* T H E E N D G R O W S N E A R *
With all boats away aft and most away forward, many of the passengers on the Titanic began to realise the situation at hand. Many moved aft towards the rapidly rising stern. Towards the bow, on the other hand, lifeboat number 2 was being prepared for lowering. This was a last hope to many passengers and a large crowd had assembled around the boat.
Most of Titanic's lifeboats are gone
Chief officer Wilde put Fourth officer Boxhall in charge and only allowed women and children through to the boat. He allowed a certain amount of men to control the boat. This included Able Seaman Frank Osman and Saloon Steward James Johnson. Assistant Vegetable Cook John Bertram Ellis may also have been in the boat. One man, Third class passenger Anton Kink, put his wife and daughter into the boat but was not allowed to go himself. But when his wife and child began screaming for him, he ducked under an arm and snuck into the boat. Seaman Frank Osman noted the amount of men in his boat.
"There was one able seaman, a cook, and a steward, and an officer. That was all the men there was in the boat out of the crew. There was one man, a third class passenger, and the remainder were women and children"
At 1:45 am, lifeboat number 2 lowered to the water. The boat landed with ease and Boxhall, believing he heard the captain order him to row to the gangway aft, did so. But then fearing the suction, he rowed the boat around the stern of the Titanic and off to the starboard side. Mrs. Elizabeth Allen noticed the actions of Boxhall as he made these decisions.
"We were rowed around the stern to the starboard side and away from the ship, as our boat was a small one and Boxhall feared the suction. Mrs. Cornell helped to row all the time."
At the same time that lifeboat number 2 was lowered, the forward well deck of the Titanic sank below the surface. With the water open to hatches, doors, and various openings, the sinking grew to a more rapid pace. Passengers in lifeboat number 6 watched as water poured through the open portholes of D-deck, Titanic had little less than 40 minutes to "live".
Titanic's well-deck is awash
As Lifeboat number 2 pulled away from the Titanic the last lifeboat on the Port side, number 4, was being loaded from the A-deck promenade. Lightoller had come back to the boat after the seamen had cut away the sounding spar and was now standing with one foot on the boat and one on the rail urging passengers into the boat. Aboard the boat was Mrs. Madeline Astor. As Mr. John Jacob Astor assisted his wife into a boat, he asked Lightoller if he might accompany her into the boat. Being refused by Lightoller and being told that only women and children were being allowed at the moment, he asked the officer for the number of the boat so that he might find his wife later. Lightoller gave him the number, then continued on filling the boat.
Also aboard this boat were the Carter family. Mr. William Carter owned the 25 horse power renault town motor car in the Titanic's hull. Mr. Carter assisted his family into the boat, but made no attempt to get into the boat himself. Lightoller was, at first, reluctant to put Carter's son into the boat, but then allowed him in when he learned the boy was only 11, muttering "No more boys".
Lightoller lowered the boat at 1:50 to 1:55 am, but noticed he had only put one sailor into the boat; Storekeeper Foley. Quartermaster Perkins and Able Bodied Seaman McCarthy were sent down the falls to accompany the boat. Perkins taking charge. Greaser Thomas Ranger also slid down the falls into boat 4.
"I went to the port side of the boat deck aft, climbed down a rope and got into a boat near the ship’s side, No. 4, which had come back because there were not enough men to pull her. She was full of women and children. F. Scott, greaser, also went down the falls and got into this boat, Perkis, Quartermaster, and Hemmings then in it, Afterwards we picked up Dillon and another man out of the water."
A few other men were able to slide down the falls into the boat, and they rowed the boat to the aft gangway, as ordered by Lightoller, but the gangway never opened and the boat rowed off with about 30 people occupying space for 65.
Lifeboat 4 is loaded from A-deck
On the Starboard side, Collapsible Lifeboat C was placed into the davits that once held Lifeboat number 1. Quartermaster Rowe had continued firing rockets up to this point and, noticing that the light off to Port had disappeared, was told by Captain Smith to go command the boat. Rowe observed as Chief officer Wilde called out for any more women, and two men climb into the boat. The two men would prove to be Mr. William Carter, who a short time earlier had sent his family away in Boat 4, and J. Bruce Ismay, the chairman of the White Star Line.
"The chief officer, Wilde, wanted a sailor. I asked Capt. Smith if I should fire any more [rockets], and he said ‘No; get into that boat.’ I went to the boat . Women and children were being passed in. I assisted six, three women and three children. The order was then given to lower the boat. The chief officer wanted to know if there were more women and children. There were none in the vicinity. Two gentlemen passengers got in [William Carter and J. Bruce Ismay]; the boat was then lowered."
At 2:00 am, Lifeboat C was launched from the Titanic. As it was lowered to the water, it bumped against the rivets on the side of the superstructure and the passengers pushed at the side of the ship to try to separate the lifeboat from the ship as to prevent from damaging the boat's canvas sides and wooden keel. It hit the water a few minutes later, detached from the falls, and rowed away. Mr. Ismay laying to the oars with his back to the Titanic. The boat held 40 people in all, and more than half were women and children from Third Class. With all the regular boats away, and one of the collapsible boats, Chief officer Wilde turned his attention to Collapsible Lifeboat D on the Starboard side and First officer Murdoch to Collapsible Lifeboat A on the top of the officer's quarters.
At Lifeboat D, Second officer Lightoller had accumulated a group of men to form a ring around the lifeboat and to only let women and children into the ring. He brandished his revolver at the crowd to hold them back while the women and children were passed through. Approaching the crowd First class passenger Archibald Gracie brought along two of his companions, Mrs. Caroline Brown and Mrs. Edith Evans. There was not enough room for both women to come aboard, so Mrs. Evans gave Mrs. Brown the seat saying that Mrs. Brown had children at home waiting for her.
Chief officer Wilde now offered Lightoller to take charge of the boat, but Lightoller's reply was "Not Damn Likely!" and decided to stay on the Titanic to the last. Instead, Quartermaster Arthur John Bright was put in charge of the boat. One passenger, Mr. Frederick Hoyt, put his wife into the boat and then jumped into the water and swam to where he assumed the boat would come. He was right and a few minutes later, at 2:05 am, the boat was launched and rowed to his side and picked him up.
"He [Captain Smith] did suggest that I go down to A deck and see if there were not a boat alongside. This I did, and to my surprise saw the boat “D” still hanging on the davits (there having been some delay in lowering her), and it occurred to me that if I swam out and waited for her to shove off they would pick me up, which is what happened."