Room in boat, but husband kept back
Bereaved woman sobs accusation as she reaches mothers arms; did not even have opportunity to say farewell.
In a little English home at 115 Butternut Street the shadow of death and the sunshine of life reigned alternately yesterday afternoon, when Mrs Frank Goldsmith and her 10-year-old son, Frank Jr., Survivors of the Titanic disaster, were reunited to their family, the mother's parents, brother and sisters.
Somewhere in the icy waters off Cape Race lie the bodies of Frank Goldsmith, the husband and father, and of 16-year-old Alfred Rush, the fourth member of the party, who went down with the ship after seeing their loved ones safely away in the next to the last lifeboat to leave the doomed vessel.
"Wouldn't let men come."
"There was room in the boat, but they wouldn't let the men come," sobbed the wife, as she entered the little home of her parents, Mr and Mrs Henry Brown, and was clasped in her mother's arms. Tears stopped her voice and for a few moments neither woman could speak.
The train, due at 1:15 pm was marked 19 minutes late and the three who had gone to meet it were not on the platform when it did arrive, only five minutes late. Mrs Charles Rush, whose brother in law, Alfred, was lost with Mr Goldsmith, entered the waiting shed from the street after most of the passengers had left the train. A glance down the long platform showed her a blank-clad figure and a small boy just alighting.
"Quick, here they are," she cried, rushing to the street. Then she turned back, ran through the gate and caught Mrs Goldsmith in her arms. Mrs Thomas Emas sister of Mrs Goldsmith and Edward Brown, her brother, also rushed up to her. Then the little group hurried away, for the father and mother were waiting at home.
There, Mrs Goldsmith told how she and her boy had been saved, while the husband and the boy friend had gone down right before them.
Men driven out of boat.
"The boats were swung off from the upper deck," said Mrs Goldsmith. "The women and children were allowed to go up there and get in the boats. The men were kept on the deck below and had no chance to get in, although I think there was room for several of them. But the officers stood with drawn revolvers, which they used once or twice."
"Except when some of the foreign steerage passengers attempted to rush the boats, there was a little excitement," said Mrs Goldsmith. Several of these men forced their way to the upper deck and jumped into our lifeboat. But the officers were firm and drove them back. One of the men in our boat pointed his revolver at them and then fired three shots in the air. That brought them to their senses and as they evidently preferred a chance with the Titanic to certain death by shooting if they remained in the lifeboat, they scrambled back on the deck.
"For Chinaman refused to get out, but crept down among the women and remained there. The officer did not dare fire at them for fear of hitting the women, and the boat was lowered with these four in it.
Wave of hand only goodbye
"Frank and Alfred were close to the rail on the deck below as we were lowered past it, but we were all so dazed that we hardly said a word, just waved our hands, I thought then that they would be able to get away on another boat or a loft. One woman [Rosa Abbott] floated all night on a raft and was picked up just before we were rescued by the Carpathia.
"In our lifeboat there were about 30 women, five men and before Chinaman. The men were all part of the crew, I think. None of the women had to row in our boat.
"On the Carpathia we were well taken care of, and everybody was good to us in New York. For a bit we hoped to hear that Frank and Alfred had been saved, but after the later reports came we gave up hope and I telegraphed my parents here. We were taken to a Salvation Army home on 14th Street and remained there until I was able to come to Detroit. The White Star Line and the people of New York helped us all, gave us more clothes, tickets and money but they can't bring back my husband."
Alfred Rush was the brother of Charles Rush, 24 Hobson Avenue, who surprised Alfred by sending him the money for his passage. The Browns and the Rush family had become acquainted in Detroit and so it was arranged that the younger members of the two families should cross the Atlantic together. But two of the four survived the disaster of April 14 and 15.
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