Reverend Simpson, from Roseland, British Columbia, Canada, survived the Lusitania disaster by clinging onto an upturned boat. Reverend Simpson was in cabin C 3 and shared it with Duncan Hanes and Canon Ernest Phair. The stewardess in charge of their cabin was May Bird. The following are Simpson’s words as quoted in The Daily Missoulian, Sunday, 8 May 1915.
Life Belts Refused
. . . “After a struggle, we filled this boat with all we could rescue,” Dr. Simpson said today. “We tied a pair of trousers to an oar and hoisted it as a signal of distress.
“A big trawler came along and took us aboard.
“When we struck I was in the saloon. Life belts were handed around, but the people did not want to put them on and they rushed off to the deck just as they were.”
Contributors:
Michael Poirier
Judith Tavares
References:
“Survivors Tell About Sinking.” The Daily Missoulian, pg. 3. Sunday, 9 May 1915.
The New York Times. Sunday, 9 May 1915.
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