Two Titanic Passengers

A Titanic Victim: J.J. ASTOR IV richest man in the world NO.124 - MALE - ESTIMATED AGE 50 - LIGHT HAIR & MOUSTACHE. CLOTHING - Blue serge suit; blue handkerchief with 'A.V.'; belt with gold buckle; brown boots with red rubber soles; brown flannel shirt; 'J.J.A.' on back of collar EFFECTS - Gold watch; cuff links, gold with diamond; diamond ring with three stones; £225 in English notes; $2440 in notes; £5 in gold; 7s. in silver; 5 ten franc pieces; gold pencil; pocketbook. FIRST CLASS. NAME- J.J. ASTOR IV He helped his wife to safety on a lifeboat And then stood smoking on the brig of that doomed ship Sang-froid with bells on, a heroic man Seven days later, his body was recovered He had asked to join his pregnant wife in the lifeboat Turned back by a First Officer Charles Lightoller. Women & children first He accepted his death like a stoic Heroic to the end, on the starboard wing of the ship Till the freezing water claimed him Madeleine, his 18 year old wife, her maid & nurse survived Astor was seen at the end, in the ocean, clinging to a raft His feet were frozen, he was forced to release his hold. No amount of wealth can outrun death Four months later, Madeleine bore his son. A Titanic Survivor: Sir Cosmo Edmund Duff-Gordon Cosmo's wife was a fashion designer (Madame Lucile, a divorced woman) He was an Olympic fencer A sheriff near Maryculter As a sportsman, a top ranked performer He was also a pistol dueller With his wife and her secretary Theirs was a first class cabin Expecting a trip exemplary A doomed trip, on board the Titanic The ship struck a fatal iceberg Unstoppable sinking brought panic Only twelve on one lifeboat, not killed Duff-Gordon, the secretary, his wife Twenty eight places not filled Duff-Gordon was at the inquiry He'd given one sailor a fiver To gain a lifeboat's security He stated the money was gifted For the sailor to buy new clothes But the press had him guilty, convicted Of telling the crewmen to sail Away from the drowning and dying So the boat might not flounder or fail Posterity won't know the answer Only those at the sinking can tell Duff-Gordon - survivor or chancer?