__29__.jpg)
One page of the seven page letter
sent home by Ernst (in Swedish)![letter-custom;effect_autolevels,92;size_161,212[1]](http://s3.amazonaws.com/webjam-upload/letter-customeffect_autolevels92size_1612121___49e8af74bc4d4e4c836904a7d11ce3a4(160x212)__15__(@0x300).jpg)
Ernst and Family 1914 ![Ernstandfamily-medium;init_[1]](http://s3.amazonaws.com/webjam-upload/ernstandfamily-mediuminit_1___127a1d1cb44d4ba68e999b4ffe4fc2c1(170x200)__7__.jpg)
Ernst Parents and Sisters (Sweden)![Ernestmomdad-medium;init_[1]](http://s3.amazonaws.com/webjam-upload/ernestmomdad-mediuminit_1___f8b111c732e740febc51e35608db3de9(115x200)__6__.jpg)
![EFB-large[1]](http://s3.amazonaws.com/webjam-upload/efb-large1___bab9881453fe498a8e0f365227bb54fd(278x420)__24__.jpg)
![ER3copy-large[1]](http://s3.amazonaws.com/webjam-upload/er3copy-large1___067922ec774f463d899bb53239844065(280x420)__38__.jpg)
__23__.gif)
Only a Survivor Could Tell
Ernst was born on July 29, 1886 in Sweden. In 1912 he was living in Hollandargatan Stockholm, Sweden. He had worked as a janitor and chauffeur, supporting his wife and two children, Anna, Ernst Folke and Ernst Tage. His sister Elna and niece Selma Strom had been visiting, Per Ulrik and Kristina Persson, Ernst and Elna's parents at their farm in Julita, Ernst and his family were very close and cared about each other very much, so when Selma burnt her hand with hot water, they had to postpone the trip home in order for the injury to heal, the delay led to them traveling on the Titanic with Ernst who had been planning to emigrate to the US. Ernst was moving to the United States just as many others, that were looking for a better life, one of hope and prosperity. He boarded the Titanic at Southhampton England and left his family at home. His plans were to get a good job and send for them later, he thought it would be easier that way and what a good thing that would turn out to be.
Ernst Persson’s letter written from New York April 20, 1912 to his family in Sweden.
Older English translation edited by Lilly Setterdahl March 10 2008 with addition of postscripts.
Beloved Parents, Wife, and Children,
You, my beloved, have, no doubt, heard of the terrible disaster that has occurred. Oh, what a night I have experienced since I last wrote to you. You have probably received the letter I wrote to you from England and the telegram I sent at my arrival. We departed Southampton on the 10th and everybody was happy and content for food and everything was the best we could wish for. Then came the terrible night. They woke us up at 12 midnight, and told us to enter the aft deck because we had struck an iceberg. Nobody believed there was any danger because the ship was declared unsinkable. We did not worry until they began to lower the lifeboats. Then there was a panic, and everybody who tried to jump into the lifeboats without permission was shot. Women and children first; the men had to save themselves the best they could. When Elna and I came up on deck, all the lifeboats were filled, so there was no chance of rescue. We stood together the whole time, and agreed to accompany each other into the depths. But as the boat sank, and the water started to pour over deck, there was a terrible sight and scuffle, and we became separated. Then I heard Elna say, “Tell Wilhelm and my parents and brothers and sisters if you get rescued.” I didn’t see her again because we were all washed overboard. When I entered the water, I sank several meters below the surface. Floating up again, I had a roof of wreckage over my head, and hung on for a good while. But then the ship began to sink, so I had to leave the wreckage and try to swim away. Otherwise, I would have been dragged into the depths once again. As I floated and swam around, I saw how (other) people in the water tried to save themselves in an overloaded boat. But when they hung on to the sides, the boat overturned with the keel upward, and all drowned. I saw how some people climbed up on it, so I swam to it, and was taken up. Only Italians were on this boat, and it was so crowded that it floated nearly one meter below the water. There I had to lie for six hours with the water up to my shoulders. Then we were taken up in a lifeboat that rowed us to the big boat that had come to rescue us. You cannot imagine how it was as thousands of people lay in the water crying for help and no help was available. But don’t grieve too deeply my beloved. We can thank God that any of us got rescued among so many thousands of people who lost their lives. Tears are shed all over the world over this disaster. But surely it is awful to think that Elna and little Telma no longer exist. I don’t know how it will be to come to Wilhelm because I don’t believe that she got rescued. There are so many in the hospitals, but I have not seen her name in the newspaper although all rescued are registered. Some of us Swedes are staying at this hotel. As you can see, we were photographed by all newspapers, movie theaters and all bookshops. We were well received when we arrived. Three of us had no caps or overcoats, and we were let in first and got dressed from top to toe and received 15 dollars, because I had not a single penny when I disembarked. Now we can stay at this hotel where we get good food and nice rooms, free of charge. All societies and theaters collect money for us, so we probably get more money after a while. So don’t worry about me. I feel well though I feared that I would not be able to withstand the (cold) ‘bath’. My whole body was stiff when I came up. On the boat that rescued us, we were bedded down and could rest two days. Then we had to get up and try to dry our clothes because nobody cared to help us with that. We didn’t arrive in New York until Thursday night and the disaster occurred on Sunday night. So you can imagine how far we were from land. The boat rescuing us was a real pigsty. It was a boat traveling on Italy with only swarthy passengers. So then you can understand how it was. But we were satisfied to be out of the water. I have posted a card to Aunt Anna. I got her address from Elna by chance. Otherwise, I would not have known where to go because I had no other. Well, now my beloved, I have given you a brief report about what happened. You will get more information later on because it is impossible to put any more of these sheets in the envelope, and I don’t have any other paper. I hope you are all healthy and don’t grieve too much so that you become ill from it. I will find work and save money because I will probably come home again. I will not expose my beloved wife and children to the same voyage that I went on. So farewell for a while. I shall write as soon as I arrive in Chicago. You will then get my address, so I can hear from you. My warm greetings and solace to you my beloved in Sweden from your castaway son, husband, and father of our small boys.
Ernst
Postscripts penned on the edges of the last three sheets:
I cannot describe in words how awful everything was. You have to try to imagine it—the last moment I saw my dear sister stand there with little Thelma tightly in her arms.
I wish I could send you a paper with our photographs, but all are sold out, and we cannot take the ones they have here. I am pictured almost full size in one paper—the best photograph I’ve seen of myself.
You, my dear wife, got to be with me in the water. Yours was the only photograph I had, and it stayed fast in my pocket. The first I did when I was on a dry surface, I took it out and looked at it. I began to cry, but then I thought that you smiled at me, and I became calm.
Loading …
- Server: web2.webjam.com
- Total queries:
- Serialization time: 78ms
- Execution time: 2110ms
- XSLT time: $$$XSLT$$$ms