Mary Hewlett - Survivor of Titanic Here

Mrs. Mary Hewlitt, of Lucknow, India, Was Rescued
From the Disabled Craft, Gives Description of Disaster

Was Traveling Alone

Woman Stops Here At Home of J. L. Hebblethwaite
Before Going to Her Son’s Home in South Dakota

Evanston was visited today by one of the survivors of the Titanic. The survivor is Mrs. Mary Hewlett, of Lucknow, India. She arrived in Evanston yesterday and is the guest of Mr. and Mrs. John L. Hebblethwaite, 907 Lake street.

Mrs. Hewlett is a very interesting English lady. Although still quite nervous from her experiences at sea she yesterday talked freely to a reporter for this paper of the terrible disaster which resulted in the loss of more than 1,500 lives and the sinking of the “pride of the ocean.”

“I was evidently but a moment after the collision that I was awakened by hearing a noise in the hallway. There were a great many young people on my deck and they were in the habit of making much noise, laughing and joking throughout the night.

“When I was awakened I listened and the noise I heard did not sound like that of previous evenings. I noticed the engines had stopped. Getting out of bed I opened my door. There was the steward dressed in full uniform. I asked what was the cause of the commotion and he assured me that nothing was wrong.

Wanted to Get on Deck.

“I then asked him if I had better get dressed and go to the deck. He told me that perhaps I had. I put on a few clothes and then my heavy fur coat and started. On my way I noticed most of the passengers strapping life belts on themselves. I asked for one. I was told that they were being distributed in the dining room. I went there but found no one.

“On returning I met a man with two lifebelts and asked him for one. He gave me one and I strapped it on myself. I then started for the deck. I was directed to a small and narrow iron ladder. They told me it was the only way to the main deck.

“Just as I was climbing the ladder a throng of steerage passengers fought their way up and started clambering for the stairs. When I reached the deck the men forced me into the lifeboat waiting to be lowered. It was boat No. 13 and next to the last lifeboat to leave the doomed vessel.

“When I got into the lifeboat it was very nearly filled and there were more men than women. Fifty were saved and there were not more than ten women in that number. The majority of the passengers in the boat I was in were steerage people. There were men with their wives in this boat while many first class men were separated from their wives. I cannot understand this.

“The boat was lowered and we were alone on the calm sea. It seemed much longer than it really was before we saw the Carpathia and were picked up by that boat. The treatment we were given on the Carpathia could not have been better, everything possible being done for us.

“Sleeping quarters were given to as many as possible and the rest were taken care of in the best possible manner. The library steward on the Carpathia was a kind man. He did everything he could to insure our comfort and I never will forget the work he did.

Met my Friends

“When the Carpathia landed in New York I was met by friends and taken to the Astor house where I remained until my son arrived in New York to take me to his home in South Dakota.

“Did you see anything of Col. Astor or Major Butt?” was asked of Mrs. Hewlett.

“I did not, that is I may have seen them but I did not know who they were,” she answered.

“A great fault with the Titanic was that there were not enough sufficiently experienced seamen on the boat. The majority of the crew was recruited from the streets in Southampton,” said the survivor.

Mrs. Hewlett’s son, with whom she was to visit while in this county, did not know his mother was to sail on the Titanic until after the disaster had been reported. Immediately upon receiving a letter from her, written before she left England, stating that she would sail on the Titanic her son left for New York. He did not arrive in time to meet his mother when the Carpathia landed, however.

This evening Mrs. Hewlett and her son will leave for his home in South Dakota, where she will spend some time with him before starting on her return trip to her home in India.

Evanston Daily News, Thursday, April 25, 1912, p. 1, c. 1: