The Titanic

Author Emma Carlson Berne
Illustrator Kelley McMorris
Originally Published © 2018 American Girl
ISBN 9781338193060
 

What Was Titanic?

Titanic was a British cruise ship that set sail on April 10, 1912, from Southampton, England to New York City. It was widely believed that Titanic was the largest and safest vessel in the world.

Thousands of passengers boarded this luxury trip to begin a long journey. Some were Americans returning home after travel. Others were Europeans in search of new opportunities in America. Edith Brown, the fifteen-year-old daughter of a South African wealthy family, was one of these passengers.

Each passenger boarded the ship with their own story, but they all knew they were making history by sailing on Titanic’s first voyage. They were all told Titanic was unsinkable, but its owners were eager to prove Titanic was faster and better than every other ship—ambition that would endanger the entire ship and all of its passengers and crew.

 

Samantha’s Story

When Samantha Parkington comes downstairs to breakfast, she’s horrified by the front page of the New York News. The headline screams “TITANIC SINKS!” Samantha’s heart drops. Her best friend Nellie, Aunt Cornelia, and nephew William are on board that ship! They are sailing home from visiting Ireland.

Bridget and Jenny, Nellie’s biological sisters, knock at the door. They heard the news. Together, the three girls fall into each other’s arms.

The girls all decide to go home from the New York Academy for Young Ladies to be with their Uncle Gard. He needs them, and they need him. While packing their bags, Samantha jumps every time she hears the doorbell ring. She keeps hoping she hears the maid coming upstairs with a telegram from Aunt Cornelia, but it’s never her.

Nellie was very excited about this journey. She hadn’t seen Ireland since leaving there with her parents and sisters. She was thrilled to have the chance to show Cornelia and William where she was born. Their letters were full of descriptions of the green hills and giant cliffs with the ocean crashing below.

Samantha hears Grandmary’s voice echoing in her head. Grandmary hadn’t approved of the fuss over Titanic. She kept telling Cornelia that faster doesn’t always mean better. But nobody listened to Grandmary—they all thought sailing on Titanic would be a great adventure.

 

The Grandest Ship

Construction of Titanic began in 1909. At that time, America was falling in love with machines. Cloth, steel, railroads, cars, and bridges were all being churned out at record rates. The Wright brothers tested their new flying machine in North Carolina just a few years earlier. Automobiles were replacing horses and buggies on city streets.

Inspired by this increase of technology, J. Bruce Ismay, head of White Star Line ship company in Great Britain, wanted to make headlines. He decided to build three magnificent ships: Olympic, Titanic, and Britannic. All three ships were to be unparalleled by any other passenger ship.

The ships were constructed in Belfast, Ireland. Titanic and Olympic were made side by side, and people stopped to admire the 45,000 ton ships being built every day.

With these new ships, for the first time, sailing across the Atlantic Ocean would take only a week, instead of a month or more. In the 1860s, shipbuilders began making ships safer and more comfortable. They added windows, clean water, better bathroom facilities, and more comfortable beds. Ships started offering different classes of tickets. First-class ticket holders would have the nicest rooms and food. They’d have access to lounges, libraries, and dining rooms. Third-class passengers were usually poor immigrants and laborers. They’d have small cramped rooms in steerage, the lowest part of the ship.

Robert Douglas Spedden was six when he sailed in first class on the Titanic. His family was traveling in Africa, but now they were almost home to New York. Nine-year-old Maria Touma was traveling with her mother and younger brother in third class. They were immigrants on their way to meet Maria’s father in Michigan. But even their small room was comfortable by comparison to the camels, freighter ship, and train they’d taken to get to Southampton.

 

Samantha’s Log: Praying for News

Jenny, Bridget, and Samantha sit in Uncle Gard and Aunt Cornelia’s library. Nobody is talking as Uncle Gard paces across the room. They hear the tick of the mantel clock. They’re all waiting anxiously for news. Although the news says that most of Titanic’s passengers are safe, Samantha has a sinking feeling in her chest.

Six years ago, Samantha, Nellie, Grandmary, and her husband, Admiral Beemis, sailed across the Atlantic on Queen Caroline. She was an elegant ship, and Samantha’s cozy little cabin in first class had thick curtains to keep her warm at night. Samantha would often sit at the little writing desk and journal in her “log.” She’ll never forget when she explored down to third-class. The passengers were so crowded.

Nellie told Samantha about what it was like to travel in steerage, for that’s where Nellie and her family were when they immigrated from Ireland.

Tears fall from Samantha’s cheeks. Will she ever see Nellie again?

 

Building a Monstrous Vessel

It took about three years for the fifteen thousand workers to finish Olympic and Titanic. They even needed to create new equipment before they could even start.

Three giant propellers made of bronze and steel were affixed to each ship, alongside three massive anchors per ship. Special wagons pulled by powerful horses were used to bring the materials to the shipyard.

The ships would run on steam. Coal would be shoveled into huge boilers, which would give off steam, which would pass through the engines to turn the propellers. Titanic had three large engines of the newest technology. The engines had been used on other new ocean liners successfully.

Olympic was finished first. During one of its early voyages, it was hit by another boat. Water got into two of the watertight compartments, but it still made it back to port. Therefore, people were reassured that Olympic and Titanic could not sink.

Once Titanic passed its float tests, the interior was completed. Inside Titanic was a beautiful grand staircase, with a glass dome on top. There was a gym with exercise equipment, and a swimming pool, which was usually not found on ships. There was also an indoor court to play squash.

First-class passengers had staterooms in the middle of the ship, where the boat rocking wouldn’t be as severe. Some first-class passengers had staterooms with private bathrooms, and some had private decks. All first-class rooms had telephones, heaters, and lamps that wouldn’t tip over when the ship sailed through choppy waters.

Barbershops, smoking rooms, and lounges provided a place for first-class passengers to relax in comfortable chairs while they socialized. And there was a large library on board for passengers to borrow books to read. The Verandah Café and the Café Parisien offered tea and light snacks to ladies between meals.

Even the third-class accommodations were nicer than previous ships. In the past, people in steerage would eat and sleep in one large room, and there was nowhere for them to get fresh air or exercise. But on Titanic, third-class passengers had bunk beds, pillows, and blankets. There was running water and electricity. Cabins even had sinks so passengers could wash up in their own rooms. Third-class had its own smoking room, and they could walk and stroll on lower decks.

Titanic had modern safety measures, even though people felt it was unsinkable. The ship had sixteen watertight compartments to prevent it from sinking. If water should enter one or two compartments, like Olympic, the ship could still stay afloat. White Star ensured there were enough life jackets for every passenger. And there were lifeboats, too, since they were required to have them. Titanic had sixteen wooden lifeboats, and four collapsible boats. All the boats could hold up to 1,178 people. But Titanic was designed to carry 3,547 passengers and crew. Mr. Ismay didn’t see a need for more lifeboats—they’d fulfilled the required quota, and more lifeboats would block passengers’ view of the ocean.

On April 10, 1912, the day of Titanic’s maiden voyage arrived. The crew stood ready wearing dark blue uniforms while passengers began to board the ship. One of the passengers was seven-year-old Eva Hart who was traveling with her mother and father to start a new life in Canada. Although Eva was excited, her mother was not as thrilled. Eva recalled later that her mother refused to sleep a wink the entire trip, for she was certain something would go terribly wrong on the ship.

 

Samantha’s Log: Memories of Setting Sail

Samantha, Jenny, Bridget, and Uncle Gard still haven’t heard from Cornelia, Nellie, or William. Although the maid brings them food, they can’t really bear to eat. Gard just stares outside the window sipping coffee.

Samantha opens a geography book to try to occupy herself. Out slips a news clipping of the day Titanic set sail. It reminds her again of when she traveled on Queen Caroline. Grandmary reluctantly let Samantha stay up to watch the departure, and she recalls the ship being lit with a million white light bulbs while passengers threw flowers into the water.

Samantha thinks of Nellie, Cornelia, and William laughing and waving from the deck of Titanic, and a lump rises in her throat. Where are they now?

 

A Pleasant Life on Board

The first few days of Titanic’s sailing was pleasant. A first-class passenger may have used the six-foot-deep, heated swimming pool. Ladies could sew, read, and write letters in the Reading and Writing Room. Passengers would stroll on the decks, wrapped in furs and coats. In the afternoon and at dinner, an eight-piece band would play live music. Passengers could play squash, or could get instruction from a Scottish gym instructor, Thomas McCawley, on how to use the latest gym equipment.

If wealthy passengers wanted to send a message, they could use Titanic’s communication system. One of two telegraph operators, Jack Phillips and Harold Bride, could tap out the message in Morse code. The first ten words would cost about $3.12, and each additional word was about $0.19. That’s the equivalent of over $100 in today’s money!

Second-class passengers could play deck games like ring toss or shuffleboard, or board games like chess and backgammon. Although third-class passengers weren’t permitted to use the pool or gym, they could take walks on lower decks, or read and write in the third-class common room. It’s assumed that many passengers brought instruments and would play music while others danced.

Titanic provided lavish meals for all passengers. First-class men would wear tuxedos with a white tie, and women would dress in elegant evening gowns. Children would dress nicely as well, although they’d eat separately with their nannies. First-class passengers would dine on soup, fish, meat, and cheese and coffee. Dinner could last three hours. Even third-class passengers would have plenty of food, such as oatmeal, smoked fish, potatoes, codfish, rice, bread, and jam. Many steerage passengers considered the food the best they’d ever had.

 

Samantha’s Log: Setting Records

Samantha remembers when she was on Queen Caroline. One night, they dined for dinner at the Captain’s Table, which was a great honor. Others asked the captain how fast they were going. Later, Admiral Beemis explained that men make bets on how fast they’re going—new ships want to set speed records, so they compete against each other.

Samantha, again, remembers Grandmary’s words: “Faster isn’t always better.” How fast was Titanic going when she struck the iceberg?

 

All in the Ship Together

Titanic was a very fancy ship, and she had several fancy passengers. John Jacob Astor IV was a wealthy businessman who was traveling with his eighteen-year-old wife, Madeleine, who was pregnant with her first child. Isidor and Ida Straus were traveling as well. Isidor was a co-owner of Macy’s department store.

Many people in second-class and third-class were emigrating from Europe and coming to the United States or Canada to make a better life. Michel Navratil was fleeing France, after kidnapping his young sons, Michel Jr. and Edmond, from their mother. He boarded under the false name Hoffman. Anna Sofia Sjöblom and her friends were leaving Finland to visit her father in Olympia, Washington. They had actually purchased tickets on Adriatic, but due to a coal shortage, Adriatic couldn’t sail and Sjöblom and her friends were transferred to Titanic. Unfortunately, Sjöblom had terrible seasickness, and never left her bed.

Eva Hart was in second-class, and she loved exploring the ship. She’d play every day with a little dog who was also traveling on board. Her playmate, six-year-old Nina Harper, would play with Eva and a large teddy bear Eva’s father got her. Eight-year-old Marjorie Collyer was in third-class with her parents. They were moving from Hampshire, England, to Idaho, in the hopes that the Idaho climate would help Marjorie’s mother’s tuberculosis.

Over nine hundred workers worked on Titanic. There were sailors, stewards, engineers, firemen, cooks, waiters, bellboys, pot scrubbers, laundry workers, musicians, postal clerks, a butcher, and elevator operators. Frederick Hopkins, a plate steward, and William Watson, a bellboy, were the youngest workers, at fourteen years old. For most of the workers, this voyage on Titanic would be their last.

Captain E.J. Smith was in charge of the ship and crew. Smith had been with White Star Line as a captain since 1897, and he had achieved the rank of commodore, a naval rank higher than captain, in 1904. He had sailed over two million miles. Titanic’s maiden voyage would be his last trip before he retired. His expertise even saved Titanic from bumping into another ship, New York, as she pulled out of Southampton Harbor.

First Officer William Murdoch worked under Captain Smith on Olympic prior, and it was his job to assist Captain Smith at steering and navigating. Mudroch was descended from a line of Scottish seafarers, and he had been sailing since he was thirteen years old.

Murdoch, Smith, and other officers spent most of their time on the upper front deck of the ship, called the bridge. But other crew members spent their time in the bowels of the ship shoveling large amounts of coal into the furnaces. The boiler rooms could get as hot as 120 degrees Fahrenheit. The firemen worked only in undershirts and shorts due to the heat. They were called the “black gang” because the coal dust and smoke would turn their skin black. Twenty-eight-year-old Frederick Barrett was one of the lead stokers. He was from Liverpool, England, and he was used to the hard work required to work on a ship like Titanic.

Titanic was a floating town with people from all parts of society on board. And, unintentionally, their fates were all intertwined together.

 

Samantha’s Log: Hoping for a Better Life

Samantha, Jenny, and Bridget read in the papers that many of the second- and third-class passengers on Titanic were from Ireland. This makes Samantha’s sisters very sad. They all remember how when they immigrated to America from Ireland, people thought the girls were dirty and had diseases, simply because they were from Ireland.

Samantha learned that many immigrants live in cold, crowded rooms in run-down buildings because that’s all they can afford. Many children work to support their family instead of going to school, and people don’t always want to hire adults because they’re from another country. Before meeting Nellie and her sisters, Samantha didn’t realize how much prejudice surrounded her everywhere.

 

Iceberg!

Four days into its voyage, everything was still smooth sailing. The sea was very calm, in fact, it was some of the flattest water Second Officer Lightoller had ever seen. It was a cold night, and as the night progressed, the temperature dipped to just under freezing. Captain Smith had been increasing the speed of the ship each day, which is normal practice for a first voyage. Now, the ship was moving at 22.5 knots, or the equivalent of a car driving at 25 miles per hour. Since the ships don’t need to worry about traffic, they’d often move at full speed, even at night.

Senior Operator Jack Phillips was busy working at his telegraph machine. He had received four ice warnings throughout the day. Icebergs were common in the North Atlantic in April, and the crew knew that icebergs could break through the steel hull of a ship, even Titanic. But even though Titanic couldn’t turn or swerve quickly, people thought it was in no real danger because she was so big and powerful.

Phillips delivered the previous ice warnings to the bridge so the captain and crew could decide what to do. But Phillips was very busy. Besides just the ice warnings, he also had a pile of messages from passengers to transmit. So when he received another warning from Mesaba about a huge ice field in Titanic’s path, he replied “Received, thanks.” Phillips never sent the message to the bridge, and the captain and crew never saw it.

On the bridge, Captain Smith and Second Officer Lightoller were aware of the ice situation. They knew a collision with an iceberg could damage the ship or slow it down. They agreed that if visibility became reduced, they’d slow down. In the lookouts’ nest, Archie Jewell and George Symons were looking through the dark for ice. They were keeping an eye out for the ring of white foam that forms at the bottom of icebergs when waves crash against them. However, there were no waves that night. And to make it worse, Jewell and Symons couldn’t find their binoculars.

The passengers were beginning to turn down for the night as well. A few men sat awake in the smoking room, and Dickinson and Helen Bishop, a couple from Michigan on their honeymoon, shivered in the lounge. A young man named Lawrence Beesley lay reading in his bunk. He felt the boat vibrating from the speed earlier that evening, and had an urge to get his life jacket down from his wardrobe.

At 10 PM, Captain Smith and Officer Lightoller went to their cabins. Frederick Fleet and Reginald Lee took over for Jewell and Symons. By 11 PM, the ship was dark and quiet. Phillips was still working hard transmitting the messages from passengers. One more ice warning came in from Californian. It read that they were stopped and surrounded by ice. Phillips replied, “Shut up! Shut up! I am busy.”

At 11:39 PM, Fleet saw a black hulking thing directly in their path. He picked up the telephone and called an iceberg down to the bridge. First Officer Murdoch called to Quartermaster Hichens to turn the rudder. They called to the engine room to stop. Everyone on the bridge anxiously waited to see if Titanic could turn in time. Slowly, the nose of the ship eased to the left. They’d avoided a head-on collision.

Suddenly, there was a tremendous scraping noise, and a groaning of metal against ice shook the ship. Men leapt to their feet in the smoking room. A woman sleeping in her bunk recalled hearing a noise like rocks tumbling together. The sharp ice below the surface of the water had sliced through the side of the ship.

 

Horror at Sea

Captain Smith raced to the bridge. After Murdoch briefed him on what happened, Smith and the ship’s designer, Thomas Andrews, hurried down to the lower levels to look at the damage. They found the iceberg has punched deep gashes in the ship’s steel-plated hull over an area about three hundred feet long. The icy water was rushing into the ship’s watertight compartments. There was no way to seal the holes, and the water was coming in too fast to be pumped out. Smith and Andrews knew the ship was going to sink.

Andrews estimated they had an hour and a half until the entire ship was underwater. They immediately ordered Phillips and Bride to begin sending repeated telegraph messages to neighboring ships for help. They know there’s 2,208 people on board, and not enough lifeboats for everyone. They need another ship’s help.

The stewards tell passengers to report to the decks with their life jackets on. Very few people are worried—they think this is precautionary and they’ll be sent back to bed soon. The ship’s band is playing lively tunes to keep passengers entertained on deck. But a few people below deck notice strange things. Carl Jonsson was getting dressed preparing to go to the deck when he noticed water creeping under his door.

Shortly after midnight, Captain Smith ordered the lifeboats launched. People were hesitant to fill in the lifeboats. The crew was concerned the lifeboats would crack or buckle under the weight of the people as they’re lowered to the water. Passengers didn’t want to get in the boats—the sea seemed dark and scary. Besides, the ship didn’t seem to be sinking. Because of all of this, many of the lifeboats deployed were only half-full.

In the telegraph room, Phillips and Bride sent out distress calls for help, over and over again. Carpathia responds they’re on their way. But they’re fifty-eight miles away, meaning they won’t reach Titanic for four hours. Titanic won’t stay afloat that long. There were not enough lifeboats for everybody. Captain Smith knows people are going to die, and he knew he would be one of them.

The quartermaster began firing rockets into the sky, in the hopes that someone would hear them. At the sounds of the rockets, passengers realized that this was serious. Some began to pray, and some panic. The crew began restricting the lifeboats to women and children only. Families were separated as wives, daughters, and sons were loaded into lifeboats, without their husbands and fathers.

Marjorie Collyer and her mother clung to their father, Harvey. A crew member tore Marjorie from her father’s arms and threw her into a lifeboat. They pushed Marjorie’s mother in behind her. Harvey stood calmly on the deck watching the lifeboat be lowered into the water. They would never see Harvey again.

Ida Straus refused to be separated from her husband. Isidor tried to put her into a lifeboat, and she responded, “We have been living together for many years. And where you go, I go.” The couple sat down in deck chairs and waited together.

John Jacob Astor helped his young, pregnant wife into a lifeboat. He politely asked if he could join her. He was refused, and stepped away. Madeleine and her unborn baby survived. Astor did not.

 

Samantha’s Log: Tragedy in the Water

The morning of April 17, Samantha reads in the New York News that only 868 people are alive out of 2,200 that were on Titanic. There is no hope for anyone else to be rescued. Samantha’s mouth goes dry. She’s grateful Jenny and Bridget haven’t come downstairs yet. Uncle Gard’s hand covers Samantha’s. Samantha sees his eyes are filled with tears. He tells her that he still hasn’t forgotten Samantha’s parents, who both died in a boating accident when Samantha was five. Samantha’s mother was Uncle Gard’s sister. Samantha squeezes Gard’s hand—they must be strong, for Bridget and Jenny, and for each other.

 

Desperate to Survive

Passengers began rushing to the lifeboats. Captain Smith and some officers open the weapon cabinet to keep the men back while women and children are on deck. One man jumped into a lifeboat as it was being lowered and knocked a woman unconscious. Another lifeboat was almost lowered on top of another. Anna Sjöblom and her friends ran through a maze of hallways and passages, determined to get to the lifeboats. They found a doorway to the upper decks, and then stop. Metal grates had been pulled across the doorway opening. The crew intentionally locked the steerage passengers on lower decks to prevent them from getting to the lifeboats. Anna was determined not to die on the ship, so she smashed a window, and climbed over the outside of the ship to get to the upper decks. Anna made it into a lifeboat and survived. Her friends did not.

Maria Touma was asleep in a vacant third-class cabin when her mother found her after a frantic search. Maria, her mother, and her brother made it onto a lifeboat. The two young Navratil boys were wrapped in blankets and given to a woman in a lifeboat. The boys’ father, Michel, didn’t make it off the ship. The toddlers were the only children without guardians to survive.

As the ship filled with water, the bow began to tilt underwater. At 1:15am, the bow went under. Even though the ship was partially submerged, the lights still blazed, and the band still played. Some passengers were having drinks in the smoking room, and others were in the gym exercising. Perhaps they were in shock. Perhaps they accepted they were going to die. But others still didn’t believe the ship was sinking.

The last lifeboats were loaded as the ship slid farther underwater. In the bowels of the ship, the firemen continued to pump the boilers with coal to try to keep the ship’s lights on and telegraph system working. Operators Phillips and Bride stayed at their posts transmitting distress messages. At 2:05am, Captain Smith told them to leave their posts and save themselves.

1,500 people were still on board. One group stood huddling on the deck, praying. Some jumped off the ship. At 2:10am, the bow of the ship was fully underwater, and the stern began to tilt upwards. Survivors watched the brilliantly lit ship rising into the air. The band played one last tune.

At 2:17am, the stern of the ship rose straight out of the water, exposing the huge propellers. There was a massive screeching and groan as everything in the ship slid down. The lights went out. The ship began to break into two pieces. As it broke apart, the stern slowly settled back into the water. It floated for a few seconds, and then rose straight into the air. It floated upright for anywhere from thirty seconds to three minutes.

Hundreds of people had fallen into the water. They were wearing life jackets, so they weren’t drowning, but the water was frigid. The people froze to death in the icy waters, screaming, moaning, and begging for help.

Some of the lifeboats were only half-full and had room for more survivors. But the people in lifeboats didn’t go back. The survivors were afraid the people in the water would grab onto the boats and capsize them. They all just waited to be rescued, as they listened to people dying all around them in the water. In the end, only one crew member took a lifeboat and went back to look for survivors. Fifth Officer Lowe searched through the frozen bodies with a flashlight. He found only four people alive, one of whom died just after being pulled into the lifeboat.

 

Samantha’s Log: Still Waiting

This morning, the newspaper headlines say there are only 705 survivors on board. Most of them are rich and famous. None of Samantha’s family are rich or famous. Samantha can only think of Nellie, Cornelia, and William. They all try to stay hopeful. Maybe they’re on the Carpathia, wrapped in blankets. But Samantha can’t stay positive for long. The silence surrounds them. Jenny’s sobs are the only sounds in the room.

 

After the Disaster

At dawn, Carpathia arrived. They loaded the wet, frozen, hypothermic, and traumatized survivors onto the ship. The survivors were given warm blankets, dry clothes, hot food and coffee, and medical attention. Some of the survivors sat numbly in chairs, while others wandered around, looking for family and friends who were not there.

Carpathia, which was heading to Europe, changed direction to go to New York. The three-day journey was slow and sad, with rough seas and many icebergs. The news of Titanic was broadcast throughout the world. There were many wealthy and famous people on board, so the news gathered lots of attention.

Afterwards, the U.S. government and British government held inquiries into the disaster. Charities were set up so people could donate money. For weeks after the sinking, bodies of the dead, still floating in their life jackets, were pulled out of the water and buried.

Robert Douglas Spedden survived, with both his parents and his nurse in a lifeboat. Edith Brown and her mother were placed into a lifeboat by their father, who stood on the deck, smoking a cigar and sipping a glass of brandy. Edith would never forget the sounds of the screams of the dying in the water. Nobody knew how to identify Michel Jr. and Edmond Navratil. But, their mother recognized a picture of them in the newspaper, and sailed to America to pick them up. The family then returned to France, where the boys grew up. Anna Sjöblom married an American and had a family. Charlotte and Marjorie Collyer returned to England, where two years later, Charlotte died, leaving Marjorie an orphan. Madeleine Astor remained in New York and raised her son, John Jacob VI.

 

Samantha’s Story Continues

There’s a knock at the door. The maid opens, and hands a telegram to Uncle Gard. His hands tremble as he fumbles with the flap. His face is white. Everyone reads the telegram together: “We are all safe on Carpathia. To dock at New York harbor 3:00 p.m. Love Cornelia.” Tears stream down Samantha’s face as she and Bridget and Jenny all hug each other. They’re all so grateful they are alive. Samantha feels the pressure that was building inside her bursting open as she sobs with relief.

They all dress quickly to get ready to meet the ship at the dock. They swiftly walk down the streets, dodging automobiles and wagons. Then, Samantha sees the ship, pulling into the harbor. The crew lowers the gangplank, and they all see the survivors, wrapped in blankets, crowding the railways. Samantha, Uncle Gard, Bridget, and Jenny scan the ship looking for their family, but they don’t see them. Did something happen to them?

Suddenly, Samantha feels Nellie throw herself against her. Aunt Cornelia is behind her with William. They all look pale and tired. But they’re in one piece, safe and sound. Nellie’s eyes glisten with tears. Samantha wraps her arms around Nellie—she is never letting go of her.

A few days later, Samantha, Bridget, and Jenny step onto the street. Their family was very lucky, but not every family was. Many of the families are now quite poor, since they lost their husbands and fathers to provide for them. The girls head to 300 Fourth Avenue, where the offices of the Titanic Relief Fund have been set up. Samantha knows she wants to find a way to help.

 

Epilogue

For more than seventy years, Titanic lay silent at the bottom of the ocean. The wreck was so deep that the water pressure would crush any divers who tried to reach it. In 1985, an underwater robot called Argo descended nearly 12,000 feet to the ocean floor. A French-American team, led by Robert Ballard, was in a ship above. Argo found Titanic in two pieces on the ocean floor, approximately one-third of a mile apart.

The bow was mostly intact. Some light fixtures even still hung from the ceiling. The stern was a twisted wreck. In between the two pieces lay scattered wreckage: wine bottles, coal, dolls, bedsprings, and leather shoes.

The bodies of those who had sunk with the ship had long ago been consumed by ocean life. Various marine organisms were eating away at the metal of the ship as well. Pictures were taken, and the wreck was studied and mapped. Artifacts were brought to the surface. But the ship itself will never be raised. The material is too delicate to survive a journey to the surface. Titanic will live forever on the ocean floor.

Notes From Me

Passengers Mentioned

  • Edith Brown and her mother surived. Edith’s father did not.
  • Robert Douglas Spedden, both his parents, and his nurse survived.
  • Maria Touma, her mother, and younger brother survived.
  • Eva Hart and her mother survived. Eva’s father did not.
  • John Jacob Astor IV did not survive. John’s wife, Madeleine, did.
  • Isidor and Ida Straus perished. Isidor was originally offered a seat in a lifeboat but refused, insisting that women and children should be saved first. Ida also declined to board a lifeboat without her husband, choosing to stay with him. They were last seen on the ship’s deck, arm in arm.
  • Michel Jr. and Edmond Navratil survived in a woman’s arms. Their father, Michel Navratil, did not survive.
  • Anna Sjöblom survived the diaster, but her friends, Jakob Alfred Johanson, Jakob Alfred, and Karl Johan Wiklund did not.
  • Nina Harper and her cousin Jessie both survived, but Nina’s father, John, did not.
  • Marjorie Collyer and her mother, Charlotte, survived, but Marjorie’s father, Harvey, did not.
  • Dickinson and Helen Bishop both survived the disaster in Lifeboat 7. Unfortunately, their dog, Freu Freu, was left in their stateroom and did not survive.
  • Lawrence Beesley survived aboard Lifeboat 13.
  • Carl Jonsson survived the disaster by floating on a door that was blown from the ship. He floated for six and a half hours until Madeleine Astor reached out her hand and they pulled him aboard the lifeboat.

Crew Mentioned

  • Thomas McCawley was described as a ruddy-cheeked, spry little man in white flannels who remained in the gymnasium throughout the disaster, never making it off the ship.
  • Jack Phillips worked tirelessly to send distress signals and coordinate rescue efforts, despite the wireless room being busy with commercial traffic before the collision with the iceberg. He did not survive the sinking.
  • Harold Bride worked with Phillips to try to send distress signals until the end. After the Titanic sank, Bride was rescued by the Carpathia. Despite being seriously injured, he helped the Carpathia’s wireless operator, Harold Cottam, transmit survivor lists and personal messages from the ship.
  • Frederick Hopkins did not survive.
  • William Watson did not survive.
  • Captain Edward J. Smith did not survive. Some say he jumped overboard, picked up a child, and swam over to a lifeboat to save the child. But he refused to get in the lifeboat himself. It’s unknown whether or not this story is true.
  • First Officer William Murdoch did not survive.
  • Frederick Barrett survived the sinking. He managed to escape into Lifeboat 13, which was already nearly full when he got inside, with more people following him. Right as their lifeboat lowered, Lifeboat 15 began to lower as well. When Lifeboat 13 hit the water, it started to drift directly below Lifeboat 15. Barrett climbed over women to cut the falls and push the boat free, saving the 70 persons in Lifeboat 13.
  • Second Officer Lightoller survived the disaster. Lightoller was assisting getting the collapsible lifeboats out when Titanic jolted, and Lightoller was thrust into the ocean. He began swimming, but was sucked against the grating of a ventilator shaft and pulled down with the ship. When the cold water hit the hot boilers, the blast blew him back up to surface, where he found himself beside capsized Collapsible B. Thirty men, including Phillips and Bride climbed into the boat with Lightoller. Phillips later died. When the Carpathia came to rescue the lifeboats, the one with Lightoller was the last one to be picked up, and Lightoller allowed everyone to get on the boat before him, meaning he was the last survivor of Titanic to be picked up.
  • Quartermaster Robert Hichens escaped on Lifeboat 6. He was in charge of loading that lifeboat, and it left Titanic with only 28 persons on board.
  • Archie Jewell survived. He was one of the first to leave the ship in Lifeboat 7, which had 28 people on board. The capacity was 65.
  • George Symons survived. He escaped in Emergency Lifeboat 1, which carried only twelve occupants, and of which he was put in command.
  • Frederick Fleet survived on Lifeboat 6, alongside Quartermaster Robert Hichens.
  • Reginald Lee escaped the sinking on Lifeboat 13.
  • Thomas Andrews did not survive the disaster. During the ship’s final hours, Andrews wandered the decks encouraging passengers to wear their life jackets and to make their way to the boats. He was last seen staring into space by the painting in the first-class smoking room, his own life jacket discarded.
  • Fifth Officer Lowe survived on Lifeboat 14, which he filled with 58 people. Once they hit the water, he gathered multiple boats together to redistribute the passengers. After the screams of those in the water subsided, he determined it was safe enough to pick up survivors. He took another man who snuck on the lifeboat as a woman to go with him. They picked up four survivors, but one of them, Hoyt, died later in the boat. Lowe did not see any females’ bodies around the wreckage.

Sources

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