Titanic Tidbit: First-Class Women Lost

By all accounts, first-class women and children had the greatest chance of survival in the Titanic sinking. Yet even with the odds in their favor, four women and one child in first class were lost in the disaster. Their reasons for staying behind varied from courageous to tragic, and one is left to wonder if they might have escaped if they hadn't run out of time.

1 & 2.) Bessie Waldo Allison, 25, and Loraine Allison, 2

Of the thousands of stories that emerged from the Titanic sinking, I find the Allisons' story to be one of the most tragic. Hudson and Bess Allison boarded Titanic with their two young children, Loraine, 2, and Trevor, 11 mos., and their maids Sarah Daniels and Alice Cleaver. They were returning home to Montreal after a holiday in England.

When Titanic struck the iceberg, the Allisons and their maids all left their cabins only to become separated. Mrs. Allison carried Loraine to the boat deck, but couldn't find her husband or her infant son. She took Loraine into lifeboat 6, but just before it was about to lower, someone told her that her husband was on the other side of the ship. She grabbed Loraine and climbed back onto the deck to find him. When she did find him, Trevor was not with him. With Loraine in tow, they began to search for their son.

Meanwhile, Sarah had left in lifeboat 8 and Alice was holding Trevor, waiting for a spot in lifeboat 11. The Allisons didn't find her in time, and she left the ship with their son. The Allisons were convinced that Trevor was still on board and continued to search for him until all the lifeboats had gone. They were so distraught that they had neglected to put their daughter in a boat, and the three perished together.

After losing his parents and sister, Trevor was raised by an aunt and uncle. He died of ptomaine poisoning at the age of 18.

3.) Edith Corse Evans, 36

Edith was returning home to New York after a trip to France. She befriended three sisters on the voyage, Mrs. Appleton, Mrs. Cornell, and Mrs. Brown. Author Archibald Gracie offered to escort the four ladies on their voyage, as was the custom at the time.

Even in the final hour, the women, who had managed to become separated from Gracie, didn't seem to realize the severity of the situation. They walked about the boat deck for some time, content to stay aboard. Eventually, Mrs. Appleton and Mrs. Cornell found their way into lifeboat 2.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Brown and Miss Evans lingered on the starboard side, unaware that the other two ladies had left. When Gracie found them, he rushed them over to the last lifeboat, collapsible D. Edith urged Mrs. Brown to get in, saying, "You go first. You have children at home." When Edith's turn came to enter the boat, for whatever reason, she panicked and stepped back. The boat left without her and she perished.

4.) Elizabeth Ann Isham, 50

Elizabeth Isham's death is shrouded in mystery. She was traveling home to Chicago, alone, and didn't have any friends on board. When her family realized that she was not among the rescued, they asked every survivor they could find if they had seen Elizabeth that night. The trouble is, no one could be certain they had seen her at all.

There is very little to go on. Archibald Gracie, who occupied the cabin next to hers, said he was fairly certain that she left her cabin after the collision. Others said they might have seen her on the promenade, but no one could be sure. It is believed that Elizabeth was traveling with her Great Dane, and many speculate that it was her refusal to leave her dog that led to her death.

Five days after the sinking, the German liner Bremen steamed past the site of the sinking. The passengers were met with the macabre sight of more than 100 frozen bodies floating in the water. Several witnesses described seeing the body of a woman clutching a large dog. Many speculate that this was Elizabeth Isham. By the time a recovery vessel reached the spot, most of the bodies had disappeared into the deep.

5.) Rosalie Ida Straus, 63

The death of the Strauses is one of the more well-known stories of the Titanic sinking. Isidor Straus was the president of Macy's department store, and he and his wife Ida were traveling home to New York after a European holiday.

Mrs. Straus almost entered lifeboat 8, only to turn back and rejoin her husband, saying, "We have lived together for many years. Where you go, I go." Isidor refused to leave the ship before everyone else was safe, so the two went and sat together on a pair of deck chairs, resigned to their fate.

They never showed any fear, and stayed hand-in-hand until the end.