of the many shocking things that I remember in connection with the lost Titanic, there is one that will never leave me. It is the irony of the faith that I had in the big ship. “She is unsinkable,” I had been told, “she is the safest boat afloat.” I had never been on an ocean voyage, and I was afraid of the sea. But I listened to the people who said: “Take the new Titanic. She can not come to any harm. New inventions have made her safe; and then, the officers will be extra careful on her first trip.” That sounded as if it must be true; and so Harvey, my husband, and our eight-year-old daughter, Marjorie, and I decided to go to America that way. Marjorie and I are here, safe, but we are alone. For my husband was drowned, and with the Titanic there went to the bottom of the Atlantic all that we had in the world.

I don’t remember very much about the first few days of the voyage. I was a bit seasick, and kept to my cabin most of the time. But on Sunday, April 14, I was up and about. At dinnertime, I was at my place in the saloon, and enjoyed the meal, though I thought it too heavy and rich.

I had just climbed into my berth when a stewardess came in. She was a sweet woman, who had been very kind to me. I take this opportunity to thank her; for I shall never see her again. She went down with the Titanic. “Do you know where we are?” she said pleasantly. “We are in what is called The Devil’s Hole.” “What does that mean?” I asked. “That it is a dangerous part of the ocean,” she answered.

Her talk about icebergs had not frightened me; but it shows that the crew were awake to the danger. As far as I can tell, we had not slackened our speed in the least.

It must have been a little after ten o’clock when my husband came in and woke me up. He sat about and talked to me, for how long I do not know, before he began to make ready to go to bed. And then, the crash!

The sensation, to me, was as if the ship had been seized by a giant hand and shaken once, twice; then stopped dead in its course. That is to say, there was a long backward jerk, followed by a shorter forward one. I was not thrown out of my berth, and my husband staggered on his feet only slightly.

We heard no strange sounds, no rending of plates and woodwork; but we noticed that the engines had ceased running. They tried to start the engines a few minutes later; but, after some coughing and rumbling, there was silence once more.

My husband and I were not alarmed. He said that there must have been some slight accident in the engine room, and at first, he did not intend to go on deck. Then he changed his mind, put on his coat and left me. I lay quietly in my berth with my little girl, and almost fell asleep again.

In what seemed a very few moments, my husband returned. He was a bit excited then. “What do you think!” he exclaimed. “We have struck an iceberg, a big one; but there is no danger. An officer just told me so."

I could hear the footsteps of people on the deck above my head. There was some stamping, and queer noises as if ship’s tackle was being pulled about. “Are the people frightened?” I asked quietly. “No,” he replied. “I don’t think the shock waked up many in the second cabin, and few of those in the saloons have troubled to go on deck."

I jumped out of bed, and put over my nightdress, a dressing gown and then an ulster. My hair was down; but I hurriedly tied it back with a ribbon. By this time, although the boat had not made any progress, it seemed to have tilted forward a little.

I caught up my daughter, Marjorie, just as she was, in her nightgown, wrapped a White Star cabin blanket around her, and started out of the door. My husband followed immediately behind. Neither of us took any of our belongings from the cabin; and I remember that we even left his watch lying on his pillow. We did not doubt for an instant that we would return.

When we reached the second-cabin promenade deck, we found a great many people there. Some officers were walking up and down, and shouting: “There is no danger, no danger whatever!” It was a clear starlight night, but very cold. There was not a ripple on the sea.'

— ‘How I Was Saved From The Titanic: A Titanic Survivor’s Story’ by Charlotte Collyer.

Charlotte and Marjorie were Second Class passengers aboard Titanic. They lived in England and were emigrating to Payette, Idaho with dreams of a new life.

Mother and daughter were in lifeboat number 14 and were rescued by RMS Carpathia. Charlotte’s husband was left behind on the ship and died in the sinking.

Upon arriving in the United States, reporters stopped them to pose for a photograph and tell their story. Marjorie wears the skirt made for her on Carpathia from the blanket in which she as wrapped.

Charlotte’s recounting of the sinking was the most detailed and⁠ emotional of all those recorded. What now their future, we see etched in her face; and Marjorie’s face from a hundred years ago could be a girl from yesterday.

Fate forced them to return to England, their entire life savings now at the bottom of the Atlantic.

[Spacrazy]

@Mersha :  Thank you for sharing this article. You said it perfectly that it's a "haunting account" of this tragedy.

[Chessa35]

We think about the poor people that lost their lives that day  ; but not of the survivors that had to keep reliving that fateful night .

[haddon9]

Wow!  That is such and amazing account of what happened to them..I would have liked to have read more.  It's so sad and the way it was written seemed as if it could have happened just yesterday.

[twinsister]

I read her story earlier today and it is as you described it - haunting.  So very sad. 

[beach-mom]

@Mersha - Thank you for sharing this! 

My late brother was fascinated with this ship when he was a young boy in the 1970's. I was a tad older and had other things on my mind. I had read a book and seen a movie, but that was all. Somehow my mom had found a Titanic board game and ordered a book from England as gifts for him.

Fast forward to the movie we all know. DD watched the DVD over and over again when she was in elementary school. We all went to the touring exhibit, more than once. We got the card with the name of a passenger, and as we walked through the exhibit we found out whether or not that person survived.

DS was a toddler when DD watched those DVD's. When he was about 5 he started drawing pictures of the ship. Later in middle school he was drawing more detailed pictures of it and wanted to be a marine architect. Once again we had the opportunity to go to an exhibit, and this time he was really interested in the stories, and completely fascinated by anything having to do with this ship. (He did change his mind about being a marine architect.)

I remembered the board game and found it in a box from my mom's house. I think she lent the book to someone and never got it back. But by this time we had more than one book we had bought ourselves.

So throughout my life I have found myself thinking about this. My brother died in his 20's. I often wonder what he would have thought about everything, knowing when he was so interested all those years ago, most people just knew it was a ship that hit an iceberg and sank. His friends weren't interested. He would be so happy he had a nephew who was as interested as he was!

I have read and studied the passengers- what happened to them on the ship, and where they actually came from and, if they survived, what happened to them after. I would like to know what happened to this mother and daughter!  

[Coastalcarolina]

You can see the stark difference in their facial expressions.  The mother realizes so much more than the child.  

The child knows her father passed.  The mother knows their future is dismal in addition to this.  The horrific loss of life.  Devastating.

[Mersha]

The Titanic sank on 4/19/12 and the picture and story came right after.

It is a great colorized picture and it really moved me when I first saw it. 

It was noted in the story Charlotte died on 4/18/l6 so she only was alive for 4 more years.  Marjorie, her daughter,

was only 12 when she passed.  Hopefully, loving family members were there to look after and care for her.

Marjorie had a tumultuous early life but she lived until the age of 61.

[Parischic]

Thank you for posting this story. It must of been a horrific experience for everyone that fateful evening.
I also had an interest in the Titanic and saw the exhibit when it came to San Francisco. I got the name of a first class passenger and survived. My ex husband got the name of a 2nd class passenger and did not make it.

[Lilysmom1]

@Mersha , 150 of the victims are buried in my city, Halifax, NS.  They were taken here partly because it was a major centre from which other remains could be transported to their families.  There is a permanent Titantic memorial display at our Maritime Museum of the Atlantic on Halifax waterfront.  It is a favorite site for the cruise ships and tourists.  LM