Iceberg, Right Ahead!: The Tragedy of the Titanic

Iceberg, Right Ahead!: The Tragedy of the Titanic — page 6 — Five forward compartments at the bottom of the ship were flooding rapidly Although watertight bulkheads separated the ship's lowest compartments Andrews knew these walls were not tall enough The water would rise and spill over them into other areas Quietly Andrews broke the news to Captain Smith The Titanic was doomed How long have we asked the captain An hour and a half replied Andrews Possibly two Not much longer Edward Smith was a seasoned veteran perhaps the most respected captain of the White Star Line the shipping company that owned the Titanic Crew and passengers alike appreciated his thirty two years of experience and his steady courteous manner Some frequent travelers even said they would only sail on a ship captained by Smith Recently Smith had successfully dealt with two accidents on the Olympic the Titanic's sister ship But he had never faced a catastrophe of the magnitude before him with grim determination he began preparations to evacuate the ship Roused from sleep or from card games and conversation many passengers were more confused than alarmed The huge Titanic seemed solid and safe the water below dark and forbidding Pointing to a lifeboat American millionaire John Jacob Astor told his wife We are safer here than in that little boat Other passengers seemed to agree The Titanic had been built to be the largest safest ship in the world It was as long as four city blocks and as tall as an eleven story building Newspapers touted the vessel as unsinkable The New York Times went so far as to call the Titanic and other sturdily built ocean liners so secure against loss by collision that even after the most violent shock they will be kept afloat But as water continued to rise in the Titanic people realized the seriousness of their situation The ocean liner did not have nearly enough lifeboats for the more than two thousand people on board Under captain's orders the crew followed the time honored practice of women and children first But some women refused Iceberg Right Ahead

Iceberg, Right Ahead!: The Tragedy of the Titanic — page 7 — to leave their husbands Others may have believed the ship would stay afloat for many hours A rescue ship would surely arrive before the Titanic sank Although some men were allowed to board lifeboats when women did not claim vacant seats most boats were not filled to capacity when they were lowered into the ocean The officers were afraid that the davits that supported the lifeboats as they descended to the water would break if all the available places were occupied At regular intervals the crew launched flaring rockets as distress signals to catch the notice of any nearby vessels The ship's wireless telegraph machine operators continuously sent out messages asking for help Despite these measures of hope it eventually became apparent that no help would arrive in time At 2 05 AM less than three hours after the collision the last lifeboat was lowered Hundreds of people remained on board the Titanic Passengers in the boats watched in anguish as the ship's bow fell deeper into the ocean while its stern rear rose into the air They heard a terrible crash as the Titanic's furniture its light fixtures its decorations and its kitchen equipment slid toward the bow Those stranded on the ship struggled to keep their balance on the tilting deck Many fell into the sea Others held on until the last possible minute J Bruce Ismay the managing director of the White Star Line huddled in one of the lifeboats Almost five years earlier he had helped develop the idea for a luxury ship that would surpass everything else on the ocean As the end approached he was helping to row the boat away He did not see the Titanic's final moments By contrast seventeen year old Jack Thayer struggling in the water saw it all Years later he recalled watching as one of the funnels seemed to be WHAT DAMAGE DID THE TITANIC SUSTAIN or many years historians believed that the iceberg with which the Titanic collided opened a 300 foot 91 meter gash in the Titanic's side Recent evidence however questions this conclusion It appears that the ship's rivets gave way opening up a number of small holes Although the damage would not have appeared great at first intense water pressure forced the seawater through the openings at an incredibly rapid rate 10 ICEBERG RIGHT AHEAD

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