In 1912 a 27-year-old Swiss farmer named Albert Wirz decided
to come to Beloit, Wisconsin, where his step-Aunt, Maria Brown,
had found employment for him in a Beloit machine shop. Maria,
whose sister Lina had married Albert’s father after the
death of his first wife, had come to Beloit with her son Adolf.
She married Terrance Brown, and at the time of Albert’s
trip they resided at 1208 Fifth Street, near the intersection
with Middle Street; the property is now a part of the parking
lot across from the High School.
Albert’s parents were very reluctant about his sailing to
America, fearing a terrible accident according to one account.
But he was determined, and on April 8, 1912, he boarded the train
at Uster, Switzerland, and set out for Southampton, England.
Albert was traveling with a friend, Anton Kink, and his family,
who were emigrating to Milwaukee. They boarded the awaiting ship
on April 10 as third-class passengers, surely impressed with
what was then the largest ship in the world; Albert and his companions
had booked passage on the Titanic for its maiden voyage.
Albert shared a cabin on G deck with Anton, Anton’s brother
Vinzenz, Leo Zimmermann, Josef Arnold (who was traveling to New
Glarus, Wisconsin), and an unknown Bohemian passenger. Their
cabin was seven decks below the boat deck, and near the bow of
the ship. Anton’s wife, daughter and sister were berthed
in the stern; in third-class men and women’s quarters were
separated, the men forward, the women aft.
As is well known, the Titanic struck an iceberg at 11:40 on Sunday
evening, April 14. Most passengers barely noticed the collision,
many having retired for the evening. But on G-deck near the bow
Albert and his companions were close to the impact. Anton Kink
and his brother rushed to the forward well-deck in time to see
an iceberg (probably not the same iceberg that was struck), and
then Anton went to the stern of the ship, where he rejoined his
wife and daughter. They made their way to the boat deck where
they entered Lifeboat 2; with women and children being put in
the lifeboats, Anton might have perished, but was saved because
he jumped into the boat when his wife and daughter cried out
for him.
At 2:20 a.m. on the 15th the great ocean liner sank into the
sea, claiming over 1500 lives. Anton’s cabin-mates were
all lost, including Albert Wirz. In interviews with survivors
Albert was never mentioned, but he must have found his way to
the boat deck with his lifebelt on, because he was one of the
few victims recovered.
Albert’s body was found on April 24, identified and assigned
number 131 by the cable ship MacKay-Bennett, employed by the
White Star Line to search for and retrieve victims of the sinking.
Following is the description recorded of Albert and what was
found in his possession:
No. 131 - Male - Hair Dark. Mustache, Fair
Clothing - Dark suit; woolen socks; buckle shoes
Effects - Two watches; brass chain; one ink pot; match box; knife; memo book; insurance book; passport; keys; empty purse; purse containing 36c
Third Class Ticket No. 315154
Name - Albert Wirz
The MacKay-Bennett was heading to Halifax, Nova Scotia, but
before arriving, the mark of identification on Albert was somehow
lost. A description to re-identify his body was needed, so the
Beloit representative of the 
White Star Line, Ernest C. Dahlberg, was
contacted. A jeweler by trade, Dahlberg’s shop was on Grand
Avenue just west of the bridge. He sent a description of Wirz,
presumably obtained from Mrs. Brown; in the meantime Albert’s
body lay unidentified in the morgue at Halifax. Finally on May
7 the New York White Star office communicated the following:
The White Star office at New York wires that the identification of Albert Wirz is positive. Will forward body to Beloit at our expense. Wire us immediately to whom body should be addressed.
Albert Wirz’s body arrived in Beloit on May 11 and was
met at the train by Mr. & Mrs. Brown. The hermetically sealed
zinc casket was immediately sent to Meehan & Son’s undertaking
parlor, coincidentally located across from Dahlberg’s shop
on Grand Avenue. The funeral was held Sunday, May 12, in City
(Oakwood) Cemetery, and conducted in German by the Rev. Peter
Pichler of the German (St. Paul’s) Lutheran church. Interestingly,
the two papers of the day had conflicting views on the size of
the group that attended the service: The Beloit Daily News stated
that “a large crowd of people witnessed the funeral services
for Albert Wirz,” but the Beloit Daily Free Press said that
“only a handful were in attendance upon the last rites for
the young man.”
The Browns presumably couldn’t afford a marker for their
nephew, so the grave remained unmarked for over 80 years. Günter
Bäbler of Switzerland, founder of the Swiss Titanic Society,
rekindled the memory of Mr. Wirz’s story. Through Günter
and Floyd Andrick’s efforts, Albert’s grave received
its long overdue marker, which was dedicated in a ceremony held
September 5, 1996. Rev. Charles Larson of St. Paul’s Lutheran
church led the memorial service, just as his predecessor Rev.
Pichler had 84 years previously.
Of the many lives lost in the Titanic sinking, only 336 bodies
were recovered, and of those over 100 were buried at sea. The
rest were taken to Halifax, where most were buried in three local
cemeteries. Only 59 of the victims were buried outside of Halifax,
and only 3 in Wisconsin (the other two are buried in Green Bay
and Milwaukee.) This April 15 will mark the 90th anniversary
of the Titanic’s sinking and the death of a young man coming
to Beloit. Summing up the tragedy of Albert Wirz’s death,
the May 11, 1912, Daily News had the following to say:
“His journey is finished. He has reached the place he set out for. But no ruddy cheeked [Swiss] lad will add his wealth of energy and labor to the industries of Beloit. Instead a little mound in the city cemetery marks the consummation of his life’s hopes and incidentally brings home to the people of Beloit, the great ocean tragedy that shocked the entire civilization of the present day and will go down in history as one of the [great] disasters of [all] time.”
For more information on the Titanic, visit Encyclopedia
Titanica.
Ticket and watch photos courtesy Günter
Bäbler of Switzerland.
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