Recalling that Fateful Night the Titanic Went Down

Robertha 'Bertha' Josephine Watt

Second-class passenger

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I was coming out to Portland, Oregon with my mother from Aberdeen, Scotland. Dad had gone out to Portland in October, 1911 so we were joining him. Mr. (Walter) Lord named his book well, for it's surely a night that none of us will ever forget. I was twelve years old and in bed asleep but mother was reading when the ship struck. She partly dressed and wend on deck and asked an officer whom she met, "What are we stopping for?" His answer was, "Go back to bed, we will be on our way soon."

Just then a Mr. Collyer 1 , whose daughter 2 I sort of chummed with, came up to mother and told her to go get me up as he had seen some first class lifeboats go down. We were in second class, so mother came down to wake me, just as the steward was knocking on our door. Mom put my coat on me and a scarf around my head and I think I pulled on my bedroom slippers (no stockings). We went up on deck and met a young lady who was coming out to be married in Oregon. Her name was Marion Wright, but was married in the Little Church around the Corner in New York. Her fiancee came to New York and found her and my uncle gave her away. We were friends all these years; she passed away three years ago.

We were told to get into a lifeboat (it was No. 9). There was really no panic at that time on deck but we did see one boat filled with men hanging over the side on the davits and were told later that the master-at-arms ordered them to get out or he would shoot (them). We had only 40 odd (people) in our boat when it was lowered down and the capacity was seventy-five minimum. We pulled away and weren't out very long when the Irishman 3 at the stern told those rowing to pull harder to get away from the undertow as we could see her going down by the bow and row after row of lights would go out. We heard the band play and after a short time the Titanic seemed to break upwards in the middle and both halves soon were out of sight. I know there are other versions of how she sank, but we surely heard explosions and saw her break. This is no "old lady's dream"! Two years after, I wrote an account for my school papers so it was very fresh in our memories.

In so short time all was quiet, no lights but the stars. We had no compass, lights, water or matches and were out quite a while before the rudder was found. All our supplies was a tin of ship biscuits. Very few could row and as our Paddy at the helm told us, no use tiring themselves rowing as we had no real direction to row to. Some people cried and wailed all night in the lifeboat, while others were quiet and hoped.

Paddy told me lots about the stars and kept chatting with the adults also. He surely did his best to keep us hoping.

Before we left the Titanic, we were told that the Olympic would soon be passing, but this was only a precaution and we might all come back on board. Guess they told us anything to keep people from panic.

After we had been out a long time, I saw a light, but it was only one of our own small boats. Later we found out it was the boat Bruce Ismay was on. The only one that had a light. Some time later we saw another light and as it came closer, we knew it was a ship, but feared it might get crushed (or that we would) by icebergs as there were quite a number around.

But finally we came alongside the Carpathia and I was first up that rope ladder. Having had good gymnastic training it was easy for me, but the men in the boat got yelled at for allowing me up without a rope around my waist. But it sure was good to be on a big ship again – warm and able to have a good sleep.

As a girl, I learned many things that night. Guess I had a wonderful mother to start with and in her quiet way, she showed me how faith and control of one's emotions can help in such conditions.

Mother tucked me in a blanket under a table and while I slept, she was helping to calm down some who were hysterical. Along in the morning a raft arrived with seven people on board. Three of those were buried at sea Monday night. One woman and three men survived. The one young man we had known on the Titanic and he had badly frozen feet. His name was Wilke Mellen 4 and (he was) coming to the U.S. on a visit; he told us close to fifty (people) hung on to his raft at the start, but only the seven finished.

Mother and I often used to say (that) if only instead of thinking the ship was "unsinkable" they had used the time to make rough rafts and open the rafts that were stuck with fresh paint, how many more could have been saved.

The barber came over on his shop door and I know not one lifeboat was filled to capacity which I believe was 90. So 90 times 16 would have been 1440 plus ten rafts only one of which was opened. On our part of the ship we saw no panic so there should have been time to fill the boats. Men were asked to step back and no one took their places. These are some of the things which have puzzled me all my life.

I wrote to Mrs. (Madeleine) Mann 5 and (it's) funny (but) we must have often seen each other as she plaed with the Hoffman boys and Margy Collyer and I used to take them walking as we both spoke some French on the Carpathia. I got the two boys together as one had been taken into a First Class cabin by one of the passengers and the other little one was crying and alone. So when I heard about the little French boy whom they were making such a fuss over I knew it must be the other Hoffman boy so (I) took the little one to join his brother. The father had finished dressing them on deck and waited until the last boats before he put them in. He seemed to love his boys so much.

The Rev. Carter 6 and his wife who got the band to play "Nearer My God To Thee" were such a fine old couple; we used to talk with them and they were so pleased at being able to come and visit a son in the United States.

Rev. Carter had retired from a poor parish in Whitechapel, London and he told us his parishioners had collected their pennies and small offerings to give him this trip to see their son. So many sad stories go into that one night.