A Night to Remember

  The ‘unsinkable’ Titanic was launched at the Belfast shipyards of Harland & Wolff on 31 May 1911. The next ten months were spent in fitting her out. She completed her trials on 2 April 1912, and arrived in Southampton on 3 April. A week later she sailed for New York. Here is a reconstructed log of the main events of her maiden voyage:

  10 April 1912

  12 noon Leaves Southampton dock; narrowly escapes collision with American liner New York.

  7.00 p.m. Stops at Cherbourg for passengers.

  9.00 p.m. Leaves Cherbourg for Queenstown.

  11 April 1912

  12.30 p.m. Stops at Queenstown for passengers and mail. One crewman deserts.

  2.00 p.m. Leaves Queenstown for New York, carrying 1,316 passengers and 891 crew.

  14 April 1912

  9.00 a.m. Caronia reports ice Latitude 42º N from Longitude 49º to 51º W.

  1.42 p.m. Baltic reports ice Latitude 41º 51´ N, Longitude 40º 52´ W.

  1.45 p.m. Amerika reports ice Latitude 41º 27´ N, Longitude 50º 8´ W.

  7.00 p.m. Temperature 43º.

  7.30 p.m. Temperature 39º.

  7.30 p.m. Californian reports ice Latitude 42º 3´ N, Longitude 49º 9´ W.

  9.00 p.m. Temperature 33º.

  9.30 p.m. Second Officer Lightoller warns carpenter and engine room to watch fresh water supply – may freeze up; warns crow’s-nest to watch for ice.

  9.40 p.m. Mesaba reports ice Latitude 42º N to 41º 25´ N, Longitude 49º to 50º 30´ W.

  10.00 p.m. Temperature 32º.

  10.30 p.m. Temperature of sea down to 31º.

  11.00 p.m. Californian warns of ice, but cut off before she gives location.

  11.40 p.m. Collides with iceberg Latitude 41º 46´ N, Longitude 50º 14´ W.

  15 April 1912

  12.05 a.m. Orders are given to uncover the boats, muster the crew and passengers.

  12.15 a.m. First wireless call for help.

  12.45 a.m. First rocket fired. First boat, No. 7, lowered.

  1.40 a.m. Last rocket fired.

  2.05 a.m. Last boat, collapsible D, lowered.

  2.10 a.m. Last wireless signals sent.

  2.18 a.m. Lights fail.

  2.20 a.m. Ship founders.

  3.30 a.m. Carpathia’s rockets sighted by boats.

  4.10 a.m. First boat, No. 2, picked up by Carpathia.

  8.30 a.m. Last boat, No. 12, picked up.

  8.50 a.m. Carpathia heads for New York with 705 survivors.

  So much for the basic facts. Beyond these, much is a mystery. Probably nothing will ever equal the Titanic for the number of unanswered questions she left behind. For instance:

  How many lives were lost? Some sources say 1,635 … the American Inquiry, 1,517 … the British Board of Trade, 1,503 … the British Inquiry, 1,490. The British Board of Trade figure seems most convincing, less fireman J. Coffy, who deserted at Queenstown.

  How did various people leave the ship? Nearly every woman survivor who was asked replied firmly, ‘in the last boat’. Obviously, all these women didn’t go in the same boat, yet to question the point is like questioning a lady’s age – one simply doesn’t do it. Careful sifting of the testimony at the British and American hearings shows pretty clearly how the ship was abandoned, but even here there’s conflicting evidence. At the British Inquiry each witness was asked how many people were lowered in his lifeboat. The minimum estimates were then added. The results show a good deal of wishful thinking:

  Lowered in the boats according to minimum estimates of survivors Lowered in the boats according to actual figures of those saved

  Crew 107 139

  Men passengers 43 119

  Women and children 704 393

  Total 854 651

  In short, about seventy per cent more men and forty-five per cent fewer women went in the boats than even the most conservative survivors estimated. Plus the fact that the boats pulled away with twenty-five per cent fewer people than estimated.

  What time did various incidents happen? Everyone agrees that the Titanic hit the iceberg at 11.40 p.m. and sank at 2.20 a.m. – but there’s disagreement on nearly everything that happened in between. The times given in this book are the honest estimates of people intimately involved, but they are far from foolproof. There was simply too much pressure. Mrs Louis M. Ogden, passenger on the Carpathia, offers a good example. At one point, while helping some survivors get settled, she paused long enough to ask her husband the time. Mr Ogden’s watch had stopped, but he guessed it was 4.30 p.m. Actually, it was only 9.30 in the morning. They were both so engrossed, they had lost all track of time.

  What did different people say? There are no reconstructed conversations in this book. The words quoted are given exactly as people remembered them being spoken. Yet there is margin for error. The same conversations are often reported with slight variations. For instance, there are at least four versions of the exchange between Captain Rostron and Fourth Officer Boxhall as boat 2 edged alongside the Carpathia. The gist is always the same, but the words vary slightly.

  What did the band play? The legend is, of course, that the band went down playing ‘Nearer My God to Thee’. Many survivors still insist this was so, and there’s no reason to doubt their sincerity. Others maintain the band played only ragtime. One man says he clearly remembers the band in its last moments, and they were not playing at all. In this maze of conflicting evidence, junior wireless operator Harold Bride’s story somehow stands out. He was a trained observer, meticulously accurate, and on board to the last. He clearly recalled that, as the boat deck dipped under, the band was playing the Episcopal hymn ‘Autumn’.

  Did a man get off dressed as a woman? While material was being gathered for this book, four first-class passengers were specifically named as the famous man who escaped in woman’s clothes. There is not one shred of evidence that any of these men were guilty, and considerable evidence to the contrary. For instance, investigation suggests that one was the target of a vindictive reporter shoved aside while trying for an interview. Another, prominent in local politics, was the victim of opposition mudslinging. Another was the victim of society gossip; he did happen to leave the Titanic before his wife. In the search for bigger game, no one bothered about third-class passenger Daniel Buckley, who freely acknowledged that he wore a woman’s shawl over his head. He was only a poor, frightened Irish lad, and nobody was interested.

  The answer to all these Titanic riddles will never be known for certain. The best that can be done is to weigh the evidence carefully and give an honest opinion. Some will still disagree, and they may be right. It is a rash man indeed who would set himself up as final arbiter on all that happened the incredible night the Titanic went down.

  Passenger List

  Here is the White Star Line’s final list of lost and saved, dated 9 May 1912. Those saved are in italics.

  FIRST-CLASS PASSENGERS

  Allen, Miss Elizabeth Walton

  Allison, Mr H. J.

  Allison, Mrs H. J. and Maid

  Allison, Miss L.

  Allison, Master T. and Nurse

  Anderson, Mr Harry

  Andrews, Miss Cornelia I.

  Andrews, Mr Thomas

  Appleton, Mrs E. D.

  Artagaveytia, Mr Ramon

  Astor, Colonel J. J. and Manservant

  Astor, Mrs J. J. and Maid

  Aubert, Mr
s N. and Maid

  Barkworth, Mr A. H.

  Baumann, Mr J.

  Baxter, Mrs James

  Baxter, Mr Quigg

  Beattie, Mr T.

  Beckwith, Mr R. L.

  Beckwith, Mrs R. L.

  Behr, Mr K. H.

  Bishop, Mr D. H.

  Bishop, Mrs D. H.

  Bjornstrom, Mr H.

  Blackwell, Mr Stephen Weart

  Blank, Mr Henry

  Bonnell, Miss Caroline

  Bonnell, Miss Lily

  Borebank, Mr J. J.

  Bowen, Miss

  Bowerman, Miss Elsie

  Brady, Mr John B.

  Brandeis, Mr E.

  Brayton, Mr George

  Brewe, Dr Arthur Jackson

  Brown, Mrs J. J.

  Brown, Mrs J. M.

  Bucknell, Mrs W. and Maid

  Butt, Major Archibald W.

  Calderhead, Mr E. P.

  Candee, Mrs Churchill

  Cardoza, Mrs J. W. M. and Maid

  Cardoza, Mr T. D. M. and Manservant

  Carran, Mr F. M.

  Carran, Mr J. P.

  Carter, Mr William E.

  Carter, Mrs William E. and Maid

  Carter, Miss Lucile

  Carter, Master William T. and Manservant

  Case, Mr Howard B.

  Cassebeer, Mrs H. A.

  Cavendish, Mr T. W.

  Cavendish, Mrs T. W. and Maid

  Chaffee, Mr Herbert F.

  Chaffee, Mrs Herbert F.

  Chambers, Mr N. C.

  Chambers, Mrs N. C.

  Cherry, Miss Gladys

  Chevré, Mr Paul

  Chibnall, Mrs E. M. Bowerman

  Chisholm, Mr Robert

  Clark, Mr Walter M.

  Clark, Mrs Walter M.

  Clifford, Mr George Quincy

  Colley, Mr E. P.

  Compton, Mrs A. T.

  Compton, Miss S. P.

  Compton, Mr A. T., Jr

  Cornell, Mrs R. G.

  Crafton, Mr John B.

  Crosby, Mr Edward G.

  Crosby, Mrs Edward G.

  Crosby, Miss Harriet

  Cummings, Mr John Bradley

  Cummings, Mrs John Bradley

  Daly, Mr P. D.

  Daniel, Mr Robert W.

  Davidson, Mr Thornton

  Davidson, Mrs Thornton

  De Villiers, Mrs B.

  Dick, Mr A. A.

  Dick, Mrs A. A.

  Dodge, Dr Washington

  Dodge, Mrs Washington

  Dodge, Master Washington

  Douglas, Mrs F. C.

  Douglas, Mr W. D.

  Douglas, Mrs W. D. and Maid

  Dulles, Mr William C.

  Earnshew, Mrs Boulton

  Endres, Miss Caroline

  Eustis, Miss E. M.

  Evans, Miss E.

  Flegenheim, Mrs A.

  Flynn, Mr J. I.

  Foreman, Mr B. L.

  Fortune, Mr Mark

  Fortune, Mrs Mark

  Fortune, Miss Ethel

  Fortune, Miss Alice

  Fortune, Miss Mabel

  Fortune, Mr Charles

  Franklin, Mr T. P.

  Frauenthal, Mr T. G.

  Frauenthal, Dr Henry W.

  Frauenthal, Mrs Henry W.

  Frolicher, Miss Marguerite

  Futrelle, Mr J.

  Futrelle, Mrs J.

  Gee, Mr Arthur

  Gibson, Mrs L.

  Gibson, Miss D.

  Giglio, Mr Victor

  Goldenberg, Mr S. L.

  Goldenberg, Mrs S. L.

  Goldschmidt, Mrs George B.

  Gordon, Sir Cosmo Duff

  Gordon, Lady Duff and Maid

  Gracie, Colonel Archibald

  Graham, Mr William G.

  Graham, Mrs William G.

  Graham, Miss Margaret

  Greenfield, Mrs L. D.

  Greenfield, Mr W. B.

  Guggenheim, Mr Benjamin

  Harder, Mr George A.

  Harder, Mrs George A.

  Harper, Mr Henry Sleeper and Manservant

  Harper, Mrs Henry Sleeper

  Harris, Mr Henry B.

  Harris, Mrs Henry B.

  Harrison, Mr W. H.

  Haven, Mr H.

  Hawksford, Mr W. J.

  Hays, Mr Charles M.

  Hays, Mrs Charles M. and Maid

  Hays, Miss Margaret

  Head, Mr Christopher

  Hilliard, Mr Herbert Henry

  Hipkins, Mr W. E.

  Hippach, Mrs Ida S.

  Hippach, Miss Jean

  Hogeboom, Mrs John C.

  Holverson, Mr A. O.

  Holverson, Mrs A. O.

  Hoyt, Mr Frederick M.

  Hoyt, Mrs Frederick M.

  Hoyt, Mr W. F.

  Isham, Miss A. E.

  Ismay, Mr J. Bruce and Manservant

  Jakob, Mr Birnbaum

  Jones, Mr C. C.

  Julian, Mr H. F.

  Kent, Mr Edward A.

  Kenyon, Mr F. R.

  Kenyon, Mrs F. R.

  Kimball, Mr E. N.

  Kimball, Mrs E. N.

  Klaber, Mr Herman

  Lambert-Williams, Mr Fletcher Fellows

  Leader, Mrs F. A.

  Lewy, Mr E. G.

  Lindstroem, Mrs J.

  Lines, Mrs Ernest H.

  Lines, Miss Mary C.

  Lingrey, Mr Edward

  Long, Mr Milton C.

  Longley, Miss Gretchen F.

  Loring, Mr J. H.

  Madill, Miss Georgette Alexandra

  Maguire, Mr J. E.

  Maréchal, Mr Pierre

  Marvin, Mr D. W.

  Marvin, Mrs D. W.

  McCaffry, Mr T.

  McCarthy, Mr Timothy J.

  McGough, Mr J. R.

  Meyer, Mr Edgar J.

  Meyer, Mrs Edgar J.

  Millet, Mr Frank D.

  Minahan, Dr W. E.

  Minahan, Mrs W. E.

  Minahan, Miss Daisy

  Moch, Mr Philip E.

  Molsom, Mr H. Markland

  Moore, Mr Clarence and Manservant

  Natsch, Mr Charles

  Newell, Mr A. W.

  Newell, Miss Alice

  Newell, Miss Madeline

  Newsom, Miss Helen

  Nicholson, Mr A. S.

  Omont, Mr F.

  Ostby, Mr E. C.

  Ostby, Miss Helen R.

  Ovies, Mr S.

  Parr, Mr M. H. W.

  Partner, Mr Austin

  Payne, Mr V.

  Pears, Mr Thomas

  Pears, Mrs Thomas

  Penasco, Mr Victor

  Penasco, Mrs Victor and Maid

  Peuchen, Major Arthur

  Porter, Mr Walter Chamberlain

  Potter, Mrs Thomas, Jr

  Reuchlin, Jonkheer J. G.

  Rheims, Mr George

  Robert, Mrs Edward S. and Maid

  Roebling, Mr Washington A., 2nd

  Rolmane, Mr C.

  Rood, Mr Hugh R.

  Rosenbaum, Miss

  Ross, Mr J. Hugo

  Rothes, the Countess of and Maid

  Rothschild, Mr M.

  Rothschild, M
rs M.

  Rowe, Mr Alfred

  Ryerson, Mr Arthur

  Ryerson, Mrs Arthur

  Ryerson, Miss Emily

  Ryerson, Miss Susan

  Ryerson, Master Jack

  Saalfeld, Mr Adolphe

  Schabert, Mrs Paul

  Seward, Mr Frederick K.

  Shutes, Miss E. W.

  Silverthorne, Mr S. V.

  Silvey, Mr William B.

  Silvey, Mrs William B.

  Simonius, Oberst Alfons

  Sloper, Mr William T.

  Smart, Mr John M.

  Smith, Mr J. Clinch

  Smith, Mr R. W.

  Smith, Mr L. P.

  Smith, Mrs L. P.

  Snyder, Mr John

  Snyder, Mrs John

  Soloman, Mr A. L.

  Spedden, Mr Frederick O.

  Spedden, Mrs Frederick O. and Maid

  Spedden, Master R. Douglas and Nurse

  Spencer, Mr W. A.

  Spencer, Mrs W. A. and Maid

  Stahelin, Dr Max

  Stead, Mr W. T.

  Steffanson, H. B.

  Stehli, Mr Max Frolicher

  Stehli, Mrs Max Frolicher

  Stengel, Mr C. E. H.

  Stengel, Mrs C. E. H.

  Stephenson, Mrs W. B.

  Stewart, Mr A. A.

  Stone, Mrs George M. and Maid

  Straus, Mr Isidor and Manservant

  Straus, Mrs Isidor and Maid

  Sutton, Mr Frederick

  Swift, Mrs Frederick Joel

  Taussig, Mr Emil

  Taussig, Mrs Emil

  Taussig, Miss Ruth

  Taylor, Mr E. Z.

  Taylor, Mrs E. Z.

  Thayer, Mr J. B.

  Thayer, Mrs J. B. and Maid

  Thayer, Mr J. B., Jr

  Thorne, Mr G.

  Thorne, Mrs G.

  Tucker, Mr G. M., Jr

  Uruchurtu, Mr M. R.

  Van der Hoef, Mr Wyckoff

  Walker, Mr W. Anderson

  Warren, Mr F. M.

  Warren, Mrs F. M.

  Weir, Mr J.

  White, Mr Percival W.

  White, Mr Richard F. and Manservant

  White, Mrs J. Stuart and Maid

  Wick, Mr George D.

  Wick, Mrs George D.

  Wick, Miss Mary

  Widener, Mr George D. and Manservant