Alfred Nourney
Alfred Nourney , also known as Baron Alfred von Drachstedt (born February 26, 1892 in Nijmegen , Netherlands ; † November 15, 1972 in Cologne , Germany ) was a 1st class passenger on the Titanic .
Life
As a passenger on the Titanic
Alfred Nourney, son of a German mother and a Dutch father, booked a 2nd class ticket and boarded the Titanic in Cherbourg on April 10, 1912 . Shortly thereafter, he rebooked into 1st class at an additional cost of £ 38.00 and moved into cabin D38. He passed himself off as Baron Alfred von Drachstedt .
His obvious intention was to gamble with wealthy 1st class passengers to make a lot of money. For this purpose he bought jewelry, walking sticks, suits and other items for $ 2,130.00. His goals can also be guessed from a postcard that he sent from his mother Adele Wolff to Cologne on the second day of the trip from Queenstown : “Dear mother, I am so happy in my first class! I already know very nice people! A king of diamonds! Mister Astor one of the richest Americans is on board! A thousand kisses, Alfred ”.
On the voyage, Nourney sent two radio messages ashore on April 13 at 10:20 pm:
- Wolff Sachsenring Cöln: Wireless Grus. [ sic ]
- Jarkonska Rothgerberbach Cöln: Wireless kiss in love Alfred.
While the first radio message was addressed to his mother, the second was to a Mrs. Jarkonska, Nourney's alleged girlfriend.
On the night of the sinking, he was playing cards in the smoking room when the ship collided with the iceberg . Nourney and the two men were able to escape around 0:45 in lifeboat No. 7, the first boat to be launched that night and later rescued by the RMS Carpathia . A telegram addressed to his mother from there remained unsent: Wolff, Cöln Sachsenring: Titanic sunk! Rescued on board Carpathia. Cunard Line. Completely medium and dressless. Alfred.
After the rescue
After arriving in New York , he returned to Europe a few weeks later by ship . He settled first in Paris and later in Bad Honnef . Nourney became a representative at Daimler-Benz and in the 1930s a participant in motorsport races as well as a member of the “Rot-Weiß” tennis club in Bad Honnef. He married and had two daughters.
In 1962 he was interviewed by Süddeutscher Rundfunk about his experiences on the Titanic . He described the drowning noise as "like a siren".
Alfred Nourney died in Cologne at the age of 80 and was buried in the family vault in the Melaten cemetery .
Web links
- Alfred Nourney in the Encyclopedia Titanica
- Excerpt from the interview from 1962
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Nourney, Alfred |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Drachstedt, Baron Alfred von |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | 1st class passenger on the Titanic |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 26, 1892 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Nijmegen , Netherlands |
| DATE OF DEATH | November 15, 1972 |
| Place of death | Cologne , Germany |