Tusc. Co. Historical Society Winter Banquet: The Last Night of the Great Ship Titanic

  • By Teri Stein
  • December 17, 2012
  • 376
                        
Summary: It was a Titanic evening as members and guests of the Tuscarawas County Historical Society gathered for the annual Winter Banquet. Historian Chris Hart reenacted a first person account of a Titanic survivor at the event. The red rimmed eyes of Othello, a replica of the Titanic Mourning Bear, sat as a witness to the sad tale of Peter Daly, a survivor of the sinking of the Titanic. Daly’s incredible story of survival was recreated by Chris Hart on December 11 at the annual Winter Banquet held by the Tuscarawas County Historical Society at the Tuscarawas County Senior Center in Dover. Hart began the story of Daly as the survivor walked along a beach five years after the tragedy. In 1912, the Titanic, a massive passenger ship, was the world’s largest man-made object and it was billed as unsinkable. As Daly, Hart told of his enjoyment of the cruise and the many honeymoon couples that took the voyage. Sunday was the day when passenger ships held a life boat safety drill. Hart noted that after attending Sunday church services aboard the Titanic, no drill was conducted. Later that evening on April 14, 1912, the Titanic met her match in the form of an iceberg. “At bedtime, I noticed a scraping sound for just a short time,” said Hart. After making his way to the deck, he saw it was covered with chunks of ice. “Boys were playing football with the chunks of ice.” The passengers were told to expect a delay of one hour before the ship would travel on. The crew wanted to put women and children afloat in life boats as a precaution but because the ship was billed as unsinkable, many passengers did not want to leave. Daly had gone back to his room and put on his heavy woolen clothes, gathered his valuables, and went back on deck. The ship had started to list to one side and at 1 a.m. April 15, 1912 the distress rockets were fired. “I realize I’m going down with the ship,” said Hart. “I tried to decide whether to jump off the ship or let the water wash me away.” “A woman asked me to help her,” said Hart. “I replied, ‘Madame, only God can save you now. I gave my life vest to her, not because I thought it would save her but because it would make her feel better. She jumped. I never saw her again.” A huge tidal wave, which Daly later realized was caused by a smoke stack collapsing, washed him off the deck. Daly drifted in and out of consciousness, and then he began to float on his back. “The coldness was beyond description,” said Hart. Miraculously, Daly bumped into a life boat that was only half full. “They pulled me in and saved my life. The ship was gone.” “We sat there and listened to the sound of people drowning.” There were a lot of prayers sent up, then a last feeble cry and there was total silence. Later, the life boat Daly was in was rescued by the Carpathia. In the years following the tragedy, Daly enjoyed the simple life raising vegetables, playing solitaire, and playing chess long distance by mail. Guests at the dinner also enjoyed several displays featuring a chair used in the Titanic movie, copies of the front page headlines from the Daily Times, and a collection of photos of some of the graves where Titanic victims were buried in Nova Scotia. Those attending gasped when they learned that the White Star line, which owned the Titanic, demanded full fare to transport the victims’ bodies home, leaving some families no choice but to bury their loved ones far from home. “It just fascinated me,” said Sheila DeMattio of New Philadelphia, who added that it was one of the most interesting banquet programs she has attended. DeMattio also came in Edwardian period clothing as did many other guests. It was also announced that nominations for the 2013 Zeisberger Heckewelder Awards are now being accepted. For more information call the TCHS at 330.339.3391 ext. 47494.


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