CONCLUDING NOTEBy Charles Vale
COLONEL GRACIE died on the fourth of December, 1912. He had been in feeble health all through the summer, but had no definite physical complaint. He felt ill and weak, and ascribed his condition to the exposure and strain through which he went in theTitanicdisaster. Mrs. Gracie and his daughter were with him up to the end, which he knew was coming, for the day before he died he had the minister of the Church of the Incarnation brought to his bedside, and Holy Communion was administered. On the next day he was unconscious for twelve hours; but just before he died he became conscious for about ten minutes, recognizing everyone and bidding them good-bye.
The funeral service was held at Calvary Church, where he was married, and a large number of the members of the Seventh Regiment, to which he belonged, were present. The church was beautifully decorated. Mrs. Astor was there,and many otherTitanicsurvivors, several of whom Colonel Gracie had helped into the boats at the time of the disaster. The interment took place at the Gracie plot at Woodlawn.
And so his book finishes here. He had intended to write a final chapter, reviewing the tragedy of theTitanicin retrospect, and in the light of all the later information that he had gathered; drawing the lessons that seemed most necessary in the present, and most serviceable for the future; and rounding out his story with the finishing touches.
But the actual Finis must be written by another hand. Well, it does not greatly matter. The real work has been completed, in its entirety. The picture has been drawn, the details faithfully gathered together and arranged in their due order. The rest was merely an affair of reflection and comment; and of such looking backward there has been already sufficient.
I met Colonel Gracie, for the first—and last—time, at a luncheon at the Waldorf-Astoria, in New York, when the world was still ringing with echoes of the great catastrophe. The extraordinary experiences through which he had passed, and the terrible scenes that he had witnessed, werestill as vivid to him as if they had happened the day before; but he talked very quietly, directly, unaffectedly, neither obtruding nor avoiding the personal element. There was something strangely gracious in his attitude; I heard no harsh or condemnatory word from him: he seemed to have the rare gift of comprehension of human nature, the rare sense of proportion. He accused no man of cowardice or inefficiency; but narrated the facts as he saw them, volunteering no inferences. And gradually, in that atmosphere of careless, casual security; with men and women from every corner of more than one continent scattered about the room; with all the obvious, and more subtle, presuppositions of civilization that a luxurious hotel in a huge metropolis illustrates;—there was evolved the picture of the great ship, going to her doom in the night, with her living cargo. I cannot express fully the vividness of that image,—carved, as it were, from the darkness of memory and imposed on the sunlight of a summer’s day. It stands out for me, ineffaceable, unforgettable—as it must stand out for all who passed through those tragic hours and still live to recall how near they were to death. One retraced the growing realization of the gravity of the situation; the conviction that the ship must inevitably sink before help could arrive; and, finally, the resolutefacing of destiny. Good and bad deeds were done that night and morning: but the good outvalue the bad, immeasurably; and when the littlenesses have been duly reckoned, and the few cowards dismissed, and the uncouth or selfish weighed and found wanting, there remains the grand total of brave and steadfast men and women whose names must be enrolled imperishably in any record of world-heroism.
In a note like this, closing a work which depends so much on the intimate connection of the author with the scenes that he describes, it is permissible to be personal. I had read, in a daily paper, Colonel Gracie’s first account of his experiences; had been struck by the special quality of the writing, by the pervading atmosphere of true chivalry—no other word can suggest quite adequately the impression conveyed by that narrative, written under the stress of poignant memories. I think that the effect produced by the account was the same with all who read it: certainly I have met no one who did not recognize the spirituality and fineness shining through the written words—a spirituality not opposed to, but entirely in consonance with, the unmistakable virility of the author. And so, when I met him, I was peculiarly interested in his personality: it seemed to me that this man who was sitting at myleft hand, talking quietly, had descended as distinctly into hell as any human being would care to acknowledge, and had risen again from the dead—or, at least, from the sea of the dead—into a world which could never again be quite the same to him. I found myself looking from time to time at his eyes; and I saw in them what I have seen only once or twice in the eyes of living men—the experience of death, the acceptance of death, and, the irrevocable impress of death. And, though he carried himself as a man accustomed to adventures and unafraid of the big or little ironies of destiny, he was conscious, I think, of a certain isolation, a new aloofness from the ordinary routine of daily life. He had been so near to the end of dreams, had seen the years flash past so suddenly into true perspective, that it was difficult to resume the trivial round and reconstitute a mental world in which details should acquire again their former pretence of importance.
Colonel Gracie survived for less than eight months after the loss of theTitanic. Judged by the imperfect reckoning of impulse, it would seem almost unfair that he should have gone through so much, winning his life in the face of such deadly hazards, only to surrender it after a brief interval. But he himself would have been the last to complain. His implicit faith in Providencecould not be shaken by any personal suffering. He made a brave fight for life, as he had made a brave fight for the lives of others while theTitanicwas sinking. When the end was inevitable, he accepted it with composure, though he had foreseen it with sadness.
The thought of the tragedy with which his name will always be associated, was constantly in his mind. The writing of his book involved a great deal of intimate correspondence, with the perpetual revival of painful memories. He made no effort to evade this strain: it was part of the task that he had undertaken. He felt strongly that the work he was doing was absolutely necessary, and could not be neglected. It was both a public service and a private duty. Simply and sincerely, he dedicated himself to that service and duty. And now, he has done his work, and lived his life, and gone out into the light beyond the darkness. His country has lost a very gallant gentleman. The world has one more legend of brave deeds.
Transcriber’s NoteHyphenation has been made consistent.Punctuation errors have been repaired.The footnote on page28states “See page —”. Presumably a page number should have been inserted, but was not, and it is preserved as printed.Page259includes the phrase “an ever-ending meadow.” This is probably a typesetting error and should read “a never-ending meadow,” but it is preserved as printed.Where there were inconsistencies in the spelling of proper names, they have been made consistent, with reference to published editions of the two Titanic enquiries and other primary sources, as follows:Page40—Cassobeer amended to Cassebeer—... made in my presence by Mrs. H. A. Cassebeer, ...Page64—Whitely amended to Whiteley—... interview of a Saloon Steward, Thomas Whiteley, ...Page178—Roberts amended to Robert—Neither my aunt, Mrs. Robert, my cousin, ...Page183—Symon amended to Symons—Senator Perkins (addressing Perkis, Symons and Hogg:)Page185—Symon amended to Symons—You did not get any orders, Mr. Symons ...Page185—Symon amended to Symons—Mr. Symons: No, sir; there were no more ...Page185—Symon amended to Symons—As I understand it, Mr. Symons pulled away ...Page185—Symon amended to Symons—Mr. Symons made no reply.Page209—Navatil amended to Navratil—... everybody was looking for (the Navratil children).Page262—Francetelli amended to Francatelli—... Lady Duff Gordon and maid (Miss Francatelli).Page268—Soloman amended to Solomon—A man named A. L. Solomon also asked ...Page269—Hendricksen amended to Hendrickson—Charles Hendrickson, leading fireman ...Page269—Hendricksen amended to Hendrickson—Hendrickson recalled.Page275—Hendricksen’s amended to Hendrickson’s—It was shown in Hendrickson’s evidence ...Page276—Hendricksen amended to Hendrickson—... given in the first instance by Hendrickson, ...Page287—Thessenger amended to Thessinger—There was Wheelton, McMicken, Thessinger, Wheate and myself.Page307—Finley amended to Finlay—Examined by Sir Robert Finlay ...Page307—Finley amended to Finlay—Mr. Finlay: Have you crossed ...Page307—Finley amended to Finlay—Mr. Finlay: Have you ever, ...Page308—Finley amended to Finlay—Mr. Finlay: When you left ...The following amendments have been made on the assumption of printer errors:Page62—pasengers amended to passengers—... Second Officer Lightoller ordered all passengers ...Page73—de amended to du—... namely the wreck of theVille du Havre...Page99—chapter amended to Chapter—... are recorded in the history of Boat B in Chapter V, ...Page153—passenger amended to passengers—No male passengers in this boat.Page154—passenger amended to passengers—No male passengers in this boat.Page170—passenger amended to passengers—No male passengers.Page181—man passenger amended to male passengers—No male passengers in this boat.Page199—passenger amended to passengers—No male passengers in this boat.Page225—chapter amended to Chapter—... while the previous Chapter VI is derived ...The following amendments have been made for consistency:Page120—No amended to NO—BOAT NO. 6.Page121—omitted p. added—... (Am. Inq., p. 363) ...Page155—omitted p. added—... (Am. Inq., p. 116).Page170—omitted word ‘BOAT’ added and No amended to NO—BOAT NO. 16.Page172—No amended to NO—BOAT NO. 2.Page181—No amended to NO—BOAT NO. 4.Page243—omitted p. added—... (Am. Inq., p. 1041): ...Page248—No amended to NO—BOAT NO. 3.Page248—omitted p. added—... (Am. Inq., p. 559): ...Page261—No amended to NO—EMERGENCY BOAT NO. 1.Page279—omitted p. added—... (Am. Inq., p. 755): ...Page281—omitted p. added—... (Am. Inq., p. 595): ...Page283—omitted p. added—... (Am. Inq., p. 602): ...Page284—omitted p. added—... (Am. Inq., p. 648): ...Page290—omitted p. added—... (Am. Inq., p. 798): ...Page319—omitted p. added—... (Am. Inq., p. 834): ...The frontispiece illustration has been moved to follow the title page. Other illustrations have been moved where necessary so that they are not in the middle of a paragraph.
Transcriber’s Note
Hyphenation has been made consistent.
Punctuation errors have been repaired.
The footnote on page28states “See page —”. Presumably a page number should have been inserted, but was not, and it is preserved as printed.
Page259includes the phrase “an ever-ending meadow.” This is probably a typesetting error and should read “a never-ending meadow,” but it is preserved as printed.
Where there were inconsistencies in the spelling of proper names, they have been made consistent, with reference to published editions of the two Titanic enquiries and other primary sources, as follows:
Page40—Cassobeer amended to Cassebeer—... made in my presence by Mrs. H. A. Cassebeer, ...Page64—Whitely amended to Whiteley—... interview of a Saloon Steward, Thomas Whiteley, ...Page178—Roberts amended to Robert—Neither my aunt, Mrs. Robert, my cousin, ...Page183—Symon amended to Symons—Senator Perkins (addressing Perkis, Symons and Hogg:)Page185—Symon amended to Symons—You did not get any orders, Mr. Symons ...Page185—Symon amended to Symons—Mr. Symons: No, sir; there were no more ...Page185—Symon amended to Symons—As I understand it, Mr. Symons pulled away ...Page185—Symon amended to Symons—Mr. Symons made no reply.Page209—Navatil amended to Navratil—... everybody was looking for (the Navratil children).Page262—Francetelli amended to Francatelli—... Lady Duff Gordon and maid (Miss Francatelli).Page268—Soloman amended to Solomon—A man named A. L. Solomon also asked ...Page269—Hendricksen amended to Hendrickson—Charles Hendrickson, leading fireman ...Page269—Hendricksen amended to Hendrickson—Hendrickson recalled.Page275—Hendricksen’s amended to Hendrickson’s—It was shown in Hendrickson’s evidence ...Page276—Hendricksen amended to Hendrickson—... given in the first instance by Hendrickson, ...Page287—Thessenger amended to Thessinger—There was Wheelton, McMicken, Thessinger, Wheate and myself.Page307—Finley amended to Finlay—Examined by Sir Robert Finlay ...Page307—Finley amended to Finlay—Mr. Finlay: Have you crossed ...Page307—Finley amended to Finlay—Mr. Finlay: Have you ever, ...Page308—Finley amended to Finlay—Mr. Finlay: When you left ...
Page40—Cassobeer amended to Cassebeer—... made in my presence by Mrs. H. A. Cassebeer, ...
Page64—Whitely amended to Whiteley—... interview of a Saloon Steward, Thomas Whiteley, ...
Page178—Roberts amended to Robert—Neither my aunt, Mrs. Robert, my cousin, ...
Page183—Symon amended to Symons—Senator Perkins (addressing Perkis, Symons and Hogg:)
Page185—Symon amended to Symons—You did not get any orders, Mr. Symons ...
Page185—Symon amended to Symons—Mr. Symons: No, sir; there were no more ...
Page185—Symon amended to Symons—As I understand it, Mr. Symons pulled away ...
Page185—Symon amended to Symons—Mr. Symons made no reply.
Page209—Navatil amended to Navratil—... everybody was looking for (the Navratil children).
Page262—Francetelli amended to Francatelli—... Lady Duff Gordon and maid (Miss Francatelli).
Page268—Soloman amended to Solomon—A man named A. L. Solomon also asked ...
Page269—Hendricksen amended to Hendrickson—Charles Hendrickson, leading fireman ...
Page269—Hendricksen amended to Hendrickson—Hendrickson recalled.
Page275—Hendricksen’s amended to Hendrickson’s—It was shown in Hendrickson’s evidence ...
Page276—Hendricksen amended to Hendrickson—... given in the first instance by Hendrickson, ...
Page287—Thessenger amended to Thessinger—There was Wheelton, McMicken, Thessinger, Wheate and myself.
Page307—Finley amended to Finlay—Examined by Sir Robert Finlay ...
Page307—Finley amended to Finlay—Mr. Finlay: Have you crossed ...
Page307—Finley amended to Finlay—Mr. Finlay: Have you ever, ...
Page308—Finley amended to Finlay—Mr. Finlay: When you left ...
The following amendments have been made on the assumption of printer errors:
Page62—pasengers amended to passengers—... Second Officer Lightoller ordered all passengers ...Page73—de amended to du—... namely the wreck of theVille du Havre...Page99—chapter amended to Chapter—... are recorded in the history of Boat B in Chapter V, ...Page153—passenger amended to passengers—No male passengers in this boat.Page154—passenger amended to passengers—No male passengers in this boat.Page170—passenger amended to passengers—No male passengers.Page181—man passenger amended to male passengers—No male passengers in this boat.Page199—passenger amended to passengers—No male passengers in this boat.Page225—chapter amended to Chapter—... while the previous Chapter VI is derived ...
Page62—pasengers amended to passengers—... Second Officer Lightoller ordered all passengers ...
Page73—de amended to du—... namely the wreck of theVille du Havre...
Page99—chapter amended to Chapter—... are recorded in the history of Boat B in Chapter V, ...
Page153—passenger amended to passengers—No male passengers in this boat.
Page154—passenger amended to passengers—No male passengers in this boat.
Page170—passenger amended to passengers—No male passengers.
Page181—man passenger amended to male passengers—No male passengers in this boat.
Page199—passenger amended to passengers—No male passengers in this boat.
Page225—chapter amended to Chapter—... while the previous Chapter VI is derived ...
The following amendments have been made for consistency:
Page120—No amended to NO—BOAT NO. 6.Page121—omitted p. added—... (Am. Inq., p. 363) ...Page155—omitted p. added—... (Am. Inq., p. 116).Page170—omitted word ‘BOAT’ added and No amended to NO—BOAT NO. 16.Page172—No amended to NO—BOAT NO. 2.Page181—No amended to NO—BOAT NO. 4.Page243—omitted p. added—... (Am. Inq., p. 1041): ...Page248—No amended to NO—BOAT NO. 3.Page248—omitted p. added—... (Am. Inq., p. 559): ...Page261—No amended to NO—EMERGENCY BOAT NO. 1.Page279—omitted p. added—... (Am. Inq., p. 755): ...Page281—omitted p. added—... (Am. Inq., p. 595): ...Page283—omitted p. added—... (Am. Inq., p. 602): ...Page284—omitted p. added—... (Am. Inq., p. 648): ...Page290—omitted p. added—... (Am. Inq., p. 798): ...Page319—omitted p. added—... (Am. Inq., p. 834): ...
Page120—No amended to NO—BOAT NO. 6.
Page121—omitted p. added—... (Am. Inq., p. 363) ...
Page155—omitted p. added—... (Am. Inq., p. 116).
Page170—omitted word ‘BOAT’ added and No amended to NO—BOAT NO. 16.
Page172—No amended to NO—BOAT NO. 2.
Page181—No amended to NO—BOAT NO. 4.
Page243—omitted p. added—... (Am. Inq., p. 1041): ...
Page248—No amended to NO—BOAT NO. 3.
Page248—omitted p. added—... (Am. Inq., p. 559): ...
Page261—No amended to NO—EMERGENCY BOAT NO. 1.
Page279—omitted p. added—... (Am. Inq., p. 755): ...
Page281—omitted p. added—... (Am. Inq., p. 595): ...
Page283—omitted p. added—... (Am. Inq., p. 602): ...
Page284—omitted p. added—... (Am. Inq., p. 648): ...
Page290—omitted p. added—... (Am. Inq., p. 798): ...
Page319—omitted p. added—... (Am. Inq., p. 834): ...
The frontispiece illustration has been moved to follow the title page. Other illustrations have been moved where necessary so that they are not in the middle of a paragraph.