First Hand - Kate Gilnagh

Kate Gilnagh

Third-class passenger

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Interviewer:
Mrs. Manning, where were you when the ship struck the iceberg?

Kate Gilnagh:
In the steerage class.

Interviewer:
You were emigrating to America.

Kate Gilnagh:
Yes, I was coming over here to my sister.

Interviewer:
If I may ask, how old were you then?

Kate Gilnagh:
I was 16, going on 17. Be 17 in October.

Interviewer:
And when did you first realize how serious the trouble was?

Kate Gilnagh:
Oh, I didn't until I got to this country. I thought it was part of the trip, to tell you the truth. I didn't realize that there was any danger.

Interviewer:
You didn't realize there was any danger?

Kate Gilnagh:
No, I thought that that was a pretty hard way to get here, but I didn't really think it was as bad as it was until after.

Interviewer:
When the alarm was sounded, what happened?

Kate Gilnagh:
Well, I was asleep at the time and I thought then that the ship had landed, so I thought we were here in this country.

Interviewer:
Then you went up on deck.

Kate Gilnagh:
And then I went up on deck and then we were told to go down, that there was a piece of ice on deck, and when they get it off, everything would be alright to go down and go to bed.

Interviewer:
How did you escape?

Kate Gilnagh:
Well, we were standing on the steerage, Third Class, they call it, and then we couldn't get up to Second. And of course then there was one man with us and he was our guardian angel and he said, "For God's sake, let the women up." So at that, I got up to Second. 1

Interviewer:
And then you got into a lifeboat?

Kate Gilnagh:
No, then I had to go to First Cabin. The lifeboats were only going from First Cabin. So there was a man on the second deck, and he asked me to go on his shoulder, and I climbed over and then I got, I think, it was the last boat that was going out. And they wouldn't let me on because there was too many on the boat already.

Interviewer:
But you got into the boat.

Kate Gilnagh:
But I said to the man, "I'd like to go with my sister," because there was a neighbor with me and thought he'd feel – because I didn't want to lose the crowd. 2 I didn't think there was any danger, but I thought I'd miss them in the dark. You know, it was very dark at night.

Interviewer:
Did you see the ship sink?

Kate Gilnagh:
Oh yes. I was looking at it sinking when we were in the lifeboat because we were in the lifeboats for nine hours.

And that was the most terrific time of all with the shock, you know to hear the explosions when the boilers must have hit the water I guess, and you know, all the wreckage was falling on us and you had to push it away, you know, from the boat so as we wouldn't sink because we were really packed to capacity in the boat, you know. 

Interviewer:
Did you rescue anyone from the water?

Kate Gilnagh:
Oh yes. We used to take dry ones from the another boat and they used to pick wet ones up then and put all the wet ones together in another boat so as there wouldn't be –

Interviewer:
– Were there only women and children in your boat?

Kate Gilnagh:
Oh yes, there was women and one man – he had jumped in with a raincoat and a towel on his head – and he used to help us row the boat. We used to keep on taking directions from the man that was – there was a couple of men, I guess really, directing the boats to go wherever to where Carpathia was, you know.

Carpathia picked us up then early in the morning, about 9 o'clock or something. It was about 9 o'clock in the morning.

Interviewer:
Did you see the Titanic sending up rockets?

Kate Gilnagh:
Oh yes, they kept sending them up until the last minute. Kept going up all the time.

Interviewer:
And did you hear the music playing?

Kate Gilnagh:
Yes, yes.

Interviewer:
Do you remember what they played?

Kate Gilnagh:
Well, in our part, they were singing, you know, "Nearer My God to Thee," but upstairs they were playing different songs, you know, but I didn't hear them then because I was rushing to get after the crowd that was with me because I didn't want to lose them in the dark. See, it was dark at night and you had to try to find your friends, you know. 

Interviewer:
And then when you were rescued in the Carpathia, you came on to America?

Kate Gilnagh:
Yes.

Interviewer:
And you've never been back to Ireland since.

Kate Gilnagh:
Never back since.

Interviewer:
Never been to see again.

Kate Gilnagh:
No, never. I'd like to go if I – Oh, but then I get the chills and I say, "No I won't."