Lifeboat 7

[Margot van Dyke]

I have read on ET that when #7 was launched it had about 28 people in it, but from other sources and newspaper clippings, several people said in interviews that when #7 was picked up by the Carpathia she had about 33 people in it, that were transfered from other boats...I would like to know what people where transfered into #7 and are not listed on the list over at ET.

 

[Pat Cook]

Hi Margot,

Your question got me to wondering and I looked up some of the testimonies at the U S Hearings. Mrs. Dickenson (Helen) Bishop stated:

"After we had been out in the water about 15 minutes - the Titanic had not yet sunk - five boats were gathered together and five people were put into our boat from another one, making 33 people in our boat."

Her husband, who testified after her, testified that among those transferred was a mother and a child, he thought.

Sorry I couldn't find any names, tho' Hope this is of some help, anyway.

Best regards,
Cook

 

[Randy Bryan Bigham]

Cook & Margot,

I believe in ANTR Lord says the lady & child transferred were Mrs. Washington Dodge and her son. Is this right? I don't have my copy of that book at hand just now but I tend to remember the name because I believe she had been angry that no one had wanted to go back to help in a rescue and had voluntarily left boat 5 (was it?) for 7 out of protest.

Randy

 

[Pat Cook]

Hey, Randy

You're absolutely right, according to Mrs. Washington Dodge's account in the April 30, 1912 San Francisco Bullitin. She states, rather vehemently, that she could no longer put up with the hysterics of some of the women in her lifeboat and, when they made contact with another one nearby, she and her child transferred over. She doesn't mention any lifeboat numbers, tho'.

Best regards,
Cook

 

[Chris Dohany]

Two other transferees, in addition to Mrs. Dodge and her son, were Edward P. Calderhead and John E. Flynn. I'm not sure of the fifth.

 

[Daniel Rosenshine]

This is sooooooooooo long after this discussion began, but I thought I'd add.

Yes the names that I have seen are Calderhead and Flynn, as well as Mrs. and Master Dodge. I'm not sure if there were 5 people who were transferred. Col. Gracie only mentions the one above.

Interestingly, in his account Mr. Chambers said that when the people transferred from his boat to the other boat, a family was reunited. Perhaps he was confused about Mrs. Dodge's excitement about finally leaving boat 5.

Daniel.

 

[Rachel C. Boland]

Question here...Helen Bishop in her testimony for the Senate mentioned a man named Jack Edmonds who was in lifeboat 7 with them...Who is he? I can not find anything about him.

 

[Mike Herbold]

Hi Rachel:
How goes your Bishop work?

In answer to your Jack Edmonds puzzle (or Edmunds with a "U" in my copy of the Senate hearings) there doesn't seem to be any passenger or crew member with a name anything like that. I tried names that sounded similar and could only come up with Osmont (lifeboat 7) or Osman (lifeboat 2).

Note that she mentions something about a lookout, but not Fleet or Lee. Could she have the name totally wrong and have meant Hogg or Jewell, who were with her in Lifeboat 7?

Note also that 5 more people were transferred to her lifeboat 7 during the night.

I came across another interesting puzzle in examing Mr. Bishop's testimony? What is he talking about when he mentions a plate or shut-off on E Deck that the crew could not get to close? His testimony insinuates that the crew could not get some watertight mechanism to operate.

 

[Brian Meister]

Dear Mike,

I have always speculated that Mrs Bishop
may have been referring to Frank Evans, the
only Lookout who has not been alloted to a
lifeboat. His name sounds more like Jack
Edmunds than any other. And why would he
not have gotten into #7 with Hogg and Jewell?
I am also aware that I will be reminded that
there is testimony (which some take as gospel)
that there were only three crew men in the
boat: Weller, Hogg, and Jewell. Expect that
comment to follow mine.
It will great to see you in a couple of
weeks.

Regards,

Brian

 

[Dave Gittins]

Mr Bishop may well have been right. There were numerous watertight doors on the lower decks and they were closed manually. It's quite likely that some were not shut but it made no serious difference.

 

[Randy Bryan Bigham]

Mike,

Laura Francatelli who was also quartered on E Deck says something in a letter about the officers trying to close a watertight door.

Randy

 

[Rachel C. Boland]

Hey Mike!

Slow, very slow.

Ok...now Geo. Hogg (in his ET bio) said that 4 women a baby and a man were transfered into the boat with them...

Helen said in the testimony that one of the men in the boat lost his brother in the sinking she didn't know his name but that he was on lookout just after the collision (where the Hogg's related? The bedroom steward Hogg was lost and Geo. Hogg relieved Lee and Fleet after the collision).

ok, now that lookout Frank Evans is said to have been in #15 (ET)...did they transfer him to #7 maybe? They did have a lot of crew in #15.


Helen never talked about the sinking outside the newspaper articles.

I guess this is a debate for many more years to come, about lifeboats and who was in them.

 

[Daniel Klistorner]

Maybe Mike Herbold was right about Omont - a first class passenger that was in boat #7.

I think the plates on E deck were mentioned elsewhere on the board. Someone suggested that they were trying to redo something that was already done, which is why they had so much difficulty "closing" them.

Other people who mentioned the plates are Chambers, Harder and another passenger.

Daniel.

 

[Iain Stuart Yardley]

I'm going to get kicked for this but wasn't Eva Hart transferred from one boat to another when one returned to pick up survivors in the water? I had the fortune to meet Eva Hart when she came to do a hospital radio interview a few years ago and I'm positive she mentioned she was transferred kicking and screaming. I don't have any notes in front of me but I'm sure she said she was transferred to or from boat 7 and was thus separated temporarily from her mother. She had already had to leave her father behind on the Titanic and I clearly recall her saying she still felt the terror of that moment.

 

[Ben Holme]

Hi Iain,

Eva Hart was rescued in lifeboat #14, but later transfered, as you say, to another lifeboat when 5th Officer Lowe (in charge of the #14) returned with several crew members to pick up the survivors in the water. I'm uncertain as to which boat Eva was tranfered, but you are correct in that it was a diffenent one to her mother, Esther. I would venture a guess at Eva in collapsible "D" and Esther in #10, but #12 and #4 are also possibilities.

It is true that several of boat #5's occupants transfered to #7 in mid-ocean, but these were first class passengers (Calderhead, Flynn, Ruth Dodge, Washington Dodge Jr.)

Hope this helps,

Regards,
Ben