1 _NAMS
2 DATE ABT 1882
2 PLAC used name Frances Mariner
2 SOUR S14105
1 _NAMS
2 DATE ABT 1882
2 PLAC used name Frances Jarvis
2 SOUR S14105
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2 DATE ABT 1882
2 PLAC used name Frances Jervis
2 SOUR S14105
What if? Cheryl Golding's family has true Titanic stories By: Mike Scharnow, Times Editor
"Titanic" fever has gripped America during the past two years with the release of a new movie and other events in remembrance of the ship's ill-fated maiden voyage.
Fountain Hills resident Cherryl Golding grew up hearing stories about the real Titanic, since her aunt, uncle and cousin were passengers on the ship.
Her own parents had a ticket for the trip, but . . .
Cherryl tells her story below:
My Aunt Emily Goldsmith and cousin Frank Jr. survived that disastrous night on April 15, 1912. Frank Goldsmith Sr. watched as his wife and son got in Englehart Collapsible D, the last life boat to leave the Titanic. That was at 2:05 a.m. At 2:20 Frank Goldsmith was gone with the rest of the 1,500 passengers as the Titanic slid into the depths. He was 33 years old. Over the years I had come to think of the Titanic as being a family tragedy. It is still hard to fathom the extent of interest that has gripped millions and propelled them into theaters country wide.
Just recently a section of the Titanic was brought to the surface to be put on display. My cousin Frank predicted eventual salvaging and wondered if the crate that contained all of the Goldsmith's possessions would be found intact. Frank Sr. was a machinist and had packed the tools of his trade. Emily had packed her prized possession, her new Singer sewing machine. Frankie's toy cap pistol was in that crate. My Uncle Frank's body was never recovered.
My mother, Emma Stevens, and her sister Emily Goldsmith were from a close-knit family of 14 siblings who eventually emigrated to Detroit, Mich. By 1911 Harriet and Harry Brown, my grandparents, were already living in Detroit. By 1912 my mother and Aunt Emily were the last of the "Brown" family living in England. When Emma and Emily first heard about the "unsinkable" Titanic their decision was made. Neither my father, Phillip Stevens, nor Emily's husband, Frank Goldsmith Sr., could swim and were deathly afraid of the ocean. Both families bought passage on the Titanic. My parents were understandably upset when by August it was confirmed that an addition to the Stevens family would arrive in April of 1912. There was no problem getting a refund on their passage. There was a waiting list for any cancellations.
My sister, Iris, was the happy event that kept my family from that fateful voyage. I was born in 1927. Would I be here today if it wasn't for Iris?!
Ironically my father spent World War II in the British Navy and never did learn to swim. It wasn't until 1921 that my parents Phillip and Emma, and my sisters Dora and Iris found their way to Detroit via another White Star Line ship, the Saxonia. Dora was 13 and Iris celebrated her ninth birthday aboard the Saxonia with a special dinner and birthday cake.
Most of the script for the events in the movie "Titanic" is consistent with accounts told to me. Frank was nine years old when his father hugged his mother, patted my cousin's shoulder and said, "So long Frankie, I'll see you later."
It wasn't the collision with the iceberg that awakened the Goldsmith family. It was the sudden deathly quiet when the engines stopped. As their life boat inched its way down the side of the ship and passed port holes, Frank remembered seeing children chasing each other. They seemed to be playing tag! Many young men were on board as stewards to the first class passengers. They all perished. Of all the boys in the third class passenger section that were Frank's age, he was the only one who survived. It has always been stated that the Titanic's band was playing "Nearer My God to Thee" when it went down. Frank remembers it to be "Autumn," a popular tune of the day. Their life boat was not far from the ship when a great human roar went up and the ship plunged below. He likened the roar to the noise that emanates from a stadium where a sporting event is held and the crowd is excited over what is happening on the field. Later living near Tiger Stadium he would cover his ears in terror when the crowd would "roar."
The Carpathia had heard signals from the Titanic and arrived in the area about 4 a.m. It was 7:30 a.m. before Frankie and Emily were brought aboard. Their first act was to inquire and then search for Frank Sr. Their prayers were unrewarded.
The Goldsmiths received very little compensation from the White Star Line. The total was $15 and two train tickets to Detroit. A lawsuit against White Star Line was brought on behalf of the Titanic survivors. The steamship line was exonerated. If any good came from this disaster it would be the addition of life boats to all ocean going passenger vessels.
Frank and Emily lived to accomplish many things during their lifetimes. It wasn't until the early 1960s that Frank become involved in searching out Titanic survivors and traveling across the U.S. to visit them and to compare notes. He wrote an article for Reader's Digest about that time. On Aug. 23 of this year the A&E channel once again ran "Titanic -Death of a Dream." The Goldsmith family is pictured and Frank Jr. quoted liberally. A few years before his death he decided he would like to leave a written record of his Titanic experience for his children and grandchildren. The result was a book entitled "Echoes in the Night," a memoir of a Titanic survivor.
The book has a preface by the author, Walter Lord. Frank's book also contains a post card contributed by my family. It was sent to my mother while the Titanic was at dock in Queenstown (Cobh) Ireland. It is postmarked 3:45 p.m., April 11, 1912.
© 1998 THE FOUNTAIN HILLS TIMES THIS APPEARED IN THE TIMES SEPTEMBER 2, 1998
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