Mrs. Thayer was saved in one of the lifeboats, while her son was rescued after a most exciting experience on an upturned boat, upon which he clambered after struggling on the icy water for some time.
According to Thayer’s account there was an explosion as the Titanic sank, this explosion forcing him a considerable distance and probably saving him from being drawn in by the suction as the steamer went down. His statement follows:
“Father was in bed and mother and myself were about to get into bed. There was no great shock. I was on my feet at the time, and I do not think it was enough to throw anyone down.
“I put on an overcoat and rushed up on ‘A’ deck on the port side. I saw nothing there. I then went forward to the bow to see if I could see any signs of ice. The only ice I saw was on the well deck.
“I could not see very far ahead, having just come out of a brilliantly lighted room. I then went down to our room and my father and mother came on deck with me, to the starboard side of ‘A’ deck. We could not see anything there. Father thought he saw small pieces of ice floating around, but I could not see any myself. There was no big berg.
“We walked around to the port side and the ship had then a fair list to port. We stayed there looking over the side for about five minutes. The list seemed very slowly to be increasing. We then went down to our rooms on ‘C’ deck, all of us dressed quickly, putting on all our clothes.
“We all put on life preservers, including the maid, and over these we put our overcoats. Then we hurried up on deck and walked around, looking out at different places until the women were all ordered to collect on the port side. Father and I said good-bye to mother at the top of the stairs on ‘A’ deck on the port side and we went to the starboard side.
“As at this time we had no idea the boat would sink, we walked around ‘A’ deck and then went to ‘B’ deck. Then we thought we would go back to see if mother had gotten off safely, and went to the port side of ‘A’ deck. We met the chief of the main dining saloon and he told us that mother had not yet taken a boat and he took us to her.
FATHER LOST SIGHT OF FOREVER.
“Father and mother went ahead and I followed. They went down to ‘B’ deck, and a crowd got in front of me and I was not able to catch them, and lost sight of them. As soon as I could get through the crowd I tried to find them on ‘B’ deck, but without success. That is the last time I saw my father.