Titanic Survivors Visit Relatives; Tell of Disaster

A.F. Caldwell Saved Because of Baby He Was Carrying

SAW GREAT LINER SINK

Those Left on Deck Thought Ship Would Float Until Help Arrived

Colorado Springs, Colo., May 25. – Mr. and Mrs. A.F. Caldwell and their baby, who were among the few surviving passengers of the Titanic wreck arrived in Colorado Springs yesterday, to spend a month with Mrs. Caldwell's mother, Mrs. Sylvia Harbaugh. They talked interestingly regarding the great ocean disaster, although they were unable to shed any new light on the affair.

"As the great multitude of men stood on the decks of the Titanic, waving to the occupants of the last boat to put away from the vessel, only a few of them, with the exception of the officers and crew, had any idea that the big ship was going to sink," said Mrs. Caldwell. "The great majority were confident that the vessel was only partly disabled and it would float for a day or more at least – long enough, at any rate, for rescue vessels to arrive. They did not and could not realize the extent of the damage gone by the iceberg, else they would not have acted in the manner they did.

"There were many foreigners among those who were lost and most of the foreigners who were rescued were even greater cowards than the women. One in our lifeboat kept his seat in the middle, while the women stood up all around him, and he refused to volunteer to row, when weaker men and women were having difficulty managing the oars.

Lifeboat Nearly Swamped.

"The most thrilling experience we had was just as our lifeboat was being lowered. Once one of the ropes at the end of the boat stopped, while the other kept going, tipping the little craft to such an angle that we all had to hold the sides to keep from falling out. Shortly after we were launched another lifeboat tipped in the same way and we saw all its occupants thrown into the sea.

"Another lifeboat was lowered above us immediately after ours was started, and it came down much more rapidly that ours, coming so close that we could reach up and touch it. We thought for several minutes that it was going to force us into the sea and sink our boat. We got away just in time to miss it.

"If one could forget the horror of the whole affair and think only of the sight, it would be the most magnificent spectacle in history. The night was perfect. I have heard it said that never before was there such a clear night on the Atlantic. It was perfectly still; the sea was as smooth as glass, and the stars afforded light.

Saw Titanic Sink.

"We were about a half mile away from the Titanic when she sank. She was leaning just a little to the bow, when suddenly the stern went up in the air and she dived into the sea. For several minutes all was quiet, and then we could hear the cries of those in the water. It was ghastly, but at the same time it was awe-inspiring and magnificent."

Mr. Caldwell owes his life to the fact that he was carrying their baby when he and his wife ran for the lifeboat. After Mrs. Caldwell was securely seated in the lifeboat her husband started to hand her their child, when one of the ship's officers told him to get into the lifeboat with the baby, in order that there would be no risk in handing it to Mrs. Caldwell, who was very much excited. Once Caldwell was in the lifeboat the officer shouted at him to remain and also sent three or four other men aboard, because there were no wmen in sight at that time.

We would like to thank Wolfric Rogers for contributing this article. If you would like to contribute a primary source to Titanic Archive, please contact us.