Mr Anton Kink-Heilmann, 29, was born on 7 March 1883 in Mahrensdorf, Styria, Austria. He came to Switzerland in 1906 to work and live there. On 5 May 1908 he married Luise Heilmann, 22, from Enzberg, Germany. Four weeks before that date a daughter was born to them: Luise. Anton Kink worked as magazineer (storekeeper).
The couple lived at 66 Hornbachstrasse, Zürich till 31 March 1912. Together with Anton Kink, his wife and his daughter, were his siblings Maria Kink and Vinzenz Kink.
They boarded the Titanic at Southampton as third class passengers. To reach their destination Milwaukee, Wisconsin, they bought their third class ticket number 315153 (price: £22 0s 6 d) for 780 Swiss francs (adults 340 each, child 100) from the White Star agent Kaiser & Cie., Basel.
Anton and his brother Vincenz occupied cabin 58 in section E on F-Deck towards the bow together with Albert Wirz, Josef Arnold, Leo Zimmermann and (almost certainly) Wenzel Linhart.
On April 14th he was asleep when he was suddenly woken. His brother Vinzenz ran out of the cabin, Anton followed upstairs to the welldeck. They could clearly see the iceberg. Returning to their cabin they dressed, packed and put on their life-preservers until water began pouring in.
Anton woke his wife and the other women and told them about what had happened. The women dressed, Anton looked for a life-preserver for his wife. Anton Kink and his family somehow managed to reach the Boat-Deck. On their way, they lost his brother and sister in the crowd. His wife and daughter entered Lifeboat 2 but Anton had to stay back. The boat was about to be lowered, when he jumped into the boat when his wife and daughter cried out for him. The Kinks in boat #2 were among the first to be rescued by the Carpathia. Anton Kink had lost everything except a few cheap Swiss cigarettes.
In New York the family spent four days at St. Vincent's Hospital. Anton's uncle Alois Hofer from 1377 34th Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, sent money, so the family could buy tickets for the train. They started on 22 April 1912. After arriving Milwaukee Anton Kink became ill. He gave an interview to the Milwaukee Journal which appeared on 24 April 1912:
'A sailor took my child and handed her into one of them.
My wife was also helped in by the sailors. I was touched
upon the shoulder and asked to step back, whereupon my
wife and child cried at the top of their voices at my
being left behind. I ducked down, broke through those
standing about and jumped into the boat as it was lowered.'
On 3 June 1912 Anton Kink received word that he would get money from the Swiss Emigration's Office: 2217 Swiss francs (sFr 400 luggage insurance, sFr 400 for his brother's lost luggage, sFr 167 for two tickets to Milwaukee, sFr 262.50 check for Vinzenz Kink, sFr 262.50 check for Maria Kink). He received £30 for the death of his brother from the Lord Mayor's Fund. The American Red Cross gave $500, other Funds paid $250. The "head tax" for Maria and Vinzenz was also paid back to him (sFr 20 each).
Anton Kink found work in a factory. He leased a farm after he had earned enough money. In 1919 he was divorced from his wife. Thereafter he went back to his homeland Graz, Austria.
In 1920 Anton Kink remarried a Josefa Stranzel, 22. On 27 June 1921 their only child, Fritz, was born. Up until 1924 they ran a food shop. Then they decided to emigrate to Brazil. All three became ill and lost all their money in the end.
In 1939 they moved back to Graz, Austria, where Anton Kink died in 1959. His widow died on 9 January 1984 and on 18 February 1985 their son Fritz.
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