April 14th, 1919
From the diary of Rose Dawson It was freezing cold that night. All I can recall clearly was that it was freezing cold. I was lying on top of a piece of wood of some sort, with the man I loved with all of my heart clutching my hand for dear life. I saw lights, and then heard "Is there anyone alive out there? Can anyone hear me?"
I called out my love's name repeatedly and to my horror, realized that he had frozen to death. I realized that I had to keep my promise to him to survive, but I didn't want to leave him. I also realized that our hands were frozen together. I pulled and after what seemed like hours, disconnected my hand from his. I saw a frozen crewman nearby and saw a whistle in his mouth. I had to get that whistle, but to get it I would have to let Jack's body sink to the bottom; he wasn't wearing a life jacket.
I whispered that I would never let go of my promise, and let Jack's hand slip from mine. His body, frozen yet limp, sank. I crawled off the door and slipped into the cold water. Shivering, I made my way over to the crewman--and his whistle.
I snatched the whistle from the crewman's lips, shoved it into mine, and blew as hard as I could. The boat turned around and came back. Someone lifted me into the boat and covered me with a blanket. I thought of Jack, our passionate kiss on the sinking stern, and how he had changed the course of my life. What I didn't know that moment was that I had not lost anything at all.