WT Stead

[Ben Thomas Sebastian Holme]

Hi Rolf,

Thanks for your clarification of the source!
Most seem to support the idea that they left around 2:10am. I am merely entertaining the possibility that they returned AGAIN when they realised the hopelessness of the situation.

I agree that Ryerson must have made a hasty retreat to the smoking room following the departure of boat #4.

You are correct in that Widener and Thayer were observed by Col. Gracie. They were admidships, along the starboard rail where boat #7 had been "talking earnestly, as if debating what to do". This was shortly before the lowering of collapsible D, fairly near the end, boat #4 having left. Mrs J.M. Brown and Edith Evans were standing near them. As Theyer and the Wideners headed sternward, Ryerson would probably have been in the smoking room with the others.

Thanks for your suggestions!

Regards
Ben

 

[Rolf Vonk]

Hi Ben,

Do you think Ryerson and Thayer were friends? Cause Mrs Thayer and Mrs Ryerson were. Don't you think it is strange that he left them and went to the smoke room?

Regards,
Rolf

 

[Ben Thomas Sebastian Holme]

Hi Rolf,

Ryerson and Thayer were both from Pennsylvania and almost certainly were friends. They were walking on deck together on the afternoon of April 14th when Ismay was discussing the proximity of ice with their wives. Ismay made a hasty retreat when the men arrived to join their wives.

It is strange that they didn't stick together in the final moments. Ryerson even told his wife that he would stay with John B. Thayer.
I'd imagine that after the departure of boat #4, Thayer and Ryerson contemplated their situation. Thayer may have prefered to take his chances on the rising stern, while Ryerson went and joined other friends.

Regards

Ben

 

[Rolf Vonk]

Hi Ben,

I didn't know that Ryerson told his wife that he would stay with John B. Thayer. The whole situation must have been strange, cause Thayer also left or lost his son. Why didn't they searched for eachother?

Any ideas?

Rolf

 

[Thomas Ford]

well,whoever was in the smoking lounge,they must have a terrible death,the ship pitching up would have would have threw them against the walls,and in andrews' case right up against the stain glass wall and they all probably died when the ship broke in two or soon after.

 

[Thomas Ford]

well,whoever was in the smoking lounge,they must have a terrible death,the ship pitching up would have threw them against the walls,and in andrews' case right up against the stain glass wall and they all probably died when the ship broke in two or soon after.

 

[Rolf Vonk]

Thomas,

I think all the people aboard had a terrible dead:

-being crushed by a funnel
-being sucked into the ship
-drowning
-freezing to dead
-burning by steam from the boilers
etc......

I think it isn't sure that Andrews was in the smoking room till the final end. We know he was there shortly before, but he might have going to another part of the ship. His cabin, for example, where he must have had the building plans of Titanic (also very emotional at such a moment).

Regards,
Rolf

 

[Ben Thomas Sebastian Holme]

Hi Rolf,

I agree, it is strange that the Thayer men didn't make more or an obvious effort to locate eachother. What's even more perculiar is that they both appeared to stay aroun the same part of the starboard boat deck at almost the same time i.e by the empty lifeboat davits......WEIRD!

Regards
Ben

 

[Ben Thomas Sebastian Holme]

Hi Rolf,

I agree, it is strange that the Thayer men didn't make more or an obvious effort to locate eachother. What's even more perculiar is that they both appeared to stay around the same part of the starboard boat deck at almost exactly the same time i.e by the empty lifeboat davits......WEIRD!

Regards
Ben

 

[Rolf Vonk]

Hey Ben,

Were they both at the starboard side? I can't believe this. How was the relation between father, mother and son? I heard the Carters had always quarrel aboard, so it isn't strange that they left each other when they boarded the lifeboats. But it stays a guess why the Thayers didn't search for eachother. What about Harry Widener? Did he stay with his father after the lowering of boat #4?

I'm looking forward to your responses!

Regards,
Rolf

 

[Ben Thomas Sebastian Holme]

Hi Rolf,

I haven't read anything that suggests the relationships within the Thayer family were anything other than stable.
I will quote you a passage from Michael Davie's book that outlines the circumstances for their seperation at boat #4.

"...Mr Wild, the chief officer, told us to go down onto A-deck and get into a boat they were loading from there. Father and mother went ahead -
your son (Milton Long) and I followed. A crowd pushed ahead of us and we could not find my mother or father when we were able to pass on, so thinking they had managed to get off in a boat we went to the starboard side of the boat deck".

(From Jack Thayer's account)

I'd imagine that Harry Widener remained with his father until the end. Col. Gracie vaguely remembered him standing by his father and John Thayer. Those three eventually deicided to head for the stern...probably.

Hope this helps

Regards
Ben

 

[Rolf Vonk]

Hi Ben,

Thanks for your information! It's good to know that the Thayers lost each other in a crowd. Though strange that they didn't find each other back before the ship went down. They had an hour to look for eachother and they only stayed on the first class decks. It seems logically that Harry Widener stayed with George. I know that Gracie saw Widener and Thayer together with other first class passengers, but I'm not sure if Gracie saw Harry Widener among them. I've hear about the story that Harry Widener went back to his cabin to get some rare books, but that story proved to be false.

Regards,
Rolf

 

[Sue Haynes]

I stumbled on this page today by accident and couldn't believe the information I picked up about my husband's distant relative (William Thomas Stead) and my great uncle & aunt (Percy & Florance Thorneycroft). Thank you so much to all the contributors who have made my day.

 

[Tami Stead Smith]

I am related to William Thomas Stead, are there any others out there?

 

[Thomas Wesphaguson]

Having received the book "Wreck and Sinking of the TITANIC: The Ocean's Greatest
Disaster, copyright, 1912, which provides first-hand accounts of the survivors, condolences exchanged by King George of England and President Taft, as well as alist of the passengers missing from the Titanic, revised from last reports from the Carpathia--only 914 actual names out of the total 1635 lost.
My question: What does one do with such a historic document, which is too, a first (if not only edition)?
Pictures include that of Major Archibald b***, aid to President Taft--one of the heroic dead, stepping aside such that others might be saved.
Too pictured were Mr. and Mrs. William T. Stead, great educator and editor, both of whom went down with the Titanic.
And I must too indicate photos of collapsible lifeboats, just before being picked up the the Carpathia--women at the oars.
And then there was this cute phpto of two kids orphaned by the wreck--two little French children who were found in the care of Miss Hayes, a survivor. Their father went down with the Titanic.
Excellent photos, including the launching of the S.S. Titanic.
A honeymoon couple, Mr. and Ms. George A. Harder, rescued from the wreck is photographed with Mrs. Chas. M. Hays, whose husband, president of the Grand Trunk Railway, was lost.