on http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Theater/7937/smith2.html
this is what I found:

There are different tales of Smith's death.

Philadelphia banker Robert W. Daniel who leapt from the sinking ship two minutes before she went down said. "I saw Captain Smith on the bridge. My eyes seemingly clung to him. The deck from which I had leapt was immersed. The water had risen slowly, and was now to the floor of the bridge. Then it was to Captain Smith's waist. I saw him no more. He died a hero."

Another tale comes from Collapsible B. At this time, the boat was overturned in the water, crowded with thirty men standing, sitting or kneeling in all conceivable positions, afraid to move for fear of losing their grip on the boat's hull while also trying to paddle away from the remaining swimmers using a loose board.

"Look out, or you'll swamp us, someone told A.H. Barkworth, one of the last to climb onto Collapsible B. "Hold on to what you have, old boy. One more of you aboard would sink us all," one of the crewmen called to another man in the water. In a powerful voice the swimmer called back, "All right boys. Good luck and God bless you." Several men would later claim to have recognized the swimmer as Captain Smith. He swam away for a short distance before becoming still.

Another story from Robert Williams, one of the firemen, says that when he was on the overturned Collapsible B, the captain was swimming close alongside me, and he had a baby in his arms. I saw him swim to one of the boats and hand the baby to someone, and the last I saw of him he was heading back toward the ship."

H. Maynard, an entree cook, claimed that while aboard a lifeboat, shortly after the sinking, Captain Smith swam up to him handing him a baby before swimming away. Harry Senior, a Titanic fireman, said he saw the captain rescue a child. A passenger, Charles Williams claims he saw "Captain Smith swimming around the icy water with an infant in his arms and a lifebelt. When the small boat Mr. Williams was in, went to rescue Captain Smith, he handed them the child, but refused to get in himself." "Then Captain Smith pushed himself away from the lifeboat, threw his lifebelt from him and slowly sank from sight. He did not come to the surface again."

Seaman G.A. Hogg said, "I saw Captain Smith in the water alongside a raft. 'There's the skipper,' I yelled. 'Give him a hand'. They did, but he shook himself free and shouted to us, 'Goodbye boys, I'm going to follow the ship.' That was the last we saw of our skipper".

Another claimed that Smith had shouted, "Be British, boys, be British!" before going under with the ship.

G.A. Drayton claimed that E.J. had simply been swept off the bridge when it lunged forward: "I saw him swim back into the sinking ship. He went down with it in my sight."

Dr. J.F. Kemp, a passenger on the Carpathia, raised an ominous possibility. Kemp had spoken to a boy who had been one of the last children to leave the Titanic. The boy had seen "Captain Smith put a pistol to his head and then fell down." Others reported having seen Captain Smith commit suicide; crewmen however, vigorously denied the possibility. The window of a local newspaper in Southampton after the disaster said, "The final scene. Smith remained at his post on the bridge and went down with the ship. There was no panic.' (this last was in immense letters). Seaman stood around and spelt it out to their comrades. "I should think so, shot himself! That wasn't Smith's way. I know what I'd do to the feller that put that in." (here he spat)

The fate of Captain Smith remains a mystery as his body was never found.

Of his boyhood friend, William Jones would say:


"Ted Smith passed away just as he would have loved to do. To stand on the bridge of his vessel and go down with her was characteristic of all his actions when we were boys together."

Perhaps the strangest report was made by a Captain Peter Pryal and was reported in the Baltimore, MD press on 20 July 1912. "Captain Pryal, one of the oldest mariners in Baltimore and well known in shipping circles, who sailed with Captain Smith when he was the commander of the Majestic, made the startling statement today that he saw and talked to Captain Smith at Baltimore & St. Paul Streets. He declares he walked up to Captain Smith and said, 'Captain Smith, how are you?' Then the man answered, 'Very well, Pryal, but please don't detain me, I am on business.' He says he followed the man, saw him buy a ticket for Washington, and as he passed through the gate of the railway station he turned, recognized Pryal again, and remarked 'Be good, shipmate, until we meet again.' 'There is no possibility of my being mistaken,' said Captain Pryal, 'I have known Captain Smith too long. I would know him even without his beard. I firmly believe that he was saved and in some mysterious manner brought to this country. I am willing to swear to my statement. Many persons may think I am insane, but I have told Dr. Warfield of the occurrence and he will vouch for my sanity.' Dr. Warfield said that Captain Pryal was perfectly sane. The captain is well-to-do and is a consistent church member."

with all this said about the captain, it is hard to determin what happened to him. most likely maybe he did stand at the bridge as it went down. truthfully, we will never know. the last one though really perplexes me. Captain Pryal was perfectly sane, and stated to see smith. Could smith have somehow survived and arrived in the country and not tell anyone that he was alive? It is highly unlikely, but it could still be a possibility. What do you think?