Mr Berk Pickard

Mr Berk Pickard, 32, was born in Warsaw as Berk Trembisky. He stated at the Senate hearings that he had for many years lived in France and assumed the French name, Pickard. At the time of the sailing, Mr Pickard was living in London, and working as a leather worker.

He boarded Titanic at Southampton as a third-class passenger. His cabin was No. 10 in the third-class section, possibly on F-deck. He first knew of the collision when it happened. He had been asleep when he felt a shock. The shock was not very big but Pickard and his roommates felt something was wrong, jumped out of bed, dressed, and went out. Later, when they attempted to return for their belongings, they found they could not return, as the stewards would not allow them back. The stewards sent them forward on to the Boat Deck.

Berk split away from the group he had been with and sought to make his way to the highest deck. He found his way to a door separating third and second-class. Finding it open, Berk made his way into the second-class section, where he could find no people, so he climbed a ladder into the first-class section. Coming to the boat deck, Berk found them loading the lifeboats. As no women were around the boat (passenger side) he was near, he, and several other men, climbed into the boat (#9).

In the lifeboat, Berk had a conversation with one of the seamen, where he remarked, "I would rather be on the ship." The seaman laughed at him, and he said, "Do you not see we are sinking?" Berk recalled, "I was rather excited, and I said, "It is fortunate that the sea is nice, but perhaps in five minutes we will be turned over."

References
United States Senate (62nd Congress), Subcommittee Hearings of the Committee on Commerce, Titanic Disaster, Washington 1912

Contributors
Rob Ottmers, USA