In the immediate aftermath of the disaster, two inquiries were held. One in America, and a later one in England. It is thanks to these inquieries into the disaster that we know much of our knowledge. The first day of the questions was held only the day after the Carpathia docked. At the Waldorf-Astoria (partly owned by deceased Titanic victim, John Jacob Astor) at 10:30am, the questions started. The inquiery was presided over by Senetor William Smith, and Lord Mersey at the English inquier. The first witness called up was none other than Bruce Ismay. His voice barely above a whisper, he was thrown questions he couldn't possible know unless he had been in direct contact with the Captain or deck officers. He used phrases like "I presume" and "I beleive", and often claimed not to remember facts at all.
As the questions raved in the two inquiries, more and more witnesses were called to the stand. Second Officer Lightoller, Lookout Frederick Fleet, Fifth Officer Harold Lowe, Quartermaster Robert Hichens, Sir Cosmo Duff Gordon just to name a few. One thing that was never cleared up though was whether the ship broke up or not. Almost everyone at the two inquiries said it hadn't, but many people in giving newspaper reports said it did.
While the inquiries were raving, White Star chartered many ships to go out and look for bodies. The cable layer Mackay-Bennett went out first. Because she left on April 17, the crew could only make educated guesses as to what happened to the corpses. They were floating upright, their watched stopped between 2:00 and 2:20. Many bodies were dressed warmly. Some had food in their pockets. Crewmen had keys, matches and tobacco. One unidentified man had 12 diamonds sewn to the insides of his coat. The body of John Jacob Astor was very easilly identified. Crushed badly and covered with soot, it was apparent he was one of the unfortunate people caught under the forward funnel as it fell. On him, he wore a blue serge suit, a belt with a gold buckle, a brown flannelette shirt with J.J.A on the back collar, and on him he had a gold watch, cuff links, diamond ring with three stones, £225 in English notes, $2440 in American notes, £5 in gold, 7s. in silver, 5 ten franc pieces, gold pencil and a pocketbook.
If one good thing came from the Titanic disaster it was that the lesson learnt here prevented others in the future. Almost intantly, every ship was pulled out of service to have more lifeboats added. More safety devices were fitter including double skins, higher bulkheads and more electrically opperated water tight doors. The Titanic disaster has been a talking point for years. Many people thought that the sinking of the Titanic, a revolutonary marvel going down on it's maiden voyage was really the beginning of the end, a slow decline of the British empire, so in a sence it was a political disaster too.
There have been worse maratime disasters since Titanic. In World War 2, the Nazi 'Strength through Joy' ship Wilhelm Gustloff was sunk by the Russians with the loss of some 8,000 lives. In 1987, some 4,000 people perished in the Phillapines Ferry disaster. Many people thought that a disaster on the extent of Titanic would never happen again, but tragically in September 2001, the world was rocked once again by the collapse of New York's World Trade Center by terrorists. Once again the world was mourning a terrible disaster and no doubt that catastrophe will change the world the way Titanic did some 90 years before.
With the discovery of the wreck in 1985, it brought the story into the present, and now Titanic is the most famous ship in the world. I myself when looking at photos of other four funneled liners am constantly being asked whether it was the Titanic in that photo. James Cameron is to thank for that. In 1997, yet another Titanic movie was released, but due to the story line, it attracted many more people than historical movies, and in turn won the movie 11 Oscars and a place in history, at least for now, as the highest rating movie of all time. With budding stars like Kate Winslet (Rose Dewit-Buckater), Leonardo DiCaprio (Jack Dawson), Billy Zane (Cal Hockley), Kathy Bates (Molly Brown), John Hyde (Bruce Ismay) and Victor Garber (Thomas Andrews), it is an amazing movie, and for those who have not yet seen it, I fully recomend it.
Along with enduring fame, Titanic also brought mourning to the world. In Southampton, amny memorials were created, including a massive one for the engineers of Titanic, ones for the musicians and the stewards. In Lichfield, England, a statue is dedicated to Captain Smith. Churches are dedicated to Wireless Opperator Jack Phillips, Thomas Andrews and Sixth Officer James Moody and at Macy's Department Store in New York, an area is dedicated to Ida and Isidor Straus who perished together. Many services were held after the sinking. 30,000 people paid their respects to Bandmaster Wallace Hartly and his tombstone has the first line of the hymn Nearer My God To Thee engraved along the bottom.
Today, Titanic lies some 2 and a half miles underwater, but her memory will live forever.
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