Hi Ben,
I agree with everything in your above posting, but I hope you wouldn't mind my adding some additional material that you may or may not be aware of.
The Cardezas were not part of the "social elite" in Philadelphia society. Although they lived in fashionable Germantown (along Philly's Main Line) and owned one of the largest estates in that area, they were not welcomed members of the Philadelphia social register. Although Charlotte could be gracious and the perfect hostess, she was thought "crass" and "outspoken" for a woman in her social position at that time by many of her fellow Philadelphians. While other wealthy women traveled the world, it was Charlotte's desire to venture into deep, dark Africa on safaris and other dangerous expeditions that earned her the disrespect of others. She was a woman "way ahead of her time" doing things that other women of her stature just wouldn't AND DIDN'T do at that time. She earned this reputation during the 1890s in particular.
She was not particularly fond of Philadelphia society, and may have actually been the one to have turned her nose up at them. Nobody on the Titanic ever mentioned the Cardeza traveling party by name - including some of the women who were in boat #3 with them. I firmly believe that Mrs. Cardeza was the woman Mrs. Spedden described having had a flask of brandy in the lifeboat, and was busy barking orders during the night. Subsequently, "this woman" whom Mrs. Spedden never named, intended for herself to be the first person up the road ladder when they reached the
Carpathia. Mrs. Spedden recalled having enjoyed the pleasure of pulling "this woman" down when she attempted to climb the ladder. I've often thought that Mrs. Cardeza was the woman who was stepped on the poor woman (probably Mrs. Dick) who yelled "Look at that woman. She stepped on my stomach - horrible creature!" Thomas Cardeza and his valet were possibly the "two rough looking men" who sat near Elizabeth Shutes who spent much of their time smoking - although some suggest they may have been two of the stokers who entered the boat.
I suspect that Mrs. Spedden and the other occupants of boat #3 knew who Mrs. Cardeza was - if not before than later. Furthermore, Charlotte's identity was protected to save herself the embarrassment of her behavior. This MAY be a reason why the Cardezas remained silent concerning their experiences. Interestingly, Charlotte's faithful maid, Anna Ward, spoke briefly to the press after the sinking - gloriously praising her employer's heroics, naturally.
Thomas Cardeza was thought of more highly than his mother. A sportsman with an aggressive nature, he often apologized to others for his mother's eccentric behavior.
Several members of old Philadelphia families that I've spoken with were polite in offering that while Charlotte was philanthropic (particularly in her later years), she had an "unpleasantness about her" that others noticed and remembered. Many believed that Charlotte's charitable gifts in her later years were to attone for her past transgressions. She was frequently at odds with her son and daughter-in-law. To those she loved and cared about, she was generous and a faithful friend. To those she disliked, or to those who she felt had crossed her, there was no chance of redemption or reconciliation. A most definite-minded woman.
In my opinion, I find her to be one of the most fascinating women on board the Titanic. Defiant and feisty, I think her actions on the night of the sinking are well known thanks to those who remembered her - if not by name.
Regards,
Mike
