WCPL Offers Facts On The Titanic
Laurie Voss, Circulation Supervisor, Warsaw Community Public Library
It is widely known that the RMS Titanic hit an iceberg at 11:40 p.m. on the night of April 14, 1912. We have all seen the movies and read the reports of the event. It’s an historical event that will forever be remembered by generations to come. But what facts remain that you may not know?
Ironically, on the morning of the accident, there was supposed to be a lifeboat drill, but Captain Smith, for reasons unknown, decided to cancel the drill. Could more lives have been saved had the drill been practiced?
For another unknown reason, from the time the crew got the warning about the iceberg, until the time the ship struck the iceberg, was only 37 seconds. Barely enough time to turn the ship, although it was attempted.
The Titanic was equipped to carry 64 lifeboats, but at the time of the accident, was only carrying 20, not nearly enough for the 2,223 people on board. And even with the 20 lifeboats, none were filled to capacity. The first lifeboat launched only held 24 passengers, even though they were equipped for 65. Another held twelve people, and was equipped for 40. Was it so chaotic that they sent them off unfilled?
The Carpethia was said to be the closest ship for rescue, yet the closest ship was actually the Californian. An hour after the collision, the crew of the Californian saw the flames (or mysterious lights) in the distant sky. Unfortunately for the Titanic, the Californian’s ship captain was awakened and told about the problem, the captain failed to issue any orders. Likewise, the ship’s wireless operator was also asleep, and thus missed the distress calls.
On April 17, 1912, the Mackay-Bennett ship was sent to the crash site to search for bodies. The ship contained all the supplies needed to embalm the bodies before return to the mainland. In all 328 bodies were recovered, but 119 of those in too bad of condition for transport, and were buried at sea.
One last bit of trivia, the Titanic was a Royal Mail Ship, and traveled with five mail clerks. The ship contained 3,423 sacks of mail, over seven million individual pieces of mail! None of the mail has ever been recovered. If it was recovered, the U.S Postal Service would still try and deliver it.
The Warsaw Community Public Library has many books and video about the Titanic. If this has stirred your interest, please stop in and check out our many items on this historical event.