After five years in America Gunnar Isidor Tenglin decided to return to Sweden. But in 1912
he determined to return to Burlington and to settle there. He boarded the Titanic at
Southampton, his cabin-mate was fellow Swede
August Edvard Wennerström.
Tenglin said that third class on the Titanic was as good as first class on most other steamers.
On the night of the disaster, Tenglin retired to his berth about 8 o'clock and was awakened
by the shock of striking the iceberg.
He and Wennerström were rescued in Collapsible A.
He would recount the events of that night to a Burlington reporter a few days later:
"It was not a hard shock," said Tenglin, "but my friend and myself, finding the engines stopped,
thought, we would go up and investigate. I put on all my clothes but my shoes and we went
to the forward deck. The deck was covered with particles of ice. We I asked an officer if there
was any danger and he said 'No; go back to your berths and go to sleep.'"
"We did not go back, however, but walked to the rear deck. There a scene of panic prevailed.
The English, Swedish, Irish and German passengers were the most composed, but the Italians
were greatly excited. They were swarming up on deck, in all stages of undress, carrying baggage
of every description. They were crying, praying and wringing their hands. As we were perfectly
sure the boat would not sink, their antics seemed amusing to us. In fact we stood around about
an hour or more watching them, enjoying what we considered their unnecessary fright."
"Seeing that everybody was donning life belts, we thought we would go to our stateroom and
procure one. We descended to the gangway, but were met with a rush of water that compelled
us to retreat to the upper deck again.
We could feel the boat gradually sinking and as they had commenced to launch the lifeboats, we
set about thinking of our own safety. We walked along from one lifeboat to another, but officers
and crew were keeping the men back and loading the women and children.
I noticed a number of boats that had been loaded on the upper deck stop at the second deck to take
on women there. In many of these boats were men, but the officers made them get out and give
place to the women."
"The lifeboats all gone, it looked to us as if we were doomed to perish with the ship, when a collapsible
lifeboat was discovered. This boat would hold about fifty people and we had considerable trouble getting
it loose from its fastenings. The boat was on the second deck and the ship settled the question of its
launching as the water suddenly came up over the deck and the boat floated."
"There must have been fully 150 people swimming around or clinging to the boat and we feared it would
capsize or sink. We had no oars, or anything else to handle the boat with and were at the mercy of the
waves, but the sea was calm. There was no way to sit down in the boat and we stood up in knee deep
in ice cold water, while those on the edges pushed the frantic people in the water back to their fates,
it being feared they would doom us all."
"The shock of the cold water and the fright caused many to succumb. I do not know how many died on
that lifeboat. One big Swede named Johnson was kept busy throwing the corpses overboard as we desired
to make the boat as light as possible to increase its buoyancy. One woman was stark crazy, her mania taking
the form of embracing the men. There were three men insane, but they made no attempt to jump overboard.
It seemed to us as if we had been standing up in that boat for a week, when it was in reality only about six
hours. I was number with the cold. I had no feeling in my hands or feet, as you will remember I did not put
on my shoes when I left my stateroom, although I had on my overcoat. It could not have been over twenty
minutes after we launched our life raft from the deck of the Titanic that the big liner sank."
"When we were picked up by the Carpathia, there were only twelve of us left. The lifeboats got pretty well
separated during the night, as some left from the port side and some from the starboard side of the ship,
pulling away in different directions. After we boarded the Carpathia, I saw two of our lifeboats turned bottom
side up."
"The Carpathia remained on the scene for about two hours, picking up the lifeboats and moving slowly about
among the wreckage and the ice. It appeared to us as if the ocean was carpeted with dead. There were
corpses floating everywhere." "While we were right among the icebergs, some of them pretty high, there
was one in particular that looked as if it had been turned over. There was a big gash in the ice, which was
supposed to be where it had been struck by the Titanic. At any rate, it was of most peculiar formation.
The Carpathia skirted along a field of ice or an iceberg for about 150 miles, I was told, but did not go fast."
"Aside from the panic among the Italians when the boat first struck, I did not notice much other panic. There
was no shooting on our side of the boat, but we heard the sound of shots from the other side.
I saw Captain Smith only once during the voyage and that was the day before the accident. He came into the
third cabin quarters and told some of the crew who had been loafing there, to keep out and threatened to
impose a fine of $5 on each member of crew who was found among the passengers. I did not see the captain
on the bridge, as stated. Neither did I hear the band playing. I may have seen Colonel Astor and the rest, but
would not know them."
"When the ship went down there was a tremendous shrieking and groaning. It was awful and continued for some
time, but we were having our own troubles on our boat and did not pay much attention."
"While I was still on the ship I saw two Swede girls who were in a lifeboat jump overboard, when they observed
some of their friends who had been left behind. One old man named Lindahl, when he became convinced the boat
was sure to sink, said: 'It's no use, trying to get away. I'm an old man and I will not be missed. I will go down to my
berth and wait the end.' I guess he did as he disappeared in the direction of the sleeping apartments. One big fellow,
also a Swede, became literally paralyzed with fright. He stood with one arm extended like a statue, unable to move
a muscle. I know of one Swedish woman who, with her four children, was lost. Another woman lost her husband,
brother, son and uncle. These folks were all steerage passengers. I think there were more of the crew saved than
the steerage people." "We in the steerage did not know anything about being among icebergs until the Titanic hit
one.
I lost everything I had. I had about $30 in a suitcase, concealed well, as there had been several robberies among
passengers the day before the accident. When we got to New York we got $25 from some relief committee, $5
from a man who was giving away money right and left and $10 from the Salvation Army. We were also fitted out
with clothing. I got a suit of clothes, overcoat and other attire and a first-class ticket to Burlington, which had been
my destination, my ticket having been lost with my other effects."
"It was a terrible experience and when I look back at it, I can scarcely believe my good luck in getting away, there
were so many chances against me. I think every woman and child on the boat could have been saved if they had
forced them in the boats."