Sorry I haven't posted in awhile, I have been very busy with this and that. But anyway, here is part three of Esther Hart's story:
...Four boats we tried and at the fifth there was room. Eva was thrown in first, and I followed her. Just then, a man who had previously tried to get in, succeeded in doing so, but was ordered out, and the officer fired his revolver into the air to let everyone see it was loaded, and shouted out, “Stand back! I say, stand back! The next man who puts his foot in this boat, I will shoot him down like a dog.” Ben, who had been doing what he could to help the women and children, said quietly, “I’m not going in, but for God’s sake look after my wife and child.” And little Eva called out to the officer with the revolver “Don’t shoot my daddy,-You shan’t shoot my daddy.” What an experience for a little child to go through! At the age of seven to have passed through the valley of the shadow of death. I wonder if she will ever forget it? I know I shan’t, if I live for a hundred years.So that was the last I saw of my poor lost dear,-no farewell kiss, no fond word,-but in a moment he had gone and we were hanging over the sea,-fifty or sixty feet above it, and then there were two or three horrible jerks as the boat was lowered from the davits and we were in the water, so crowded that we could scarcely move.In the midst of all these stunning blows one despairing tact alone seized my thoughts: I knew, and a woman is `never wrong in such matters, that I had seen the last of my Ben, and that I had lost the best and truest friend, the kindest and most thoughtful husband that ever woman had.The officer in charge of our boat was standing on that raised part of it right at the end. We were all women and children aboard (at least I thought so then, but we were not, as I will presently tell you) and we were all crying and sobbing; and the officer said, not roughly, but I think with a kindly desire to keep our minds off the terrible time we had gone through. “Don’t cry,-please don’t cry. You’ll have something else to do than cry; some of you will have to handle the oars. For God’s sake stop crying. If I had not the responsibility of looking after you I would put a bullet through my brain."...
Well, I am sorry, but the rest will have to wait till next time...
Monday, May 14, 2007
Friday, May 11, 2007
Part 2 of Esther Hart's story
This is indeed part two of Esther Hart's story.
...Now if I had known that just at this time of the year the icebergs get across the track of the Atlantic liners, a little incident which occurred on this Sunday would have sent me straight to the Captain, even if I'd have had to climb on to his bridge. But the simple things we ought to know we are never told. My husband was always a man who could bear extremes of heat and cold better than anyone I have ever met. All through those trying days of heat last year, when everyone else was melting and parched, he never once grumbled, but kept as cool as a cucumber. And the same with the cold. I have known him, when other people have been hanging over the fires, in and out of the house with his coat off, laughing at the poor shivering ones. And yet at mid day on this fatal Sunday, he suddenly came up to baby and myself, and said rubbing his hands, "How cold it has turned. I feel as if there was not a warm drop of blood in my body. Come and have a romp with daddy," he said to baby, and together they went off and ran and romped on the hurricane desk.We were in the iceberg region and the Almighty sent a warning to my husband,-the man who was never cold before now shivered and shook like one stricken with ague.But, beyond thinking it a curious thing, we took no heed And now, I come to a part of my story that I shrink from telling. Indeed, I think I have lingered over the first part because I dread relating the events of that awful night. I have read some where of people living a whole lifetime in a few hours. I know now that I have done so. To have gone through what I went through, to have suffered what I have suffered, to have seen what I have seen, to know what I know, and still to be alive, and above all-thank the Lord-to still preserve my reason, is a great and a growing marvel to me.We had retired to our cabin about 10, and my husband who thoroughly enjoyed the life aboard ship and drank his fill of the ozone,-he could never get enough of it,-was soon undressed and fast asleep in his bunk. My little Eva too was sound asleep, and I was sitting on my portmanteau with my head resting on the side of my bunk. And then all of a sudden there came the most awful sound I have ever heard in my life,-a dreadful tearing and ripping sound,-how any people were awake at the time can say they scarcely felt a shock I cannot understand,-the sound of great masses of steel and iron being violently torn, rent and cut asunder.I was on my feet in an instant, for I knew something dreadful had happened. I shook Ben, and he awoke. “Daddy.” I said, “get up at once. We have hit something I am sure and it’s serious.” Poor dear Ben! He was partly asleep still, and he said, “Oh woman,-again! I really don’t know what I shall do with you?” “Ben,” I said,-not loudly, but with a quiet insistence which influenced him far more,-something has happened; go up on deck and find out what it is.” He went up in his nightshirt and bare feet; in a few moments he was back again. He said, “All the men are at the lifeboats,-it’s only a lifeboat drill.” I said, “They don’t have lifeboat drills at 11 at night, I tell you something has happened,-dress quickly and let us dress the baby.” So he hurriedly put on his pants and his overcoat, put his big motor coat over me and then dressed the sleeping little girl. Just then a stewardess, with whom I was on friendly terms came along and said she would soon find out all about it. She knew the Marconi operator and would ask him. So she went away and quickly came back saying that everything was all right. But I said, “Everything is not all right, we have struck something and the water is coming in.” I think by this time Ben had realised,-although he would not say so,-that danger was ahead, for when he got up on “B” deck, he turned away for a few moments, and said his Jewish prayers. The next few minutes were so crowded with events, so fraught with all that matters in this world,-life to a few of us,-death to the majority of us,-that I have no coherent recollection of what happened. I know that there was a cry of “She’s sinking.” I heard hoarse shouts of “Women and children first,” and then from boat to boat we were hurried, only to be told “already full.”...
Don't be alarmed, part three is coming up very soon...
...Now if I had known that just at this time of the year the icebergs get across the track of the Atlantic liners, a little incident which occurred on this Sunday would have sent me straight to the Captain, even if I'd have had to climb on to his bridge. But the simple things we ought to know we are never told. My husband was always a man who could bear extremes of heat and cold better than anyone I have ever met. All through those trying days of heat last year, when everyone else was melting and parched, he never once grumbled, but kept as cool as a cucumber. And the same with the cold. I have known him, when other people have been hanging over the fires, in and out of the house with his coat off, laughing at the poor shivering ones. And yet at mid day on this fatal Sunday, he suddenly came up to baby and myself, and said rubbing his hands, "How cold it has turned. I feel as if there was not a warm drop of blood in my body. Come and have a romp with daddy," he said to baby, and together they went off and ran and romped on the hurricane desk.We were in the iceberg region and the Almighty sent a warning to my husband,-the man who was never cold before now shivered and shook like one stricken with ague.But, beyond thinking it a curious thing, we took no heed And now, I come to a part of my story that I shrink from telling. Indeed, I think I have lingered over the first part because I dread relating the events of that awful night. I have read some where of people living a whole lifetime in a few hours. I know now that I have done so. To have gone through what I went through, to have suffered what I have suffered, to have seen what I have seen, to know what I know, and still to be alive, and above all-thank the Lord-to still preserve my reason, is a great and a growing marvel to me.We had retired to our cabin about 10, and my husband who thoroughly enjoyed the life aboard ship and drank his fill of the ozone,-he could never get enough of it,-was soon undressed and fast asleep in his bunk. My little Eva too was sound asleep, and I was sitting on my portmanteau with my head resting on the side of my bunk. And then all of a sudden there came the most awful sound I have ever heard in my life,-a dreadful tearing and ripping sound,-how any people were awake at the time can say they scarcely felt a shock I cannot understand,-the sound of great masses of steel and iron being violently torn, rent and cut asunder.I was on my feet in an instant, for I knew something dreadful had happened. I shook Ben, and he awoke. “Daddy.” I said, “get up at once. We have hit something I am sure and it’s serious.” Poor dear Ben! He was partly asleep still, and he said, “Oh woman,-again! I really don’t know what I shall do with you?” “Ben,” I said,-not loudly, but with a quiet insistence which influenced him far more,-something has happened; go up on deck and find out what it is.” He went up in his nightshirt and bare feet; in a few moments he was back again. He said, “All the men are at the lifeboats,-it’s only a lifeboat drill.” I said, “They don’t have lifeboat drills at 11 at night, I tell you something has happened,-dress quickly and let us dress the baby.” So he hurriedly put on his pants and his overcoat, put his big motor coat over me and then dressed the sleeping little girl. Just then a stewardess, with whom I was on friendly terms came along and said she would soon find out all about it. She knew the Marconi operator and would ask him. So she went away and quickly came back saying that everything was all right. But I said, “Everything is not all right, we have struck something and the water is coming in.” I think by this time Ben had realised,-although he would not say so,-that danger was ahead, for when he got up on “B” deck, he turned away for a few moments, and said his Jewish prayers. The next few minutes were so crowded with events, so fraught with all that matters in this world,-life to a few of us,-death to the majority of us,-that I have no coherent recollection of what happened. I know that there was a cry of “She’s sinking.” I heard hoarse shouts of “Women and children first,” and then from boat to boat we were hurried, only to be told “already full.”...
Don't be alarmed, part three is coming up very soon...
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Ilford Graphic, the tale of Mrs. Ben Hart
This is part-one of a large article by Mrs.Hart, Eva's mother. It is kinda long, so I only did part of it.
Ilford Graphic
The Tale of the "Titanic" told by a rescued Ilford lady.
Mrs Ben Hart's personal and thrilling Narrative. Exclusive to the "Ilford Graphic"
Friday 10th May 1912.
I can honestly say that from the moment the journey to Canada was mentioned, till the time we got aboard the Titanic I never contemplated with any other feelings but those of dread and uneasiness. It was all done in a hurry. My husband of late had not been successful in business and things looked like going from bad to worse.He was a very clever carpenter and his chest of tools was considered to be as perfect and expensive as any carpenter could wish for. At any rate he valued them at £100. He was going out to start building with a Mr Wire at Winnipeg. Mr Wire has since written to me expressing his deep regret at Ben's untimely loss, and adding. "There were five Winnipeg men lost on the Titanic and I might have been one of them."The idea seized on Ben's imagination. "I'll go out to a new country," he said. "Where I'll either sink or swim." In fact, during the time prior to our leaving Ilford, the latter statement was always in his mouth. I little knew then how sadly prophetic it was to turn out for my poor dear. I said at the commencement that I viewed the journey with dread and uneasiness, but in saying that I do not wish anyone to think that I ever imagined anything so dreadful would happen as did happen. You see I was leaving my father and mother when they were at fairly advanced age, and neither of them in the best of health and I knew that in saying goodbye, I was saying goodbye forever: but it has pleased God to take my husband and send me back to them. Then I was leaving all the friends I had known in Ilford for so many years: and lastly, I dreaded the sea: the idea of being on the sea at night was bad enough, but for six or seven, I could not contemplate it, it was a nightmare to me.Well, we said all our "Good-byes" and reached Southampton, and almost the first thing Ben did was take me to see the Titanic. He was always an enthusiastic in anything he was interested in: and he could not have been more enthusiastic over the Titanic had he been a part proprietor of it. "There! old girl," he said, "there's a vessel for you! You're not afraid now." I tried to share his confidence, but my heart quite failed me when we got aboard and I counted the number of boats there were. I said, "Ben, we are carrying over 2,000 people and there are not enough boats for half of them if anything happens." He laughed at my fears and said that beyond boat drills he did not expect the boats would come off the davits. But from that moment I made up my mind to one thing, till we were sale on land at New York.Nothing should ever persuade me to undress, and nothing did, although Ben at times got very cross with me. So each night I simply rested in my bunk, fully dressed and fully prepared. God knows why, for the worst.We were fortunate in having some very nice people at our table. We were in parties of eight in the second saloon, and our party included a lady and gentleman from the Cape, Mr and Mrs Brown and their daughter, who were on their way to Vancouver. Mr Guggenheim's (a millionaire) chauffeur, (both Mr and Mrs Guggenheim and he were drowned), a lady named Mrs Mary Mack, whose body has since been recovered, and Mr Hart, myself, and baby. Mr Brown and Ben got on capitally together. They were the exact opposite of each other. Mr Brown was a quiet, reserved man who scarcely ever spoke, and dadda was fond of talking and so they got on well, -promenaded the deck together, had their mid-day "Bass" together, and smoked their pipes together. Indeed, Mrs Brown said that she had never seen her husband "take" to anyone like he had to my Ben.Oh dear! Oh dear! To think that of the eight at the table, four were taken and four were left. I can see them bright, happy faces now as we sat round that table at meal times, talking of the future, they were all so confident, so looking forward to a new life in a new land, and well they found it, but in God's way, not theirs.Now a very curious thing happened on the Saturday night. We had made splendid progress, and although I was still far from easy in my mind. I was as content as I could be off the land. I heard someone remark with glee that we were making a bee line for New York. I knew we were going at a tremendous speed, and it was the general talk,-I cannot say what truth there was in it- that the Captain and offers were "on" something good if we broke the record.But on the Saturday night I was resting in my bunk and my husband was sound asleep above me. Everything was quiet, except the throb of the screw and a strange straining and creaking of everything in the cabin, which I had noticed all the voyage. I may have just dozed off when I was awakened by a feeling as if some gigantic force had given the ship a mighty push behind.-I could even hear the swirl of the waters which such a push to such a vessel would cause. I sat up,-no doubt as to my being wide awake, again came the push and the swirl, and yet again a third time. For a few minutes I was dazed, frozen with terror of I know not what. Then I stood up and shook my husband who still sleeping soundly "Ben," I said, "Ben wake up,-get up,-something dreadful has happened or is going to happen." He was a little cross, as a man naturally is when he is woke from a sound sleep by the ungrounded fears (as he thinks) of a woman, but he saw that I was upset, and so he got up and partly dressed, and went up on the hurricane deck, and soon returned and assured me that the sea was calm and that the ship was travelling smoothly.The next morning at breakfast, he laughingly told our table about it, and said what he was going to do that (Sunday night) to keep me quiet. He was going to insist upon my having a strong glass of hot grog to make me sleep. Mr Brown explained the creaking and straining by saying that as it was a new vessel everything was settling down into it's proper place. "Why," he said "When we get to New York, it's more than likely that a lot of the paint will have come away, a lot of the joints have started," and so on. "That's all very well," I said, "but what about those awful jerks one after the other?" That he could not explain, nor anybody else. I say it was a warning from God to me, for I think that perhaps I was the only one of the 2,000 odd about who went in daily and nightly dread of the unforeseen. But had I told it to those in authority! Would anyone have listened to a silly, weak woman's superstitious fears? Would they have gone one hair's breadth out of their course? Would they have ordered one revolution less per minute of the screw? So I could only do what women have had to do from the beginning, eat my heart out with fear and wait...
To be continued...
Ilford Graphic
The Tale of the "Titanic" told by a rescued Ilford lady.
Mrs Ben Hart's personal and thrilling Narrative. Exclusive to the "Ilford Graphic"
Friday 10th May 1912.
I can honestly say that from the moment the journey to Canada was mentioned, till the time we got aboard the Titanic I never contemplated with any other feelings but those of dread and uneasiness. It was all done in a hurry. My husband of late had not been successful in business and things looked like going from bad to worse.He was a very clever carpenter and his chest of tools was considered to be as perfect and expensive as any carpenter could wish for. At any rate he valued them at £100. He was going out to start building with a Mr Wire at Winnipeg. Mr Wire has since written to me expressing his deep regret at Ben's untimely loss, and adding. "There were five Winnipeg men lost on the Titanic and I might have been one of them."The idea seized on Ben's imagination. "I'll go out to a new country," he said. "Where I'll either sink or swim." In fact, during the time prior to our leaving Ilford, the latter statement was always in his mouth. I little knew then how sadly prophetic it was to turn out for my poor dear. I said at the commencement that I viewed the journey with dread and uneasiness, but in saying that I do not wish anyone to think that I ever imagined anything so dreadful would happen as did happen. You see I was leaving my father and mother when they were at fairly advanced age, and neither of them in the best of health and I knew that in saying goodbye, I was saying goodbye forever: but it has pleased God to take my husband and send me back to them. Then I was leaving all the friends I had known in Ilford for so many years: and lastly, I dreaded the sea: the idea of being on the sea at night was bad enough, but for six or seven, I could not contemplate it, it was a nightmare to me.Well, we said all our "Good-byes" and reached Southampton, and almost the first thing Ben did was take me to see the Titanic. He was always an enthusiastic in anything he was interested in: and he could not have been more enthusiastic over the Titanic had he been a part proprietor of it. "There! old girl," he said, "there's a vessel for you! You're not afraid now." I tried to share his confidence, but my heart quite failed me when we got aboard and I counted the number of boats there were. I said, "Ben, we are carrying over 2,000 people and there are not enough boats for half of them if anything happens." He laughed at my fears and said that beyond boat drills he did not expect the boats would come off the davits. But from that moment I made up my mind to one thing, till we were sale on land at New York.Nothing should ever persuade me to undress, and nothing did, although Ben at times got very cross with me. So each night I simply rested in my bunk, fully dressed and fully prepared. God knows why, for the worst.We were fortunate in having some very nice people at our table. We were in parties of eight in the second saloon, and our party included a lady and gentleman from the Cape, Mr and Mrs Brown and their daughter, who were on their way to Vancouver. Mr Guggenheim's (a millionaire) chauffeur, (both Mr and Mrs Guggenheim and he were drowned), a lady named Mrs Mary Mack, whose body has since been recovered, and Mr Hart, myself, and baby. Mr Brown and Ben got on capitally together. They were the exact opposite of each other. Mr Brown was a quiet, reserved man who scarcely ever spoke, and dadda was fond of talking and so they got on well, -promenaded the deck together, had their mid-day "Bass" together, and smoked their pipes together. Indeed, Mrs Brown said that she had never seen her husband "take" to anyone like he had to my Ben.Oh dear! Oh dear! To think that of the eight at the table, four were taken and four were left. I can see them bright, happy faces now as we sat round that table at meal times, talking of the future, they were all so confident, so looking forward to a new life in a new land, and well they found it, but in God's way, not theirs.Now a very curious thing happened on the Saturday night. We had made splendid progress, and although I was still far from easy in my mind. I was as content as I could be off the land. I heard someone remark with glee that we were making a bee line for New York. I knew we were going at a tremendous speed, and it was the general talk,-I cannot say what truth there was in it- that the Captain and offers were "on" something good if we broke the record.But on the Saturday night I was resting in my bunk and my husband was sound asleep above me. Everything was quiet, except the throb of the screw and a strange straining and creaking of everything in the cabin, which I had noticed all the voyage. I may have just dozed off when I was awakened by a feeling as if some gigantic force had given the ship a mighty push behind.-I could even hear the swirl of the waters which such a push to such a vessel would cause. I sat up,-no doubt as to my being wide awake, again came the push and the swirl, and yet again a third time. For a few minutes I was dazed, frozen with terror of I know not what. Then I stood up and shook my husband who still sleeping soundly "Ben," I said, "Ben wake up,-get up,-something dreadful has happened or is going to happen." He was a little cross, as a man naturally is when he is woke from a sound sleep by the ungrounded fears (as he thinks) of a woman, but he saw that I was upset, and so he got up and partly dressed, and went up on the hurricane deck, and soon returned and assured me that the sea was calm and that the ship was travelling smoothly.The next morning at breakfast, he laughingly told our table about it, and said what he was going to do that (Sunday night) to keep me quiet. He was going to insist upon my having a strong glass of hot grog to make me sleep. Mr Brown explained the creaking and straining by saying that as it was a new vessel everything was settling down into it's proper place. "Why," he said "When we get to New York, it's more than likely that a lot of the paint will have come away, a lot of the joints have started," and so on. "That's all very well," I said, "but what about those awful jerks one after the other?" That he could not explain, nor anybody else. I say it was a warning from God to me, for I think that perhaps I was the only one of the 2,000 odd about who went in daily and nightly dread of the unforeseen. But had I told it to those in authority! Would anyone have listened to a silly, weak woman's superstitious fears? Would they have gone one hair's breadth out of their course? Would they have ordered one revolution less per minute of the screw? So I could only do what women have had to do from the beginning, eat my heart out with fear and wait...
To be continued...
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Cool names+Ptolemies
I also think that the names of the Pharaohs and queens in Egypt are cool. I mean, they never had anyone named ‘John Smith’ or ‘Mary Dorcus’, ya’ know, short boring names like that. Take Nefartari, Meryetamen, Istnofret, Maat-Hor-Neferure, Auibre Hor, Irynofret, Merenphat, Amenmesse, Seti, Merybast, Neferhotep, Hesysunebef, Amennakht, Naunakht, Hatshepsut, Akhenaten, Seqenenre Tao, Kenherkhepeshef, Mutnodjmet, Ramsesnakht, Amenhotep, and my three personal favorites; Amunherwenemef, Neferneferuaten, and Djedmaatesankh ! These names are an adventure just to pronounce! And I think they are great, I wish that we could all be named like that. Wouldn’t that be cool! Though it seems that in the last line of Pharaohs, in the end of the BC’s, they lost their creativity. All the females were named Bernice, Arsinoe, and Cleopatra, (Which all mean:‘Glory to her father’) while the males were all named Ptolemy. Sad. Can you imagine having your father, uncles, grandfathers, and brothers all with the same name, except for the number at the end? It’s like; “Yo, Ten, come here!” “Hey Fifteen guess what!”. All the Ptolemies had nicknames though. The famous Cleopatra VII’s father, Ptolemy XII, was called Auletes, meaning flute player. Another one, Ptolemy VIII was called Physcon, which meant “Fatty”. He was his name. Whenever he sat down, servants had to hoist him to his feet, because he was so big he could not! Too bad that the Ptolemies were also a very bloodthirsty line. The Ptolemies would kill any brothers, sisters, mother, father, or anyone else who stood in the way of the throne, or even if they just felt like it. Ptolemy IV killed his mother, brother, and uncle. Those are just a few of them, even Autletes killed a few people. “Fatty” killed his own son, dismembered the body, and sent the pieces to the boy’s mother as a birthday present. Gross. But despite all this, I will forever remain faithful to my interest of ancient in Egypt!
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Eva Hart
Eva Hart was a a young girl traveling on the Titanic, she was a only child and was with her mother and father. Only she and her mother survived. Here is her recollection of the sinking:
I was born in Ilford Essex January 31 1905, my father was a master builder… he had a friend who had gone to Canada and was doing remarkable well as a builder…and he tried to persuade my father to join him…it was all decided in the space of one night…my father was so excited about it and my mother was upset…The first time in my life I saw her crying…she was so desperately unhappy about the prospect of going. We went on the day on the boat train...I was 7, I had never seen a ship before…it looked very big…everybody was very excited, we went down to the cabin…It was a 4 berth cabin…we had three beds and my mother had a table she used to sit at to do her knitting or sewing … and that’s when my mother said to my father that she had made up her mind quite firmly that she would not go to bed in that ship, she would sit up all night…she decided that she wouldn’t go to bed at night, and she didn’t …[the night of the sinking] she felt this little ‘bump’ as she always described it, because we were a long way from it. We were on the port side of the ship and the collision was on the starboard side of the ship, and had she been asleep it wouldn’t have wakened her… she immediately awakened my father… My father went away and spoke to one of the sailors and came back and said ‘We’ve hit an iceberg…they’re going to launch the lifeboats but you’ll be back on for breakfast.’ They started to lower the boats and my father put my mother and I in without any trouble at all…I never saw him again…he told me to hold my mommy’s hand and be a good girl, that’s all he said. The panic seemed to me to start after the boats had gone, we could hear it…after we were rowing away from the ship…then we could hear the panic of people rushing about on the deck and screaming and looking for lifeboats…I was terrified…it was dreadful…the bows went down first and the stern stuck up on the ocean what seemed to me like a long time…but it stood up stark against the sky and then keeled over and went down, you could hear the people screaming and thrashing about in the water…and finally the ghastly noise of the people thrashing about and screaming and drowning, that finally ceased. I remember saying to my mother once, ‘How dreadful that noise was’ and I’ll always remember her reply, she said, ‘Yes, but think back about the silence that followed it…because all of a sudden the ship wasn’t there, the lights weren’t there and the cries weren’t there.’ *
Can you imagine how those cries must have sounded? The last desperate screams as death overtook women, children, and men alike. It must have been horrible. Survivors have talked about the silence that followed, as one after another, the more than one thousand people in the freezing water slowly succumbed to the deadly cold. The dark eerie calm of the sea was intensified in the eyes of the living, by the sound of the dead in the silence. Eesh
*Titanic voices
I was born in Ilford Essex January 31 1905, my father was a master builder… he had a friend who had gone to Canada and was doing remarkable well as a builder…and he tried to persuade my father to join him…it was all decided in the space of one night…my father was so excited about it and my mother was upset…The first time in my life I saw her crying…she was so desperately unhappy about the prospect of going. We went on the day on the boat train...I was 7, I had never seen a ship before…it looked very big…everybody was very excited, we went down to the cabin…It was a 4 berth cabin…we had three beds and my mother had a table she used to sit at to do her knitting or sewing … and that’s when my mother said to my father that she had made up her mind quite firmly that she would not go to bed in that ship, she would sit up all night…she decided that she wouldn’t go to bed at night, and she didn’t …[the night of the sinking] she felt this little ‘bump’ as she always described it, because we were a long way from it. We were on the port side of the ship and the collision was on the starboard side of the ship, and had she been asleep it wouldn’t have wakened her… she immediately awakened my father… My father went away and spoke to one of the sailors and came back and said ‘We’ve hit an iceberg…they’re going to launch the lifeboats but you’ll be back on for breakfast.’ They started to lower the boats and my father put my mother and I in without any trouble at all…I never saw him again…he told me to hold my mommy’s hand and be a good girl, that’s all he said. The panic seemed to me to start after the boats had gone, we could hear it…after we were rowing away from the ship…then we could hear the panic of people rushing about on the deck and screaming and looking for lifeboats…I was terrified…it was dreadful…the bows went down first and the stern stuck up on the ocean what seemed to me like a long time…but it stood up stark against the sky and then keeled over and went down, you could hear the people screaming and thrashing about in the water…and finally the ghastly noise of the people thrashing about and screaming and drowning, that finally ceased. I remember saying to my mother once, ‘How dreadful that noise was’ and I’ll always remember her reply, she said, ‘Yes, but think back about the silence that followed it…because all of a sudden the ship wasn’t there, the lights weren’t there and the cries weren’t there.’ *
Can you imagine how those cries must have sounded? The last desperate screams as death overtook women, children, and men alike. It must have been horrible. Survivors have talked about the silence that followed, as one after another, the more than one thousand people in the freezing water slowly succumbed to the deadly cold. The dark eerie calm of the sea was intensified in the eyes of the living, by the sound of the dead in the silence. Eesh
*Titanic voices
Monday, May 07, 2007
Ramses II
Even though I find the era of pharoahs in Egypt very, very cool, and consider myself a Egypt freak, there are a few of their customs that are very gross. Take Ramses II, he had at least six chief wives, and dozens of lesser wives and concubines. Several of the girls he married were foreigners he married for alliances; he had at least two Hittite brides, one Syrian princess, and one Babylonian. He also married several Egyptian women of royal blood, at least his sister and three daughters. He had 90 children in his 67 year reign. Eesh! The two Hittite queens were sisters, their mother was the queen of the Hittites, her name was Queen Puduhepa. She actually kept up some sort of corrospondance with Queen Nefertari, Ramses’ Great Wife. The letter she sent to Queen Nefartari was never found, but Nefartare’s message back to Queen Puduhepa was this:
“With me, your sister, all goes well; with my country all goes well. With you, my sister, may all go well; with your country may all go well. Behold now, I have noted that you, my sister, have written to me, to enquire after my well being. May the sun god and storm god bring you joy; and may the sun god cause the peace to be good and give good brotherhood to the great king, the king of Egypt, with his brother the great king, the king of Hatti, forever. And I am in friendship and sisterly relations with my sister the great queen of Hatti, now and forever.”
All that just to wish her well.Yikes! It’s kinda stiff and long, she should have just said:
“i’m good.thanx dude 4 the note,i hpe you hve peace,man.friends 4ever,The Great Queen of Egypt.”
That would have been much, much easier to understand!
“With me, your sister, all goes well; with my country all goes well. With you, my sister, may all go well; with your country may all go well. Behold now, I have noted that you, my sister, have written to me, to enquire after my well being. May the sun god and storm god bring you joy; and may the sun god cause the peace to be good and give good brotherhood to the great king, the king of Egypt, with his brother the great king, the king of Hatti, forever. And I am in friendship and sisterly relations with my sister the great queen of Hatti, now and forever.”
All that just to wish her well.Yikes! It’s kinda stiff and long, she should have just said:
“i’m good.thanx dude 4 the note,i hpe you hve peace,man.friends 4ever,The Great Queen of Egypt.”
That would have been much, much easier to understand!
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