Mary Fabian

[Timothy Trower]

The Titanic Disaster

by Miss Mary Fabian


(Taken from an undated and uncredited newspaper article offered for sale on eBay in August, 2000.)


Miss Mary Fabian was a passenger on the steamship Carpathia and when they were bringing in the Titanic survivors she wrote the following letter from on shipboard:

Steamship Carpathia, April 17th.

Of course, by now, you must have heard about the terrible disaster of the loss of the Titanic, and our newspapers are so remarkable that you may know more about it than we do. It certainly has been a thrilling experience even for us, and at times seems like a kind of nightmare.

Our Marconi man was just going to bed on Sunday night, when he thought he might as well pick up the Instrument, and see if there was any messages, and got a call for help, from the Titanic, almost 100 miles away. The boat was immediately stopped and turned right around, or rather northwest, and they say it never went so fast before, 18 knots. The Titanic struck the iceberg at 11:45 p.m., and sank two hours later.

The people were told at first there was no danger, and some even went back to bed. Even the officers say that they did not think the boat was really going down, until just at the last. The first two life boats that were put off, were only about a third full, because people really refused to get into them thinking they were safer on the big boat. Then, at the last, they just crowded women and children into the boats, making the men stand back and in two of the boats, the women had to do most of the rowing.

The ship went down so suddenly that they did not have time to get off all the life boats. They say all the people could have been saved if they had only realized the danger, but as far as we know only twenty boats got off.

The Titanic’s fifth officer says he firmly believes that no one else was saved, except those picked up by the Carpathia, because after the Titanic went down, he went back with a row boat and six men, among the wreckage, and rescued four men, but that every one else was beyond rescue. His description of it is too horrible to repeat.

Of course, all the people on board, especially those who have lost husbands, or other members of their families, are hoping that others have been saved, but it is only a hope.

I woke up some time in the middle of the night, feeling that the boat had stopped, but then heard the engines going again at full speed, so went to sleep. About five o’clock I woke again, and heard a great commotion, people running about and moaning, dishes rattling, etc., and I head a steward say, just outside my door, “Look, there come five more boats.” I immediately got up, inquired what was the matter, and hurriedly dressed and went on deck.

It was a wonderful and terrible sight, too. We were surrounded by ice bergs, and the Titanic life boats were coming in various directions. They had all been rowing most of the night and the last ones did not reach us until about half past eight. A great many of the people were completely exhausted and hysterical, and had to be carried in.

Everything on this boat was wonderfully organized. Our steward told me they had orders to take on 2,000 people and in an hour and a half, they were ready for them. Several hundred came on board (no one seems to know exactly how many) and were given brandy and coffee and crackers, and as quickly as possible places were found for them to lie down.

(Transcribed by Timothy Trower, 2009)

[Thomas Golembiewski]

Timothy---

Evanston Index, May 4, 1912 . . . only there's more to the article . . .

[Timothy Trower]

Thomas,

I would love to see more of this article. This was a transcription of a poor photocopy that came to me with a bunch of other copies about ten years ago. Glad to know just where it came from originally, and feel free to use my transcription if you transcribe additional parts of it.