Edwina MacKenzie's Valley Cable TV Interview

Edwina 'Winnie' Celia Troutt

Second-class passenger

View Bio

I bought my ticket to be on another boat, but they canceled our sail in England, and I could be transferred, so I got transferred to Titanic. And some of my friends were rather doubtful about it, but I didn't feel that way. When I got on there, a woman said to me, "You know that this boat will never reach New York." "Oh," I said, "don't be saying things like that." Well, she said, "I can't help it, but it'll never reach New York." And she was my roommate, and her name was, oh I forget now. And she kept on telling me that so. 1

Sunday came and we had a nice service, and she kept telling me that this boat wouldn't - so I says, "Oh, I think you need a tonic," you know. Something to drink. So I went down and I got her a little bouillon. I said, "Here's your bouillon." And she says, "Now I need replenishing."

So I went down to the steward and of course he was English, he says, "Good morning, madam, were you in church this morning?" I said, "Yes." "Well," he said, "You know, we boys, we don't know one another. We're all picked from various boats to have the other on being on the maiden voyage." And he said, "Did you hear that singing in that sermon? Oh!" he said, "It was wonderful, it was out of this world." And he said, "In fact, I think we're too happy to last long." So, I thought, "Well there goes another." So I take back – I says, "Here's your bouillon, Miss." "Oh I don't want it, but I just know this boat will never, ever reach New York."

It was just after 11 o'clock at night. I was in bed sound asleep when they came and called, "All passengers put on your life preservers. Go up on boat deck." So I went up on boat deck and there was a lad there from Buenos Aires, and I said, "This boat's going to sink." And he said, "No it isn't." I said, "Miss Keene keeps telling me it'll never reach New York." But he said, "I'll show you." And up in that corner was a box or something, he says, "See that?" he said, "If we're in danger, that would be open."

I said, "I better put on a warm coat." Then I went back and put on a warm coat. And up on deck, I looked and most of the boats had gone. I was so surprised. I had the idea that, you know, this was my watery grave. The captain was there, and he said, "Stand back." There were men and women there and he said, "Women and children only."

And there was a man there with a baby in his arms. He said, "I don't want to be saved, but who will save this baby?" And no one offered, so I said, "Well I will, sir. It would be awfully foolish to save a baby." So I thought, well I always do this sort of thing, so I said to the officer, "If I save a baby," I said, "What will happen?" "Oh ma'am," he said, "the White Star Line will take care of both of you, as much as I say. Why do you ask?" He said, "Will you go in the lifeboat?" And I says, "Yes."

So the lifeboat was there and it was Lifeboat 13. So the stewardess jumped in the lifeboat first, then they tossed the baby into her arms, and then she said, "Will you go in?" I said, "Yes." So I looked, and there was the ocean, and there was the lifeboat, and I thought, "Oh I'll never make it." But I jumped and I got in there, and I hurt my ankles, but anyhow, I made it.

There was a light in the distance. The captain said, "Now men, row to that light, empty your boats, and come and pick up more passengers." So our men rowed and rowed, but we never could make it to that light.

Oh I couldn't take my eyes off it. You see her going. Her lights were all lit, and you'd see each row of lights disappear. Finally, she went down. The scream when finally she went down, that scream was worse than any siren. Fifteen hundred people went down at one time.

We were in a school of whales. It was an awful time. We thought our boat would be upset, you know? And the man that manned our boat, he didn't have a hat, so somebody gave him a cap and he made a knot here, and tied two knots here, and he looked very funny.

Finally we saw the berg that did the damage and then a boat came. And the boat was the Carpathia and it picked us up. We get on the Carpathia and it took us four days to get to New York and the captain, as soon as we got onboard, he had a service for the thanksgiving for the living and a memorial service for the dead. And people were dying on board and we had burials at sea, we had a school of whales, and it took us four days to get into New York. It wasn't anything to be proud of. There was something happening all the time. My father was unable to eat anything until he heard that I was saved.