The Carters

[Elaine Barnes]

I read in one of the many Titanic books that one of the survivors sued her husband for divorce after the sinking because he arrived onboard the Carpathia before she and her children arrived. Does anyone know if this story is true and could this be Mr. and Mrs. Carter? I could not find any information on this site and I wondered if the story was true.

 

[Michael Findlay]

Dear Elaine,

Mrs. Lucile Carter did divorce her husband, William E. Carter, following the disaster. The divorce was settled in 1914.

Mrs. Carter used the fact that Mr. Carter left the Titanic before the rest of the family as grounds for divorce. I doubt very much that Mr. Carter knew his wife and children were still aboard. He left them at boat #4 early in the evening but was ordered to the starboard side with many other men. Unfortunately, Mr. Carter reached the Carpathia before his wife and children - though he had no control over this. It happened that collapsible C reached the Carpathia before boat #4.

The Carter marriage had slowly been deteriorating for years. The Titanic disaster was the final straw in Mrs. Carter taking legal action to terminate their marriage.

The Carter divorce was highly profiled in the New York Times Society section back in 1914. Mrs. Carter later shocked everyone by her remarriage months later to George Brooke.

Sincerely,

Michael Findlay

 

[Elaine Barnes]

Dear Michael,
Thank you for the information. I appreciate it .
Elaine Barnes

 

[Daniel Rosenshine (Danielr)]

I did hear that the reason Mrs Carter finally divorced her husband is because he left the ship before her and their children. This was perhaps supported by the British inquiry which had concluded that boat C left at 1:45 whilst boat #4 left at 1:50.

I have always read it that Mr Carter had placed his family in the boat. Meanwhile the men were ordered to starboard. mr Carter went there and went up to the boat deck. There he found collapsible C, after assisting with some loading of women he got in himself.

Recently, it is believed, or more like proved that boat C was lowered closer to 2 am. Thus this gives plenty of time for Mr Carter to place his family in the boat and wonder off looking for his own safety.

Thus Mrs Carter should have known that he did not leave them there to save himself.

Perhaps my sources are wrong, anf perhaps Mr Carter did leave his family near #4 earlier in the night.

In any case, I believe the fact that he arrived at Carpathia earlier than his family is what caused the final straw of the divorce.

Daniel.

 

[Elaine Barnes]

I guess Mrs. Carter wanted just one more reason to justify divorcing her husband in 1912. Even though he "did his duty" to rescue his wife and children, Mrs. Carter had to find fault with him. Thanks for your input, gentlemen.

Elaine

 

[Danielle]

Hi I am Lucile Carter that is the child. Can you do some reasearch on her for me?

 

[Dave Smith]

In January of 1914, Mrs Carter sued for divorce. The grounds were "cruel and barbarous treatment and indignities to the person." one passage of testimony was very damaging. "When the Titanic struck, my husband came to our stateroom and said, "Get up and dress yourself and the children." I never saw him again until I arrived at the Carpathia at 8 o"clock the next morning, when I saw him leaning on the rail. All he said was that he had a jolly good breakfast, and that he never thought I would make it."
Carter denied the charges, although British testimony states that Mr.Carter left the Titanic in Collapsible C some fifteen minutes before Mrs.Carter and the children left in Boat number four!