Malakah Atā Allāh was a passenger on Titanic.
Background[]
In 1894, Malakah Atā Allāh was born to Sim'ān Yūsuf 'Atā Allāh and his wife. She came into this world in Beirut, Syria which was under Ottoman rule at the time but since 1920 it’s the main capital of the Lebanon. She was the younger sister of Susian.
When she grew up, she worked as a seamstress. In 1911, she lost her mother. This could have made her decide to seek out her father who lived in Texas, USA. Yūsuf Hānī Ibrāhīm-Shawah was her brother-in-law and husband of elder sister Susian. The pair had also seen the necessity of going to Texas but an eye infection stopped Susian and her children from coming. Malakah was now on her way with Yūsuf.
Titanic[]
On April 10, they found passage aboard the mighty new vessel called the RMS Titanic in Cherbourg. This ship was ultimately luxurious, even for Malakah and Yūsuf who were in Third Class. From a tender they were brought to the ship in the evening.
On April 14, the impossible happened. An iceberg was directly in Titanic’s path but could not be perceived until she was less than half a mile away. Quick action was taken to move out of the way, but the Titanic’s rudder was too small to make her turn fast enough, even when the engines were put in reverse. There was not enough time and Titanic’s bow scraped against the iceberg on the starboard side. The direct collision was evaded, but this one was more deadly. The openings that occured over a great length of Titanic’s hull were enough to put tons of water into the ship.
On April 15, midnight, Titanic’s captain Smith knew what was awaiting them. He had to evacuate as he heard from the ship’s designer that it wat mathematically impossible to keep her afloat. Titanic’s fate was sealed. The lifeboats were uncovered and swung out. It’s not known what Malakah and Yūsuf did but they could not get off the ship safely. She and Yūsuf became victims of the tragedy. Their bodies were lost to the sea.
After her death[]
For Sim’an, the Red Cross made $500 available and Titanic Relief Fund gave him an extra $15.
He stayed in Texas were he kept peddling fruit and vegetables till 1929, when he passed away.