Titanic Survivor the Story of Harold Bride

Titanic Survivor: the Story of Harold Bride

Introduction

In 1912 more and more people wanted to cross the Atlantic Ocean from England to

the United States of America. The Titanic was the biggest and most famous ship built to

make this trip.

When Harold Bride joined the ship on its first voyage, his job was to work in the

radio room. He didn’t know that he would play a part in one of the worst disasters at sea

the world had ever seen.

Chapter 1

“Queen of the Seas”

People have called me

a hero. I don’t know about that, because there were many

heroes in the early hours of 15th April 1912.

I was only 21that year. I had worked for nearly a year as a ship’s radio operator.

In April I started a new job

—

on the Titanic.

My first sight of the ship, in Belfast, took my breath away. Now I understand why

people called it the “Queen of the Seas”. The Titanic was the biggest … and the best.

Passengers

boarded

the

Titanic

in

Southampton

on

10th

April.

At

noon

the

great

ship set off on its voyage to New York.

For first-class passengers the Titanic was like a wonderful floating hotel with fancy

restaurants, a library, and even a swimming pool.

There were lots of other passengers, too. Many had one-way tickets, looking for a

new life

in America. Of course, these people weren’t allowed near the higher decks of

first class.

Jack Phillips was the Senior Radio Operator. He and I had to send lots of messages

from rich passengers. We tapped these out in Morse Code. Sometimes it was hard

to

catch the messages that came back.

Jack and I quickly became good friends. That was lucky, because we lived and slept

in the radio cabin!

Chapter 2

Iceberg!

We

were

especially

busy

on

Sunday,

14th

April

and

it

was

a

long,

hard

day

for

Phillips.

We received a few warnings from ships about ice ahead. Captain Smith knew about

these, but he wasn’t worried—not on the “unsinkable’’ Titanic.

Phillips had so many messages to send from passengers that he even interrupted

one ice warning.

I was supposed to start work late that night, so I went to bed early in the evening. I

was asieep when the accident happened. I didn’t feel anything.

Around midnight I got up and asked Phillips how everything was.

“I think the ship’s damaged,’’ he told me.

Minutes later, Captain Smith appeared. “We’ve struck an iceberg,’’ he said.

The captain returned a few minutes later. He told us the ship was sinking.

“Send the call for assistance,” he said grimly.

“Yes,

at

once!”

answered

Phillips.

He

began

sending

out

the

ship’s

position

and

a

message for help in Morse Code.

It was hard to believe. The “unsinkable ship” was going to sink.

We weren’t worried yet.

“You’ll see your first iceberg,” Phillips jo

ked.

Several ships replied to us, but they were all too far away.

As Phillips looked for a closer ship, I ran to the bridge with messages. The crew had

begun

to

load

passengers

into

the

lifeboats.

Women

and

children

were

supposed

to

leave first..

At

first,

some

passengers

refused

to

go.

“

How

could

the

Titanic

sink?”

they

thought.

So

many

people

couldn’t

believe

what

was

happening

that

some

of

the

first

lifeboats were almost empty. But slowly people understood the danger and there was no

problem filling the lifeboats.

Children cried as their parents put them in the boat. Husbands and wives kissed for

the last time.

Finally, a ship called the Carpathia replied to our radio call. It was coming to help.

We continued looking for other ships and Captain Smith asked what message we

were using. Phillips told him it was “CQD”—“Come quick, danger.”

I suggested using the new Morse Code signal for help, which was “SOS”. We joked

that we were sending the first ever SOS from a sinking ship.

Chapter 3

The Terrible Truth

The joking stopped when we worked out how long the Carpathia would sink in less

than two. No one could rescue us in time.

Phillips searched for closer ships and I ran to and from the bridge with news. The

decks

were

steeper

now

as

the

front

of

the

ship

sank.

Some

passengers

prepared

themselves for the end.

Other passengers tried to fight their way onto the remaining lifeboats. How many of

them knew the terrible truth? There had been more than 2,200passengers and crew on

the

ship,

but

there

were

only

enough

lifeboats

for

1,178!

It

became

more

and

more

difficult for ship’s officers to keep order on the decks.

Back

in

the

radio

room,

I

put

an

overcoat

around

Phillips’

shoulders

and

tied

a

lifebelt

round

him.

It

was

getting

much

harder

to

send

and

receive

messages

now

because the power was weak. Water was getting into the engine rooms.

The noise from the decks was terrible. I don’t know how Phillips continued to work.

The captain came to the radio cabin one last time. “You have done your duty,” he

told us. “ You

can do no more. Now it’s every man foe himself.”

The water had reached the deck outside our cabin, but still Phillips did not leave the

wireless. He continued sending more and more messages.

I went into one of the other rooms for a minute. When I looked out, I saw a man

from the engine rooms behind Phillips. The radio operator was too busy to notice him,

but the man was trying to steal his lifebelt!

I charged out angrily. Together Phillips and I fought the man off.

Finally, with water pouring in, we abandoned the cabin. Phillips and I said goodbye.

It was the last time I saw my friend alive.

The deck was very steep now, but the ship’s band were still playing!

Some

people

were

trying

to

free

the

last

lifeboat.

I

ran

and

began

to

help

them.