ALLEN, Miss Elisabeth Walton. Saved.
Cabin B5. (Saved in Lifeboat number 2). (Niece of Mrs. E. S. Roberts and cousin of Miss Georgette Madill).
Home address: Tunbridge Wells, England. (Mrs. J. B. Mennell).
Insurance claim number B11. Property: $2427-80c.
Sent Marconigram to Allen, 109 East 56th Street, New York.
''Safe, wire Charley''.
Marconigram dated 18th April 1912 to: Mennel, Royal Crescent, London West. ''Safe well, wire Dearma''.
Received Marconigram sent 17th April 1912 to: Miss E. W. Allen, Carpathia. ''Have wired Belmont reservation for you and to furnish any funds needed. - Marill.''
Died 15th December 1967.
Mrs. J. B. Mennell (nee Allen) American Inquiry.
My aunt, Mrs. Roberts' maid came to the door and asked if could speak to me. I went into the corridor and she said: ''Miss Allen, the baggage room is full of water.'' I replied she needn't worry, that the watertight compartments would be shut and it would be all right for her to go back to her cabin. She went back and returned to us immediately to say her cabin, which was forward on deck E, was flooded.
We were on the Boat deck some minutes before being ordered into the lifeboat. Neither my aunt, Mrs. Roberts, my cousin, Miss Madill, nor myself ever saw or heard the band. As we stood there we saw a line of men file by and get into the boat - some sixteen to eighteen stokers. An officer (thought to be Murdoch) came along and shouted to them: ''get out, you damned cowards; I'd like to see every one of you overboard.''. They all got out and the officer said: ''Women and children into this boat,'' and we got in and were lowered.
With the exception of two very harrowing leave takings, we saw nothing but perfect order and quiet on board the Titanic. We were rowed round the stern to the starboard side and away from the ship, as our boat was a small one and Boxhall feared the suction. Mrs. Cornell helped to row all the time.
As the Titanic plunged deeper and deeper we could see her stern rising higher and higher until her lights began to go out. As the last lights on the stern went out we saw her plunge distinctively, bow first to last eternally. We rowed back, after the Titanic was under the water, nor were we near enough to any other lifeboats to see them. When Boxhall lit his first light the screams grew louder and then died down.
We could here the lapping of the water on icebergs, but saw none, even when Boxhall lit his green lights which he did at regular intervals, till we sighted the Carpathia. Our boat was the first one picked up by the Carpathia. I happened to be the first one up the ladders, as the others seemed afraid to start up, and when the officer who received me asked where the Titanic was, I told him she had done down.
(From The New York Times 19th April 1912)
Crew behaved Admirably.
Miss Elizabeth Allen of St. Louis was one of the first women passengers to leave the Carpathia. She was accompanied by Mrs Edward Roberts and Miss E A Mardell, also of St Louis. The three women appeared to be cool. Miss Allen who is a young woman of about 25 said she was awake at the time the crash came.
"The first crash" said Miss Allen, "came at 11.40 P.M. I am sure of the time. Although there was plenty of excitement there was no panic aboard that I saw. The men and the officers behaved admirably. All the lights went out. I was in a lifeboat in the water for several hours." A number of friends on the pier hurried the three women away.
Miss Elisabeth Walton Allen (29) was born in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, on October 1, 1882, the daughter of George W. Allen, a St. Louis judge, and Lydia McMillan. She was returning to her home in St. Louis with her aunt, Mrs. Edward Scott Robert, and her cousin, fifteen-year-old Georgette Alexandra Madill. Miss Madill was the daughter of Mrs. Robert from a former marriage.
Miss Allen was engaged in 1912 to a British physician, Dr. James B. Mennell, and was going home to St. Louis to collect her belongings in preparation for moving to England where she would live with her future husband. Miss Allen, Mrs. Robert, Miss Madill, and Mrs. Robert's maid Amelia Kenchen all boarded the Titanic in Southampton. For the voyage, Miss Allen was in cabin B-5, along with cousin Miss Madill, while Mrs. Robert was across the hall in cabin B-3. The entire party travelled under ticket number 24160 (passage costing 221 British pounds in 1912). She escaped with her relatives in boat 2, one of the last boats to leave the Titanic, under the command of Fourth Officer Joseph G. Boxhall. After the sinking, Elisabeth filed a $2,427.80 claim against the White Star Line for the loss of personal property in the disaster.
Regarding the disaster, Miss Allen wrote this account of the disaster 'My aunt's maid came to my door and asked if she could speak to me. I went into the corridor and she said, "Miss Allen, the baggage room is full of water." I replied that she needn't worry because the watertight compartments would be shut and it would be all right for her to go back to her cabin. She went back and returned to us immediately to say her cabin, which was forward on Deck E, was flooded.
We were on the boat deck some minutes before being ordered into the lifeboat. Neither my aunt, Mrs. Robert, my cousin, Miss Madill, nor myself ever saw or heard the band.
As we stood there we saw a line of men file by and get into the boat - some 16 or 18 stokers. An officer came along and shouted to them, "Get out, you damned cowards; I'd like to see everyone of you overboard." They all got out and the officer said "Women and children into this boat" and we got in and were lowered. We were rowed around the stern to the starboard side and away from the ship as our boat was a small one and Boxhall feared the suction. As the Titanic plunged deeper and deeper, we could see her stern rising higher and higher until her lights began to go out. As the last lights on the stern went out we saw her plunge distinctively, bow first and intact. Then the screams began and seemed to last eternally. We rowed back after the Titanic sank but we saw no one in the water, nor were we near
enough to any lifeboats to see them. When Boxhall lit his first light the screams grew louder and then died down.
Our boat was the first one picked up by the Carpathia. I happened to be the first one up the ladder, as the others seemed afraid to start up, and when the officer who received me asked where the Titanic was, I told him she had gone down.'
Following the disaster, Miss Allen reached St. Louis and soon returned to England to be the wife of Dr. Mennell in July, 1912. She and her sister were married in a double wedding.
Mrs Elisabeth Walton Allen Mennell made her home in England. She was living in Tunbridge Wells, England, at the time of her death on 15 December 1967. She was 85-years-old when she died.
