LOCAL INTEREST IN TITANIC LOSS

Wife of Lutheran Missionary Returning Home with Three Children

All Saved in Midnight Transfer to Life Boats

Many Gettysburg people are keenly interested in the welfare of four passengers who were on the ill-fated “Titanic” which sank in mid-ocean Sunday night.  All four were saved and the news of their safety was received here with much gratification. They are Mrs A. O. Becker and children Ruth, Mary [sic] and Richard. 

Mrs Becker is the wife of Rev. A. O. Becker one of the missionaries at the Lutheran mission at Guntar India where the REV. and Mrs S. C. Burger of Gettysburg are located together a large number of other people well known in this place.  Rev. Mr Becker has been ill for some time and was not even able to go with his family to the boat.  Mrs Becker was returning to America on account of the ill health of one of their children. 

Neither Mr Becker or his wife is known personally to local people but their work at the India mission has been a matter of interest to the large number of Lutherans in this section and through this means they are widely known.  They were originally from Ohio and neither was educated here though Mrs Becker as well as her husband is a college graduate. 

When the work of rescue was begun Sunday night the woman and her three children were among those placed in the lifeboats.  They drifted about all night until they were picked up Monday by the “Carpathia” which came to the rescue following wireless summons for help from the “Titanic”.