Dr. Robert James Bateman (1860 – 1912)

*R.M.S. TITANIC DISASTER VICTIM – MAN OF GOD*
*FLORIDA’S ONLY TITANIC VICTIM*

Imagine you are a passenger on the RMS Titanic and you wake up to learn that the ship will sink within the hour. You know that the ship is hundreds of miles from any shore and that there are only enough lifeboats to save women and children.

After giving your loved one a hug and kiss, you watch helplessly as she disappears by lifeboat into the darkness.

Now, you scan the faces of those left behind with you. The drawn glare of their faces says it all; “We’re going to die!” It would be at this moment that the true nature of a man would be revealed. You watch in dismay as several passengers, unable to endure the wait of their destiny, jump overboard into chilly waters, never to be seen again.

Suddenly, the ship you are left aboard seizes and stands vertically in the water tossing everything on its deck into the freezing water. The piercing pain of freezing water engulfs your body while total darkness adds to the misery. Now, hundreds of other passengers in your situation scream in agony and claw in desperation. Your senses cannot absorb the overload. You can only pray for a rapid death. Only the tiny oil lamps on the lifeboats hundreds of yards away are visible.

But, at least one real victim, Dr. Robert James Bateman of Jacksonville, Florida, was at peace knowing that he was departing to enter the heavenly warmth of God’s Kingdom.

In seconds, all was eerily silent. The non-swimmers would drown first and sink straight to the bottom of the vast ocean. When swimmers attempted to save non-swimmers, some were pulled under due to the sheer fright and survivor instincts of the non-swimmers.

Additionally, the weak elderly unable to hold on would slip below the surface. Debris chunks slam into others pulling them beneath the cold dark waters.

Finally, hypothermia (death in seven minutes from the freezing waters) attacks the remainder making it impossible for them to stay afloat.

Thrashing about lessens their survival time in freezing waters.

Those fortunate few who could pull themselves onto large floating debris would freeze to death as well.

Miraculously, three people left on board the sinking Titanic found some means of survival on their own and were rescued by those in lifeboats. The lifeboats could have saved others but were warned not to attempt such a maneuver since frightened drowning passengers might overwhelm and swamp the lifeboat to the detriment of everyone on board.

Robert James Bateman, Florida’s only Titanic victim, was born on October 14, 1860. By 1881, he was ordained a minister (21 years of age). He traveled to Europe where he served as a pastor in Wales, Ireland and England.

Whether he grew weary of religious service or just needed to earn money to survive, Reverend Bateman later joined his father in the construction industry. His father was a mason, and Robert served as his apprentice.

The “calling” pulled Reverend Bateman back into religious service. Florence Crittendon Mission in Baltimore, Maryland, beckoned Reverend Bateman to serve as its Superintendent, a job which Bateman accepted with pleasure.

In the late 1890’s, he moved to Knoxville, Tennessee, where he founded his own non-denominational People’s Tabernacle church. He also traveled surrounding areas as an evangelist.

At the turn of the century, Jacksonville, Florida, had developed into a popular resort destination. The warm climate, combined with the huge influx of money from these tourists, created unexpected fallout of beggars, drug dealers and prostitutes.

In order to keep the downtown presentable and respectable, anyone not meeting certain standards was banished to the southern part of town named LaVilla. This included individuals that earned money from the street. Wealthy men would visit the area to satisfy their vices. Located just outside of downtown, LaVilla nearly touched the property of the new Duval County Courthouse. Reverend Bateman penned a poem about the LaVilla area:

“Foul Tenderloin, least wholesome spot in town,
Where vice and greed full many a man brings down…
Vile hovels of licentiousness and lees,
Haunts of base youth from which virtue flees;
How many hide behind your gaudy screen,
Where hollow happiness befouls each scene?
The dancers there, filled from the foaming cup,
Attempting each to hold the other up…
These are your “charms” dank section;
Spots like these, that on the morning after fail to please.”

Reverend Bateman heard of the need for a mission in Jacksonville and left his organization in Knoxville to start the Central City Mission. He was now fulfilling his calling and was responsible for saving many lives.

Daily, he made sure that those in need had hearty meals and a soul-saving sermon. His popularity grew, and soon he was invited into Jacksonville’s inner circles to provide them with spiritual direction.

Through his efforts, those with money sponsored his ongoing good deeds and charitable acts for those in need.

Early in 1912, his fate was sealed when he traveled to London to visit family and inspect a successful charitable center similar to his mission in Jacksonville. His sister-in-law, Ada E. Balls, was to return home to the United States, and Reverend Bateman agreed to accompany her. When purchasing their tickets, they were offered a special rate to return on the brand new RMS Titanic. It was an offer hard to ignore.

Unbeknownst to anyone, soon after the Titanic departed, Reverend Bateman took two postcards from the cabin desk and penned them to his wife and nephew. He mailed the postcards when the Titanic retrieved supplies in France.

According to the Belfast Telegraph newspaper (September 2007), one of Bateman’s postcards was only one of two cards mailed that surfaced years after the Titanic sank. In 2007, Dr. Bateman’s postcard was auctioned for $15,000 Euros.

The Titanic departed on Good Friday.

As the passengers waved confidently knowing they were on the “World’s Largest and Unsinkable Passenger Ship,” the ship left the dock.

Four days later at approximately 2:00 a.m., the ship struck an iceberg with such force that it ripped a huge sinking gash in its impenetrable armor. Earlier that evening, Reverend Bateman had held a service on board the ship. He requested that the band play “Nearer, thy God to thee.”

His sister-in-law claimed that she was one of the last passengers to abandon the ship. As her lifeboat was lowered into the water, Reverend Bateman’s last words to her were: “Put your faith in God. If I don’t meet you again in this world, I’ll meet you in the next.” Then, he removed his scarf and tossed it to her.

It is believed that, after the last lifeboat was cast off, Reverend Bateman convinced several men to help him unlock the gate that kept 3rd Class passengers below deck. His final act, according to his sister-in-law, was to lead the band in the hymn “Nearer, thy God to thee.” Several survivors were convinced this was the hymn they heard, but others dispute this claim.

Nearly three quarters of Titanic’s 2,233 passengers, who four days earlier had joyously waved toward the docks as the “World’s Largest and Unsinkable Passenger Ship” left port, were dead.

Sixty-percent of the second class passengers died that night.

Twelve days later, Reverend Bateman’s body was discovered floating face down in the Atlantic Ocean. He was identified by his jewelry and the contents in his pockets. On his person were a gold watch and chain, a fountain pen, a lighter, gold cuff links and a Masonic charm pin. According to the archives, he was the 174th deceased passenger recovered. This number was stamped on a badge attached to his toe.

According to records, his wife appealed to the Mayor of Jacksonville and a federal District Court judge to retrieve his remains.

Most First Class and Second Class victims’ bodies were taken to Nova Scotia where they were buried in a mass grave. Third Class passengers without identificaiton were buried at sea. To be respectful to the dead, the undertakers surmised each victim’s religious affiliation and bury them accordingly.

Finally, on May 6, 1912, Reverend Bateman’s body left Nova Scotia on a steamer for the long journey to Jacksonville. The steamer left for New York with 130 coffins (including Reverend Bateman’s), two chaplains, one undertaker and a “large quantity” of ice.

Before burial, a memorial service for Reverend Bateman was held. A tremendous number of city residents attended the service. Eleven ministers presided over his “hero’s style” funeral.

Reverend James Bateman was laid to rest in Evergreen Cemetery.

A simple flat ground level headstone marks Reverend Bateman’s actual burial site. One hundred yards away, a single lonely cenotaph contains the following words: “Dr. R. J. Bateman. Born on Oct. 16, 1860. Died on April 15, 1912. He lost his life in the wreck of the S.S. Titanic.” The cenotaph was erected and paid for by the Woodsmen of the World.

Eerily, several weeks after the disaster, his widow and nephew received their postcards. They were postmarked Cherbourg, France.

His wife’s postcard read, “I feel that my trip has not been in vain. God has singularly blessed me. We had a glorious revival… It was the Time of My Life.”

His nephew’s postcard read, “Tom, if this ship goes to the bottom, I shall not be there, I shall be up yonder. Think of it!”

When his widow and nephew pried open the Reverend’s locked rolltop desk in his office, everything appeared to be prepared and organized as though he expected not to return.

A hand-written card contained a poem Reverend Bateman wrote before leaving:

Do you shudder as you picture
All the horrors of that hour?
Ah! But Jesus was beside me
To sustain me by His power.
And He came Himself to meet me
In that way so hard to tread
And with Jesus’ arm to cling to
Could I have one doubt or dread?

The last survivor of the RMS Titanic disaster died on May 31, 2009. She was just nine weeks old and traveling with her parents when the disaster struck. Now, none of the survivors of the 1912 Titanic disaster are living.

*TWO TITANIC SURVIVORS (12 YRS. OF AGE IN 1912)*
*LIVED TO A RIPE OLD AGE*
*BURIED IN EVERGREEN CEMETERY, JAX., FLORIDA*

Two children, brother and sister, heading to Jacksonville, Florida, survived that fateful night.  They left their native country in order to join their father in America.

Louis Garrett died in 1981.   His sister, Amelia Garrett, died on March 8, 1970.  They are buried in separate family plots in Evergreen Cemetery.