Ethel and Edward Beane

[M.A.S.]

There is no record of Lifeboat #9 picking anyone out of the water. A lot of male survivors made similar claims about swimming for a long time before being hauled on board this or that lifeboat. It was almost always the result of survior's guilt, perhaps compounded later when they realized so many Third Class women and children had died.


No it isn't, especially if it did not happen. Once the Titanic impacted with the iceberg, it ceased to be romantic and became a death trap for many. Nearly 1500 people died that night.

And the book in which I read the Sad Fact (not Fun Fact) thought it was Lifeboat #13, so obviously it's difficult for historians to scrounge up all the facts. (Especially when survivors may have a tendency to exaggerate the truth/ whole truth/ nothing but the truth. Or trouble simply remembering exactly how it went, since they were in panic mode and then possibly freezing, with their heads not working too well.) Okay, scratch the word "romantic." All the people jumping to a frozen death was far from romantic. Tragic, yes. I read one account of the frozen corpses where children were seen still clinging to their mothers. What I meant is, it warmed my heart that Edward would go to such lengths to seek his beloved Ethel rather than allow the revenge of the fates to separate him from his newlywed. Many husbands/fathers accepted that they would be going down with the ship, that they were not allowed on the lifeboats, and did the manly thing by making sure their women/children folk were safely on the lifeboats. I wish more of them had at least tried to swim to their families out in the lifeboats. The lifeboats with room surely wouldn't have turned away a few who made it that far, since it wouldn't make them "swamped" with too many new life-boaters. Oh no, I feel a quote coming on...

I'm reminded of Atreyu's horse, Artax, sinking in the Swamps of Sadness:

“Fight against the Sadness, Artax. Please, you’re letting the Sadness of the Swamps get to you. You have to try. You have to care. For me. You’re my friend. I love you.”​

 

[M.A.S.]

p.s. I read about the lifeboat(s) here: Titanic Survivors : Complete biographical list of Titanic survivors
If you don't mind me asking, how do we know if that writer had it all correct? I don't see his works cited? So how do we know if one resource is wrong and another right? (I've only just begun reading through various books). What if Edward was telling the truth, and he really did jump and swim to her? Many people did jump overboard, and some made it to the collapsable boats. I'm just so intrigued by the idea that Edward didn't want to give up so easily. I'm a sucker for a sweet story, I guess. (Even better when it is true!:

)

"...I've heard it said that a man would swim the ocean
Just to be with the one he loves
How many times has he broken that promise
It can never be done..."​

 

[M.A.S.]

...No it isn't, especially if it did not happen. Once the Titanic impacted with the iceberg, it ceased to be romantic and became a death trap for many. Nearly 1500 people died that night....

Another sweet example I can think of is the ending of the historical fiction book, S.O.S. Titanic by Eve Bunting... his lady friend from 3rd class makes it onto a lifeboat, and he gives her a whistle so that he can swim out to her later (not immediately, so it's a bit of a swim)! And it all started with a lost mitten that he accidentally dropped from his 1st class deck -- below to a 3rd class dance. I did write a poem about this one, it's on my profile. As the old saying goes, "Is it true? Of course it's true! (But it may not have happened!)"

 

[M.A.S.]

It warms my heart to read that "Frederick Hoyt, who put his wife, Jane Hoyt, on board before the lifeboat (D) was lowered, then jumped into the sea and climbed in, too." (pg. 81 in Titanic: A Picture History of the Shipwreck that Shocked the World by Sean Callery. Scholastic-- Discover More series. 2014) I think that it was gentlemanly of him to help her in, and then manly to go after her -- more so than passively going down with the ship when it was the last chance on the last boat. He took a leap of faith! That demonstrated strength, bravery, and true love.

 

[Arun Vajpey]

As I said before, nothing that happened that night on board the Titanic (which included so many children dying trapped below or elsewhere) was poetic or romantic and to try and represent events as such is stupid and in very bad taste. Therefore, I request you to stop this forthwith.

There is the possibility that some descendants of Titanic victims might be reading these posts.

Frederick Hoyt saw his wife on board Collapsible D and like many other men who had done just that with other boats (especially Lifeboat #4 about 15 minutes earlier), stood back on the deck. It is highly likely that Hoyt then jumped into the water after Josef Duquemin, a Third Class passenger and strongly built stonemason from Guernsey. Duquemin reached Collapsible D first, hauled himself on board and then persuaded the others to help Fred Hoyt too; in fact it might have been Duquemin who hauled Hoyt on board the lifeboat. Even though the two men had never met before, the wealthy and influential Hoyt later reportedly helped Duquemin to find a job in Stamford, Connecticut where the Hoyts had a summer home. Duquemin was originally headed for Albion, NY.

 

[Jason D. Tiller]

Another sweet example I can think of is the ending of the historical fiction book, S.O.S. Titanic by Eve Bunting... his lady friend from 3rd class makes it onto a lifeboat, and he gives her a whistle so that he can swim out to her later (not immediately, so it's a bit of a swim)! And it all started with a lost mitten that he accidentally dropped from his 1st class deck -- below to a 3rd class dance.

Please do not cite Titanic fiction in a thread, that is discussing actual passengers. It has no place here, only the facts.

If you don't mind me asking, how do we know if that writer had it all correct? I don't see his works cited?

Well first of all, this site and forum are very reputable and so, only articles by well-respected historians and researchers are published. Peter Engberg who happens to be a good friend of mine, goes by the many survivor accounts and has done an enormous amount of research over the years. His work is well known and respected.

So how do we know if one resource is wrong and another right?

By going by the evidence, such as survivor accounts, testimony at both the U.S. Inquiry and the British Board of Trade. You have to be able to weigh the evidence, separate fact from fiction and go by what the overwhelming majority states. Plus if it is written by someone like Peter Engberg, it is more than likely correct - that is, unless some contradictory evidence all of a sudden comes to light which shatters all that belief.

 

[Arun Vajpey]

Peter Engberg who happens to be a good friend of mine, goes by the many survivor accounts and has done an enormous amount of research over the years. His work is well known and respected.

I agree completely. With listing the survivors in specific lifeboats for example, if there is any doubt or divided opinion about certain survivor(s), their name(s) is/are not mentioned in the list but on ther ET biography the reason for the uncertainty is mentioned. I think that approach is very professional and approrpiate for this kind of research.

 

[Lady Di]

As I watched a PBS show about the Titanic and the questioned rescue ghost ship in the distance, I was reminded of a story told to me 8-10 yrs. ago by my aunt Eileen Allen of Norwich, England. She recounted to me a story told to her by Ethel Beane yrs. before that when she and her partner, Mr. Peter White, visited her in New York state. Peter White was Ethel's nephew apparently, and the couple visited and stayed with Ethel on a holiday trip to the USA. I am not sure what year their visit took place.

Ethel told my aunt and uncle that on the night of the disaster, they were both asleep when someone started pounding on their door to wake them up. When they opened their door, they were instructed by staff to put on their life jackets and get up on deck asap. Ethel's main concern at that time was that she did not have time to do up her hair. I believe she had very long hair that was usually pinned up most of the time. She apparently did not realize the severity of the situation, but this was what she was thinking about at that time. Her husband told her not to worry about her hair, just do what they were instructed to do. So, she did.

Once on deck, Ethel was placed in one of the lifeboats, and Edward jumped into the water after her. He managed to swim over to her boat and was hanging onto the side of the boat by one hand (chest deep in the cold water), with some of her hair grasped in his other hand. Ethel managed to convince the other people already in the boat to allow him to be pulled in with them. They finally agreed and he got in (or was pulled in...I don't know).

Once being rescued and back at home, Edward forbade Ethel to talk to anyone in the press about the ordeal. He "was not going to make money for people (in the media) on the backs of those unfortunate souls who had lost their lives." She complied.

For at least 6-12 months, Ethel woke up every night screaming in a nightmare reliving all of the screams of the people who lost their lives in the water. After several months Edward finally took Ethel to see a doctor to see what could be done for her to relieve the nightmares. He told them there was nothing to be done other than wait it out. He also said he did not know how long it may take. For years, Ethel still continued to suffer with the nightmares. Over time I assume it must have improved somewhat.

However, speaking from experience I can say that night terrors do not have a time limit. My own mother, also born in Norwich, England, suffered from periodic night terrors reliving the WWII bombings of Norwich where she lived and worked as a telephone operator. She would have no recollection of the dreams in the morning, but they started during WWII and never fully went away. In fact, she did not really exhibit any overt symptoms of PTSD until the Twin Towers fell in 2001. I guess the brain can lock away terrifying details when it needs to for our own sanity.

I am assuming that as the years went by, both Edward and Ethel relaxed their views on discussing things about the Titanic. Sometimes, time is a good healer. Edward had already passed away before my relatives visited with Ethel in New York, but again I don't know how long ago that was.

This is all I know about their experience that night. My aunt and uncle are now deceased, so I am unable to learn anything more about it. Maybe this will help to clear up any questions about how Edward ended up in the boat. There was no reason for Ethel to dramatize the events of that night. She was simply talking to her nephew one on one about things.

 

[Arun Vajpey]

Once on deck, Ethel was placed in one of the lifeboats, and Edward jumped into the water after her. He managed to swim over to her boat and was hanging onto the side of the boat by one hand (chest deep in the cold water), with some of her hair grasped in his other hand. Ethel managed to convince the other people already in the boat to allow him to be pulled in with them. They finally agreed and he got in (or was pulled in...I don't know).

With all due respect, that story (and several similar ones told by other male survivors) has to be taken with a large chunk of salt. In the immediate aftermath of the disaster, a lot of male survivors including some crew members, said that they had jumped into the water and swam to a lifeboat to be hauled up etc. Apart from the fact that there were far more men making such claims than were actually pulled out of the sea by all the lifeboats, in some cases the men claimed that they had been swimming for 'hours' before reaching the lifeboat. All that is nonsense of course and result of 'survivor's guilt' that many men later suffered with. In Edward Beane's case, there could have been the additional guilt feeling that he was one of only 12 Second Class men saved.

While it is not 100% certain, Ethel & Edward Beane were almost certainly saved on Lifeboat #9, which did not pull up any swimmer from the water afterwards. Furthermore, contrary to Edward's claim, Ethel reportedly mentioned in a letter she wrote to her mother that they left together in the same lifeboat. Lifeboat #9 was a starboard side "Murdoch's" boat and was not full when lowered and so Edward Beane could easily have followed his wife into the boat, which is almost certainly what he did.

 

[Lady Di]

I can see your point. All I can report is what was told to me, and obviously if any of the men did in fact jump into the water, they could not have been there for very long before hypothermia would have set in. Now that the parties involved are no longer here to ask directly, I guess we will never know for sure until they develop a time machine to go back and observe firsthand. Maybe we should each simply be thankful that we did not have to live through this tragedy, or the aftermath, ourselves.

I doubt that any of these survivors could have ever imagined that this many years later, anyone would be still going over their claims of what happened for accuracy with such vehemence and distrust for how they recalled the events (no matter the motivation, i.e. guilt, PTSD or whatever).

 

[Seumas]

I can see your point. All I can report is what was told to me, and obviously if any of the men did in fact jump into the water, they could not have been there for very long before hypothermia would have set in. Now that the parties involved are no longer here to ask directly, I guess we will never know for sure until they develop a time machine to go back and observe firsthand. Maybe we should each simply be thankful that we did not have to live through this tragedy, or the aftermath, ourselves.

I doubt that any of these survivors could have ever imagined that this many years later, anyone would be still going over their claims of what happened for accuracy with such vehemence and distrust for how they recalled the events (no matter the motivation, i.e. guilt, PTSD or whatever).

Here's the thing though, we can prove that Edward Beane was not in the water.

None of the other survivors in Boat No. Nine spoke of pulling any men from the water. There is no question about it, Edward Beane never got a drop of water on him that night.

 

[Arun Vajpey]

All I can report is what was told to me, and obviously if any of the men did in fact jump into the water, they could not have been there for very long before hypothermia would have set in. Now that the parties involved are no longer here to ask directly, I guess we will never know for sure until they develop a time machine to go back and observe firsthand. Maybe we should each simply be thankful that we did not have to live through this tragedy, or the aftermath, ourselves.

True, but human physiology and common sense do not change over time. A very fit person might have lasted 20 to 25 minutes under those conditions if he or she kept swimming - by itself no easy task under any conditions - before losing consciousness and then quickly succumbing to hypothermia. Also, it would have been impossible for anyone to swim after a lifeboat that was rowing rapidly away from the sinking Titanic. Those who were hauled up were in the very last boats and after they jumped into the water and swam a short distance to reach them. These included Hemming and others to Lifeboat #4, Fred Hoyt and Joseph Duquemin into Collapsible D and those who were pulled on board free floating Collapsibles A & B. A few others like Bernard McCoy might have jumped soon after a lifeboat was launched and pulled on board but many of those stories are unverified.

While many survivors themselves undoubtedly made ridiculous claims, newspapers further embellished and distorted them. For example, Saloon Steward Thomas Whiteley was one of those hauled on board the capsized Collapsible B but he later claimed that he had been in the water for several hours before that happened. While that might be an "understandable" exaggeration, an unnamed newspaper report from 1914 claimed that Whiletley allegedly told them that he had swallowed so much water during his ordeal that doctors had to remove his stomach and replace it!

 

[Thomas Krom]

For example, Saloon Steward Thomas Whiteley was one of those hauled on board the capsized Collapsible B but he later claimed that he had been in the water for several hours before that happened. While that might be an "understandable" exaggeration, an unnamed newspaper report from 1914 claimed that Whiletley allegedly told them that he had swallowed so much water during his ordeal that doctors had to remove his stomach and replace it!

I always had another big problem with first class saloon steward Whiteley his account. He claimed that on the 14th of April he saw a dinner party with captain Smith, doctor O'Loughlin and Mr. Ismay in attendance. While the later two sat at a table together, captain Smith never sat with them as was the guest of honour of the Widener dinner party. But that is not the problem I have. The problem is that Whiteley never could have seen them since they all ate in the á carte restaurant on B-deck, which was served by Mr. Gatti his staff. Of the 69 staff members (of which 33 were waiters) only three survived (First cashier Ruth Harwood Bowker, second cashier Mabel Elvina Martin and Maître d’hôtel Paul Achille Maurice Germain Maugé).

 

[Arun Vajpey]

He claimed that on the 14th of April he saw a dinner party with captain Smith, doctor O'Loughlin and Mr. Ismay in attendance. While the later two sat at a table together, captain Smith never sat with them as was the guest of honour of the Widener dinner party

I have read that Thomas Whiteley claimed that was one of the waiters who served at the Wideners' party table at the A La Carte restaurant on the night of Sunday 14th April 1912, which of course was attended by Captain Smith. As a Saloon Steward, Whiteley normally worked at the First Class Dining Saloon and so I assumed that he might have been temporarily hired to work in the restaurant because of the party. There are a few accounts that suggest that the long party table extended a bit beyond the private alcove and Smith was sitting at the "exposed" end; others like Daisy Minahan, Mahala Douglas and Maybelle Thorne mentioned the fact that they could see part of the party table and hear the gaiety of the conversation.

As for Ismay and Dr O'Loughlin, they also dined at the restaurant that night but were at a separate table nearby and not part of the party itself.

Getting back to the OP, is there a record of the letter that Ethel Beane wrote to her mother about the circumstances of the couple's survival?

 

[Thomas Krom]

As a Saloon Steward, Whiteley normally worked at the First Class Dining Saloon and so I assumed that he might have been temporarily hired to work in the restaurant because of the party.

I don't believe it would make any sense my friend. When the Olympic entered service in 1911 she only had 23 waiters (assistant waiters and head waiters included) for a smaller restaurant without the café. On the Titanic this number was increased by 9 additional waiters (my 33 count was an error). With a ship with only 324 first class passengers, most of which ate in the dining saloon, why would Whiteley be temporarily hired if the staff was big enough to handle about 60 to 70 passengers a seating?

Normally first class saloon stewards would be stationed in rooms such as the first class lounge, smoking room or reception room when their duty was done (as stated by Aragõa Drummond Harrison), which were under White Star management. I personally believe that Whiteley his citing, in an article already filled with questionable claims (such as the two lookouts on top of collapsible Engelhardt lifeboat B that stated they called the bridge a couple of times and stated that it was no wonder first officer Murdoch shot himself) is a false one.