Eyewitness Account of the Sinking of the Titanic

Dr. Washington Dodge

First-class passenger

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I retired at 10:30 P.M. to be awakened about 11:40 by a violent jar. I had the impression that the steamer had been struck on her side with sufficient force to move her bodily in a lateral direction. I hastily threw on a long overcoat and left my cabin to find a large number of passengers in the companionway, all anxiously enquiring what had happened. No one appeared to have any information. A few moments later, an officer, passing hurriedly, answered by giving by the statement that he thought something had gone wrong with one of the propellers. As no one appeared to be alarmed, I returned to my stateroom to assure my wife and child.

Again returning, I went out on the promenade deck and soon learned that we had run into ice, that it was to be seen on the deck forward, and I heard a passenger state that he saw the iceberg pass the stern of the vessel to the height of the promenade deck, on which he was walking, and which was about 70 feet above the water. Walking rapidly forward, I saw the ice on the deck and returned to my stateroom. Having been told that there was no danger, and believing such to be the fact from the general conduct of passengers and such officers as I saw, I insisted that my family remain in bed and await developments. Once more returning to the companionway, I asked our steward who was standing there what he had heard. He replied the order has just come down for all passengers to put on life preservers.

Rushing to my cabin I got my wife and 4-year old son up and allowing them to dress but partially, rushed them up on the Boat Deck which was just over our deck. Here I found a few gathered and the first boat on the starboard side, No. 1, being loaded. As I put on their life preservers which I had carried up over my arm, the boat was loaded. There was no very evident desire of those present to get off on this boat – and I could readily have placed my family aboard had I desired to do so without strapping on their life preservers. As the next boat, No. 3, was loaded, I placed them aboard, and stood back, while women and children were under command of an officer placed aboard. I watched this boat safely lowered to the water 70 or 80 feet below.

After this, I watched the boats lowered on the starboard side being the odd numbers from 1 to 15. A few were lowered to the deck below (Deck A) and there filled. The officers in charge of loading the boats were cool and masterful, preventing as far as possible all disorder and enforcing the command to care for women and children first. When Boat 13 was lowered to A Deck to be loaded, I went to this deck.

After 8 or 10 women had been placed aboard, no other women or children were within hearing to respond to the officers call. A number of men then climbed over the rail into the boat, when someone pushed me from behind and shouted, "get in Doctor." I climbed in, and in a few moments, the boat was filled and orders given to lower. As we were lowered, Boat 15 which had been loaded from the Boat Deck, was also being lowered.

By this, we were for a few minutes placed in a perilous position – which threatened our destruction. We observed, as we neared the water, that our boat was being lowered directly into the immense volume of water thrown out from the ship's side by the condenser pump. On the Titanic, this was a stream about 1 to 3 feet in diameter, which was thrown with great force 6 or 8 feet from the ship. It would instantly have swamped our boat. To add to our anxiety, Boat 15 had swung directly over our heads, owing to the fact that the steamer had settled several feet into the water at her bow.

Both boats were being lowered when our loud cries of warning were heard above and the lowering of both boats arrested. We had no officer or seaman in our boat to direct us, but fortunately were able to disengage an oar, and with it, push the bow of our boat, which overhung the threatening waters from the pump, 8 or 10 feet from the ship's side, when releasing the trigger we dropped into the water and were at once swept away from the steamer's side by great force of the water.

The ocean, being as calm as the waters of a smooth flowing river, we rowed off to overtake a boat having a lantern aboard, we being unable to find one in our boat. Having rowed about 1/4 mile, we found ourselves in close proximity to five boats. We observed the closing incidents the gradual submergence of the ship forward – The final extinguishment suddenly of all her lights – The final plunge downward – as a shooting star fell from the Zenith visible nearly to the horizon – From this time until shortly after 4 in a sea gradually growing rougher and with a temperature extremely cold, we rowed about – Observing in the darkness what first appeared to be a ship full rigged, but to our disappointment proved to be an iceberg about 1/2 mile distant.

About day break, we observed a light which appeared to be redder than those about us carried by several life boats – and this soon appeared above a second light which became visible, confirming our belief that help was approaching. We reached this steamer in after about 3/4 of an hour and found her taking aboard the occupants of 3 boats that had reached her ahead of us. On boarding her I found my wife and son, who were in the second boatload received.

Later, I ascertained that only 3 men amongst the first class passengers whose wives left the steamer before them reached the "Carpathia." – Mr. Carter of Phila[delphia], Mr. Stengel of Newark, and myself. The number of women on the Carpathia whose husbands, fathers, or brothers were missing must have been over 50. These men all stood back while women or children were being rescued and went to their graves.

One lad of 10, Master Carter, told me that after his mother and sister were in a boat, he was refused permission to enter it and Col. Astor who was standing by and who knew the lad, a moment later picked up a girl's hat and placing it on the lad's head, lifted him up and said to the officer as he was lowering the boat, "let this little girl go with her mother." As the lad expressed it, "they did not stop to examine me so I got with mother."

Curator's note: This account was revised from the original transcript held by the Gilder Lehrman Collection for greater clarity and readability.