Titanic accounts of two Armenian passengers in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Charlotte Zureick
Nov 17, 2024
7 min read

Two accounts of the Titanic sinking from Armenian passengers travelling in third class.

Photos of David Vartanian (left) and Neshan Krekorian (right) from Brantford Daily Expositor from April 26, 1912

Below are two accounts of the Titanic sinking from Armenian passengers traveling in third class who decided to leave Armenia due to religious persecution by Turkish Muslims that was occurring in Turkish occupied Armenia at the time.

“How Armenian Hid In Boat and Saved Life: Man Who Escaped With Major Peuchen’s Party Arrived Here Today, Saw Companions Hurled Back on Deck to Make Room For Women”

The Hamilton Spectator, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

April 25, 1912

“The first survivor of the ill-fated Titanic to reach this city was Ashan Kricorian, aged 24, a steerage passenger who arrived in Hamilton yesterday. He immediately went to the home of George Alexander, 652 Barton street east, where he was seen this morning by a Spectator reporter. Through the aid of an interpreter he told a story that was harrowing as many of the survivors related on that first night, when the Carpathia crept home. He escaped in the same boat that Major Peuchen, of Toronto, was partially in charge of, and was the foreigner who was mentioned by the major in giving his testimony at the Washington investigation yesterday, in which he told of how an Armenian was found crouching in the bow of the boat, hidden under women’s clothes. Kricorian had a broken arm and when commanded to take an oar and row, he was of little use owing to his injury.

“Kricorian’s story told through an interpreter was told through an interpreter, was as follows:

“‘I was traveling in the steerage with about twenty-five of my countrymen, who were all coming to this country in search of work. They had left their families in Armenia. Myself and Arsen Seragannan, who was my chum, were on our way direct to Brantford. The weather was very calm and fair all the way out. The steerage passengers were little enthused over the fact of traveling on a new boat, as they were cooped up like chickens, and had no chance to get about on the deck and observe the boat.

Titanic Quivered

“‘On Sunday afternoon, one of my countrymen came to me and asked me to go to a porthole, where he pointed to the sea, which was littered with small ice. It was broken up in very small pieces, but appeared to be thick and down where we were quartered we could clearly hear it crunch against the sides as it struck. I played cards the greater part of Sunday afternoon and evening, and about ten-thirty laid down in my bunk to retire for the night. I did not undress, but merely removed my shoes. After I had been there for a while I noticed that our quarters were getting colder. I got up and looked to see if any of the portholes were open, and I found that two of them were. As I was closing them I noticed many icebergs in the water of a comparatively large size. I thought little about them, however, despite the fact that they were the first I had ever seen, as they were hardly perceptible from the distance they were from the boat. I then went back to my bunk and the next thing that I remember was when I felt the vessel jar from stern to stern as she struck some mighty unmovable object. Many say there was not much of a jar, but down in the steerage it was terrible. We felt the vessel strike all over and began to rise at the head as she was ascending the hidden level of the berg under the water. Then she scudded back and immediately began to list at one side. In a minute the steerage was chaos and confusion.

Passengers in Panic

“‘Women rushed hither and thither with their babes in their arms, fathers went wildly about looking for their wives and endeavoring to find lifebelts. And then the lights went out and we were all plunged into darkness. This was the incentive for a terrible panic to break out in the steerage, and everybody seemed to lose their heads, and just stand about and shriek. Finally in a minute or so the lights came on again, and men seemed to be more cool than before, life-belts were taken from their places and nearly everyone placed them on. Few of them were put on properly. I, along with five other men, named Antin Der Zakarian, Mampre Der Zakarian, Sarkes Aolahverclian and Arsen Siraganian, rushed up the steerage companionway and reached the deck. Things were not so confused up here, and there appeared to be little fear among the passengers. They were merely huddled in talking groups and seemed to be unaware that the ship was sinking beneath them. We five men went up to the top deck, where the boats were, and already officers were in charge of every boat, and women and children were being put into them and dropped over the side with all possible haste. We tried to get into two or three boats, but at each effort we were balked and finally one of the officers told us if we didn’t desist he would shoot the whole bunch of us. We then went to the fantail top deck and here there were two large boats but up to this time they had not been touched, more than the top tarpaulin being removed. We pulled back the cover a little more and crawled inside.

Snatched From Death

“‘At each end of this boat was a metal water-tight compartment, but underneath it was a space about a foot deep: three of us crawled under this at one end and the remaining three did the same at the other. In this attitude we waited and we hadn’t to wait long until we heard the officers coming. They took the cover off the boat and readiness to lower, when one of the officers noticed the legs of one of us protruding from under the compartment. He fished him out by the feet and threw him violently down upon the deck. His companions were used in the same way. Then he came to our end of the boat and grabbed the feet of my two companions. They, too, were taken out of the boat and chided for their cowardice in trying to usurp the place of women and children. Fortunately, they didn’t see me, and I remained where I was, and I felt the boat being lowered into the water and I could hear the voices of women and children, and also the orders of the seaman in charge of the boat. I couldn’t understand him, but he seemed to be cool. When we had reached the water, I was numbed through from lying in the cold water in the bottom of the boat, and I knew that I would soon have to crawl out and expose myself. I did so, and one of the men at the end of the boat called to me and told me to take an oar. I was injured in the crush in the steerage and hurt my arm, and found that i was not able to use it. He swore at me and told me to sit down and keep quiet.

Saw People Sinking

“Upon looking around I saw that our boat was only half filled, and that the sea all around us was strewn with struggling men and women who were calling for aid. Many passengers were on the deck which we had just left, and this man in the boat, Major Puechen, who was not a sailor asked the officer in charge to go back and fill his boat with more women, but he refused, and we kept on our way. I think we dragged in three men when we were quite a distance from the sinking vessel. One of these men was dead, and we had to throw his body back into the sea. We burend small lamps until the Carpathia came and picked us up. She had no difficulty in finding us as most of the boats were joined to each other by painters and torch candles were burned throughout the night to guide the rescue vessel to us. When we got on the Carpathia I was given whisky, and my arm was dressed by the surgeon. He said it was badly fractured. When I arrived in New York, I was questioned by many officials, and after being given $30 in cash was sent on my way to Brantford. My chum Arsen Siraganian, was saved, but the other four who were with me int eh boat were lost. I never saw nor heard of them again. Nor did I see anything of the others who comprised our party. They were nearly all married men, but were coming out to this country to pave the way for their families.’

“Kricorian said this morning that his arm was still paining, and he will be sent to the hospital this afternoon.

“Thrilling Story: Armenian Survivor Relates His Experiences”

The Hamilton Spectator, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

April 25, 1912

“David Varthanian, an Armenian, 24 years of age, one of the steerage survivors of the Titanic, arrived here last night to join Brantford friends. Four of Varthanian’s comrades, who were bound for Hamilton, were lost. The young man, through an interpreter, told a thrilling story of the disaster from the viewpoint of the steerage passengers, who had just finished a concert before the ship struck. Nearly all had retired and were awakened by revolver shots from the officers.

“When Varthanian and his comrades got up, they were ordered to remain in the back of the ship and put on life belts. All obeyed orders except a hundred for whom the supply on hand was short. About half an hour after the crash all the steerage passengers had to move back, the water getting into their apartments. Varthanian, with a number of others, found a boat and threw it into the water and all jumped. He was later pulled in, and there were so many different nationalities that none understood each other. The Titanic went down when the foreigners were about 30 yards distant. The sinking of the boat drew all the foreigners back into the water again, but Varthanian was again fortunate enough to get picked up. They waited until daylight, when they were picked up by the Carpathia. Varthanian stated emphatically that while there was excitement among all classes, the orders of the officers were enforced rigidly. He saw the captain, who was very cool. The Armenian spent three days in a New York hospital, secured a new suit of clothes, a ticket for Brantford, and $10 before leaving.”

Titanic accounts of two Armenian passengers in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

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