due to stories from some sources about life saving after Titanic sank, only one female survived floating on a piece of life boat wood named Rosa Abott. Do you think her experience is adopted to the Titanic movie as the old woman/Rose de witt bukater?

-- karim,faisal (k4r1m@hotmail.com), December 26, 1997

Answers

Actually, while the character of Rose was fictional, she was indeed inspired by and even loosely based on the actual woman on the real Titanic. So the answer is true

-- Everyone calls me Pippi (SailrSn@aol.com), December 30, 1997.

Most likely! Many of the characters were probably inspired by the true passengers, living or not- prior to the movie, much research was done. Survivors were tracked down and asked to share their experience...So, yes, Rose could be the image of Rosa. As Jack could be the image of someone close to her or someone else...And many of the characters were actual people on the Titanic- Thomas Andrews, Molly Brown, the Captain, John Jacob Astor and his teenage wife were a few of the original passengers who were researched for the movie.

-- Liz Gerreaux (gerreaux@hotmail.com), January 03, 1998.

According to various contributions to web sites (read, unconfirmed reports), there was a female survivor from 1st or 2nd class who met a steerage class artist who was thought to have perished. Can anyone confirm this? Is this the same Rosa who another respondent mentioned as having survived the subfreezing waters?

-- Bob Gregorio (rgregori@pacbell.net), January 10, 1998.

I've learned there was a Rosa Abbott - 3rd class passenger - who survived. I don't think there was a 1st class survivor named Rosa. Still don't know if R. Abbott was the one who met an artist (if that story is even true) or if R. Abbott was rescued from the water (as opposed to lifeboat). Please advise if you know any of this.

-- Bob Gregorio (rgregori@pacbell.net), January 18, 1998.

According to Walter Lord (in "A Night to Remember"), Rosa Abbott was one of the swimmers who made it to collapsible lifeboat A (the boat Cal rode off on in the film), which was swamped as it floated off the boat deck. Of the thirty or so swimmers who made it to this boat, only Mrs. Abbott and a dozen male passengers survived, standing knee-deep in the freezing waters.

Cheers!

-- Kip Henry (kip-henry@ouhsc.edu), January 19, 1998.

Bob, I have also read that the fictional story in Titanic is loosely based on reality. However, I have never heard of a Rosa Abbott, althougth a J. Dawson did die on that fateful night and is buried in Canada. Who knows, maybe Cameron unwittingly re-created a real story.

-- Rose (rosemarie17@hotmail.com), February 09, 1998.

heres some information on Rosa Abbott

Mrs Stanton Abbott

Rosa (?Rhoda) Abbott, 35, of Providence, Rhode Island, was the wife of Stanton Abbott, a former middleweight champion of England, but had separated from him in early 1911. She was of medium height, had a dark complexion, and long, dark hair. Mrs Abbott supported herself and her sons Rossmore (16) and Eugene (13) by sewing. She was also a soldier in the Salvation Army.

In August of 1911 Mrs Abbott decided to move to England to live with her mother in St. Albanshurst, and she and her boys made the crossing to England on board the Olympic. It wasn't long, however, before Rossmore and Eugene became homesick for Providence, and Mrs Abbott eventually decided to return to the states for her sons' benefit. In April of 1912 she booked her little family's passage back to America as steerage passengers on board the Titanic. Rosa's cabin was close to that of Amy Stanley.

As the Titanic took her final plunge Rosa and her two sons jumped from the deck, Rosa managed to get into Collapsible A but the two boys were lost. The boat had been swamped as it was launched and it's occupants balanced precariously in knee-deep water boat until they were eventually picked up by Collapsible D. Fifth Officer Harold Lowe ensured the survivors were transferred and then opened the sea cocks. It drifted away with three bodies still in it, their faces covered by lifebelts.

Amy Stanley later recalled: "We were very close since we were on the Titanic together. And her stateroom had been near mine. I was the only one that she could talk to about her sons because I knew them myself. She told me that she would get [sic] in the lifeboat if there hadn't been so many people around. So she and her sons kept together. She was thankful that [the] three of them had stayed with her on that piece of wreckage. The youngest went first then the other son went. She grew numb and cold and couldn't remember when she got on the Carpathia. There was a piece of cork in her hair and I managed to get a comb and it took a long time but finally we got it out."

During the voyage to New York Rosa stayed in a makeshift bed on a padded sheet in the smoking room because her legs were badly damaged from the effects of cold water. Indeed, according to one source (Pellegrino 1988) her injuries were so severe that she did not stir from her cot on the Carpathia until New York and then spent at least two more weeks hospitalised. She was looked after from there by her church in Providence, Rhode Island.

What became of Rosa Abbott after this date is unclear.

-- James Watt-Smith (wpaa@magna.com.au), February 17, 1998.

James,

You are supposed to credit the site where you got your information from. I have been to this site and its www.encyclopedia-titanica.org

River Maheux

-- River Corbin Maheux (andymaheux86_@hotmail.com), January 09, 2003.

No Way!

Cheers!

-- Kieren David Johnston (mandude@Hotmail.com), September 09, 2004.