I’ve spent countless hours searching, reading and reading and gathering information. Not just
from one place but from many. I’ve searched (in order) books, the Internet, and even TV
programs about the Titanic. I’ve gone to the library, both central and the one by my house. I’ve
asked the reference lady for help, and she kindly showed me a folder with Titanic information,
from both the Internet and the newspaper. I borrowed my mothers book of newspaper headlines
and used it. I think the time when I went over board with this report was when I started cutting
any little thing about the Titanic and putting it carefully in a folder I was keeping.
Also when I conned my dad into giving me ten dollars, not at once, but slowly. Once to watch the
movie that came out and is still at theaters, to watch it. Not just to see the number one movie of
the season, or number one all time movie, but also to get information. My friend had given me
the idea to do a report on the ship, and so we saw the movie. But then I conned him into giving
me five more dollars, to see the movie again. Which was way overboard. You might too get
hooked when reading this report.
I’ve asked friends what they know, although I hadn’t much luck with that. I did however meet two
strangers who helped me with my report, which I mention later in the report.
And so, this is my report on Titanic.
In 1898 an American writer named Morgan Robertson wrote a book called Futility. He wrote
about a passenger ship, that was headed to New York from England. The ship was huge. It was
800 feet wide, and could carry about 3,000 people! It was 70,000 tons displacement, and was
even triple screw.
Unfortunately the ship, named Titan, hit an iceberg and sank. It didn’t save many people
because it only had enough lifeboats for a portion of the people on board. She was dubbed
"Unsinkable," yet she sank! About fourteen years later the same thing happened. Had Robertson
envisioned the future? Had he predicted the distress and turmoil that was to occur?
1907 was called the "Gilded Age." Industry and Commerce were at their highest in western
history. Some people believed that they would better over nature, create heaven on earth, or
even out-do God. The world was changing fast, maybe too fast. The advancement of the
automobile and the airplane had begun to take shape. They had been in the space race of their
century. And things were looking up. People were living longer and believed it was because of
technology.
The three ships that they were going to build were the Olympic, Titanic, and was going to be
followed by the Gigantic. Because of these new ships, that they called floating palaces, the
docks had to hold them too. But they were too small, so eventually they built bigger docks on
each side of the Atlantic.
On July 29 of 1908, Ismay and Pirrie met with Thomas Andrews and Harold Sanderson. They
met at Harland and Wolff. They talked with them about constructing the ships. Two days later
they signed a contract letter and the construction was set in motion.
On December 16, 1908 the first keel plate was laid for the Olympic and then on March 31,
1909 the first keel plate was laid for the Titanic.
On May 31, 1911, the Olympic made her maiden voyage. Then it was given over to the White
Star Line. On the same day, the hull (framework) of the R.M.S. (Royal Mail Steamer) Titanic was
launched in Belfast Ireland. With a crowd of 100,000 people. J.P. Morgan, Lord Pirrie and Lady
Pirrie, Bruce Ismay and his daughter Margaret, and the Lord Mayor also were there. But they
were on a grandstand standing with other distinguished people, and with the Titanic right next to
them, or above them in another view.
There were two rockets fired at 12:05 p.m. Then another, five minutes later. At 12:13, the hull
of the Titanic started moving. All of a sudden the crowd went wild (Oh, how I wish I’d seen it!),
and was very much alive. Tugs had blown their whistles, while woman had waved their
handkerchiefs. The Titanic moved double her size and went 12 knots before stopping in the
water. She was held back by six anchor chains and two piles of cable drag chains. The cable
drag chains weighed 80 tons each. It took twenty-three tons of soft soap, tallow, and train oil to
grease Titanic. It only took 62 seconds for the Titanic to make it into the water.
The Titanic with her four funnels had now been completed. She had nine decks including the
orlop deck. The decks had gone from top to bottom. It was the boat deck, A, B, C, D, E, F, G, and
the boiler rooms at the bottom, underneath G deck.
People believed the Titanic was unsinkable because she had 16 water tight compartments,
they went well above the water level. These were designed to keep water from getting deeper
into the ship. And they could shut with just the flip of a switch.
She could stay afloat with the first two or even three filled with water. But if the first four had been
impacted in some way, the ship would not stay afloat. But that didn’t matter at the time because
such a disaster could never occur. At least in their minds, at that time.
The Titanic was built and ready for her sea trials, which was successfully led by Captain E. J.
Smith.
Smith had been the captain on board the Olympic. And was now the captain in charge for the
Titanic. Captain Smith was going into retirement after the voyage of the Titanic. He was going to
spend solid time at home with his wife Eleanor and his daughter Helen.
The Titanic left Belfast on April 2, 1912 at 10:00 p.m. It headed toward Southampton,
England, and passed Spit head at around 10:00 p.m. the following night. Just as midnight
approached so did Titanic approach the White Star Line’s dock.
On April 4, 1912, the Titanic was being prepared for her maiden voyage. While the Titanic
was at Southampton on April 6, 1912, officers and crew members were changed of their
positions. Captain Smith had requested Henry Wilde as the Chief Officer. So Murdoch went from
Chief Officer to First Officer, and Lightoller to Second from first, and Blair from second to not
sailing at all. Also while in Southampton on April 9, 1912, Captain Clark, the Board of Trade
surveyor, had inspected practically every part of the Titanic. Second Officer Lightoller had said,
"he did his job, and I'll certainly say he did it thoroughly." That same day, while Smith is on the
bridge a London photographer took his picture. Which is the only one taken of Captain Smith on
the bridge of the Titanic.
The night before, all of the officers, except for captain smith, spent it on board. The last night
in Southampton was cool and quiet. There was one watch officer, who stood in the port bridge
wing cab from the titanic, and saw over Southampton’s skyline. His hands were warmed by his
steaming cup of tea. Just like the others aboard that night, he was probably excited about the
maiden voyage the following day. But as well as excitement, he probably was feeling fear, and
pride to be sailing aboard the Titanic.
The next morning at 7:30 am, Captain Smith boarded the Titanic and received the sailing
report from Chief Officer Henry Wilde. Around the same time a long line of greasers, trimmers,
firemen, stewards, and others who would work on the ship, came through the streets and dock
area to board the ship. Just after breakfast, J. Bruce Ismay boarded the Titanic and began to
tour the Titanic. Every once in awhile the whistle of the Titanic would warn all within miles that it
was sailing day.
Between 9:30 am and 11:30 am that same day, passengers begin to arrive. Three White Star
Line boat-trains arrive carrying all different class passengers from the Waterloo Station from
central London.
At the time the regulation that started in 1894, was that a ship of 10,000 tons could have up to
16 lifeboats and no more, or you would pretty much be breaking the law. Only problem was that
the Titanic was 46,328 tons. They gave her 4 extra collapsible’s because of this reason, but even
so she only had enough room in the boats for 1,178 people on board. But of all the resources
I’ve found, I estimate that 2,220 people were aboard. So, she had 14 wood lifeboats (30 feet long
by 9 feet 1 inch, and 4 feet deep) with the capacity (space) for 65 people each. She also had 2
wood cutters (25’2" long by 7’2" and 3 feet deep) with the capacity for 40 people each. Then with
the 4 Englehardt collapsible's (27’5" by 8 feet, and 3 feet deep) that was given to the Titanic,
they had a capacity for 47 people in each. Still not enough. The original design called for 48
lifeboats, but was rejected to make more room on the boat deck for people to walk around. Plus
they weren’t even allowed to have more. With 20 lifeboats who knew? She was unsinkable after
all.
Because the coal strike had recently ended, the Titanic didn’t have enough fuel for the trip,
and had to take some from other ships like the Oceanic and Adrianic. The people aboard the
other ships had to board the Titanic but it was at no extra cost. Some people didn’t want to go
aboard while most were excited to be sailing aboard. People who were first class on the other
ships would be second on the Titanic. And so on for second class. Also because of the coal
strike, the Titanic got many crew members at last minute, and not many knew each other or their
responsibilities. Most were unsure of their duties and were unprepared, even many Senior
Officers were astonished. "You could actually walk miles along the deck and passages covering
different ground all the time. I was thoroughly familiar with [pretty much] every type of ship afloat,
but it took me 14 days before I could with confidence find my way from one part of that ship to
another," said Second Officer Lightoller.
At noon, the Titanic made her way in the water, but all of a sudden loud snaps were heard
and the passenger liner New York was adrift heading for the Titanic. Because the suction was so
big it had pulled the New York and it headed for the Titanic. With lots of luck and quick actions
by captain smith and a tugboat captain nearby, the New York slipped by with only inches to
spare.
Among the other first class passengers was Thomas Andrews, Benjamin Guggenheim (who
also boarded in France), Isidor Straus and his wife Ida Straus (founders of Macys department
store of New York, the worlds largest dept. Store), Mrs. James Brown (Margaret Tobin Brown)
also known as the "Unsinkable Molly Brown, Major Archibald W Butt (who was President Howard
Taft’s aide),Sir Cosmo and Lady Duff Gordon (she was a fashion designer) Scotland’s Countess
of Rothes, Mr. and Mrs. John Thayer (president of Pennsylvania railroad), Colonel Archibald
Gracie.
Sometime around 8:30 p.m. the Titanic raised her anchor and headed for Queenstown,
Ireland. She goes through the English channel. While at Queenstown the Titanic picked up over
100 immigrants, most of which had sold all of their belongings just to board the Titanic to get to
America to start a better life. An emergency dress rehearsal is held with alarm bells and with the
watertight doors gradually descending. At 1:30 p.m. the next day (April 11, 1912) the Titanic left
Queenstown.
"As dusk fell the coast rounded away from us to the northwest, and the last we saw of Europe
was the Irish mountains dim and faint in the dropping darkness. Many things would happen to us
all, many experiences, sudden, vivid, and impressive to be in countered, before we saw land
again." Lawrence Beasley.
On Thursday it must have gone good for Harold Bride and Jack Phillips in the wireless room,
for they were receiving many congratulations and good wishes from other ships, and so were
many people on board, from family and friends. Thursday had also been Jack Phillips’ (John
George Phillips) 24th birthday.
Friday the wireless received a brief warning about a large field of ice in her path. But 4th
officer Boxhall calculated the ice to be well to the north, off Titanic’s path. The winter that year
was strangely warm, and caused lots of icebergs to break off the Greenland’s, and they had
been floating south toward the North Atlantic shipping lanes. The Titanic was going 21 knots and
covered 386 miles, on some calm clear weather. It must have been perfect, just perfect.
Between Friday and Saturday afternoon the Titanic covers over 519 miles. On Saturday,
April 13, 1912, at 10:30 am Captain Smith began his daily inspection. During his engine room
inspection, Chief Engineer Bell tells Captain Smith that the fire in boiler room 6 has finally been
put out. It had been burning for some days.
In the morning of Sunday, April 14, 1912, church services were held. First class services were
held by Captain Smith. The wireless got many warnings that day. One from the Caronia, then
one right after from the Dutch liner Noordam. In all, she got 7 ice warnings. Around noon she got
two. One from the Baltic told them of "large quantities of field ice" that was 250 miles from the
Titanic. Bride had time to take this one only to the bridge. Smith showed it to Ismay, who joked
they should speed through it. At 1:40 p.m. the wireless had been working hard to catch up. They
got a message from the Baltic, "Captain Smith, Titanic, have had moderate variable winds and
clear fine weather since leaving. Greek steamer Athinai reports passing icebergs and large
quantity of field ice today in latitude 41.51 north, longitude 49.52 west. Last night we spoke [with]
German oil tanker Deutschland, Stettin to Philadelphia, not under control; short of coal; latitude
40.42 north, longitude 55.11. Wishes to be reported to New York and other steamers. Wish you
and Titanic all success."
Just before 6:00 p.m. Captain Smith changed the ship’s path just slightly. Probably to avoid
ice that he’d been warned by. At 6:00 p.m. Second Officer Lightoller started work. He would stay
on until 10:00 p.m. that night.
At 7:30 p.m. Phillips and Bride got three more ice warnings, the steamer Californian told of ice
50 miles ahead. They estimated that a giant ice field was just 8 miles ahead, directly in Titanic’s
path.
At 7:35, after his dinner, Captain Smith excused himself and headed to the bridge. On his way
he noticed how cold it was. An hour later it was almost freezing. At this same time lookouts
Archie Jewell and George Symons were in the crows nest. It was a starlit, moonless, beautiful
night. But it was almost impossible to spot a berg, even on nights with a moon. As he reached
the bridge at (8:55 p.m.) he commented to Lightoller how cold it was. "Yes, it is very cold, sir,"
replied Lightoller. "In fact, it is only one degree above freezing. I have sent word down to the
carpenter and run up the engine room and told them that it will be freezing during the
night."
"There is not much wind," Smith said.
"No, it is a flat calm as a matter of fact," Lightoller replied.
Lightoller believed that there would be a great deal of reflected light from any icebergs that
might be nearby because there had been so many stars out that night. Smith and Lightoller
agree that if they spot a berg they’d have time to avoid it.
At 9:20 p.m. Captain Smith retired to his room leaving behind the message to Lightoller: "If in
the slightest degree doubtful, let me know." Then he went off. At 9:30 Lightoller told Sixth Officer
Moody to phone the lookouts and ask them to watch carefully for ice until the morning.
Jack Thayer, 17, was in the first class dinning room drinking coffee, when Milton Long joined
him.They talked for an hour or so. After awhile of talking and telling stories, Jack put his coat on
and walked around the deck. "It had become very much colder,"he later said, "It was a brilliant,
starry night. There was no moon and I have never seen the stars shine brighter... sparkling like
diamonds... It was the kind of night that made one feel glad to be alive."
At 10:00 p.m. Lightoller got off duty and Murdoch took his place. Later on that night around
10:21 p.m. the Californian stopped for the night surrounded by an ice field. By this time Harold
Bride was so exhausted he took a nap, which was definitely what he needed. The wireless had to
be going 24 hours a day. Jack Phillips was just as overworked as he got a message from the
Californian. Around 10:55 p.m. she sent the message, because the Californian was so close to
the Titanic it literally blasted in Jack’s ears, "I say, old man, we’re stopped and surrounded by
ice." Phillips was so annoyed when he got interrupted (again) he angrily replied, "Shut up! Shut
Up! You’re jamming my signal. I am busy; I am working Cape Race." Cyril Evans the
Californian’s wireless officer heard Jack send to Cape Race, "Sorry. Please repeat. Jammed."
With that Evans shut down his headsets. Twenty-five minutes later he could still hear Phillips
morsing.
Meanwhile, shivering in the crows nest (poor things), Fleet and Lee stare out into the
darkness, without their binoculars (for some reason they weren’t there), around 11:40 p.m..
Suddenly 25 year old Fleet sees a shape drawing closer by the second. Shocked, even though
he knows what it is, he immediately rings the crows nest bell 3 times (meaning something is right
ahead.) and picks up the phone. "Is someone there?" He asks.
"Yes," replies Sixth Officer Moody, "What do you see?"
"Iceberg right ahead!"
"Thank you." Moody replied, then nothing else was said, and he hung up. "Iceberg right
ahead, sir." He say’s loudly to First Officer Murdoch.
At this time, (for you to picture) most passengers were asleep. Some first class passengers
were in the smoking room playing cards, always saying that it was the last hand. Others,
perhaps, were in bed reading a book, or getting ready for bed.
Murdoch, who already saw the iceberg ahead, ordered Quartermaster Hichens to "hard a-
starboard" (to go in reverse), then he went over to the telegraph and told the engine room to "full
speed astern." (meaning stop all the engines). Then he closed the watertight doors. All they
could do now was wait. And so they did.
They say that she had thirty-seven seconds before an impact would occur. So, for thirty-
seven breathless and disturbing seconds, they had all waited. Murdoch, and the other crew
members on the bridge. Fleet, with the phone still in his hand, and Lee, had braced themselves
for a hit. She started to turn, and it was clearly visible from the crows nest, and for a second, they
thought she’d make it. They thought she had a chance. And then, then, the thirty-seven seconds
had ended to this grinding type of noise, it had been too late, she had hit the iceberg. (By the
way, I timed this paragraph to 37 seconds when you read it).
As the grinding noise faded Captain Smith rushed to the bridge. "Mr. Murdoch, what was
that?" (other resources say he asked "What have we struck?")
"An iceberg, sir," replies Murdoch, "I hard a’starboard and reversed the engines, and I was going
to hard-a-port around it, but she was too close. She hit it. I couldn’t do anymore.
"Close the watertight doors." Smith ordered.
"The watertight doors are closed, sir.
The iceberg made a 300-foot gash. Smith asks Titanic’s carpenter and Andrews to tell of the
damage.
At midnight Captain Smith is told by Mr. Andrews that she has been damaged in the first 6
compartments and that he gives her "an hour maybe two, not much more." Andrews and Smith
are among the only ones that know that there isn’t enough boats for everyone on board. At 12:05
am orders were given to uncover the lifeboats and to get crew and passengers ready on
deck.
Working the wireless was Harold Bride (who had taken over for Jack). Just then Captain
Smith appeared. "We’ve struck an iceberg and I’m having an inspection made to see what it has
done to us. You better get ready to send out a call for assistance, but don’t send until I tell you."
He left and came back after he spoke with Thomas Andrews. Around 12:15 am Captain Smith
ordered to send the distress call. "Send the call for assistance." Jack Phillips asked to use the
regulation distress call. Smith replied "Yes, at once!" Then he handed Phillips a piece of paper
with the Titanic’s position. Jack took the headphones from Bride and at 12:15 am he began
tapping the letters "CQD" (Come Quick Distress) followed by the Titanic’s call letters;
"MGY."
Around this time Wallace Hartley and his band begin to play ragtime in the first class lounge
on "A" deck. And people leave their rooms and up to the boat deck to see what was happening.
Rumor was that a propeller dropped, and another was that they had stopped to avoid ice. People
were running up and down to find out what really happened. Lots of the crew didn’t even know.
Many were told nothing had happened and to go back to their room. But many people had seen
the iceberg and told about it. People had been playing with the ice that broke off as she hit. One
passenger said, "Get me another piece, I’d like to use it for my drink." In third class the water was
coming in and being seen. But in first class it was just a bunch of curious people who wanted to
see what the racket was about.
It was amazing what happened at these next moments. Take young Alfred Von Drachstdt for
example. He was a 20 year-old from Cologne (Germany). He went up on deck with only a
sweater and a pair of trousers leaving behind him a brand new wardrobe of the cost of $2,133
dollars. Miss Elizabeth Nye simply wore a skirt, coat, and some slippers.
In the bitter cold people had been waiting for orders on what to do. Quietly they stood around,
confident in the great ship, but still a little worried. With some nervous amusement they looked at
each other in their life belts. There were a few half hearted jokes.
"Well," said Clinch Smith as he saw a girl walk by with a Pomeranian (dog), "I suppose we
ought to put a life preserver on the little doggie too."
"Try this on," a man told Mrs.Vera Dick as he fastened on her life jacket, "They are the very
latest thing this season. Everyone is wearing them now." Still one of my favorite jokes from that
night.
But many people were still so sure, even though she was sinking, that she would stay
afloat.
At this point Phillips had achieved in contacting a ship, the Carpathia. "I say old man, did you
know there is a batch of messages for you coming from Cape Race?"
"Come at once, we have hit a berg. It’s a CQD old man." Phillips told him. The Carpathia’s
wireless asked if it was true and if he should tell his captain. Phillips replied yes, that it was. The
Carpathia had been 58 miles away. The wireless operator then rushes to tell the captain (who
was asleep) that the Titanic was sinking, that she’d hit an iceberg. No one could believe it, not
even on the Titanic were people believing it. The captain, Arthur Rostron, then altered her
course to and sped through the water at full speed, taking even the extra power of the ship to go
faster. He started a collection of blankets and tried to keep his passengers away from the news.
They however found out something was wrong and started believing it was with them. Some
thought that they had hit an iceberg! Can you believe their faces when they found out it was the
Titanic? They probably didn’t even believe it.
"Woman and children first!" Was called. Response was very very slow. People just believed
she could not sink and that they were far safer on the Titanic than on a little boat in the big
ocean.
At 12:45 Phillips and Bride are in the wireless room, and Captain Smith entered. He told them
to send the call "SOS" (Save Our Ship). "Phillips began to send CQD, he flashed away at it and
we joked while he did so. All of us made light of the disaster, the humor of the situation appealed
to me. I hit him with a little remark that made us all laugh, including the captain, "Send SOS," I
said, "It's the new call. And it may your last chance to send it." Harold Bride - assistance marconi
office.
At the same time the first lifeboat was lowered, lifeboat no. 7. It had enough room for 65
people, but only carried 28! Many of the first boats left half empty.
Also around the same time a light was spotted, and the Titanic began to fire rockets. Now
during the time of 12:10 am through 1:50 am many crew members spot the lights of a distant
ship. But do nothing but tell their sleepy Captain. Quartermaster George Rowe, under Boxhall’s
command, was on the rail socket on the boat deck, on the bridge, by Emergency Cutter No 1.
Failing to make contact by Morse light they began to use rockets. The white rockets shoot 800
feet in the air and explode. They were trying to get the attention of the distant ship they thought
they saw by shooting these white (supposed to be red, for distress) rockets.
What many people didn’t understand was that these lifeboats leaving with close to 30 people,
had been tested to work with 68 full grown men in them.
By now people realized that they weren’t precautions anymore. That this was real, and it
really shocked many passengers into reality. Most people knew it was sinking, and some even
saw water in their room, or down the stairs.
"It must have been terrifying once the water had gotten into the ship so far once the ship had sunk so deeply that it actually started to flood passenger areas, to see the water slowly creeping up the stairs, at the lower staircase. The former first class staircase, went down to "E" deck, and to stand on the boat deck and look over this banister, [this bow], and look down through this open well, through five decks, and be able actually see sea water swirling around down there, and creeping, just creeping higher and higher with every minute. The green seawater, they said that light still glowed green underneath the seawater for a time." - Ken Marschall, historian, Artist, Titanic; an illustrated history.
At 1:15 am the Titanic has now tilted and the lifeboats are now leaving with more people.
Seven in all have been lowered. On the other side of the boat Murdoch isn’t discriminating about
having men in his boats. When Lawrence Beasley heard him call out, "Are there any more
ladies?" And none were around, he climbed into boat No. 13. At 1:25 am they lowered away with
64 people in it. At 1:20 am Starboard number 9 was lowered with 56 people in all. Boat 1 had 12
people with a capacity of 40!
Jack Phillips and Harold Bride had succeeded in contacting many ships (except for the
Californian) and many were heading towards her. She called, "SOS; MGY. Require assistance
immediately, struck by iceberg 41, 46, north, 50, 14 west, sinking"
"What is the matter with you?" SS Frankfurt.
"We had collision with Iceberg, sinking, please tell captain to come." RMS Titanic.
"Are you steering southerly to meet us?" Olympic.
"We are putting the woman off in the boats." Titanic.
At 1:30 am, panic arrived as boat number 14 was being lowered, with 60 people, including 5th
Officer Lowe. Three gunshots were heard. Controversy surrounds what happened, but it is said
in many places that Lowe shot three warning shots to keep people from crowding the
lifeboat.
By now Phillips is now sending desperate messages like "We are sinking fast" and "Cannot
last much longer." Many people were in the first class lounge, many in the night clothes.
Ben Guggenheim was with his manservant Victor Giglio, they went back to their cabins,
changed into evening clothes and announced "We’ve dressed up in our best and are prepared to
go down like gentlemen."
Around 1:40 am most of the lifeboats have gone. Many passengers move to the stern of
Titanic. The last rocket was fired. Just before collapsible "C" was lowered J. Bruce Ismay climbed
in, it carried 39 people total. At 1:55 am there was one collapsible left, for the last lifeboat had
just been lowered.
As she was being urged to get into a lifeboat Ida Straus say’s, "We have been living together
for many years and where you go I go. I will not be separated from my husband, as we have lived
so will we die, together."
At around 2:00 am people reported hearing the song "Nearer My God to Thee." Hartley had
always said that it would be the hymn he would choose for his own funeral. Some people also
reported seeing a man walk up to the rail of the Titanic and just pour out all his money into the
sea.
At 2:10 am the bow of the Titanic sinks more, after it had suddenly stumbled. The collapsible
as will as the people are washed away with the wave.
Jack Thayer and Milton Long had been on the starboard side of the boat deck. They
exchanged messages for each others families. Sometimes, though, they had been quiet. Thayer
thought about all of the good times he had had and of all the future happiness he would never
enjoy. He thought about his mother and father, and of his sisters and brother. He felt far away, as
though he were looking on from some far off place. He felt very, very sorry for himself.
The forward funnel collapses killing lots of people in the water. Many passengers now
decided to jump overboard, and many do jump.
Jack Thayer and Milton Long also debated whether or not to jump overboard. Thayer wanted
to jump out, slide down, and swim out to the boats he could see 500 to 600 yards away. He was
a good swimmer Long, not nearly as good, argued against it and persuaded Thayer not to
try.
At 2:18 am items in the Titanic that aren’t bolted down or anything, begin to fall and crash
toward the bow. The light blink once then they go out completely.
"It wasn’t until I was in the lifeboat, that I realized, that this boat’s going to sink, and it hit me
then." Eva Hart, remembering when she was in the lifeboat watching the Titanic.
One woman had been sitting at the piano in the third class gathering lounge, with her
daughter, and patiently waited for the end. Many 3rd class passengers were held back, and
didn’t come out until there were no boats left.
Thomas Andrews has thrown away his life belt and stares at the picture in the smoking room
of Plymouth Harbor that was over the fireplace. Many people try to get him to save himself, but
all attempts fail. They think he was in some sort of a semi-shock.
Sometime around this time Captain E. J. Smith walked toward the bridge from the deck and
no one sees him again. Although many claim they saw him in the water, none has ever been
proven to be true.
In the wireless room, Jack Phillips was still at the wireless set, while Harold Bride was picking
up their papers and such. All of a sudden a stoker creeped into the room and tried to snatch on
of the life belts. Bride leaped at the stoker, and the Phillips jumped up, off his seat, and the three
men wrestled around in the room. Then Bride wrapped his arms about the stokers waist, and
Phillips swung again and again until the man slumped unconscious in Bride’s arms. They then
heard a gurgling sound and Jack said, "Come on, let’s clear out!"
The water was now 28 degrees. And people were now screaming, and crying. The Titanic
was sinking faster and faster. People in the lifeboats rowed away, for fear of the dreaded suction
of the Titanic. As she began to disappear a loud noise is heard. The Titanic breaks in two
between the 3rd and 4th funnel. Ismay turns away at the last moment. And the Titanic broke in
two, then for a while people thought she would stay afloat. She didn’t though. One part of her
was sinking and it pulled the other part with her, and what people saw was that when it fell off,
the stern of the Titanic still visible began to straighten in the water. But that too began to sink, as
it filled up with water and sank.
The Titanic was now gone, but thousands of people were left on board, and now were in the
water, screaming for help. As in Jack Thayer's words they became "a long continuous wailing
chant."
Frank Goldsmith said that every time a homerun would be hit he’d remember the Titanic
because of the hundreds of people in the water, screaming and roaring.
None of the lifeboats went to help the people in the water. They’d say that they would drown
them all in the boats. That too many would try to get in and wind up hurting more than they’d be
saving.
"There was just room for me to crawl on the edge. I lay there, not caring what happened.
Someone said ‘Don’t you think we ought to pray?’ Each man called out his own religion. It was
decided that the most appropriate prayer for all of us was the lords prayer. We spoke it over in
chorus." - Harold Bride.
"How anyone that sought refuge on that upturn boat survived the night is nothing short of
miraculous. Some quietly lost contiguousness and slipped overboard. No one was in any
condition to help." - Officer Lightoller on collapsible B
Eventually 2 boats went back to find survivors. Only 4 people were left alive but two died
because they had been so cold.
At 4:00 am the Carpathia arrived at the scene and picked up the passengers in the lifeboats. At 4:10 it picked up the first lifeboat, lifeboat number 2.
The Carpathia picked up a total of 705 passengers.
At 5:30 the Frankfort is told about the loss. About three hours later, just as the last lifeboat (number 12) was picked up by the
Carpathia, the Californian heads over the the spot.
Around 8:40 am the Carpathia leaves for New York. The Californian stays to look for survivors, but finds none.
On Sunday September 1, of 1985 the Titanic is found by Robert D. Ballard and Jean-Louis
Michel.
In July, 1986, A second visit to the site takes many photographs of the ship and of artifacts.
Conclusion page
(to leave a lasting impression)
The Titanic casts off and begins her maiden voyage. She has a near miss with the steamer
New York caused by the suction of Titanic's enormous displacement.
(If she had collided with the streamer, then the tragedy would not have happened)
Evidence of research page
(What I learned doing this)
The ocean is so black,
The deck so empty,
I see so many stars,
I’ve never seen so many,
The people gather around,
With children, and jewelry,
And some with nothing but themselves,
I had heard a loud crash,
I had seen some ice,
I had heard no screams,
As I do right now,
I recognize the rich,
I see few poor,
I wasn’t told of this,
But hadn’t I read this before?
People are panicking,
Many are not,
But I feel this ship,
Has had its last,
It is so cold, It’s hard to believe,
That people are down here,
And not in a boat,
I had been told,
By someone before,
Not to go on it,
Because it would not float,
I did too listen
I did too care,
But, I was just so happy,
I was going aboard,
It is so cold,
I can not believe,
Why don’t we go back,
And help who we see,
We had been too far,
We had came too late,
Why didn’t we leave,
And not just wait,
We all had the thought,
That this could be one of us,
Someone started to cry,
"God, help us!"
Time has passed,
The cries, the shrieks,
And the wails, have long gone,
I had seen other lifeboats,
One upside down,
I felt there was no hope,
Little faith that we’d be found,
"What was that light?"
Perhaps a ship I thought,
To my surprise,
It was,
Her name it did not matter to me,
She might have heard us call,
But she had come,
And cared for us all,
They said they searched for more alive,
They say they found none,
I guess we were lucky,
But she is now gone.
Books:
Eaton, J., and Ballard, R., The Discovery of the Titanic (1989)
An in-depth account of Robert Ballard's two Titanic expeditions with many photographs;
Lynch, D., Titanic: An Illustrated History (1976);
Lord, Walter, A Night to Remember (1955)
The fascinating step-by-step story of what happened the night the Titanic sank. I loved this book.
Wade, Wyn Craig, The Titanic: End of a Dream (1979)
The story of the ship and the U.S. Inquiry.
Videos:
Narrated by: McCallum, David, Titanic, Death of a Dream
An A&E Presentation about the Titanic and how it sank; about 4 hours long
Narrated by Coyote, Peter, Titanic, Breaking New Ground
A special about the movie "Titanic," with facts and true stories about the ship.
Magazines/Articles:
April 27, 1992, Volume 139 Issue 17, page 22, Time Magazine
80 years ago: Women and children first?
Illustrates the 80th anniversary of the April 14, 1912 sinking of
the Titanic.
April 13, 1992, Volume 112, Issue 14, page 14, US News & World Report
Presents statistics of the Titanic
April 1995, Volume 46, Issue 2, page 142, American Heritage
August 1997 Volume 70, Issue 8, page 38, Boating
June 2, 1997, Volume 49, Issue 10, page 47, National Review,
Messages from the Titanic
June 1997, Volume 20, Issue 6, page 64, 7 pages long, Life
March 16, 1998, page 44, 11 pages long, People, Sunken Dreams
November 16, 1996, page 26, 4 pages long, T.V. Guide,
When the Great Ship Went Down
Encyclopedias:
The World Book Encyclopedia; Volume 19, Page 299, 1996 edition
Other sources:
Encyclopedia Birtanica, online.
Concise Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 1994
Microsoft Internet Explorer
Websters Dictionary & Websters Thesaurus
Internet (web search’s):
Stuff I Suggest:
READING:
A Night To Remember
The Discovery of the Titanic
VIEWING:
A&E’s: Titanic, Death of a Dream
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