Letter from Miss Laura Mabel Francatelli, dated April 18, 1912
          (courtesy of George and Patricia Behe)

Dear Marion,

I was just going to bed. Madame & Sir Cosmo were upon A deck the top, and I on E, the bottom deck for Saloon Passengers when I felt a shudder, then two gentlemen came up and told me that we had run into an iceberg, but were quite safe.  I stood still there quite 20 minutes quietly, then the water was on my deck, coming along the corridor and I found all the people, running up and down the stairs.  Oh Marion that was a sickening moment, I felt myself go like marble.  Sir Cosmo then took us up on top deck.  Crowds of people were up there.  Several lifeboats have been lowered, they were preparing the last two, on that side of the ship, the Starboard side, they cried out, Any more women, saw us, & came to try & drag Madame & I away from Sir Cosmo, but Madame clung to Sir Cosmo.  After all the lifeboats had gone, everybody seemed to rush to the other side of the boat & leave ours vacant, but we still stood there, as Sir Cosmo said, we must wait for orders, presently. An officer started to swing off a little boat called the "Emergency" boat, he saw us & ordered us in, they were then firing the last rocket beside us.  Two other American gentlemen jumped in & seven stokers.  They began to lower away, then the boat became hooked up on something, the officer said Look out below, and threw down a length of steel which jarred the lifeboat loose.  The dear brave officer gave orders to row away from the sinking boat at least 200 yards, he afterwards poor dear brave fellow, shot himself. We saw the whole thing, and watched that tremendous thing quickly sink, then there was terrible, terrible, explosions, and all darkness, then followed the Awful cries & screams of the 1,600 dear souls, fighting for their lives in the water. Oh never shall I forget that awful night.