Several of the wealthier passengers stepped aside to allow the women and children into the lifeboats. Among them was the American businessman Benjamin Guggenheim, who was spoke to his mistress right before she left in one of the boats. Tell my wife I've done my best in doing my duty. We are dressed in our best and prepared to go down as gentlemen. No woman shall die because Ben Guggenheim was a coward.Another reason so few people survived was that the radio was off on the "SS Californian", the ship closest to the "Titanic". The "Californian"'s crew did not hear about the accident until the morning afterwards. Also, the "Titanic" did have rockets, but they were white. Back then, and still today, red meant emergency and other colors were used for identification. "Californian" saw the flares and assumed they were either company signals or sealing ships signaling to one another. Another ship, the RM"S Carpathia", did hear about the accident and collected all 705 survivors. Other vessels from all over the Atlantic came rushing to aid the stricken liner.