Uusi Suometar
02 June 1912
[Uusi Suometar was one of the most reputable newspapers
of its time in Finland. In the 2nd June, 1912, issue there was an
article based on an interview with Anna Turja. It states the following:]
The roommates of Anna Turja were Hedwig Turkula (65 years), Sofia Laitinen,
Maria and Katri Jussila and Helga Hirvonen (22 years)
with her 2-year-old child Hedwig. Miss Turja was already sleeping at
the time of the collision and she didn't know anything about it until her roommate
Sofia Laitinen woke her up, telling her that something had happened
to the ship and that there was some commotion among the passengers up
on the deck. Soon after a young Finnish man appeared at the door of the cabin,
too, and said: "Get up or soon you will be at the bottom of
the ocean." When Miss Turja got dressed and got up on the deck with Miss Laitinen,
she noticed a lot of commotion and movement. Many people fainted and
were not aware of anything. Generally, the Finns were in no panic and
they had gathered in the music room on the deck to listen to music. As late
as half past twelve in the night Miss Turja had been listening to music.
(...)
When Miss Turja visited the cabin of Miss Panula,
the poor wife was dressing the sleepy and crying children in a
hopeless and panicky state. "We will never get away from here alive,"
she said to herself in despair.
The Finnish women had decided to stay together in
order to get to the rescue ship together that they had been waiting for.
They had no urge to get in the lifeboats but thought that they should let the
hastiest get in them first. Only the elderly Hedwig Turkula went to a
lifeboat and grabbed a sailor by the coat button, and she was lifted to
a lifeboat. Miss Turja didn't panic. Together with Miss Laitinen, they visited
their cabin, where they also had something to eat. There they could
be in peace; elsewhere, there was noise and commotion. Miss Turja was saved in
the next to last lifeboat. Her friend Miss Laitinen had asked her to go with her
on the uppermost deck, but when she got there, Miss Turja turned instinctively
back and got on the second class deck, where she was lifted into a lifeboat by
the rescue crew. After that she didn't see Miss Laitinen, who went down with the
ship. She didn't see any other women on deck either. She thought that the
Finnish women had gone on the uppermost deck to wait for the rescue ship.
Thanks to Kalman Tanito for this clipping.