Miss Caroline Bonnell

Miss Caroline Bonnell, 30, from Youngstown, Ohio was born on 3 April 1882 (in Chicago, Il), the daughter of John Meek Bonnell and Emily Wick.

Caroline had been in Europe, on the voyage over she had met up with Washington Roebling and Stephen Weart Blackwell who would return home on the same vessel, the Titanic.

She boarded the Titanic at Southampton with her aunt, Lily Bonnell (who was John Meek Bonnell's sister) and the family of George Dennick Wick. Caroline's mother was George Dennick Wick's cousin. She held first class ticket No. 36928 and shared Cabin C-7 with Mary Natalie Wick.

Caroline and Natalie were in bed the night of the 14th. After feeling the collision with the iceberg, they went up on deck. Caroline said to Natalie, "Well, thank goodness, Natalie, we are going to see our iceberg at last!"

They found the sea "smooth as glass" and were amazed at the number of stars. Finding nothing wrong, they decided to return to their cabins when a crew member told them to go and put on their life belts.

Caroline and Natalie went to the cabin of Mr and Mrs Wick. George Wick did not believe anything could be wrong. The young women then went back to their cabin, only to have a crewmember knock on their door and tell them to go to A deck.

Once there, they found Mr and Mrs Wick. Caroline went to find her aunt, Elizabeth Bonnell. When they reached A deck they found crowds of people standing about. "Nobody seemed very excited; everybody was talking and it seemed to be the general idea that we would soon be ordered back to bed." They were then ordered up to the Boat deck. They saw Mrs Astor sitting on a steamer chair with her husband, John Jacob Astor, next to her. Mrs Astor's maid was helping her to finish dressing.

The Bonnell and Wick women were put into lifeboat 8. When they reached the water they found the cold to be terrible, especially for the women who were poorly dressed. There was a lamp in the boat, however it was difficult to keep it lit, so instead Mrs J. Stuart White waved a cane, which had an electric light in its end.

In the morning boat 8 reached the Carpathia and the passengers left the lifeboat by climbing onto a wooden seat about two feet long and a foot wide. The waves made it difficult to get onto the seat, but everyone was successful. After everyone was picked up, Caroline reported that the Carpathia moved about looking for other survivors. She saw some wreckage, a baby's bonnet and a man's glove in the water.

Caroline Bonnell later married and had a son, Paul and daughter Mary. She died on 13 March 1950, aged 67.

References
Contract Ticket List, White Star Line 1912 (National Archives, New York; NRAN-21-SDNYCIVCAS-55[279]).
Biographical History of Northeastern Ohio (1893) Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago

Contributors
Phillip Gowan, USA
Arthur Merchant, USA
Hermann Söldner, Germany
Homer Thiel, USA

Travelling Companions (on same ticket)
Mr George Dennick Wick
Mrs Mary Wick
Miss Mary Natalie Wick

Travelling Companions
Miss Elizabeth Bonnell Aunt