Titanic collapsible lifeboat C. The ninth and last boat lowered on the starboard side.
Bruce Ismay had been quite active on the starboard side all night, assisting passengers into boats, more or less urging them to get away. Now, he was standing close to the collapsible lifeboat C, which had been fitted into the empty davits after boat No. 1, which had left 20-30 minutes earlier. Those near the boat seem to have been third class passengers, many from the Middle East. Quartermaster Rowe had been assisting with the Morse lamp, trying to contact ships in the vicinity and with firing rockets.
Mrs. Goldsmith and her young son Frank entered the boat with a few younger lady friends from England. When about 25-28 women and children had been assisted into the boat, five crew were ordered in as well as quartermaster Rowe. Seeing there were a few seats still free, Ismay and another first class passenger, William Carter, who had left his family at boat 4, entered it and the boat was lowered away. Mr. Ismay was later heavily criticized for his escape and he was portrayed as ''Brute Ismay'' in some newspapers. Some have theorized that he jumped into the boat, despite there being women still near boat C. Others claim there were none, and his escape was justified; he was a passenger just like any other passenger. Be that as it may, he survived, working at an oar, his back to the ship so as to avoid having to watch the end. Boat C was probably lowered away about 20 minutes before the ship sank.
While rowing away from the ship four Chinese third class passengers were discovered in the bottom of the boat. Mrs. Goldsmith noticed them along with other passengers and they told QM Rowe in charge about them. Mrs. Goldsmith thought there were 30 women, five crew and four Chinese and her son in the boat. QM Rowe thought there were 39 and Bruce Ismay estimated 40-45 in the boat.
In all likelihood, there were just under 40 people in the boat. They picked up nobody from the sea and possibly reached the Carpathia as the tenth or twelfth boat.
Lifeboat summary by Peter Engberg-Klarström
