Mr William Hull Botsford

Mr William Hull Botsford was born in Binghampton 1 on 23 November 1886 the son of cabinetmaker 2 William B. Botsford.

(Courtesy of Talitha Botsford, John Pulos, USA)

Botsford grew up in Millport NY. A picture from 1897 shows young William Hull standing on the porch of his childhood home.

(Courtesy of Talitha Botsford, John Pulos, USA)

As a boy he was educated at Horseheads High School one of only two boys in a class of eight 3.

After leaving school at the age of sixteen Botsford worked for two years in the architectural office of Pierce and Bickford in Elmira 4 as well as a firm based in Rochester, NY.

After his work experience Botsford went to study at Cornell University College of Architecture. He demonstated great drawing ability, indeed one of his works was hung in the library there. His skills also led to a commission for the cover of The Cornellian, the University yearbook in 1910. While at college William developed an interest in wrestling. A lightweight, he gained national and state honours in YMCA tournaments after leaving college. He was also a keen singer.

After graduating Botsford become chief designer for the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad. He designed many stations in the New York and New Jersey area including those at Elmira, Bath, New Village, Hopatcong, Basking Ridge, Watessing, Bloomfield, Syracuse, Utica, Hoboken and Ithaca. The last station Botsford would design was at Montclair. After his death a memorial stone and window was erected there.

During his time with the DL&W Botsford lived in Orange, New Jersey. He taught night classes sponsored by the YMCA and occasionally contributed to architectural magazines.

Botsford's last and most substantial work was the Tunkhannock Viaduct (aka Nicholson Bridge) near Nicholson, PA. Half a mile long and 100 feet higher than the Brooklyn Bridge the viaduct was designed to carry the Lackawanna railroad. The design was only accepted by the railroad board just as Botsford was leaving for home. His ship was the Titanic.

Tunkhannock Viaduct
(Courtesy of John Pulos, USA)

William had taken leave to travel in Egypt, and Turkey and throughout Europe to study architectural design and techniques. For the return journey he boarded the Titanic at Southampton as a second class passenger. He held ticket number 237670, price: £13.

According to his sister Talitha 6 who was 10 years old at the time:

We were eating supper when the neighbor across the street came over and asked if we had seen the Star-Gazette. That was the first we knew of it.
We watched the papers and as soon as they printed the list of the missing, we knew.

Mr Botsford died in the sinking. His body, if recovered, never was identified 5. He is, however, remembered on a family grave at Millport Cemetery, New York.

(Courtesy of John Pulos, USA)

A memorial service was held at the Orange, NJ YMCA. A. G. Hallock a friend from Cornell made the following address:

He left a record of modesty and unselfishness which led his friends at the very first to give up hope that he might have been rescued. He would have thought first of the women and children and then of those having greater responsibilities than he.

Notes

1. Eva Taylor (Undated) William Hull Botsford - Ill Fated Genius. Chemung Historical Journal. pp. 1728-1730

2. Unidentified Newspaper (1980s) Titanic: Elmiran remembers her brother who died on ill-fated cruise ship.
Note: At one time Botsford senior took leave from his employer and during his sabatical crafted six violins one of which his daughter Talitha played throughout her tenure at Ithaca College Conservatory of Music. Four of the violins were given to Cornell University and another to J. Emory Botsford (later of Brandon, Florida), Talitha and William's brother.

3. Eva Taylor op. cit.
Note: The other boy was Chester Moore who would later become the manager of the Elmira Bank & Trust Co.

4. Eva Taylor op. cit.
Pierce and Bickford were responsible for many public buildings in Elmira including the Steele Memorial Libray and the City Hall. They were pioneers in the use of reinforced concrete which Botsford would later use in his greatest constuction works.

5. One list suggests that body #194 was that of William Botsford, the reasoning is unclear. The body, which was buried at sea, was tentatively identified as a fireman.

6. Talitha Botsford, who grew up to become a poet, was still living, aged 99 in April 2000.

References and Sources

Passport Application (January 1912)
Newark Evening News, 17 April 1912, W. Hull Botsford, of Orange, may be Lost
Contract Ticket List, White Star Line 1912 (National Archives, New York; NRAN-21-SDNYCIVCAS-55[279])
Marriages, births, deaths and injuries that have occurred on board during the voyage (PRO London, BT 100/259-260)
United States Senate (62nd Congress), Subcommittee Hearings of the Committee on Commerce, Titanic Disaster, Washington 1912

Related Articles and Documents

	Newark Evening News  (1912)	W. HULL BOTSFORD, OF ORANGE, MAY BE LOST
	Newark Evening News  (1912)	CLINGING TO HOPE SON DIDN'T SAIL ON TITANIC