Emil Taussig was a First Class Passenger of the RMS Titanic when it sank on its Maiden Voyage on April 15, 1912.
Biography[]
Mr Emil Taussig is believed to have been born in Eisenbrod, Bohemia on 20 June 1857. He was the son of Solomon Joseph Taussig , a manufacturer of children's clothing, and Rosie Pick. His family were Jews. He spent his childhood in Bohemia and/or Vienna and had two siblings: Annie (1859) and Jennie (1861). His mother died at a young age and his father was remarried around 1863 to Charlotte Bundig (1844). From that union he gained six half-siblings: Rosa (1863), Olga (1868), Otto (1870), Maximillian (1872), Jacob (1873) and Flora (1875).
The family emigrated in 1866, leaving Hamburg aboard the Germania on the 14th of January that year, settling in Manhattan. His father naturalised in 1875. The family was resident in Manhattan in 1880 and Emil, then aged 23, was described as a store clerk. He later became President of the West Disinfecting Company in Buffalo, New York. Emil's 1912 passport describes him as standing at 5' 7½", with brown hair, a fair complexion and an oval face. He was married on 18 January 1883 to Ruth Mandelbaum (1862), the daughter of a New York tobacco merchant. Their only child, a daughter named Mary, was born towards the end of 1883.
The family appear on the 1900 census as residents of 1335 Madison Avenue, Manhattan and Emil was described as a disinfectant manufacturer. In 1903, Mary had wed to John Davis Weller, and in 1904, they had two children - Tillie and Millie. By the 1910 census, Emil was still one of the residents of Madison Avenue, later living at 777 West End Avenue by 1912. Emil and his family later went on Vacation to Vienna together.
Titanic[]
Following the visit to Vienna, the family needed to get back home, so Emil, his wife, daughter and granddaughters boarded the Titanic at Southampton as First Class passengers (joint ticket number 110413 which cost £79, 13s). Emil and Ruth occupied cabin E-67, while across the hall was the rest of his family. Their cabin was a switchable cabin which could be Second or First Class depending on the amount of passengers on board during the voyage. On the night of the sinking the Taussigs were reportedly alerted to the danger by German steward Alfred Theissinger, he telling them "You better put on your lifebelts and rush out on deck." "Is it as serious as all that?" asked Mr Taussig. "Yes, hurry" was Theissinger's reply. Mr Taussig escorted his family to a lifeboat, which was number 8, before standing back, despite the pleas from Millie and Tillie to have him join them. According to an unreliable account, Mr Taussig was seen standing with Isidor Strauss and "Mrs. Bucknell's father". As far as historians are aware, Mrs. Bucknell's father was not on board.
According to Colonel Archibald Gracie IV, at about 12:30 A.M, as he went to the Smoking Room, he saw Emil sitting alone and unresponsive in a chair, with his hands cupped in his lap, and he stared into space. Nearby, a man was reading a book and a gang of cards players had their final hand. By now, it the bow of the ship was beginning to become flooded with the rapidly rising water. Mr. Gracie asked if Taussig was going to "go for it?", and Taussig did not even look at him, seeming remorseful, accepting, catatonic and unresponsive.
By 1:50 Emil Taussig had recovered from this state and was seen on the Boat Deck standing on the forward bulwark by the Bridge as Collapsible D was being loaded up with women and children. He was reportedly seen ushering reluctant women into the boat, one of them having been wrapped in a blanket by him, as he said "You won't want to catch your death of cold, ma'am, so best keep warm.". He then stepped back and the boat lowered without him.
He remained on the port side of the ship standing near the empty lifeboat davits, looking off onto the horizon of the ocean where the 8 starboard boats were lowered off. All around him, the panicked crew tried to pull the last lifeboat off of the roof, the water began to rapidly slosh onto the deck at a fast pace, the lights were glowing a hellish red, the angle of the ship climbed higher, and the screams grew louder. According to less reliable reports, Mr. Taussig jumped off of the ship near where lifeboat 6 was launched and tried to help women from the water onto floating deck chairs. His body, if recovered, was never identified.
Fake Testimony[]
There were plenty of fake survivors, including a notable Mr. Phillip Porter, born in the early 1890s, presumably 1891 through 1893. He fabricated a lot of fake stories and fake testimonies over many names, including Kenneth Jones and Edmond Porter. In one of these fake testimonies he put himself as "Sir Edward Charles Wilhelm III", a high-ranking official from the kingdom of Zeliom (a fictional place), and as a First Class Passenger who was loosely related to Mrs. Bucknell, who he claimed was around 16 years old at the time. During the sinking, "Edward" took Bucknell to lifeboat 8, and practically tossed her into the lifeboat. He then conversed with his friends Emil Taussig and Isidor Strauss, with Emil telling Isidor "and the water didn't appear to be rising that much."
At around 1:30 A.M, well after the launch of lifeboat 8, Emil was still standing with Isidor and "Edward", when Emil remembered that he had left a dog (the Taussigs did not own a dog.) and a valuable sum of around a million dollars in his cabin. "Edward" and Isidor followed Emil Taussig down to his cabin, E-67, but found water up to their knees on E-Deck. Isidor Straus commented that he wanted to turn back soon but Emil was insistant. When they reached the cabin water was ankle-deep. They rescued Emil's dog and the million dollars when they noticed the lights beginning to flicker out. Out in the hall water was waist-deep and a massive wall of it was about to smash into them. They ran up a stairwell to escape, ending up in the First Class Galley. "Edward" led the men out into the Dining Room, and then up the Grand Staircase through the Reception Room. By that time, 1:45, the Reception Room was three steps from the water.
Isidor split up from the group, and "Edward" followed Emil around the Boat Deck before they set Emil's dog onto one boat, reportedly number 13. Moments later, according to "Edward", they saw Chief Steward Andrew Latimer standing with Chief Doctor William O'Loughlin and Chief Purser Hugh McElroy. Emil told Latimer to "get in a damn lifeboat", and Latimer replied "I do not wish to take a seat from a lady.". Shortly after, "Edward" ran to the forward section of the Boat Deck and saw the water creeping up the crew's staircase on B-Deck, and he panicked. He ran to find Emil, and by now it was 2:05 A.M. He found him in the First Class Smoke Room sitting alone in a chair with his hands cupped in his lap, staring into space and unresponsive. It wasn't until Gracie asked if he would make a try for it that Taussig told Gracie "There's still plenty of ladies on board. They can't get off. Why should I?" before turning away from the conversation. Emil then took one last cigarette before the screams outside began to grow louder and the lights flickered to a dim hellish red. The cardsplayers finished their game, shook hands and left, Gracie ran outside, and "Edward" ran forwards through the First Class public rooms. "Edward" was found out to be a fake for several reasons. He said that he sighted survivors Richard Norris Williams, Colonel Archibald Gracie IV, and Emma Bucknell. None of those survivors recognized him. And, "Edward" said that he had seen dozens of dead First Class women. Only four or five females from First Class were killed. He was fined $50 for the time and effort he wasted into the investigation, although he quickly gathered himself, changed his attire as much as he could, and faked another survivor testimony. It's assumed he had faked up to 150 fake personas with false rumours around survivors and victims and some outrageous stories about the Captain before he died in 1976, at the age of 83.
Legacy[]
The West Disinfecting Company later issued a notice that Mr. Taussig, their president, died.
Popular culture[]
Roblox Titanic: Reimagined[]
Emil Taussig portrayed by FunBricks1 in Roblox Titanic: Reimagined
Emil Taussig only appeared in the film Roblox Titanic: Reimagined which released in 2023. He was portrayed by FunBricks1, had only had a few scenes, but was a prominent background extra. He is last seen in the Grand Staircase as it dies, resembling Astor in the 1997 film.
The death of Emil Taussig in Roblox Titanic: Reimagined