The story of lifeboat number 13

Lifeboat number 13 was lowered 1.25 and contained 64 people. About 8 of them were crew men, amongst the passangers the majority was travelling third class. Amongst the crew members onboard was Reginald Lee, the lookout who spotted the iceberg 11.40

Second class passanger Lawrence Beesley stood on A-deck, by the open promenade deck, when lifeboat number 13 was being lowered to the water. The boat was in height with B-deck when voice shouted out "Any more ladies?" then another, shouting out to Beesley, "Any ladies on your deck?". Beesley said no and was told to jump down into the boat. He jumped and landed near the stern. A shout could then be heard from the A-deck, "Wait a moment, here are two more ladies". The women jumped in the boat. A crew man shouted to deck "lower away" but before the order was executed up on deck, Mr and Mrs Caldwell jumped into the boat. Their ten month old baby Alden was thrown into the boat by Steward Frederick Ray. Ray also noticed a passanger that he had convinced to travel with the Titanic, Dr Washington Dodge (his wife and child had been placed in boat 5), and pushed the man inside the boat.

The lifeboat hit the ocean just above the condenser exhaust and the stream of water pushed to boat into the spot reserved for boat number 15. The boat was still hanging in its ropes. Meanwhile boat 15 was lowered down and the people in boat 13 shouted up on deck to stop, but they could not be heard. Lawrence Beesley described later that boat 15 was so close that he could touch the hull of boat 15 with his fingertips. A stoker quickly pulled out his knife and begun to cut the ropes and the boat swung away. The next moment boat 15 landed on the spot where 13 had been just seconds ago.

The boat rowed slowly away into the night, with few oars active. No one was in charge of the boat so it was agreed that a stoker that stood in the stern with the tillar should be the "captain". During the bitterly cold night a lady distributed her furs amongst the freezing people in the boat. One commented the situation as "It reminds me of a bloomin' picnic!" Lawrence Beesly noticed three silet swedish girls that sat close to each other to keep warm. Theese three women was probably Miss Anna Nysten, Miss Adelia Landergren and Miss Helmina Nilsson. More swedes in the boats were Mrs Agnes Sandström with her two daugthers Marguerite (four years old) and Beatrice (one year old).

The lifeboat reached the Carpathia around 4.45

Credits:
The loss of the S.S Titanic by Lawrence Beesley

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