Armenian News Network / Groong
They Escaped Turkish Persecution Only
to Die with the Sinking of the Titanic
Armenian News Network / Groong
February 5, 2007
by Katia M. Peltekian
Years ago while studying in Halifax, Nova Scotia (Canada), by chance,
I came upon the grave of an Armenian who was buried at the Fairview
Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, along with 120 others who had lost their
lives in the Titanic disaster in 1912. At the time I didn't think much
about it. As many Armenians, I was also brought up with the notion
that I would find an Armenian under any stone anywhere in the world. I
have to confess, I actually chuckled at this man's headstone when I
thought, 'Even on the Titanic?'
Last summer, I had the opportunity to again visit Nova Scotia, a small province with a population of less than 1 million people. As a student, I had come to like the small city of Halifax that lies on the Atlantic and has one of the major harbors in Canada - a harbor that had welcomed Armenian survivors of the Hamidian massacres in the late 19th century. The province has one of the most beautiful shores in the world. And driving along the coast, I used to enjoy taking pictures of the many lighthouses or watching the whales swim near the rocky shores. The only problem for me was only a handful of Armenians lived in Nova Scotia.
One of the reasons I went back to Halifax again was to visit the grave of M. Der Zacarian. I was curious to find out more about this Armenian who had lost his life with the sinking of the Titanic. I was also curious to know if there were other Armenians on board that ship. Because the Titanic sank near the shores of Nova Scotia, most of the bodies that were recovered were buried in the city of Halifax. And Der Zacarian, a lone Armenian, was also buried there, perhaps forgotten and abandoned.
The largest ship of its time, the Titanic left Southampton, England on its way to New York City on April 10, 1912. It was reputed to be the safest ship ever built, so safe that the builders believed 20 lifeboats were more than enough. It carried around 2,200 crew members and passengers who ranged from the world's wealthiest to the poorest refugees. The passengers were accommodated in three classes: the first luxurious class accommodated 329 passengers, the second class had 285 passengers, and the third class was taken up by 710 people. The crew of the Titanic was comprised of 899 personnel.
Four days into the journey, on April 14, just before midnight, the Titanic hit an iceberg. The collision was fatal and the ship began to sink. Although each passenger was issued a lifejacket, less than half could be accommodated on the lifeboats. Two hours and 40 minutes after the collision, the Titanic had sunk completely. The next day, another ship, the Carpathia rescued only 705 survivors from the lifeboats. 1522 had lost their lives.
I went over the list of names of the passengers and located no Armenians in either the first or the second class. However, in the third class list, I came across the names of 6 Armenians. According to the registers of the Titanic, 5 of these Armenians were from the town of Keghi in the Armenian province of Erzeroum, and one was from 'Abosknak' (which could be Akkonak). The six were identified as laborers and all had boarded the Titanic at Cherbourg, France. Of the six, 4 lost their lives.
It was interesting that 5 were from Keghi, which was an administrative district of Erzeroum province, and its district seat was in Keghi-Kasaba. According to sources, Keghi was made up of 363 large and small villages, 51 of which were Armenian. The estimated population of the district at the beginning of the 20th century was 60,000 out of whom around 20,000 were Armenians.
The economic conditions, the Turkish persecution of the Christian minorities, and the sporadic massacres of the Armenians at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century compelled many to leave their towns seeking a better life in North America. And the Keghetsi were no different. In fact, in 1911 alone a few thousand young Keghetsi men had immigrated to the US as general laborers in many North American industries.
According to one young man from Keghi, he and 7 other Keghetsis were joined by 4 from Moush and 4 from Erzinga. Together, they walked for 7 days to Trebizond on the Black Sea and sailed to Marseilles (France). They had stayed at the Keghetsi "hotel" in Marseilles, where their compatriots had cared for them. This young man was fortunate; he was waiting for money sent by his relatives in the US to be able to sail to America. The money arrived 3 weeks late. (I. Kaprielian, "Immigration & Settlement of Armenians in S. Ontario") However, five of the Keghetsis managed to get tickets on the Titanic.
THE FOUR VICTIMS
According to the Titanic records, of the four Armenians who lost their lives in the sinking, only one body was recovered, and is buried in Halifax. The bodies of the other three were either not recovered or not identified. The following information about the victims is recorded in the Titanic files. It is to be noted that names could have been misspelled by the Ship's staff.
a) Name: Mr. Maprie Der Zakarian Age: 22 years Last residence: Keghi, Turkey Class: 3rd class passenger Port of embarkation: Cherbourg, France Ticket Number: 2656 Ticket price paid: #7, 4 shillings, 6 dimes Destination: Brantford, Ontario, Canada Buried: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
When Mr. Der Zakarian's body was recovered, it was tagged as #304 with the following description:
No. 304 - Male - Estimated Age, 26. Dark Hair and slight mustache. Clothing - Blue suit; striped shirt, brown pants, three shirts. Effects - 80 francs in gold; $12.50 in gold in purse; empty purse. Third class ticket. Name: Mapri Der Zacarian
b) Name: Mr. Sarkis Mardirosian Age: 25 years Last residence: Keghi, Turkey Occupation: Farm laborer Class: 3rd class passenger Port of embarkation: Cherbourg, France Ticket Number: 2655 Ticket price paid: #7, 4 shillings, 7 dimes Destination: Brantford, Ontario, Canada
According to records, Mr. Mardirosian was an Armenian-American whose family was traced to Beirut, Lebanon. He owned an antiques shop in Lyons, France. Most probably. he was visiting his family and relatives in Keghi.
His body, if recovered, was never identified.
c) Name: Mr. Artin Zakarian Age: 27 years Last residence: Keghi, Turkey Occupation: General laborer Class: 3rd class passenger Port of embarkation: Cherbourg, France Ticket Number: 2670 Ticket price paid: #7, 4 shillings, 6 dimes Destination: Brantford, Ontario, CanadaMr. Zakarian's body, if recovered, was never identified.
d) Name: Mr. Arsen Sirayanian Age: 22 years Last residence: Keghi, Turkey Occupation: Farmer Class: 3rd class passenger Port of embarkation: Cherbourg, France Ticket Number: 2669 Ticket price paid: #7, 4 shillings, 7 dimes Destination: Brantford, Ontario, Canada
Mr. Sirayanian's body, if recovered, was never identified.
On July 13, 1912, Gochnak, the Armenian weekly from New York City, published a letter sent by the Patriarchate of Keghi informing the deaths of four Keghetsis in the sinking of the Titanic. Although the letter gives the correct names of the victims, there is no mention of the victims' ages:
In the three cemeteries where the Titanic victims are buried, there are graves of unidentified passengers whose headstones bear only numbers. In recent years, with the advance of science, some of the remains of the bodies were identified by DNA tests and the names were added to the gravestones. However, there remain many nameless graves which could be of the Keghetsi youth who had escaped Turkish persecution only to die on the Titanic.
THE TWO SURVIVORS
Looking at the list of passengers by class, it was noticeable that most of the 1st class passengers were able to go on the lifeboats, and survived the sinking of the Titanic. Very few of the 710 passengers from the third class survived the disaster. However, many male passengers from the 3rd class were let on the lifeboats to man the oars. The following information about the two Armenians who survived is provided by the Titanic records.
a) Name: Mr. David Vartanian Date of Birth: April 15, 1890 Last residence: Keghi, Turkey Class: 3rd class passenger Port of embarkation: Cherbourg, France Ticket Number: 2658 Ticket price paid: #7, 4 shillings, 6 dimes Destination: Brantford, Ontario, Canada
Mr. Vartanian was one of the 47 survivors who had escaped on Lifeboat #13, although he claimed he was on board a collapsible boat. He arrived in New York City on board the rescue ship The Carpathian on April 18, 1912.
The records describe Mr. Vartanian as a 22 year old from Turkish Armenia, the son of Azadia Vartanian and Sierma Agoyan. A laborer, Vartanian lived in Oror township of Keghi. He was married to Bajer Vartanian who stayed behind in Keghi. After disembarking in New York, Vartanian, along with the other Armenian survivor Mr. Krekorian, left for Canada where he worked for a few years. Later he moved to Pennsylvania, and then to Michigan where he married again and had a son and two daughters. He passed away in Detroit in August 1966 aged 76.
b) Name: Neshan Krekorian
Date of Birth: May 12, 1886
Last residence: Abosknak, Turkey
(note: the town could be Akkonak in Moush province)
Occupation: General laborer
Class: 3rd class passenger
Port of embarkation: Cherbourg, France
Ticket Number: 2654
Ticket price paid: #7, 4 shillings, 7 dimes
Destination: Brantford, Ontario, Canada
According to one source, Krekorian did not have a ticket for the Titanic and had to bribe a travel agent in Marseilles to get on board. When the Titanic hit the iceberg, Krekorian managed to make his way up to the deck just as Lifeboat #10 was being lowered down. He jumped for it and landed on the boat, saving himself. The boat carried 28 other passengers and 2 able seamen. After landing in New York City, he left for St. Catherine's, Ontario (Canada), married Persa Vartanian in 1924 and had 4 children. Krekorian worked all his life on an assembly line at General Motors Automobile Company. He died in St. Catherine's in May, 1978 at the age of 92.
Kerkorian had related his story as the following:
It started with a muffled bang. Krekorian, 25, heard a crash at about 11:40 p.m. as water began seeping into the watertight compartments near the steerage area where third-class passengers were staying. Kerkorian continued: "In a minute there was chaos and confusion. Women rushed hither and thither and then the lights went out and we were all left in the dark. Everybody seemed to lose their heads and just stand about and shriek. The lights flickered back and steerage passengers relaxed a little." They slipped on their life jackets and Krekorian dressed warmly. As it turned out, some of the European and Middle Eastern immigrants in the lower sections may not have had a chance. By law, the steerage passengers were separated from others presumably to prevent the spread of infectious disease. Iron locks hindered their escape. Several locked doors had to be axed-open by Krekorian and others as they struggled to the outside decks. On deck, the scene was calm at first, but over the next two hours, things deteriorated. When the passengers realized there weren't enough lifeboats to go around, panic spread. Fathers and older males gave comforting words to their shrieking families who were separated from them and directed to the lifeboats. As the head of the ship nosed into the Atlantic, it was obvious the end was near. Crew members dealt harshly with male passengers trying to save themselves. Krekorian had claimed later that in that chaos there was no law of the sea that women and children could go first. He saw some throwing women and children overboard because there wasn't enough space for everybody. The crew shot men who leapt into these lifeboats. (Titanic: The Canadian Story by Alan Hustak).
Of course many stories were told about the men, especially those in the 3rd class who survived the disaster. There was even a headline in one of the newspapers which read "Armenian Who Dressed in Women's Clothes to Get off Titanic." Kerkorian denied it and according to witnesses he actually used a rope to leap into lifeboat #10 and save himself.
In addition to these Armenians, the Toronto Star ran an article on April 19, 1912 entitled "Poor Peasant and Multi-Millionaire Together in Death," in which it mentioned yet another Armenian who died with the sinking of The Titanic. According to this article, Mr. Nardji Narsini, an Armenian peasant, kissed his pregnant wife, placed her in one of the lifeboats and said to her: "Maria, perhaps we never meet again, but some day you tell our child how I died." Nardji lost his life, and his wife Maria became the ward of charity as soon as she disembarked the rescue ship The Carpathia. The article continued, "Maria Narsini lost everything she had in the world: the linens she had made against the day of her marriage, the feather bed lining - they were her marriage dot - and Nardji had saved up $100 in addition to the price of the steamship tickets, and this too was lost." However, these two names (or similar sounding names) do not appear on either the passenger lists or the crew lists of The Titanic. It is to be noted that the ship's records do state that their lists are incomplete.
It is ironic that these Armenians fled from a nightmare thousands of miles away only to face a new disaster. What happened to the families they had left behind when the Turkish army entered the Armenian villages and began massacring the innocent? These young men were hoping to settle down in Canada and bring over their families. Mampre Der Zacarian had a wife and a child. Haroutyun Der Zakarian left behind a wife and three sons. Sarkis Mardirossian left behind a pregnant wife and a son. David Vartanian, one of the survivors, was married when he left Keghi, but years later he remarried when he settled in America. Had he received news that his wife did not survive the terrible massacres perpetrated by the Turks in the province of Erzeroum? Would these victims have survived the Genocide had they stayed in their towns with their families?
With such stories, it is distressing to know that one can find an Armenian anywhere in this world.
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