Ruth Becker Name: Miss Ruth Elizabeth Becker Marion Louise Becker Richard F. Becker Born

'When the 'Titanic' struck the iceberg at 11.40 pm, I was in bed. However, for whatever reason I was awake and remember the jolt and cessation of motion. A steward knocked on the stateroom door and directed us to get dressed, put on life preservers and go to the boat deck, which we did. There was a watertight compartment next to our stateroom. As we left it was closed. I remember the steward as we passed was trying to arouse passengers who had locked themselves in for the night. Elevators were not running. We walked up to the boat deck. All was calm and orderly. An officer was in charge. 'Women and children first,' he said, as he directed lifeboat number 11 to be filled. there were many tearful farewells. We and Uncle Jim said 'goodbye.' Waiting on deck before this I could hear the ship's orchestra playing somewhere off to first class. Lifeboat number 11 was near the stern. I will never forget that as I looked over my right shoulder, (the) steerage (promenade area) was blacked out. It made an impression I never forgot. Now I know from reading that lifeboat 11 was the only lifeboat filled to capacity. The lowering of the lifeboat 70ft to the sea was perilous. Davits, ropes, nothing worked properly, so that first one end of the lifeboat was tilted up and then far down. I think it was the only time I was scared. Lifeboats pulled some distance away from the sinking 'Titanic', afraid of what the suction might do. I am always annoyed at artists' depictions of the sinking of 'Titanic'. I've never seen one that came anywhere near the truth. There might have been the slightest ocean swell but it was dead calm. Stars there may have been, but the blackness of the night was so intense one could not see anything like a horizon. As row by row of the porthole lights of the 'Titanic' sank into the sea this was about all one could see. When the 'Titanic' upended to sink, all was blacked out until the tons of machinery crashed to the bow. This sounded like an explosion which of course it was not. As this happened hundreds of people were thrown into the sea.It isn't likely I shall ever forget the screams of those people as they perished in the water said to be 28 degrees. The reader will have to understand that at this point in my life I was being brought up as a typical British kid. You were not allowed to cry. You were a 'little man'. So! as a cool kid I lay down in the bottom of the lifeboat and went to sleep. When I awoke it was broad daylight as we approached the 'Carpathia'. Looking around over the gunwale it seemed to me like the Arctic. Icebergs of huge size ringed the horizon for 360 degrees.'

Nan Harper was the six-year-old daughter of Reverend John Harper, pastor of the Walworth Road Baptist Church in London. Rev. Harper was traveling second class to Chicago to preach at the Moody Church for three or four months, and he and his little daughter were accompanied by a relative, Miss Jessie Leitch, who took care of Nan. (Mrs. Harper had died three years previously.) On the evening of April 14th Rev. Harper and Miss Leitch were standing on deck admiring the sunset. "It will be beautiful in the morning," remarked Rev. Harper before retiring for the night.

Before Nina Harper's death in 1986, at which time she was Mrs. Nan Harper Pont, of Glasgow, Scotland, she wrote in a letter that she “ was sitting on her aunt's lap when she saw the Titanic sink. I remember watching the lights go out and hearing the screams of the drowning.” Even at the tender age of 6, her memory of that terrible night was remarkable.

Eva Hart, on many occasions, mentioned that she and Nina Harper had played together on the Titanic (their ages being just a year apart) but Nina never remembered this. She did write and speak to Eva Hart for many years.

Nina Harper's mother died when she was born so after her father's death, she became an orphan and was raised by her father's brothers. Growing up, she was told not to speak about the terrible disaster. It was not until her later years that she started to speak about the sinking. Her aunt, Miss Jessie Leitch, died in 1963.

Her story is very similar to that of Miss Nina "Nan" Harper. She also was awakened in the night by her Father and wrapped in a blanket, then he kissed her goodbye and handed her to a crewman who placed her on her Aunt Jessie's lap on lifeboat number 11. She was never to see her Father again, he perished aboard the Titanic. Since she had lost her Mother three years earlier, she was an orphan after the Titanic tragedy, and was raised in England by her Father's brother, her Uncle. When she first arrived in New York, she couldn't understand why her Father wasn't with her in this new country. She was quoted as saying "I left Papa on the big boat, and he told me to go with Aunt Jessie... Now, I want Papa." Little Nan and Miss Leich returned to England a week later.

When Nan Harper grew up, she married in 1934 and became Mrs. Pont. Her husband was a reverend at St. John's Rectory in Moffat, Dumfriesshire. When she was 72 years old, someone had asked her whether she would like to see the Titanic raised... she had replied that she "didn't see much point in it after all this time." Nina Harper (later known as Mrs. Nan Harper Pont) passed away in 1986, and she was living in Glasgow, Scotland at that time.

It was reported years later, that Nina "Nan" Harper Pont had written a letter in which she had described what she saw that horrific night. She was sitting in her Aunt's lap when she watched the Titanic sink. Even at such a young age, her memories were still very vibrant. She recalled hearing the screams of the drowning people, and watching the lights all go out. She was told later never to speak of the sinking, and it wasn't until years later that she actually did speak about it.

Eva Miriam Hart was born on January 31, 1905 in Ilford, London, England to Benjamin Hart and Esther Bloomfield. In early 1912, Benjamin decided to take his family and immigrate to Winnipeg, Manitoba, where he planned to open a drug store. Eva was seven years old when she and her parents boarded the RMS Titanic as second-class passengers on April 10, 1912 at Southampton, England.

Eva was sleeping when the Titanic struck the iceberg. Eva's father rushed into her cabin to alert his wife and daughter, and after wrapping Eva in a blanket, carried her to the boat's deck. He placed his wife and daughter in Lifeboat No. 14 and told Eva to 'hold mummy's hand and be a good girl.' It was the last time she would ever see her father.  Eva's father perished and his body, if recovered, was never identified.

Eva and her mother were rescued up by the RMS Carpathia and arrived in New York City on April 18th. Soon after arriving in New York, Eva and her mother returned to England and her mother remarried. Eva was plagued with nightmares and upon the death of her mother when Eva was 23, Eva confronted her fears head on by returning to the sea and locking herself in a cabin for four straight days until the nightmares went away. "I saw that ship sink," she said in a 1993 interview. "I never closed my eyes. I didn't sleep at all. I saw it, I heard it, and nobody could possibly forget it." "I can remember the colors, the sounds, everything," she said. "The worst thing I can remember are the screams." And then the silence that followed. "It seemed as if once everybody had gone, drowned, finished, the whole world was standing still. There was nothing, just this deathly, terrible silence in the dark night with the stars overhead."

Eva was one of the most outspoken survivors concerning the Titanic's lack of sufficient lifeboats and of any salvage attempts of the Titanic after its discovery in 1985. She commonly criticised the White Star Line for failing to provide enough lifeboats for all aboard Titanic. "If a ship is torpedoed, that's war," she once said. "If it strikes a rock in a storm, that's nature. But just to die because there weren't enough lifeboats, that's ridiculous." When salvaging efforts began in 1987, Eva was quick to note that the Titanic was a grave site and should be treated as such. She often decried the "insensitivity and greed" and labeled the salvers "fortune hunters, vultures, pirates, and grave robbers."

Eva maintained very active in Titanic-related activities well into her 80s. In 1982, Eva returned to the United States and joined several other survivors at a Titanic Historical Society convention commemorating the 70th anniversary of Eva died on February 14, 1996 at her home in Chadwell Heath at the age of 91. A Wetherspoon's Pub in Chadwell Heath is fittingly named 'The Eva Hart'

altnersandi.com/2011/01/27/titanic-survivor-eva-hart-and-her-connection-to-winnipeg/

Eva’s parents were Benjamin Hart, a builder who had fallen on hard times, and his wife, Esther Bloomfield Hart. Eva had often told the story of how her father had made the monumental decision to try their luck in Canada in a single evening based on a lively visit from an old friend. The friend had come to see the Harts on his holiday, and he was brimming with enthusiasm for the many opportunities he had found in Winnipeg. The discussion was apparently music to the ears of Eva’s father.

Despite Esther’s great apprehension, Benjamin immediately set about making plans to move his family to the new world. He sold his business, purchased tickets for travel on the ship called the Philadelphia, and was said to have had intentions of opening a drugstore in Winnipeg. But as their travel date approached, a coal strike prevented the Philadelphia from sailing. As Eva told the story, her father was thrilled when he was informed their tickets had been transferred to a second class cabin on the Titanic. Her mother, however, was terrified.

Benjamin thought Esther would be delighted, because the new ship was said to be unsinkable, but instead, his wife was sick with worry, claiming to have great apprehension about their safety. Eva remembered her mother felt strongly that something very bad was going to happen in the night. She napped in the daytime, and every night she sat up in a chair, fully clothed and forced herself to stay awake.

On the night of the sinking, Eva was asleep in her bed when Titanic struck the iceberg. Her father wrapped her in a blanket and brought her up to the deck with her mother, and saw them into the heavily crowded lifeboat number 14.

“Hold Mummy’s hand and be a good girl,” he told her.

That was the last time she saw her father.

There was pandemonium on the deck as the last of the boats were being loaded. “Women and children only” was the cry that went up as she and her mother were lowered away.

When the Titanic sank a short while later, Eva, a tiny child, could not take her eyes off of the spectacle. With screams in the night as people hit the water and drowned, she watched as the ship broke apart, and then slipped into the sea. The sea was glassy smooth with only the stars casting eery illumination on the death scene. Chairs, debris and bodies floated about.

The worst thing I can remember are the screams,” Eva said, in a 1993 interview. “And then the silence that followed. It seemed as if once everybody had gone, drowned, finished, the whole world was standing still. There was nothing, just this deathly, terrible silence in the dark night with the stars overhead.”

The body of Benjamin Hart was never recovered. Eva and her mother were taken aboard the rescue ship, the Carpathia, and continued on into New York with all of the survivors. They then returned to England and Esther remarried. Eva suffered from nightmares for years. She remained deeply attached to her mother and sought her out to calm her night terrors. She was 23 when Esther died and finally defeated her fears of ocean travel by taking a long voyage to Singapore and then Australia. Eva never married. She worked in many jobs over her life, which included a career as a professional singer in Australia. She later became, a Conservative party organizer and magistrate in England.

In her later years, Eva also became one of the most outspoken critics of salvage efforts of the Titanic and considered the removal of items from the shipwreck to be grave robbing.

Eva Hart died on February 14th, 1995 at the age of 91. Her death was considered the end of the last living memory of the Titanic, as the remaining survivors at that time were either too frail of memory to be interviewed, or too young at the time of the sinking to have stories to share.

When Juliette discovered she was pregnant in March 1912, Joseph decided an earlier departure was better, his wife would be less tired and they preferred the child to be born in Haiti. If they didn't leave immediately, departure would be delayed for some time, they wanted to avoid traveling with a newborn on what would already be a tiresome trip. Joseph's mother bought the tickets -- as a welcome present for the new family.

On sailing day the sky was clear. In the early hours Joseph, Juliette, Simonne and Louise left the family home for the train to Paris. The boat train was already loading passengers at Gare Saint-Lazare. It was there, in the Cour de Rome, that the Laroches were waiting the boarding hour with a friend, Monsieur Renard, who had bought a balloon for each girl. Louise, sitting in her pram in the sunshine was laughing when the string suddenly left her hand and flew away. Louise cried and kind Monsieur Renard ran to the next balloon seller to buy another. When it was time to board the train they all waved their last good-bye. Monsieur Renard remained on the platform wondering if would he ever see the Laroches again.

The trip from Paris to Cherbourg was long, the girls were too excited and could not sleep. The train was a new world to explore. In the same carriage they met a young boy named Andre. The boy's parents smiled at the two girls, who, in turn, smiled back Monsieur and Madame Laroche who gestured an acknowledgment to the couple and a few words were exchanged. Monsieur and Madame Mallet, Andre's parents were boarding Titanic in Cherbourg, too; they were emigrating to Montreal. Their son was only two years old so it would not be difficult to begin a new life in Canada. The Laroches said they were emigrating to Haiti where their grandmother was looking forward to meeting them. The Mallets were also traveling in second class like the Laroches. They wondered if there would there be other French emigrants on the ship. When the train stopped at the maritime terminal at 4:00 PM, the two families and their common experience made them feel close to each other.
Luggage was taken from the train and brought to the quay. Because of her size large liners like Titanic anchored in the harbor off Grande Rade near Fort de l'Ouest. Nomadic and Traffic, White Star's tenders carried passengers from the terminal to the liner. Traffic transported luggage and third class passengers while Nomadic carried first and second class. The travelers boarded the tenders at 5:30 PM ready to join Titanic but the liner was late. There was talk of an incident in Southampton during her departure [the near collision of the liner New York]. The liner appeared on the horizon and neared Passe de l'Ouest where she anchored about 6:30 PM. Photographers who had arrived in the afternoon had given up since it was already too dark. They didn't consider it a problem since she'd be back on the next voyage and they would then be able to get their photographs in daylight.
Traffic moored alongside the Titanic. Twenty-two cross-channel passengers disembarked while mail and additional goods were taken aboard. Then Nomadic brought 274 passengers, including the Mallets and Laroches, the unloading did not take more than twenty minutes. The travelers were looking forward to their voyage. A crowd of onlookers assembled on the jetty to admire her beautiful silhouette, a band played La Marseillaise. It was dark when Titanic, her rows of portholes glowing with light left. She had not spent more than two hours in Cherbourg, her next stop was Queenstown.

Juliette wrote to her father. The letter was posted Queenstown, Ireland, April 11, 1912.

On board R.M.S. TITANIC
My dear Dad
     I have just been told that we am going to stop in a moment, so I take this opportunity to drop you a few lines and tell you about us.
     We boarded the Titanic last evening at 7:00. If you could see this monster, our tender looked like a fly compared to her. The arrangements could not be more comfortable. We have two bunks in our cabin, and the two babies sleep on a sofa that converts into a bed. One is at the head, the other at the bottom. A board put before them prevents them from falling. They're as well, if not better, than in their beds.
     The boat set out when we were eating and we could not believe she was moving: we are less shaken than in a train. We just feel a slight trepidation. The girls ate well last night. They only took a nap in the whole night and the chime of the bell announcing breakfast woke them up. Louise laughed a lot at it. At the moment they are strolling on the enclosed deck with Joseph, Louise is in her pram, and Simonne is pushing her. They already have become acquainted with people we made the trip from Paris with a gentleman and his lady and their little boy too, who is the same age as Louise.
     I think they are the only French people on the boat, so we sat at the same table so that we could chat together. Simonne was so funny a moment ago, she was playing with a young English girl who had lent her her doll. My Simonne was having a great conversation with her, but the girl did not understand a single word. People on board are very nice. Yesterday, they both were running after a gentleman who had given them chocolates.
     This morning I tried to count all the children on the boat. In second class only, I am sure that there are more than twenty. There is a small family with four children, they remind me of my Uncle's. The youngest looks very much like fat Marcelle. I am writing from the reading room: there is a concert in here, near me, one violin, two cellos, one piano.
     Up to now, I have not felt seasick. I hope it will go on this way. The sea is very smooth, the weather is wonderful. If you could see how big this ship is! One can hardly find the way back to one's cabin in the number of corridors.
     I will stop here now for I believe we are going to put in and I wouldn't like to miss the next mail. Once again, thank you my dear dad for all your marks of bounty towards us, and receive all the warmest kisses from your loving daughter, Juliette.
     Warmly kiss for us all our dear Grand Mother, Maurice, Marguerite, and Madeleine. Little Simonne and Louise kiss their good Grand Father. They had just their dresses on this morning when they wanted to go and see you.    

************

Juliette’s first recollections of April 15th, 1912 were of the Cunard Carpathia, when they were hauled up in bags. Simonne remembered how frightening it had been and the image stayed with her. Onboard their mother already surmised that Joseph had drowned. No other ship picked up any lifeboats where he might have been found.
Earlier, a steward had come to their cabin and told them to wear their lifejackets, Titanic had suffered an accident. Joseph put everything valuable money and jewels in his pockets. Unable to understand, Juliette let Joseph, who spoke English fluently, lead her to the lifeboats.
With two fatherless daughters and pregnant, she felt alone. A few words spoken among the survivors located Madame Antoinette Mallet who had been saved with her son Andre but she lost her husband, too. The two women now shared the common ordeal as widows.
A common problem survivors faced was a lack of linen -- Carpathia was unable to provide enough for everyone. Juliette needed them to make diapers for the babies, the stewardesses would not give her any since there were none to spare. However, necessity being the mother of invention, Juliette found a way. At the end of each meal she sat on napkins and with what she was able to conceal, she used for her girls.
Neither Madame Mallet nor Laroche could remember what number lifeboat they had escaped. The only detail Juliette remembered was that in her boat a countess or someone with a title was among those who rowed all night long. The boat had icy water in the bottom and her feet were frozen.

On April 18 after a crossing in foggy weather, Carpathia reached New York. In pouring rain, the survivors disembarked; no one was waiting and Juliette lost sight of Madame Mallet. It was years later when she saw her again back in Villejuif.

On August 8, 1973, Simonne, who never married, died at the age of 64. At age 91 on January 10, 1980 Juliette died. On her grave a plaque is engraved: Juliette Laroche 1889-1980, wife of Joseph Laroche, lost at sea on RMS Titanic, April 15th 1912. Louise Laroche died in January 1998.