Many Knew They Would Not Survive
After the Titanic hit a huge iceberg, the ship’s officers and crew members quickly realized that the ship was going to sink. The weather during the early hours of that fateful day was gravely cold, and many of those who fell from the ship didn’t actually drown to death but succumbed to hypothermia.
Many of the men saw this and knew they wouldn’t survive, but tried to remain calm, nevertheless, for the sake of their families. One of those men was the ship’s wealthiest guest, John Jacob Astor IV whose wife was pregnant. Sending her off to a lifeboat he remained incredibly calm. “The sea is calm. You’ll be alright. You’re in good hands. I’ll meet you in the morning,” he assured his wife. He would never see the light of day.
RMS Stands for Something Odd
The RMS Titanic wasn’t merely a luxury liner that shipped passengers from Southampton to New York, crossing the English Line, to the northern coast of France. Like many ships at the time, it also loaded various cargoes transported for trade and commerce, as well as the regular baggage brought by its passengers.
What many don’t know is that it also carried mail. This was part of a contract between its parent company and the Royal Mail, and RMS actually stands for Royal Mail Ship. The Sea Post Office located on the ship’s G Deck had 5 postal clerks who sorted the mail 7 days a week.
The Crew Was Dutiful to a Fault
The Titanic was designed to carry more than 900 crew members, but only 885 were employed during its maiden voyage. They were only recruited about a month before (March), and many of them boarded the ship on the day itself. Most of them were employed only on a casual basis.
Only 214 crew members survived the accident. Some died minutes after the iceberg impact, as they were stationed on the lower decks. Aside from the second-class and third-class men, the crew member death count was the highest. Some died assisting passengers in climbing up the higher decks, while the 5 post office clerks on board died dutifully protecting their cargo.
Many More Almost Went Down
The maiden voyage-turned-tragedy could have been so much worse had the ship sailed at maximum capacity. But many of those who already had tickets canceled before the day of their trip due to various reasons. For one, there was a coal strike going on. And some of those who actually boarded the ship didn’t intend to stay for the whole length of the journey and were dropped off.
J.P. Morgan was one of those who were supposed to sail along but called off his plans. Plus, the lofty prices of the accommodations had probably rendered many undecided, putting off traveling schedules. Other notable personalities who narrowly avoided the tragedy were Hershey’s owner Milton S. Hershey, and Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt.
The Ship Ran on Coal Fuel
It would take a number of days for the gigantic ship to sail and reach its destination, passing through some ports along the way, and it had to carry extra cargo to make this possible. Because its engine ran on coal fuel, it carried along with it 6,000 tons of coal; sailing at an average of 600 tons of coal/per day.
These coals were fed to the broiler by employees referred to as firemen for obvious reasons. It all took place at the lower deck where it was hot and fuming hellishly. Those on the lower deck were the first victims of the accident. Their working rooms were flooded, and many were left trapped inside after the doors were automatically sealed to keep the ship afloat.