James Kelly was a Greaser on the Titanic, not to be confused with James Kelly, a Third Class passenger, as well as James R. Kelly, another Third Class passenger.
Background[]
James Kelly was an Irishman that saw the outside world for the first time in 1868, in County Meath. Further elements of his background are not present, such as info about who his elders were or any possible sisters.
At an early age, he cleared off from his motherland, to venture at the littoral zones, to boost his chances for faculties. While discovering and developing himself, he found a woman from his own, former country. Her name was Mary Conlan. She was birthed in Country Monaghan, nearing her twenties while James was closer to 30 years old. In 1897, he got spliced with her. Mary and James had chosen Seaforth in Lancashire as their dorm, with James picking up jobs as Fireman at sea.
Their live got busier as they had to attend their love for Margaret, their only daughter since 1898. Another James could be seen in 1900. He would be a Sontonian by birth, like his sister. He would never get to know her, as she had departed from life in the same year as she was begotten. Two more sons had joined the family by 1902 and 1908: respectively called Francis Richard and John. It is feasible that they lived in Liverpool by then, as both boys had sprung into earth’s life there.
Kelly meanwhile had augmented a palatial resume with the two most sumptuous ocean liner companies, the White Star Line and the Cunard Line. Kelly had committed his to the significant, better-known steamers such as Luciana, Teutonic, Cedric, Campiana and Oceanic between 1890 and 1909. Opting to maximize on job oppertunities, James senior followed White Star Line in their relocation of their vessels’ home port. Liverpool was the harbor that their liners initiated their voyages from, on the way to America, but during the 1900s, the concern had picked Southampton as the essential port to commence the trips.
That last year, James had set about a new life in Southampton with his family. Kelly was Roman Catholic, like many Irishmen. He would often go to the Saint Patrick’s Church in Woolston, Southampton, for the services. In 1911 he continued to do so while still being a stoker of Woolston. James junior and Franics were scholars.
Titanic[]
On April 6, 1912, Kelly had left the Saint Paul to be apprised with the Engineering Crew of the pinnacle of the White Star Line: RMS Titanic. It would be a step up from the ladder, as he was usual a coal feeder in the bunkers. As a Greaser for this majestic new breakthrough of a ship, he would regularly see the Turbine Engine Room as well as the Recipocrating Room. Greasers had to nourish the immense engine components with a mixture of wax and soap, to help the gears click and not grind. Various other tasks would also be done at the ordainment of an Engineer.
Loud and sonorous, Titanic’s whistles were heard, with 5 minutes to go before she would be making her way from the docks, on the 10th of April. Titanic was expected to make the crossing in a sound and stable way and in the next few days, everything was looking like this was the way to go.
Nobody anticipated the turbulance that disrupted Titanic’s baptize as a scheduled liner. On April 14, the captain had understood that ice was in the area along the Labrador Current and he sensibly re-routed the Titanic a bit southward in the afternoon but also had turned up the revolutions of her propellors, meaning she was doing 22,5 knots, on the night that two look-outs came face to face with an iceberg, with one of them, Frederick Fleet, frantically appealing for the presence of an Officer by ship’s bell and telephone, when Sixth Officer Moody on the bridge finally moved the horn to hear him out. In short terms, Fleet delivered the message of what he had seen and Moody was about to tell First Officer Murdoch, who already stormed into the bridge and hustled Quartermaster Hichens to impel Titanic’s bow into the port direction, as to not have a head-on collision, which would have been better in hindsight. Murdoch furtherly employed the Engine Crew to drop off the speed.
This would all not prevent Titanic from continging with this giant, whose tip extended above the Boat Deck. The ice skimmed over some over the first 300 feet of steal and ripped small rents in it. There was now nothing prevented the water from coming in. The worst of it all was that despite being devided in 16 compartments, Titanic had 6 of them receive damage underneath the water line.
Captain Smith perceived the contact and headed quickly to the bridge. After more information was given, he addressed the ship’s carpenter to go and have a look, before also bidding Fourth Officer Boxhall to do the same. Just when Boxhall was back with nothing to show for it, a Mail Clerk was all stressed out and revealed that the Mail Room was under. In 10 minutes, water had conquered much of Titanic’s lower decks already. Master builder Thomas Andrews, who had envisioned this ship, also felt the disturbance and came to advise the captain. Captain Smith and Andrews pried into the stricken areas near the bottoms and saw how water was taking over.
They were back on the bridge at midnight, April 15, where Thomas despensed his sequitur. This would be Titanic’s last voyage. There was so much water on its way, the pumps would not be able to get it out and the watertight bulkheads would be inundaned. Captain Smith had to act fast and a decision from the bridge came at 12:05 A.M. The lifeboats needed to be operated to relief the ship of most of the passengers.
Smith must have been staggered as he proved ineffective during his evacuation. It took so long, that the 2 hours that Titanic had been given by her architect, passed with still 2 lifeboats left to be dispatched. Before this could be done, Titanic took a dip and casted everyone out of one of the boats, before the ocean swallowed more and more of the forward Boat Deck in a surge of inflow.
Between 2:07 and 2:15 A.M, more of her highest decks were taken into the deluge, while the afterend of the ship had found its way up. In the next three minutes, it was off-setted even more to be raised well above the water, before it was all disassembled.
At 2:20 A.M, much of what Titanic had dispersed after her break-up, was floating on the place where Titanic had been afloat moments before.
James Kelly’s insight into the disaster is not available. With no body left, we can hardly paint a picture of his time onboard. If he ever got off the ship is unknown, but he was not on a lifeboat nor was he rescued. He was another case of life gone too soon, among 1503 similiarly unfortunate souls.