The Barrett Family
Boiler Room (Olympic?)
View of a stoker's shovel underwater
Second Barrett: Clarke Thorell
Original Barrett: Brian d'Arcy James
Mr. Barrett resided on Bervios street in Southampton and was married with 4 week old twins, a boy and a girl, at the time the Titanic sailed on April 10,1912. Unfortunately not much more than this is known of Stoker Barrett before the 1912 disaster.
From the moment Barrett stepped into his job as leading firemen and into boiler room number six on the brand new ship there was trouble. Stokers in this hold were greeted with an out of control coal fire in the bunker. [It should be noted that this was not an unusual occurrence for the time.] The solution was to load the burning coal into the boilers as needed until it was used and the problem solved. This is just what was done and by noon Saturday April 13 the fire was out. From then until the next night at 11:40pm it was a quiet trip with frequent increases in speed.
At 11:40pm, Sunday April 14, 1912 Stoker Barrett was enjoying conversation with Second Engineer James Hesketh and is rumored to have been warming soup on one of the boilers when suddenly the red-light was seen on the clock face that meant shut the dampers. Before it could be done a crash came that poured two feet of water in stoke hold six. As the water poured in the water tight doors began to shut and Barrett and Hesketh just managed to escape to stoke hold five. They continued to work the furnaces in number five in an attempt to keep the lights from going out. At one point the lights had gone out and Barrett was told to go to the engine room for lanterns but by the time he returned the power was back up and running. For a time Barrett worked the pumps in number five and things seemed dry and under control, perhaps the only place on the ship that was. Many of the men were sent to their stations on B deck.
This was not to last however because in an instant the bulkhead between boiler rooms five and six would collapse. In a narrow escape Barrett, following orders, climbed the escape ladder to look down and see nearly eight foot of water in the formerly dry compartment. Swept under by the water were some of his fellow stoke mates. With no other choice Barrett headed to the promenade deck and the lifeboats.