Mubārak Abī'sī

**Mubārak Ḥannā Sulaymān Abī'sī** was a passenger on *Titanic.*

## Background

Mubārak Ḥannā Sulaymān Abī'sī was a native of Hardīn, Syria which is now part of the Lebanon since 1920. This small mountain village, laying the Beqaa Valley, was the home of many migrants who would later go to America. Also living here were John Simeon Āsī and Mary Anthony of who Mubārak was a son, born to them on 10 April 1885. He had one older brother whose name was Simon, born one year prior. A younger brother, Alex joined the family in 1888 and they were given a daughter in 1892, followed by yet another girl named Minnie in 1893.

Mubārak worked on a farm for most of his early life when growing up. His siblings left for America later in the 1900’s. First it was Simon who began a new life in Port Huron in 1906. In 1911, Rose crossed the Atlantic Oceans as well to live in Pennsylvania. Now, in 1912, Mubārak who hailed from a catholic family, wanted to come to America his Patriarch advised him to not emigrate, even though he wanted to follow the example of his sister and brother in 1912. For the Patriarch, it was nothing but greed.

Mubārak didn’t listen and in March 1912, he tagged along with a large group from Hardīn, who also wanted to emigrate to the United States. Many of them were going to reunite with their family. The people were headed for Beirut first, from where they sailed to Marseilles in France.

## *Titanic*

The group from Hardīn had intended to take a ship from Marseilles to the U.S. But once they were there in Southern France, they changed plans and went for after hearing of the grand and unsinkable *Titanic*, which would dock there in a month. So they waited first. Then, when it was a train brought them via Paris to Cherbourg in the North of France. On the evening of April 10, the *Titanic* came over from Southampton, England across the Channel to take on more passengers in Cherbourg harbor. Mubarik was with newlyweds Antūn and Silanah Yazbak, Mrs Amīnah Mubārik and her sons as well as Thamīm Tannūs with her brother Charles and her son A’sad when a smaller tender brough them to the ship. The voyage now began for the Syrians. They were in Third Class.

On April 14, the mostly straightforward trip was abruptly aborted by an incident. As *Titanic* had to navigate through an icefield at high speed, an iceberg was in the way but the lookouts didn’t see it until it was too late and couldn’t be avoided. A port manouvre with the engines reversed was not enough to prevent *Titanic* from hitting the berg. The ship has scratched her hull on starboard side against the big wall that exceeded the Boat Deck in height. Gashes appeared underneath the water line which caused seawater to flow into the ship immediately and fast.

Mubārak was in his cabin sleeping at the time. The collision appears to not have gotten him out of his sleep, but a cousin came to him to tell that he felt a shutter. Mubārak dressed very quickly, with the bare minimum of footwear and leaving all his belongings behind.

After midnight on April 15, the Captain had investigated the damaged with the ship's designer and they concluded she would founder. Then, the captain gave the order to ready the lifeboats. In the confusion, not being able to speak English, Mubārak made it to the Boat Deck at a late time. He got onto lifeboat 15, but how he managed to board the boat is something only he must have known, as he must have felt shame for saving himself that way and later was given flack for it. He therefore later invented mitigating circumstances to explain his survival or pretended it was luck. There were versions that he was pushed back by officers, however that would make no sense as men were allowed in the starboard boats. Another story goes that he jumped, another that he had taken a child with him. He even once said they had shot at him and some women in his boat had to hide them after they took pity. If the version of the officers pushing him back was true, then he must have been at Collapsible C, where shots were fired.

## After the sinking

The lifeboats were picked up by the *Carpathia* which had sped to the scene of the incident as soon as she could manage, when *Titanic* gave her the CQD-signal and cöordinates via wireless telegraphy. *Carpathia* was there at 4:00 A.M, but it took a few more hours to collect all boats and surviving people. Having taken care of that, Carpathia sailed to New York to bring *Titanic*'s former passengers and crew on land. Mubārak disembarked on April 18.

His brother had come to see him when he was treated at Saint Vincent’s Hospital, where various other Syrian *Titanic* survivors where bedridden too, like Thamīmn and As'ad Tannūs. He would travel with them on a train to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, where Mubārak had friends and relatives he could visit. They got their on the 21st. Whilst here, he and Mrs Tannūs were interviewed by a local paper. When that was done, he went to Port Huron in Michigan where he had another relative named Hanna Hassey, whose last name was likely an anglicized version of Abi’si.

## Later life

He was given the hand of Hanna’s daughter Elizabeth and they married in Croswell, Sanilac, Michigan on 9 September 1912. Originally born as Elizabeth Āsī, she was 7 years younger. The Hassey couple remained and dedicated part of their life to the catholic faith and the St Stephen’s Church. Through naturalisation, Mubārik Abī'sī continued life in America as Bert Johns.

He moved to Marlette, Michigan after working three years in factories in Port Huron. While his wife operated a fruit farm, he was an industrial laborer in factories. Bert changed profession later, working for 15 years as a manager of his own cafe, Bert’s Tavern.

His family relates that he was deeply affected by the sinking of *Titanic.* He had spoken to the press on various occasions, but either the newspaper or Abi’|Si himself fabricaed a lot as the contradictions couldn’t be larger when all his accounts are laid down next to eachother. This was due to the fact that he  He was consumed by thoughts of it every day of the 40 years he lived after *Titanic*. He was a very sad man. He told his story to very few people, for he was harassed and tormented for saving himself in a lifeboat half full of people, although lifeboat 15 was completely full when it left.

Bert Johns passed away at his home on 2 February 1952 at the age of 66. Mount Hope Cemetery in Port Huron. His wife joined him in 1970 after she passed too.

## How his story came to light

For the sake of his family, Bert didn't want his story to be told any sooner than 50 years after his death. by friends, Marlette attorney, Ward Atkins, and Bert's friends and business associates told the story to Carl Sandburg, who wrote a book about Bert 100 years after *Titanic* had hit the bottom of the sea. It was called 'Lifeboat 15'.