Anna Kinkaid's Letter to Walter Lord

A young Danish boy came to the part of the Third Class where I was. He was looking for his sweetheart, who was also there. He gave us lifebelts. I could understand him quite well, but although he and his girlfriend wanted and urged me to go up with them, I just couldn't believe that this wonderful ship could possibly be in real trouble. I was so seasick that all I wanted was to be left alone so I could lie down. I was fully clothed and now had a lifebelt.

I finally could hear the commotion overhead increasing and the ship did not move ahead, so I decided to go up, even though I still felt so very ill. So some [time] after midnight, about 12:30 a.m., I did go up. There I saw practically everyone on their knees praying. At this time, I met a young school friend of mine, Alfred Wicklund, from my own home country. He helped me get into the lifebelt. He told me he was going back down as he felt he would rather die in bed. I never saw him again.

The stairway was closed. It seems that those in charge were sure that the ship would be saved, and I suppose did not think it best to have more people above than necessary. After Alfred went back down-stairs, I got to talking to a young Swedish girl who was with two friends who had been "home" and were returning to the United States. They knew about an emergency stairway and showed us where it was, and so that is how I got up to where the lifeboats were – the girl too.

We were quite awed at the splendor [of the Banquet Room]. The tables were so beautifully set, and all the furniture, and everything about this huge room was out of this world to both of us. We even thought of going in and helping ourselves, but decided we might have to pay, so didn't.

Just shortly after the Swedish girl and I got above by using the emergency stairway, the main stairway doors were opened, and those below could then get up. Until then, there was no help of any kind accorded to Third Class passengers. So, it was only in the very last desperate moments that Third Class passengers were given any chance to reach safety.

[While I was still on the Titanic,] I saw a Swedish couple and their five children kiss each other goodbye, and then they all jumped overboard.

After we were in lifeboats, those who had papers or any article that could burn, lit these, thus making flares. In this way, the lifeboats kept going in the same direction, and not getting scattered in various directions. In the morning we were sighted by the Carpathia, and were taken aboard her in the early hours, about 8:30 a.m. I might also add that, though the ocean was quite calm [during the sinking], two lifeboats did overturn – at least that is all I saw capsize.

On the Carpathia, I saw the Danish boy's sweetheart (He was the one I mentioned giving me a lifebelt). She was simply frantic and hysterical as she had become separated from her boyfriend. She later lost her mind and she was sent back to Denmark.

It seems strange to me now, but all I could think of while all this was happening was that I must get to America. After safe, and on the Carpathia, I was very upset, and no doubt, in a case of shock, from the experience I had just come through.

Curator's note: This transcription is an excerpt from the full letter that is preserved in the archive of the collections of the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich. This transcription has been lightly edited for readability. Line breaks, punctuation, grammar, and capitalization have been adjusted to conform to modern conventions. These changes have been made solely to enhance clarity, and the original intent, tone, and content of the letter have been carefully preserved.