When the RMS Titanic hiton iceberg on April 14, 1912, even the ship’s staff was in a state of panic. Noone stepped up to the plate to take charge. In fact, most of the staff wererunning around just as frantically as the passengers.

So, our boy Charles steppedin.

这时候，我们的主角查尔斯登场了。

Charles was head baker andfittingly, his first order of business was sending loaves of bread to thelifeboats so people would have food to last until they were rescued.

查尔斯是船上第一烘培师，凭借着这个身份，他下达的第一个命令就是将大批面包送至救生船上，以便人们在被营救之前有食物充饥。

He continued by helping othersonto their boats until he reached his own. Only instead of hopping on, heforced a group of women and children on, saving their lives.

同时他继续帮助旅客和船员有序地登上救生船，直到来到自己那一艘前。但查尔斯并没有登船，而是命令一组妇孺取代自己的位置，使他们得以生还。

The icy water filled the shipquickly and Charles was fully aware that his chance of survival was slim atbest, so he did what any person would do: get drunk out of their mind.

冰冷的海水迅速灌入船舱，查尔斯很清楚自己生存的希望已经微乎其微，因此他做出了所有人都会选择的举动：喝他个酩酊大醉！

He went to his cabin and gotas much whiskey as he could. On his way, he threw chairs into the ocean forpeople to use as flotation devices.

他回到自己的船舱内把所有威士忌酒都翻了出来，与此同时，他还不忘边走边向海中扔椅子，以便落水的人们可以用来抓住漂浮。

And then he jumped off theboat, into freezing water.

然后他就从船上跳进了冰冷的海水中。

He spent hours in the unforgivingAtlantic ocean.

他在无情的大西洋里坚持了数个小时。

Most died in minutes.

大多数人几分钟就被吞噬了生命。

The alcohol coursing throughhis body fought off the cold and kept him alive.

体内流动的酒精此时成了他的救命稻草，帮助查尔斯抵御寒冷，挣扎求生。

“I was just paddling andtreading water,” he said.

“我能做的就只有不停踩水让自己不沉下去而已。”他说。

As dawn broke, he found alifeboat and swam towards it, only to find that there was no space for him.

破晓时分，他发现了一艘救生船，可当他奋力游到近前才发现，上面并没有再容纳任何人的空间。

Luckily, another nearby boathad room and he managed to climb on. They were rescued soon after and there wasno illness or injury to even prove he’d been in the water.

幸运的是，查尔斯成功登上了附近另一艘还有一席之地的救生船。很快他们就获救，并且落水的遭遇并未对他身体造成丝毫损伤。

Charleswould go on to join the Navy and died at 78, living a full life thanks to somewhiskey.

查尔斯后来加入了海军并一直活到了78岁，这一切都归功于那几口威士忌酒。