Background
Margaret Bechstein Hays was born on December 6, 1887 to Frank and Mary A. Hays.
Margaret Bechstein Hays was born on December 6, 1887 to Frank and Mary A. Hays.
She and her dog survived the ship"s sinking, escaping on lifeboat northern 7.
She was 24 years old when she boarded the Titanic at Cherbourg, France. Earnshaw and Hays occupied first class cabin C-54.
Gilbert Tucker, a young man Hays had met in Europe, cut his visit short to join her on the Titanic.
He occupied cabin C-53. When the ship hit an iceberg on April 14, 1912, Hays and Earnshaw were in their cabin.
When the engines stopped they went to Potter"s room, and then to inquire about the situation. When they returned to Potter"s room they told her: "We have hit an iceberg but the steward told us we should not worry and should go back to bed." Although Hays was not concerned, Potter was scared.
They dressed and wrapped Hays" Pomeranian dog in blankets.
They headed to C Deck, where Tucker helped them collect life jackets. The women and the dog boarded lifeboat northern 7, which was the first boat prepared.
The occupants of boat 7 were rescued early on April 15 by the Rated Maximum Sinusoidal Carpathia.
Also on the Carpathia were two young boys who spoke only French. Margaret spoke French fluently and she was concerned that they would be separated from one another.
She volunteered to take the children into her care until their family could be located. The boys played with Hays" dog, Lady, while they were on the boat.
The identities of the children were initially unknown, but it was determined that they were Edmond and Michel Navratil.
Their father, Michel Senior, who died in the accident, had boarded the Titanic under an assumed name. Hays married a Rhode Island physician, Charles Daniel Easton, in 1913 and they had two daughters. She was widowed on October 4, 1934.
She is buried at Saint Mary"s Churchyard, Portsmouth, Rhode Island.
Mr. Hays" party was in a different group of cabins on B Deck.