The tragic story of the grandest ship ever made, one that was touted as “Unsinkable” has been told time and time again. The Titanic is still the most tragic disaster in maritime history. Over 1500 passengers and crew perished when the ship struck an iceberg and sank in less than three hours. Those last moments were filled with confusion and terror but the courage of everyone on board was never forgotten. 

By Nisie

The night of the disaster many passengers had already turned in for the evening and gone to sleep. None expected any danger to be amiss as the weather was quite still and the skies were beautifully clear throughout the day. A slight jolt felt by First Class passenger Edith Rosenbaum Russell was the only indication that something had occurred. After noticing her room was now at an odd slant, she hurried to the forward part of the ship. There she came upon a group of young men playing with bits of ice, as she picked up a piece she was stunned by the coldness. Ms. Rosenbaum turned to an officer and asked if she should be concerned but he assured her, “We have struck an iceberg, but there is no need to worry, and the best thing to do is to go back to bed.” 

Not too far from Ms. Resenbaum was Mr. Francis McCaffry and Mr. Thomson Beattie. The two friends were also first-class passengers. Their stateroom was in a forward-facing cabin whose window directly faced the electric cranes that lifted everyone’s luggage on board. Both men were in their 40s and were likely coming back from an evening of gambling or cigars when the iceberg hit. In the Second-Class cabins was the Allison family, they were just beginning to find sleep when they felt an even bigger disturbance. The jolt alarmed the family nurse who hurried as she got little Helen Allison just two years old and her baby brother dressed. Mr. Allison went up to the Deck to find out why the ship had suddenly stalled. Soon after an officer approached Mrs. Allison’s cabin door and advised her to put on their lifebelts and to prepare to leave the ship. She immidetly became hysterical.

By this time most passengers were finally beginning to realize the ship was in dire trouble and leaving the ship may be inevitable. Tragically lifeboats were not a privilege for most passages because there was only enough for half of those on board the doomed ship. It was ordered that women and children were to board the boats first but very few were willing to get into the small wooden boats.

Down below in steerage Third Class passengers stood in panic with their feet already soaked in freezing cold water. They had been locked behind gates with no access to the lifeboat decks. Anyone near the cargo hold has already drowned. The loss of life was increasing by the minute. 

First Class passenger Benjamin Guggenheim was seen helping people get to safety. After he finished his duty, Rose Amelie saw him go back to his stateroom. When he returned in evening dress she overheard him say, “We’ve dressed up in our best and are prepared to go down like gentlemen.” Those working in the boilers stayed behind to keep the electricity on. Wireless Officer Jack Philips refused to abandon his post and continued to get their distress call out to surrounding ships. The Carpathia responded but was too far to save them.

Alice Catherine Cleaver, the Allison Family nurse had grown tired of Mr. and Mrs. Alison’s frightful attitude. It was slowing them down,she insisted on taking the baby into a lifeboat and then lost track of the parents in the confusion. Mrs. Alison finally reached a lifeboat along with her two-year-old daughter, but she couldn’t bare the thought of separating from her baby boy, so she jumped out and ran to find the lifeboat her family nurse had jumped into. Meanwhile Mr. McCaffry and Mr. Beattie like all men aboard the ship found themselves trapped as they were not allowed in the lifeboats. All around them were panicked families who were scrambling for seats on the last lifeboats. Some wives refused to separate from their husbands and entire families stayed behind because their 12-year-old son or brother was not permitted to enter the lifeboats. 

Ms. Resenbaum finally found her way to the lifeboat number 11 but was fearful of the mere size of it compared to the massive ship and did not want to get in. As she looked below in horror an officer took her lucky musical pig from under her arm and threw it in. She then let the officer help her in the lifeboat to safety. Ava Hart just seven years old cried as she said goodbye to her father for the last time, her sorrow only worsened when she remembered she left her favorite dolly behind as well. Her mother, Emily Hart felt the sting of regret as her sense of emending doom as she first boarded the ship proved to be true. Little Ava Hart could hear the band playing ‘Nearer My God to Thee” as their lifeboat floated further away from the sinking ship. 

Titanic was taking on water at extremely high speeds and was disappearing under the surface quickly. Mrs. Alison clutched onto her daughter as she realized she had missed the last lifeboat during her haste to find her son. She was last seen smiling with her family on the pomade deck when they were rushed with icy water. Mr. McCaffry and Mr. Beattie made it to the roof of the officers’ quarters where the last collapsible lifeboat was available. As water washed overboard, Mr. Beattie was able keep the lifeboat steady and above water, but his friend disappeared. Young Ava Hart watched in horror from her lifeboat as she watched the stern rise upwards towards the stars. She didn’t blink when the ship began to break in half with earsplitting explosions. As Titanic slipped below the black waters the desperate screams of those trapped on board were defining but was soon followed by dead silence.

Ms. Resenbaum played her musical pig throughout the night to keep the children from crying, other survivors sat in silence as they attempted to understand the tragedy that had just occurred. Only one lifeboat went back to look for survivors.

It was hours before they were finally rescued by the Carpathia. As they climbed aboard, they were given whiskey and crackers to warm them. The survivors fully assumed another ship was coming along to unite them with their husbands and loved ones, but they were sadly mistaken. The Carpathia was now a ship of widows and orphans. Captain Arthur Rostron did his best to accommodate the traumatized survivors but the ship was not ready for almost 800 unexpected passengers. Many had to sleep on floors or were at the mercy of guests of the ship who allowed them to share their stateroom. 

It was a long tiresome journey to New York City from there. When they arrived, they were met with huge crowds of loved ones who were eager to reunite with their families and reporters lined the dock, ready to get the story.

The survivors were at a major loss. Men were not allowed on the lifeboats so many families lost their source of income. Immigrants who were looking to start a new life in America had to consider moving back home and some did. The investigation into the Titanic disaster left little blame on White Star Line. This left families with little recourse. Many received settlements amounts that did not equal the value of what was lost at sea.

Months later Mr. Thomson Beattie was discovered along with two firemen still adrift in their lifeboat. All three had died from exposure. It is not known how the lifeboat was not recovered by the Carpathia or other surrounding ships at the time of the sinking. 

The Titanic was supposed to be unsinkable, but it was not built to be immune from disaster. The White Star Line prided itself on their innovative watertight compartments, only to equip their new ships with a faulty design that let water easily overflow into the surrounding compartments after the watertight doors were sealed. The publicity around the ship far surpassed the truth.

 The Titanic was supposed to be the ship of dreams but instead it was an illusion. The illusion that man can create something that not even God could sink, and wealth made you invulnerable.

Sources:

Encyclopedia Titanica (2020) I Survived the Titanic (Titanica!, ref: #149, published 10 May 2020, generated 14th August 2021 09:05:22 AM); URL : https://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/i-survived-the-titanic-edith-rosenbaum.html

Encyclopedia Titanica