By Carla Charter

On April 15, 1912, the H.M.S. Titanic sank partway through its maiden voyage. Of those 2,224 passengers on board, 1,517 lost their lives in the freezing water. Despite the ship receiving repeated warnings about icebergs, at 11:40 p.m. on April 14, the Titanic hit an iceberg and sent out its first distress call.

Among those who received that signal was Eugene Bergeron, who lived on Freedom Street in Athol. Bergeron was 12 at the time and listening to his Crystal Detector Radio, which he had made himself.

“He liked stuff like that as a kid,” said his nephew Alfred “Blackie” Bergeron, adding he believed Eugene ran a length of wire along the roof to boost the signal.

The night when the Titanic sank, his nephew explained, his uncle heard the first call which in Morse code stated “Titanic Ship listing slightly, think we can break away under our own power. Captain assured passengers, ship is unsinkable.”

Next to Eugene in his bedroom sat his 7-year-old sister, also listening to the call. Eugene stayed up until the early hours of the morning, translating the Morse code and writing it all down. The last message from the ship came across at 2:10 a.m. on April 15.

The next day, Eugene went out on the street and told several people what he had heard. Everyone thought he had been dreaming, until the paper was published announcing the sinking of the ship, according to his nephew.

Among the papers announcing the sinking of the Titanic were the Orange Enterprise and Journal who on Aug. 19,1912 reported that “The sinking of the giant steamship Titanic with a death toll of 1,312 (reported at that time), a calamity so startling in it’s horror so widespread in it’s attendant woe, that it is difficult to grasp it’s terrible significance.”

Eugene Bergeron’s interest in radios continued as an adult. He graduated from the Marconi Radio institution in New York City, became a Merchant Marine Radio Officer and served as a naval Aviation Specialist in the U.S. Navy for 11 years. He also served as an instructor at Camp Gordon, Ga. Signal School. He spent 17 years living and working in Panama in the area of the Canal Zone. He also organized the Marine Biological Research Association, according to his nephew.

Bergeron had an interest in seashells and collected them from around the world. The younger Bergeron remembers his uncle bringing shells home for them when they visited.

Eugene Bergeron wrote two books, one entitled “How to Clean Seashells,” and another entitled “Irritants In a World of Disorder,” on the dangers of tobacco use, according to his nephew.

Carla Charter is a freelance writer from Phillipston. Her writing focuses on the history of the North Quabbin area. Contact her at cjfreelancewriter@earthlink.net.

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