Jane Hogan was born in Derreen, Mullagh, County Clare, Ireland, on the 21st November 1873, the daughter of Michael and Margaret Hogan (née Honan). The family were farmers.
It is believed that she had originally left her home in 1895 and settled in New York City, in the United States of America. However, in the spring of 1915, she decided to return to Ireland.
As a result, she booked herself a third class passage on the Lusitania, for her journey across the Atlantic and boarded the liner on the morning of 1st May 1915, in time for the vessel's last ever sailing out of the port, which began just after mid-day.
The liner was scheduled to leave the Cunard berth at Pier 54 in the city at 10.00 a.m., but this sailing was delayed until the early afternoon as the
Lusitania had to take on board passengers, crew and cargo from Anchor Liner
Cameronia which the British Admiralty had requisitioned for use as a troop ship at the end of the previous month. Then, six days later, on the afternoon of 7th May, the
Lusitania was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-20 off the southern coast of Ireland and only hours away from her Liverpool destination.
Unlike many third class passengers, Jane Hogan survived this action, and having been rescued from the sea, she was landed at Queenstown and taken to the hospital there, mainly with an ankle injury, and was only discharged on 11th May. She also had other injuries, which she outlined when she gave an account of her experiences to the press.
This account was printed in the morning edition of The Cork Examiner for Tuesday 18th May 1915, and stated: -
On the fatal day about two o'clock, she heard a crash and then saw the men fall on the deck at her feet. She ran as fast as she could to the first cabin, and a gentleman there placed a life-belt on her, while the crew were ordering the passengers to get into the boats. It struck her when she saw the men fall that there was something wrong with the section, which prevented the boats being lowered. After a short time, the vessel went down, and she went with it.
"I was five hours in the water; not a tack of clothes had been left on me, and my box was valued at 300dols. The company suggested to procure me clothes and I declined the offer. The clothes I have on now belong to my sister. I have been twenty years in America.
You can see my left arm is all black, and other parts of my body are also swollen. I am presently under the car of Dr. Hillary and Nurse Hogan. All the marks received were from floating wreckage coming in contact with me when I was in the sea. When I went into the water the first time, my pocket book was taken out of my hand. I cannot now walk without the assistance of the nurse. All my belongings have been lost.
It would be about be about seven o'clock when I was picked up, and I was brought to the hospital at Queenstown. I can still fancy the awful scene and the surroundings during that fatal moment, and it makes me shudder to think on. How good Almighty God has been to me when I think how all my comrades were lost."
Continuing, Miss Hogan said that she could remember six of her women companions having a hold of each other's hair, clinging to each other. All of them went down under her eyes, and this occurred during the lowering of the boats. "I fancied myself would be the next to go under." she said. "Fortunately, I had all my money pinned to the inside of my corset."
Although she survived, her health was damaged as a result of the sinking and as a consequence, once she had got back to her native home, she applied to The Lusitania Relief Fund, for compensation. Her case could not have been considered a very strong one, however, for the fund only awarded her a payment of £5-0s-0d.! It had been set up after the tragedy by the Lord Mayor of Liverpool and a group of local businessmen, to help alleviate financial distress caused by the sinking, to second and third class passengers. It was considered that saloon passengers would be financially comfortable enough not to need this help!
Jane Hogan married a local man named Michael Moroney, but when and where they married is not known. It is believed that the couple had no children.
Jane Moroney died in Clonadrum, Mullagh, County Clare, on the 12th December 1953, aged 80 years, and was interred in the local cemetery. Her husband had pre-deceased her.
Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths, Ireland Catholic Parish Registers 1655 – 1915, 1901 Census of Ireland, 1905 New York State Census, 1925 New York State Census, New York Passenger Lists 1820 – 1957, Cunard Records, Cork Examiner, Clare Journal, Liverpool Record Office, PRO BT 100/345, UniLiv D92/1/8-10, UniLiv D92/2/151, Graham Maddocks, Stuart Williamson, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.