Surgeon-Major
FREDERIC "FRANK" WARREN PEARL, Saloon Class Passenger
[No Picture Provided]
Frank Warren Pearl, 45, was a surgeon-major in the United States Army
and
had previously served in the Spanish-American War. By 1915 Pearl
was
retired from the armed forces and living with his wife, Amy Lea Duncan, and their children Stuart
and
Amy at 123 East 36th Street, New York City, New York,
United States. He was president of the Pearson
Engineering Corporation, Ltd., at 115 Broadway, New York City, where Frederick Pearson was also a work
colleague.
Pearl associated with Percival Farquahar in some of his business
deals.
In the spring of 1914, Warren and his family were vacationing through
Europe. Their daughter Susan was born in Folkestone, England, and
there they recruited Nurse Alice Lines.
When war broke out in
August, the Pearls were in Stockholm, Sweden and Warren secured
passports for Petrograd, Russia (formerly St. Petersburg and later
Leningrad) in hopes of applying his military experience there.
Their plans had to change in Helsingfors, Denmark under threats of
bombardment.
As Stuart was getting to be that age where he was to start school,
Warren left for England hoping to enroll Stuart at Eton. Pearl
was returning to Denmark via Belgium when two German officers arrested
him in Lübeck under suspicion for being an English spy.
After all, he was wearing English tweeds and carrying a copy of the
London Times.
Warren sent a telegram to his wife Amy, in Skager, Denmark,
saying: "COME AT ONCE. IN TROUBLE. WARREN."
Warren was only allowed to see Amy after she demanded to see the
American Consul. Warren told his wife that the Germans thought
his reasons for traveling through Germany were unlikely and asked Amy
to
plead with the American Ambassador in Denmark for his freedom.
Two weeks later Warren Pearl was released and ordered to leave for
Copenhagen by steamer. He was reunited with his wife and
children. In the absences of both Warren and Amy, Alice Lines had
hired Danish girl Greta Lorenson to help look after the children.
Amy was expecting another child and wanted it born in the United
States. The Pearls arrived home on a German steamer, the Frederik VIII, in early December of
that year. The baby was born in New York and christened Audrey.
In the spring of 1915, Warren was instructed to report to the
American Embassy in London, England. He thus booked passage on
the Lusitania with his wife,
children, and nurses. At the time, Amy was pregnant with a fifth
child, a son that would be later named Vivian. The night before
sailing they had a
farewell dinner party in a private room at the Plaza Hotel.
On the Lusitania, the Pearls'
staterooms were E 51, 59, and 67*, close
to that of Lindon Bates, Jr., and they
were
friends. The Pearls attended Sunday services and before
Thursday's concert were at cocktails. Throughout the voyage he
had drilled his wife and nurses with what to do in case of an emergency.
At about 2:15 p.m. on Friday, Warren was in his stateroom when he heard
an explosion coming from the opposite side of the ship. Shortly
thereafter flames, smoke, and splintering glass from the ports blew
into the stateroom. At that time, Amy was on deck with Lindon
Bates. Warren headed up the stairs and met Amy as she was coming
down. They sent Greta, Alice, and the children up to the Boat
Deck and followed. They put on their lifejackets. They
claimed that there was no panic on the Boat Deck. In the crowd
the nurses and children were
separated from Warren and Amy. Warren noted that the ship's wake
showed that the Lusitania had
made a semi-circular swing to port. Some time later Warren and
Amy spotted Greta and Susan standing by a boat swung out and ready to
be launched.
The ship was listing to starboard and soon righted herself. The
Pearls and Lindon Bates separated to continue to look for the missing
children.
Warren saw two boats were lowered on the starboard side and a third
boat suspended perpendicularly in mid air, but there was still no
confusion thus far. He met back with Amy and word came to "lower
no more boats," "everything all right," and "aid coming." Warren
and Amy split again to to find the children. Not finding them,
Warren went back to see if Amy had found them. They were not with
her, so Amy asked Warren to try again to find them. The Lusitania was on a fairly even keel
by that time and a boat filled with people crashed inboard, crushing
people on deck. Just then the Lusitania
made a plunge to starboard and water rushed over the forecastle.
The missing children were still not found and Warren found two planks
for him, Amy, Greta, and Susan.
The sea came charging at them, throwing everyone on deck into the sea
as the ship plunged underneath. Warren was pulled down five or
six times by suction and eddies. Surfacing, Warren grabbed hold
of a plank, and later swam to a floating box with five or six others
clinging to it. The box overturned, and Warren grabbed onto a
deck chair, and later swam with it to a floating tin can. He
clung onto this for about three hours. Three boats passed him by
as they were full, and after three hours he was picked up by men in a
collapsible boat half full of water which was being bailed out.
Warren recalled that discipline in the boat was "excellent," picking up
about 35 persons in all, several women.
About one hour
later, those in the collapsible were taken off by steam trawler which
went about rescuing many others. They finally
landed at Queenstown about eight hours after the sinking of ship.
Warren was then reunited with his wife Amy and later found someone
matching Alice Lines' description. Warren and Amy found Alice,
Stuart, and Audrey all safe, but could not find any trace of Greta,
young Amy, or Susan.
Warren, Amy, and Alice attended the open sessions of the Mersey
Inquiry. Two of Warren's six sessions were held in camera because
the publication of Admiralty instructions on how to avoid or combat
submarines might prove useful to the enemy.
A sixth child, Amy Susan Pearl, was named in rememberance of the
daughters they had lost.
Warren Pearl died on 2 January 1952, and Amy Pearl on 1 February 1964.
* Warren Pearl's testimony says
that he was in a portside room when the
explosion occured so here are number of possibilities of what he
actually meant:
1) The Pearls moved into port side cabins after the Cromptons moved out
and onto D deck.
2) Warren was visiting Dr. James Houghton
at the time, whose cabin was on the port side.
3) Warren was in the men's lavatory, on the port side.
4) The port side notation is an error and he really meant
starboard.
If smoke and flames blew into the room from the torpedo impact and the
torpedo struck the starboard side, it's only logical that the Pearls'
staterooms would be on the starboard side.
Contributors:
Paul Latimer
Michael Poirier
Judith Tavares
References:
Deposition of Major F. Warren Pearl.
Hickey, Des and Gus Smith. Seven Days to Disaster.
G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1981.
Preston, Diana. Lusitania: An Epic Tragedy.
Berkley Books, 2002.
[Back to Saloon Class Manifest] [Lusitania
Resource Home]