Mr James Robert McGough
Mr James Robert McGough, 36, from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was a buyer with the firm of Strawbridge & Clothier. He boarded the Titanic at Southampton as a first class passenger (ticket number PC 17473, £26 5s 9d). He shared cabin E-25 with John Flynn.
According to his later testimony, after the collision, they went out and met second steward Dodd, who informed them they were not in any danger and should go back to bed. However, following his instinct and after alerting the lady passenger across the hall from his room, McGough, along with Flynn, went up to the promenade deck. Once there, the two were ordered to put on their lifebelts. After getting the belts from their cabin they returned to the deck where they saw women and children being put in the lifeboats. As there was great hesitation on the part of the passengers to get in the boats, a large officer gave McGough a push into a starboard boat, saying, "You are a big fellow, get into the boat."
Lifeboat 7 contained about 28 people but once in the water they met with another and 5 more were transferred into it. Even after all this the people in the lifeboat still felt it would only be a short time before they would row back to the Titanic. Finally, realizing the great ship was sinking, they rowed away, afraid of the suction.
McGough also recounted that there was water and crackers in the boat, although this was unknown to them at the time. Also, there was some talk about going back for survivors but "...some of the women passengers objected to our making an effort."
McGough returned to Philadelphia and where he lived until his death on 24 July 1937.
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References and Sources
Contract Ticket List, White Star Line 1912 (National Archives, New York; NRAN-21-SDNYCIVCAS-55[279])
United States Senate (62nd Congress), Subcommittee Hearings of the Committee on Commerce, Titanic Disaster, Washington 1912
Credits
Pat Cook, USA
Michael A. Findlay, USA
Linda Greaves, USA
Hermann Söldner, Germany
Craig Stringer, UK
Geoff Whitfield, UK
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