Did Quartermaster Hichens really tell Molly Brown to “shut that hole” in her face?
In scene 286, the women in boat #6 are listening to the screams of the people in the water. Molly Brown wants to have the boat go back and rescue more people. She says, “I don’t understand a one of you. What’s the matter with you? It’s your men back there! We got plenty a’ room for more.” Hichens replies, “If you don’t shut that hole in yer face, there’ll be one less in this boat!” Hichens never said this. While fascinating to read, the passage about Brown and Hichens runs for several pages in Colonel Gracie’s book and is too long to be reproduced here. Hichens was described by Mrs. Candee as “…cowardly and almost crazed with fear all the time.” (Gracie, p. 179) In fact, Molly Brown did more or less assume command of the boat in time, to the point where she threatened Hichens with being thrown overboard (Gracie, p. 182). However, the line that Hichens says in the movie actually came from boat #8. Mrs. J. Stuart White’s testimony at the American inquiry: “Our head seaman was giving or
