Benjamin Guggenheim, heir to mining magnate Meyer Guggenheim, dressed in his finest suit, had a glass of brandy and smoked a cigar as the Titanic sank. “Tell [my wife] I played the game out straight to the end. No woman shall be left aboard this ship because Ben Guggenheim was a coward.”
As [his mistress & aid] reluctantly entered Lifeboat No. 9, Guggenheim spoke to the maid in German, saying, “We will soon see each other again! It’s just a repair. Tomorrow the Titanic will go on again.” Realizing that the situation was much more serious than he had implied, as well as realizing he was not going to be rescued, he then returned to his cabin with [his valet] and the two men changed into evening wear. Rose Amelie Icard wrote in a letter, “The billionaire Benjamin Guggenheim after having helped the rescue of women and children got dressed, a rose at his buttonhole, to die.” The two were seen heading into the Grand staircase closing the door behind them. He was heard to remark, “We’ve dressed up in our best and are prepared to go down like gentlemen.”