Editions in which letters appeared
Sid Blake's Letter about
the Titanic Disaster
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Hayle Mail May 2 1912.
tHE tITANIC dISASTER
cORNISHMEN WHO DIED LIKE HEROES
SPECIAL ARTICLE TO OUR GROUP OF NEWSPAPERS
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Mr Sidney Blake, son of Mr John T Blake, proprietor of the popular Star Hotel, 67 Clarkson St. New York, well known to Cornishmen passing through New York writes;
We were expecting to be very busy when the Titanic docked as there would be quite a number of Cornish people who would wait for the honour of travelling on her on her maiden trip. We had received personal letters from several people requesting us to meet them on their arrival, and assist them through Customs. I meet all steamers sailing from Southampton wherever possible I see that Cornish passengers are looked after properly baggage labeled right etc. and that they are placed on their proper train for the west in good time. Besides I always meet old friends who have gone home a few months before on a visit. It feels good to shake hands with them again and hear them say "There is no place like Cornwall."
While we were making preparations for her arrival we received the awful news that the Titanic had struck an iceberg, after that came more cheerful news to the effect that they were taking all the passengers off onto the Carpathia, so that Monday night when I retired I thought everybody was safe, and they were towing the Titanic to port. But on Tuesday morning the horrible news came; Titanic sunk, 1,500 drowned, then the awful suspense for three days while the Carpathia was making port with her few survivors.
Mr William Drew, a Cornishman came in from Long Island. He had let his only child, a son nine years old, go home, before Christmas with has brother and wife, Mr and Mrs James Drew to see the boys grandmother at Constantine. Wireless message said that only Mr Drew was saved. Mr Drew paced the office for 20 hours out of 24 for three days. I thought he would go out of his mind, "my poor brother, my poor son", was all you could hear. Such suffering I hope I never see again.
Then Mr George Hambly, Mr Sid Richards, Mr A. H. Trevaskis, Mr A. H. Wells and Mr S. Hocking came in from Akron, Ohio to meet their wives, who had been passengers on the titanic, but they had heard pretty cheering news that all had been saved. Then the mournful journey to the dock on Friday night. It was 10 o-clock at night and raining heavily, and everybody trying to bear up. Mrs drew was one of the first to come off the boat, and with her William Drew's boy. Mr William Drew " I thought I would faint". After hearing that his boy was drowned and to find him safe, he would hold him up and say "Are you sure you are my boy" But his Delight was short lived as he suddenly thought of his brother, but Mrs drew said he was gone. The last she had seen of him was when he assisted her and the boy into the lifeboat. He kissed her and the boy goodbye and stepped back for more women to get into the boat and be saved.
Mrs A. H. Wells and the children from Penzance were saved; also Mrs S Richards and the children; Mrs Eliz. Hocking, Miss Nellis Hocking and Mrs Helen Wilks, they were all I think of the Penzance folk who were saved.
A Cornish Heroine.
Amongst the drowned are: Harry Cottrell, George Hocking, Percy Bailey of Penzance. Mr & Mrs Chapman of St Neots, were right behind Mrs Richards and ready to step into the lifeboat, but when Mrs Chapman found that her husband could not go she turned back and said "Goodbye Mrs Richards, if John can't go, I won't go either.
Harry Cottrell, Percy Bailey and George Hocking from Penzance assisted all the ladies into the boat, as George hocking put his mother into the boat (she was the last of the party), Mrs Hocking begged him to come as well, But he said "No mother, these men are good enough to stand back for you, and i must stay back and let their wives and mothers go. He then kissed her and that was the last she saw of him. For such heroism, Cornwall can be proud of her sons. Mrs Hocking is in a very bad way, she id constantly calling out, "Poor George, Poor George".
William Gilbert on his way to Butte was lost. He had only been home on a short trip since the 1st of January. Fred Banfield going to Houghton, had been home only since the 15th of December and was lost also. James Sleeman and W. J. Mathews going to La Salle, Illinois; Chas Fillbrooks, S. Jenkin from St Ives, John Gill, Geo. Green, Richard Otter, James Veace from Constantine; William Berryman, Chas. Chapman, Chas Davies, Alfred Gaskell, Samuel Hosking. Ernest and Clifford Jeffrey were all drowned; Mrs Agnes Davis and one son were saved, one son the eldest was lost. They were from St Ives. R. Knight and Fred Pengelly were drowned.
There is sorrow for many families in Cornwall, but it is positive proof that with all these Cornishmen on board and not one saved, that they died like heroes letting the women and children have preference. Had they not all been brave men a few would surely have got into the lifeboats, as there were some cowards that pushed past the women and saved themselves. But not a single Cornishman, THEY DIED LIKE HEROES.
SID BLAKE.