Titanic Archive - 1957 Interviews

now let's take up the story from survivors of the Titanic themselves first of all an American passenger Miss Edith Russell traveling first-class where were you just before it happened miss Russell in the library the steward had just called out 11:30 lights out so I gave him a few letters to post in the morning I told him I'd pay for the stamps picked up a book and walk forward to my stateroom which was on the same day a 11:00 as I got in my stateroom I switched on the electric light and I noticed a slight jar followed immediately by a second one and a third one which was quite strong enough to make me hold on to the bedpost the boat came to a full stop walked forward to my window saw three white mass drifting by very much surprised and decided to take my fur coat and go out on deck and see what was all about well I got out on deck I noticed a gentleman standing by the rail and several people and a large again this gray mass I said what on earth is that that a madam that's a light bulb oh that's a nice burg iceberg wishes have always wanted to see one of those things since I was a child like you're seeing it car canal there's one eat above the water and 7/8 below and believe me that's some iceberg so after that we picked up bits of ice played snowballs for a little while and was very very cold I asked one of the officers any danger he said no one I went back to bed as simple as that no danger as far as you were concerned no they did now what about mr. Witter second class smoking-room Stewart what did you think the Titanic had hit mr. Witter well I did it's anything I thought she dropped a blade from the propeller how did you find out what in fact it happened well I well I went down to the working out way where my cabin is number seven glory hole I was standing there talking to two or three fellows and a carpenter came along and I heard him say yeah the bloody mail room was full of water I said what's that mail room full of what we said yes I said well what about them look at doors forward he said they're not holding in of course then I walked into my cabin number seven glory hole and I opened my box I called everybody I said come on fellas get up she's going down so they opened my box took up some matches some cigarettes and I said come on fella girl what the hell are you talking about they said get out of here someone threw a booted me I said good night gentlemen just as easy as that as far as they even said no they driver not at that time well now commander light Allah the second officer of the Titanic died recently but in 1936 he broadcast his story of that night and it left six compartments open to the sea the water flowed into the first six compartments forward of number four boiler room and caused her vows to sick so much that the water flowed over the top of the after most watertight bulkhead filled the next compartment then overflowed again into the next one and so on well from that moment as the captain very well realized nothing could save the Titanic and the order was given lower the boats quartermaster row who was here tonight was of any surprise man where were you quartermaster I will watch on the poop at eight o'clock at ten o'clock I read the log and pass it on to the four bridge a twenty Minister 12 I was pacing up and down the deck and I felt a good jar I thought that was peculiar I looked along the side and I saw what I thought was a wind jammer but as it came around so as an iceberg the engine was going full speed astern and so afford the logging after they've had got a bit quiet except for the below amorphous teen and heard nothing or scenery thought I saw a lifeboat being lured in the starboard side or reported into the bridge I asked him if they knew there was a vote being Lord they said they did and what did you know who I was I said I was the after quartermaster they asked me if I knew where the distress roses were I said yes they said bring him on the bridge oh well captain Smith's all agreeing him up he told me to fire one on fire one every five or six minutes after about two or three minutes he said to me - knew Morse or said yes a bit he said call that light up turn over the titanic sinking please did all your boats ready she never answered and that's your stage story for Nestor just like that just like that now what about a third class passenger mr. Cohen I think mr. Kady would had a bit of a celebration with the boys that I did are you gonna celebrate with a glass of lemonade am I supposed to believe that yes you are so much bells - did you get yourself a life belt at the time the reason was because we thought the tide tent was unsinkable when did you really believe at last oh well when the boat was listing and then I decided to find a better family very quickly and then I went towards the lifeboats I never had a chance to get in wet anyone of them because the order was women the children first so there's always a lead 19 I was out of it so I decided to find my own salvation I went to a went across to the Dara to climb the crusted eret which are the dangerous dangerous thing at the charlie and went down the rope about 80 feet long and went into the water into the sea run it sounds easy now quick doesn't it when you tell it yes it does right that you would not to do it now no not with this I don't know whether they can see you no doubt I don't think they care but they can imagine it's not as bad as they may think yes now what's that life but you picked you up eventually was it for no it's about 25 people is the reason it was fairly empty as it was of course the people on the other boat never realized that the boat would sink and not many people took the opportunity of going into the lifeboats greater risk leaving the shipments their ideas let's ask miss Russell to take up her story again let's jump ahead in time the last we heard from you miss Russell you will gain to bed you decided to go to bed now let's go forward to the time when you were on deck and you wants where um you're stood to go and find your little pig your mascot would you take when I was in the on a deck in the lounge when Wareham came along and I said to him here where I'm a monkey's would you mind taking care of my trunks if I don't get back in time in the morning so he said you better grin and kiss those trunks goodbye I say don't think there's any danger do you if there is why you better go back and get my mascot my mascot was a little pig a music box had been given to him by my mother after motor accidents fatal for everybody with me in France so he brought the little pig back it played the match each after after that I was in the direct line of light and with Bruce Ismay who saw me and picked me up like a puppy and threw me down the steps and I was wearing a sheath dress very narrow skirt a long fur coat a woolen cap some furs evening slippers and one thing another thin stockings and I went forward to the rail looked at that very very high rail with a lifeboat swingin way-out on its davits and I knew I never could make it not that spare so as I stood there hesitating a sailor grab this little pig from under my arm and said well if you don't want to be saved we'll save your child and he threw the big into the lifeboat well I stood there hesitating and as I said to a general alongside should I leave is to definitely madam so can't make it so now if you will just sit on my hand the Sailor and I'll make a little cradle of our hands you sit down put your hand around my neck and we'll toss you right into the lifeboat and they did first thing I did then was to hunt for the little pig I found it the bottom of the boat with its legs broken but it still could play them at teach and I played it all night long to keep the children from crying thank you miss Russell well meantime the entire crew and all the officers of the Titanic were working frantically and in the wireless room the chief radio officer Jack Phillips was trying to contact nearby ships the nearest was the Californian but her solitary operator had gone to bed the officer of the law of the watch reported the Titanic's Rockets and the disappearance of our lights to the captain but no action was taken meantime Phillips from the Titanic was sending out the old cqd call the standard distress signal of those times but then he changed to SOS the first time it had ever been used at sea and one of the ships to pick that up was the Carpathia the captain captain rostrum now Harold cotton there he is was the operator of the Carpathia and he received the signal and here he is sending his answer now now this equipment you're using now mr. cottham I understand is the same as in the Titanic except for the buzzer that Marconi marine supplied for the tight end is that not right yes we've got the coil there I the tuning here yes and the receiving yes and there was the transmission was it not yes with a spark fine from it the points when you pressed the buzzer yes and here the charging and distributing apparatus yes now mr. cottham the Titanic called you in distress what was your reaction oh she didn't call me on I called her in the morning after I've taken the press or listened to the press I've talked about a batch of message with fur and with the intention of redirecting them onto her I called her up and the only require I got that she'd struck ice but I said was it serious and she said yes this is a cqd old man here's the position report it and get get here as soon as you can so I took the position and on the scrap of paper and rushed up to the bridge with it when I got on the bridge I contacted the officer of the watch and the information didn't seem as though it sunk as fast as I thought he thought do so I rushed down off the down the ladder to do and not from the captain's cabin and as I saw a light I rushed in and he said who the hell or words to that effect and so I said well the the Titanic struck i sir and she's in distress I've got the position here so he said well give it me and he puts a dressing gown on and went so I said will you confirm this go after and confirm it if you can which you did yes which I did and when you came back what did he do well when I came back he said well you you better go back and tell her that we're going to double bank all the watches on deccan below and tell her we tell him we are on our way on our way as fast as you could go yes as fast as it was fast and you could go fine Thank You mr. carton yeah well the car paid there was on its way and back on the Titanic the last lifeboat got away round about 120 in the morning and we've had over 60 people on board from the vote they watched the ship with husbands relations and friends still aboard still unable to believe that she was doomed commander light although was less than a hundred yards away on the top of an upturned boat as I watch I could see her ball getting deeper and deeper in the water with the formas sticking up above the surface whilst her Stern lifted higher and higher till it was right out of the water when she got to an angle of about 60 degrees there was a sullen sort of rumbling roar as her massive boilers all left their beds and went crashing down through the bulkheads and everything that stood in their way up to that moment she'd stood out as clear as clear with her rows of electric lights all burning when the boilers broke away she was of course plunged into absolute darkness though her huge black outline was still perfectly distinct up against the stars and sky slowly she reared up on him till at last she was absolutely perpendicular then quite quietly but quicker and quicker she seemed just to slide away under the surface and disappear in the lifeboats the survivors brace themselves for the rigors of a long night and one of our survivors agree sir mr. water Hurst got there in a very strange way what's your story mr. Hurst well I saw the for a part of the boat big deep underwater so I jumped overboard swimming away from the ship turn around let's look at her but down came the funnel smashed into the water right in front of the face I'll get a gush of wind and dirt through through that nearly blinded me and they'll stop the cap golf Moorhead and one slipper off my foot but it didn't take my attention off of this boat that I'll see those life that the collapsible boat washed straight over off the day within a few yards of me but I managed to get on to it those followed quickly by the second officer and a few others anyhow she soon got filled out there's an old man stood next to me he was complaining all the night long about Jesus aid was so cold well I took particular out was that because man was pretty torn to but a friend of mine a shipmate named Lindsay gave me a drink from the bottle I thought I was on a good thing I think it was whiskey or brandy instead there was essence of peppermint nearly choked me thank you very much mr. Hearst well meantime the Carpathia was speeding to the Titanic's rescue herself dodging patches of ice and huge iceberg

Channel: BBC South Today

Views: 1,619,378

Rating: 4.8961592 out of 5

Keywords: Titanic, Archive, 1957, Interviews

Id: FVLiZo6Pkak

Length: 15min 2sec (902 seconds)

Published: Wed Apr 25 2012

Reddit Comments

[u/[deleted]]

I can’t imagine the horror of that biting cold night, lost at sea.

[u/wozacos]

Referring to the final part of the video, I find it fascinating that it took almost 80 years to realize that the Titanic didn't sink in one piece but actually break up in two.

Found more information on how that common belief came to be :

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinking_of_the_RMS_Titanic#Titanic's_final_moments_(02:20)

the "great noise" heard by witnesses and the momentary settling of the stern were presumably caused by the break-up of the ship rather than the loosening of her fittings or boiler explosions

[u/Atomskie]

An Amazing piece of history. Thank you for sharing.

[u/[deleted]]

The worst part about being there would be the screams and cries getting slowly quieter over the course of about 15 minutes.

[u/brujablanca]

Can anyone identify her accent? It's extremely unique.

The first lady who speaks.

[u/HighTopsLowStandards]

1m58s and the guy goes to his 'glory hole'. Wasn't just The Titanic going down that night...

[u/RusskiJewsski]

The women speaking is Edith Rosenbaum and she needs to have a movie made about her.

​

This video has sent me down an Edith Russel rabbit hole, here is the pig she is holding

[u/theguesswho]

No 7 glory hole