Charles Edward Dahl

Titanica

• Name: Mr Charles Edward Dahl
• Titanic Survivor
• Born: Sunday 22nd July 1866 in Grense Jakobseiv, Noeway
• Age: 45 years 8 months and 24 days (Male)
• Nationality: Norwegian
• Occupation: Carpenter / Joiner
• 3rd Class passenger
• First Embarked: Southampton on Wednesday 10th April 1912
• Ticket No. 7598 , £8 1s
• Destination: Fingal, North Dakota, United States
• Rescued (boat 15)
• Disembarked Carpathia: New York City on Thursday 18th April 1912
• Died: Monday 13th February 1933 in Tromso, Norway
• Buried: Tromso, Norway
• Reference: https://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/titanic-lifeboat-15/ Life Boat No. 15
• Reference: https://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/titanic-deckplans/ R.M.S. Titanic deck plans

Mr Charles Edward Dahl, 45, was born Karl Edwart Dahl in Grense-Jakobselv, Sør-Varanger, Finnmarkens, Norway on 22 July 1866, one of eight children born to Nordmand Ellef Andersen Dahl (a fisherman and trader) and Marcelie Charlotte Mikaelssen.

Karl emigrated to Adelaide, Australia in 1892 to work as a joiner, where he anglicised his name to Charles Edward Dahl. He later lived in Oceania, Australia.

In 1912 he Dahl decided to return to Norway but upon arrival in London he changed his mind and booked passage on the Titanic, which he boarded at Southampton as a third class passenger (ticket number 7598, £8 1s). His destination was Fingal, North Dakota, where his mother, Charlotte, and a few siblings lived.

On the night of the sinking Karl claimed that the impact threw him out of his bunk. After investigations he changed into warmer clothing and headed to the aft well-deck and from there to the boat deck where he stood in prayer lead by Father Byles. Dahl was rescued in lifeboat 15 after being allowed to climb down the falls. He claimed that the people in the already crowded boat tried to throw him overboard.

Karl was sent to St Vincent’s hospital after his arrival in New York for recuperation. After visiting his family in North Dakota and Minnesota he didn’t return to Australia but travelled extensively for two years. He did return to Tromsø, Norway in 1914 where he had an illegitimate son to Kristine Helgesen. Dahl was married to another lady, Hansine Kristine Pedersen, in 1916 and the couple moved to Oceania, Australia.

Charles Edward Dahl (previously Karl Edwart Dahl) died on 13 February 1933 while visiting Tromsø. He is buried there.

References

• Contract Ticket List, White Star Line 1912 (National Archives, New York; NRAN-21-SDNYCIVCAS-55[279])
• List or Manifest of Alien Passengers for the United States Immigration Officer At Port Of Arrival (Date: 18th-19th June 1912, Ship: Carpathia) - National Archives, NWCTB 85 T715 Vol 4183
• Per Kristian Sebak (1998) Titanic: 31 Norske Skjebner, Genesis Publishers

Acknowledgements

• Per Kristian Sebak, Norway

Contributors

• Cameron Bell, Northern Ireland Titanic Survivor. He was a third class passenger on the RMS Titanic. He boarded the ship on April 10th in Southampton, England and was a carpenter by trade. He was rescued from boat 15 by the Carpathia and arrived in New York City on April 18th.
• Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: Sep 11 2019, 18:28:48 UTC
• Reference: Full text- https://archive.org/details/truthabouttitani00grac/page/n6 "The Truth About the Titanic" by Colonel Archibald Gracie, IV 1913 pp. 296-299

BOAT NO. 15.*

Br. Rpt., p. 38, places this next to last lowered on starboard side at 1.35. No disorder in loading or lowering this boat.

Passengers: All third-class women and children (53) and Men: Mr. Haven (first-class) and three others (third-class) only. Total: 4.

Crew: Firemen: Diamond (in charge), Cavell, Taylor; Stewards: Rule, Hart. Total: 13.

Grand Total (Br. Rpt., p. 38) : 70.

. INCIDENTS

G. Cavell, trimmer (Br. Inq.) :

The officer ordered five of us In the boat. We took on all the women and children and the boat was then lowered. We lowered to the first-class (I. e. A) deck and took on a few more women and children, about five, and then lowered to the water. From the lower deck we took In about sixty. There were men about but we did not take them In. They were not kept back. They were third-class passengers, I think — sixty women, Irish. Fireman Diamond took charge. No other seaman In this boat. There were none left on the third-class decks after I had taken the women.

S. J. Rule, bathroom steward (Br. Inq.) : Mr. Murdoch called to the men to get Into the boat. About six got In. "That will do," he said, "lower away to Deck A." At this time the vessel had a slight list to port. We sent scouts around both to the starboard and port sides. They came back and said there were no more women and children. We filled up on A Deck — sixty-eight all told — the last boat to leave the starboard side. There were some left behind. There was a bit of a rush after Mr. Murdoch said we could fill the boat up with men standing by. We very nearly came on top of No. 13 when we lowered away. A man, Jack Stewart, a steward, took charge. Nearly everybody rowed. No lamp. One deckhand in the boat, and men, women and children. Just before it was launched, no more could be found, and about half a dozen men got in. There were sixty- eight in the boat altogether. Seven members of the crew.

J. E. Hart, third-class steward (Br. Inq., 75) : Witness defines the duties and what was done by the stewards, particularly those connected with the steerage.

Pass the women and children up to the Boat Deck," was the order soon after the collision. About three-quarters of an hour after the collision he took women and children from the C Deck to the first-class main companion. There were no barriers at that time. They were all opened. He took about thirty to boat No. 8 as it was being lowered. He left them and went back for more,' meeting third-class passengers on the way to the boats. He brought back about twenty-five more steerage women and children, having some little trouble owing to the men passengers wanting to get to the Boat Deck. These were all third-class people whom we took to the only boat left on the starboard side, viz., No. 15. There were a large number already in the boat, which was then lowered to A Deck, and five women, three children and a man with a baby in his arms taken in, making about seventy people in all, including thirteen or fourteen of the crew and fireman Diamond in charge. Mr. Murdoch ordered witness into the boat. Four men passengers and fourteen crew was the complement of men; the rest were women and children.

When boat No. 15 left the boat deck there were other women and children there — some first- class women passengers and their husbands. Absolute quietness existed. There were repeated cries for women and children. If there had been any more women there would have been found places for them in the boat. He heard some of the women on the A Deck say they would not leave their husbands.

There is no truth in the statement that any of the seamen tried to keep back third-class passengers from the Boat Deck. Witness saw masthead light of a ship from the Boat Deck. He did his very best, and so did all the other stewards, to help get the steerage passengers on the Boat Deck as soon as possible.