The Cardezas

[George Jacub]

Books on the Titanic always place the Cardezas in Boat No. 5. Yet that is contradicted in interviews with Mrs. Cardeza and her son (found on this site). Mrs. Cardeza (Worcester Evening Gazette, April 20, 1912) said her son was on a boat other than hers. and Mr. Cardeza (Washington Herald, April 19, 1912) said he stayed on board "until the vessel sank." Two people, both agreeing on one thing---they were not on the same lifeboat. What evidence is there, then, that they were both in No. 5?

 

[Trevor Powell]

Hi George,

Elizabeth Shutes, a first class governess to Margaret Graham, wrote an account on the sinking. Shutes, Margaret, and Edith boarded lifeboat No. 3. Elizabeth claimed that the Cardzas along with a manservant boarded the same lifeboat. During the night, Elizabeth recalled Mr Cardeza and his manservant continuously lighting matches and smoking. Fearing they would use up all the matches, she begged them to stop, but she was ignored. Daisy Spedden, who was also in No.3 wrote in her diary how obnoxious Mrs. Cardeza had been acting throughout the night, and how she fought to be the fist to first to board the Carpathia. From these accounts, it would appear that the Cardezas were in no. 3 and that they boarded together.

 

[Brian Ahern]

Hi Trevor,
Isn't is just speculation that it was the Cardezas referred to in these accounts? I know Shutes didn't name the men in the account she sent to Colonel Gracie, unless he edited it out. Did Daisy Spedden actually name Mrs. Cardeza?

 

[Trevor Powell]

Hi Brian,
In Judith Geller's Titanic: Women and Children First Elizabeth Shutes identified the men and Cardeza's son and manservant. Daisy Spedden later identified the obnoxious woman as Mrs Cardeza. Gracie possibly edited Elizabeth's account so he wouldn't be making Mr Cardeza look like a villain.

 

[George Jacub]

Sorry, Trevor, the Geller book only says Elizabeth Shutes “may be referring” to Mr. Cardeza and his valet and “it is the consensus of historians” that Mrs. Spedden is referring to Mrs. Cardeza. Hence my question. Why is it the consensus of historians that the Cardezas were in No. 3 (I stand corrected) when they themselves said otherwise.

 

[Peter Engberg-Klarström]

Dear George, where did the Cardezas state they were in boat 5? As far as I can remember, the Cardezas even kept a number 3 from the lifeboat they were rescued in, so I don't think there is any doubt they were in boat 3.

Best regards,

Peter

 

[George Jacub]

You''re right Peter. As I stated in my previous post, I stand corrected.

 

[Trevor Powell]

Hi George, Sorry for the mistake, I don't have the book in my possession. Now that Peter mentions it, I do recall seeing the lifeboat 3 plaque pictured in Women and Children First along with receipts that Charlotte saved from the sinking. It's in the Thomas Jefferson University Collection.

 

[George Jacub]

Well, I think the facts speak for themselves--Mrs. Cardeza and her son were NOT in the same lifeboat. He says he stayed on the Titanic until it sank, but I'm intrigued by the story in the book "The Titanic Disaster" by Dave Bryceson (p.138) which quotes Mr. Cardeza's wife as saying she got a letter from him in which he says he bribed a sailor to get him and his valet sailors clothing which they used to escape the ship. The story was printed in the Daily Sketch, April 26, 1912 and is datelined Vienna. Has any researcher looked at Vienna newspapers to try and find another account of this letter?

 

[Jonathan Granato]

Thomas, let's hope that you never have to be thrust into the situation Mr. Cardeza was faced with. You might very well do the same thing, or...

 

[Mark Baber]

a letter received here to-day by Mme. Cardeza

One wonders how a "letter" from Thomas Cardeza got to Vienna between the night of 18 April, when Carpathia arrived in New York, and 25 April, the dateline on this article. From the shipping columns of The New York Times, it doesn't look like any ship which left New York after 18 April arrived in Europe before 29 April.