It was a unusually calm sea and the night was clear and cold when the dream ship “Titanic” departed on its maiden voyage from Southampton, England to New York. The largest ship ever built, over four blocks long, had previously been christened in Ireland before a cheering crowd of 100,000.
That dream soon became a nightmare when the captain refused to heed the warning that there were icebergs ahead and instead depended on the prevailing practice of relying on sharp lookouts rather than reducing speed.
The passenger list was impressive. Among the rich and famous were Charles M. Hays, president of the Grand Trunk Railway; vice president of the Pennsylvania Railroad, J. G. Thayer; John Jacob Astor IV; Benjamin Gugenheim; George D. Widiner and Isidor Straus. When the ill fated ship hit the iceberg and began to sink they all refused to take up space in the overflowing lifeboats, allowing the women and children off first. All but Straus’ wife who would not leave his side and perished with the others.
Pine City’s Chris McHugh has his own story to tell regarding the sinking of the Titanic. In researching his genealogy he has connected with distant cousins who descended from his grandmother Evelyn Kearney Connors side of the family. It was her sister, Edna Kearney Murray who survived the sinking of the Titanic but it wasn’t in an overloaded lifeboat.
“My great aunt Edna was in England at the time and had purchased a ticket for return passage to America on the Titanic,” Chris said.
She was 32 years old and Chris has no idea what she was doing there alone at that time.
Was she in England on a pleasure trip; had she gone abroad to study; was she there on business; or perhaps was she rendezvousing with a lover? One could imagine all sorts of scenarios if writing a fictional novel.
One thing for certain is she had to be excited and looking forward to her return home aboard the beautiful Titanic.
But that was not to be. There was a national coal strike underway which appeared to have been resolved by the end of March or early April. Despite this, the railway at the time feared what a coal shortage on a more permanent basis would mean to their business.
They decided to make use of advances in technology, as with the creation of the unsinkable ocean liners of the day. Several railways developed petrol and oil powered carriages and locomotives were introduced into service in Spring, 1912.
Many trains were canceled and the majority of railway companies reduced their services to a minimum. The Great Northern Railway canceled 60 services a day. The south Eastern Railway was in chaos with 14 stations closed in the London area and their Moorgate service was completely suspended according to Railways 100 Years Ago published in April 2012.
“It was because of the closing of so many stations that my great aunt Edna was unable to reach Southampton in time to board the Titanic before they pulled up the gangplank and set out to sea,” Chris said. “I can only imagine how upset she must have been to miss her golden opportunity to enjoy the maiden voyage on this spectacular ship.”
According to Chris the Titanic was not filled to capacity. Did that mean there were others who were unable to board because of the railroad stations closing causing them to be delayed while seeking alternative transportation?
Little did his aunt realize that she had been saved by what might be called a miracle. She could have been one of the 1,500 that didn’t survive.
“She went on to live a very full life,” Chris said. “She was a teacher, she married and had a family, she endured the pain of losing her husband at a young age but went on until she passed away in 1959 at about 79 years of age.”
As time permits Chris McHugh intends to continue digging into his roots and finds it a most fascinating hobby.
“How could I know that one of my ancestors survived the sinking of the Titanic because she just simply missed the boat,” he said. “That was an interesting tidbit in my family history.”
Sometimes great disappointments turn into positive experiences. This was one of them and a valuable lesson to be remembered by all who are reminded of the disastrous voyage of the Titanic.
