Mr Eino Lindqvist, 20, was born on 13 February 1892 at Salo, Åbo, Finland the son of Karl August and Elisabet (nee Vik) Lindqvist.
He lived in Dalsbruk (Taalintehdas), Dragsfjärd (Kimito Island), Egentliga Finland, Finland.
He was of medium height and build, had dark brown eyes, and had red hair.
A single man, Eino boarded the Titanic at Southampton. He was travelling to Monessen, Pennsylvania. Travelling with him were his sister Helga Hirvonen, neice Hildur and August Abrahamsson. This was to be his first visit to America.
On the Titanic Eino, like all unmarried men had been placed in the forward parts of the ship. After the collision August Abrahamsson came and told him to rise, he himself did not believe there was any danger. They went up and saw the ice laying on deck. When they returned to their cabins the water was beginning to enter there and they quickly moved towards the stern compartments.
Eino later claimed that he had passed a bar area and drunk a glass of whiskey and then put a bottle of whisky in his pocket.
Eino found his sister, and together they moved upwards to the deck. He placed her in lifeboat 15 and was, according to himself, refused entry to the boat and had to throw himself into the water, where he survived on a raft. However, his description doesn't fit with any lifeboat story, probably he just got himself a place in the same boat, where the majority were men.
In New York, he was met by his brother-in-law, Alexander Hirvonen and he followed the Hirvonens to Monessen.
A few weeks after the disaster it was reported that he had got into a fist fight with a group of other immigrants.
In 1915, he moved to Syracuse, New York, and in 1917 he worked for Hammond Steel. He became a naturalized citizen of the USA in the 1920s. in 1930, he lived in Lysander township in New York and was listed as a labourer at a plough factory aged 38. 1940, he lived at Cayuga County Home in Sennett Town, New York, and was aged 48. He never married but had an out-of-wedlock son, also named Eino, in Finland with whom he later lost contact.
He died 31 October 1958 at Napa, California, aged 66, having led a transient, difficult life affected by vagrancy and mental illness. Eino is buried in Tulocay Cemetery in Napa, Califonia in Potters Field, (Block 176, grave 316) in an unmarked grave.
Comment and discuss
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This is the first time I have read about the survival not just of third class men, but third class North European men and their families. So some people did fight to make sure they were saved, despite the obvious class distinction even at this time of the voyage. It shows that third class passengers who were took the initiative and found their way to the boat decks were treated the same as anyone else and with women and children found seats in half empty life boats. The whole family were saved, rare for the Titanic but an encouraging story to read.
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He died in 1958
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