William Henry Taylor

http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/titanic-survivor/william-henry...

Mr William Henry Taylor

• Titanic Survivor
• Born: Saturday 1st December 1883 in Southampton, Hampshire, England
• Age: 28 years 4 months and 19 days (Male)
• Marital Status: Married to May Callaway
• Nationality: English
• Last Residence: in Southampton, Hampshire, England
• Occupation: Fireman / Stoker
• Last Ship: "Orotavia"
• Engine crew
• First Embarked: Southampton
• Rescued: (Boat 15)
• Disembarked Carpathia: New York City on Thursday 18th April 1912
• Died: Sunday 22nd March 1914 in Southampton, Hampshire, England aged 30 years
• Cause of Death: Industrial Accident
• Buried: Old Cemetery, Southampton Common, Southampton, Hampshire, England
• 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 William Henry Taylor, 26 (or 28), was born in Hampshire and lived on Broad St, Southampton. He had been at sea for 8 years and prior to signing ointo the Titanic had served on the Orotava. He was rescued in Lifeboat 15 and later testified before the US Senate Inquiry.

He was asleep when the collision occurred. The alarm bell for accidents rang outside his door. About ten minutes later he heard it reported that water was coming in #1 hatch at the bow end of the ship - the first cargo hold. "We saw it (the water) come bursting up through the hatches." He and the other firemen packed their bags and went to the mess room to wait for orders. An Officer then ordered them up on deck with their lifebelts on. Taylor's assigned station, #15 lifeboat, was "shoved out...and I was ordered into it." Another Fireman (Dymond) was put in charge of the boat. After loading the boat off A deck, they were owered into the water. They then rowed some distance from the ship, afraid of the suction cause by her sinking. They did not go back for survivors "because a majority of them (the boat's passengers) said 'Pull on!'". He remembered they heard the cries of the drowning from about 10 minutes to a quarter of an hour. Later, about 7:30, they were picked up by the Carpathia.

He testified that there had been no boat drill on the Sunday. Also, according to his testimony, there were 73 firemen saved that night, some picked up out of the water. In his lifeboat alone there were 6. He was also one of many who said they saw another ship's light in the distance which did not come to render aid. He added, later, that there was a lot of joking and 'skylarking' about the Titanic, even after it struck the iceberg. He simply stated it was understood among the crew that there was nothing to fear, the ship was unsinkable.

Available Documents Crew Particulars of Engagement

Inquiry Testimony (Courtesy of the Titanic Inquiry Project) Senate Hearings, 25 April 1912, Testimony

References Agreement and Account of Crew (PRO London, BT100/259) United States Senate (62nd Congress), Subcommittee Hearings of the Committee on Commerce, Titanic Disaster, Washington 1912

Contributors Pat Cook, USA Chris Dohany, USA

• 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.