Fahīm Filipe Rūḥānā al-Za'innī, also known as Philip Zenni, was a passenger on Titanic, the first to be rescued that was not from First Class, and the first Third Class passenger to escape in a lifeboat.
Like the names of so many other immigrants, his name was Anglicized by a well-meaning entry officer at Ellis Island. Zenni had left his wife and young son in his native country and sent for them after he reached Dayton, Ohio.
Biography[]
Mr Fahīm Rūḥānā al-Za'innī (Philip Zenni) was born in Tola Batron, Syria on 25 October 1886 the son of Fahim and Jamalie E. Zenni (1873-1956). His parents had married ca. 1893. He had a brother, Joseph Elias Zenni (a paper decorator b. 19 March 1894, d. 1952), and a sister. He had emigrated to the USA on 5 April 1906. He married Elsie (18 March 1895 - 22 May 1981) back in Tula, Syria, during the winter of 1911-1912.
Titanic[]
After the week in Tula he would board the RMS Titanic at Cherbourg as a Third Class passenger with ticket number 2620 (£7 4s 6d), to return to America, his newly wed wife would come over later. He had a cabin deep in the bow of the ship.
Sinking[]
On April 14, 11:40 P.M. Titanic had grazed an iceberg and was beginning to sink. When it became apparent to him that the ship was in some serious trouble, his survival skills and instinct jolted him. Despite the fact that his cabin was rapidly filling with icy-cold seawater and locked doors and waist-high gates were preventing his escape to the upper deck, he had found his way out of Third Class areas to the lifeboats somehow, probably by climbing to the Forward Well Deck, over a gate, up through the First Class Promenade and into the Boat Deck.
Rescue[]
Fahim ended up at the lifeboat 6. He had tried to take a leap several times, but the Second Officer, Lightoller had been standing there with a revolver in his hand and prevented the men from looking forward. When the officer looked away, Zinni took his chance, and landed in the middle of the lifeboat. He hid underneath the seats of the lifeboat. In his gratitude he grabbed an oar to help rowing. Fahim was the first Third Class Passenger to escape. As his lifeboat began to lower, a woman called up to the officer to get him to stop lowering the boat because only one sailor was aboard. A first class passenger and yachtsman Major Arthur Godfrey Peuchen stepped up and received special permission for being enough of a seaman, if he could make it into the boat via the rope, and climbed down.
The boat got to the water around 12:40 A.M. As Phillip was in the lifeboat, a worried woman asked him if he could please pray with her for the safety of her dog.
Later life[]
After Carpathia docked in New York on April 18, he went on to travel to Ohio and settle there. He worked as a machinist first, but then started selling sweets. His fresh bride came over weeks later. She gave birth to 4 children: Mathilda (Matilia) was born 12 April 1913 or 1914, Nazzare (Nazera A.) followed on 19 December 1919, Jeffrey on 2 December 1915 and Elizabeth (Frances?) on 11 December 1917.
Zenni toured around Ohio retelling stories of his time on the Titanic. These tours led him to be known as “Mr. Titanic.” His story included of course that he was on the same lifeboat as the “Unsinkable” Molly Brown. He had quite a few run-ins with the law. In 1920 he wanted US citizenship but he had a problem. He was suspected of assault on a certain Mr. Habeb Joseph, and thus his request for naturalisation was initially denied. But he was not found guilty. So in May 1924 they made him an US citizen at last.
In 1925, Fahīm owned a confectionery store and was found guilty of being in possesion of illegal liquor. A fine of $500 was handed out to him but he refused to pay and apparently dodged it, and wasn't around when they wanted to collect it. Then he went on to do more crime: he battered his wife and was apprehended. After being sent to the workhouse for several months, he came at his house to find it empty and found out the confectionery store had been sold by his wife. He put an advert in a newspaper to find his family and a reward for those who had any information on their whereabouts, but it's likely they never saw eachother again.
Zinni lived out his life in Ohio, where he died on 4 December 1927. The cause of his death was typhoid fever and broncho-pneumonia.
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