VISITORS

December 10, 2019

The Kimball Family

None of the newspapers featuring this article published a clear copy. They were all as degraded as this one.  Therefore we included the transcript below. 




None of the shipwrecked people got up very early this morning although one party of New Englanders left the city on the 10 o'clock train for Boston.

Mrs. Jacques Futrelle is still at the hotel Belmont and under the care of a physician. She will remain in this sity for two or three days to attend to some business affairs.

Mr. and Mrs. E. N. Kimball also remain secluded this morning.  Mr. Kimball described the striking of the iceberg by the Titanic and the absence of fear among the passengers and crew up until the time the boats were ordered into the water.

He gave this version of the execution of the order:

"When we reached the boat deck, only a few persons were there and as it was about 75 feet from the boat deck down to the water, the officers were having great difficulty in getting the people to go into the lifeboats, assuring them at the same time that it would not be a long while before they wo uld probably be back on the big boat.

"The first boat that went off was not more than two-thirds full and the officers said they would have to do something to get the people started.  When the second boat was being loaded, we decided that we would certainly put all women in our party with two stewardesses who were on the boat deck at the time.






"Mrs. Kimball absolutely refused to l eave without me and one of the officers and myself had to pick her up bodily and put her in the boat together with all the other women and the two stewardesses.

The boat was then swung out and the officers ordered it to be lowered. I remained behind on Titanic after having helped load the women in the boat.  After it had been lowered 10 or 12 feet, one of the officers said to me "There are no women on the deck and there is room in the lifeboat. You had better go and he gave me a push so that I jumped and landed in the lifeboat. And I feel that i owe my life to that man.

"After we were in the boat, the men manned the oars and we rowed away for some distance from the big ship.  Even at this time, a couple of the sailors in our boat stated that they would rather be on the Titanic than in the lifeboat because she was absolutely unsinkable.

"After we knew that the Titanic was doomed, however, we decided to conserve our strength as we did not know how soon there would be help. We understood that the Olympic would not be along until probably two o'clock the next afternoon, so we tried to row to keep near some of the other lifeboats.




"Just before daylight, we saw signal rockets of a boat and rowed toward them. After we rowed a short time, one of the officers in our lifeboat saw the lights, but did not know whether it was a ship or one of our own lifeboats that had a light.

"It turned out to be the Carpathia and we continued rowing toward it until we came up alongside.  We cannot speak too highly of the treatment and kindness shown us by the officers, passengers, and stewards of the Carpathia.

"It is impossible to describe the awful tragedy."


- - Interview with Mr. Edwin Nelson Kimball, Jr., age 42, 
Boston Massachusetts. Lifeboat #5


Full text here:

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85910320/kimball-family-titanic-survivors



Further Reading:

Abandon Ship! Women and Children First!

Crew Stories - Albert Brabner Jones

Chart of Survivors and Victims









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