Titanic Survivors. How the Titanic Survivors Were Picked up by the Carpathia. Photograph taken by Mr J W Barker of three of the Titanic's lifeboats hanging from the side of the Carpathia. Carpathia was sailing from New York City to Rijeka on the night of Sunday, 14 April 1912. The captain, Arthur Henry Rostron, was asleep in his cabin when wireless operator Harold Cottam burst in and told him of Titanic's distress signal. Captain Rostron immediately set course to the liner's last known position,