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Mr. CLINTON "WILL" PERCIVAL BERNARD, Saloon Class Passenger

[No Picture Provided]

Clinton Bernard, 27, was born in Jamaica, New York, United States on 10 April 1888 to Percival Joseph Bernard and Fanny Hewlett Ryder.  He attended Jamaica High School and later Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut.  At Yale he rowed crew and enrolled in the Sheffield Scientific School.  There he earned a Ph.B. in Mining Engineering in 1909.

In the spring of 1915, Bernard was on his way to Greenland as the head of a geological expedition and booked passage on the Lusitania.  He survived.  The following is his account as printed in the Daily Missoulian of Sunday, 9 May 1915:

Queenstown, May 8 -- Via London -- Clinton Bernard of New York City, one of the first cabin survivors of the Lusitania, had this to say of his experiences: "When I saw the ship was sinking, I jumped overboard, just as I was.  I had no lifebelt, but I picked up a bit of flotsam.  Finally I got to an upturned boat and with some other swimmers I managed to right it.  We climbed in and started to rescue as many as we could. "The German submarine made no attempt to save anybody.  We saw it for a moment before it dove. "The first torpedo struck between the first and second funnels.  The Lusitania shook and settled down a bit.  Two other torpedoes followed and soon finished our ship.  Four or five of our lifeboats went down with her and the tremendous suction as the liner was engulfed dragged many people down also. "We had floated about two hours in our small boat before the first rescue steamers arrived.  Previous to this some small shore boats and fishing smacks came along and helped us."

The New York Times from Sunday, 9 May 1915 also adds this:

"The noise of the explosion was not very great.  The first torpedo burst with a big thud, and we knew that we were doomed."

Clinton spent the summer of 1915 in South Greenland and then the Congo Free State.  In Congo, Bernard was engaged in geological and propecting work.  When the United States joined the Great War, Bernard became a candidate at the Field Artillery Central Officers' Training School at Camp Zachary Taylor in October and November of 1918.

Bernard married Pauline Dillman, daughter of Dr. Edward L. and Louise Dillman.  Dates in class histories conflict on whether Bernard and Pauline were married on 24 October or 17 February of that year.  Pauline attended the Drexel Institute.

Among Bernard's travels, he logged miles across Europe, Africa, Greenland, and North and South America.  In 1929 alone he traveled 6 000 miles through the Soviet Union.  His business headquarters was at 61 Broadway, New York City, New York.  He had residences at 110 Shelton Avenue, Jamaica, New York and 8866 Crestwood Avenue, Hollis Park Gardens, Hollis, New York.

Bernard was a Republican and member of the Mining Club of New York City, The American Institute of Mining Engineers, the Castle Club, Woodhull Lodge, A.F. and A.M., and the Aurora Grotto, Scottish Rite.

The 1923 class history of 1909 said of him such, "Anybody who has been almost to the bottom of the ocean and to the top of the world ought to have had enough thrills to stir the most blasé."

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Contributors:
Christine Connolly, Yale University Archives

References:
Class History 1909 Sheffield Scientific School, Yale University, Volume I, 1909, pg 43.
Class History 1909 Sheffield Scientific School, Yale University, Volume III, 1929, pg 33-4.
Class History 1909 Sheffield Scientific School, Yale University, Volume IV, 1935, pg 34.

"Survivors Tell About Sinking."  The Daily Missoulian, Sunday, 9 May 1915, page 3.

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