TITANIC - Plucked from the Sea?

Plucked from the Sea?

 

Titanic Research

by Peter Engberg and Tad Fitch

Sunday 11 July 1999

Survivors' Claims Reconsidered

Survivors who claimed to having been in contact with the water.

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Name	Comments
First Class survivors:
Barkworth, Mr Algernon Henry Wilson	Barkworth claimed To have been rescued on Collapsible B. His claim is substantiated by Colonel Gracie.
Bradley, Mr George {"Mr George Arthur Brayton"} (George Andrew Brereton)	Bradley Claimed: a) in one interview that he was picked up by a passing boat. b) in other interviews that he simply entered one of the first boats. Titanic Historian George Behe suggested in 1982 that Bradley was in Lifeboat 15.
Daly, Mr Peter Denis	Daly claimed a) to have been in the water on his own for six hours before one of the Carpathia's boats picked him up. b) that he was on the same collapsible boat as Messrs Gracie and Rheims. c) to have been pulled into Collapsible A by fellow First Class Passengers R.N. Williams, and George Alexander Lucien Rheims. Rheims and Gracie were in different boats. However George Rheims corraborates Daly's claim, mentioning him by name as having been in Collapsible A. in an interview in the April 20th, 1912 edition of the New York Herald. Also, in a private letter from George Rheims' to his wife written on April 19, 1912, he recalled "I had the pleasure to be able to save a poor man, father of nine children, who asked me to give him a picture of myself with a dedication fit for the King of England." The man described could have been Peter Daly, who was the father of 18 children, 8 or 9 of which were alive at the time the Titanic sank.
Daniel, Mr Robert Williams	Daniel made vague and contradicting stories about jumping overboard and a) being pulled into a passing boat b) being rescued aboard Collapsible B with Jack Thayer. Trimmer Patrick Dillon claimed to have seen Daniel leap from the stern of the ship just before the final plunge, but Daniel was almost certainly in boat 3, mentioned by name by one of the first class ladies in boat.
Gracie, Colonel Archibald IV	Collapsible B. No comment neccesary
Hoyt, Mr Frederick Maxfield	The only person to be picked up by boat D, the story is corroborated by several witnesses in the boat, e g chief steward Hardy.
Rheims, Mr George Alexander Lucien	Rheims claimed to having been on boat A. This is corraborated by other witnesses who were in Collapsible A, and by Rheims' medical condition, as noted in his testimony and claim of damages in the 1913 Limitation of Liability Lawsuit against the White Star Line.
Romaine, Mr Charles Hallace {"Mr C. Rolmane"}	Made several conflicting statements concerning how he escaped the sinking liner. He probably left in lifeboat 9 with Bradley.
Silverthorne, Mr Spencer Victor	Claimed to having lept into the sea in at least one interview, nothwithstanding the fact that the actually left in lifeboat 5 (according to most of his interviews as well as according to Gracie).
Björnström-Steffansson, Mr Mauritz Håkan	Stated in at least one interview that he was on the overturned collapsible lifeboat with Colonel Gracie and others. He was certainly, however, in Collapsible D.
Thayer, Mr John Borland, jr.	Collapsible B. No comment necessary.
Williams, Mr Richard Norris II	Collapsible A. No comment necessary.
At least 12 first class survivors claimed to having been in contact with the water.
Second Class survivors.
Beane, Mr Edward	Gave several interviews, where he claimed that he placed his wife in a boat, which was not full, then leapt overboard and was picked up by the same boat in which his wife was. Since only lifeboats 4, 14 and D ever picked up people in that way he described and those people are known by name, his story is not plausible at all; in other interviews, however, he would describe entering a starboard lifeboat with his wife (very likely Lifeboat 13).
Mellors, Mr William John	Mellors claimed he was rescued aboard one of the collapsibles, probably Collapsible B. However, this is somewhat unclear, because during his testimony in the 1915 Limitation of Liability Lawsuit against the White Star Line, Mellors testified under oath that he had been in an "unassembled collapsible raft" along with Mrs. Rosa Abbott. Mrs. Abbott is known to have been rescued in Collapsible A.
Portaluppi, Mr Emilio Ilario Giuseppe	Gave rather far-fetched interviews about his escape; it is by no means clear what lifeboat he refers to, and the descriptions are rather vague. He may have been the fourth person who was picked up by lifeboat 14 (if there indeed was a fourth person), but equally likely, he may just have made the story up, instead having entered one of the starboard aft boats, perhaps lifeboat 9.
Williams, Mr Charles Eugene	Williams gave at least one interview in which he stated that he had leapt overboard and that he had been picked up by a passing lifeboat, and at least two others in which he claimed to have been rescued aboard Collapsible A, and B, respectively. In one interview, Williams stated that he simply boarded one of the last lifeboats to be lowered from the deck. This seems to be true, as Fifth Officer Lowe recognized Mr Williams as the second class passenger he had taken into lifeboat 14 as an extra rower.
In all, four second class gentlemen.
Third Class survivors.
Abbott, Mrs Stanton (Rosa Hunt)	Collapsible A. No comment necessary.
Abelseth, Mr Olaus Jørgensen	Collapsible A. No comment necessary.
Abrahim, Mrs Joseph (Mary Sophie Halaut Easu)	Said she was picked up by a passing lifeboat. Her meaning is unclear.
Albimona, Mr Nassef Cassem	Claimed that he 'Swam for it'.
Cohen, Mr Gurshon "Gus"	Said Mrs Astor picked him up, i. e. indicating lifeboat 4. In reality, one of the ladies in lifeboat 12 mentioned him as the man who jumped into that boat as it was lowered away.
Daly, Mr Eugene Patrick	Daly claimed to have leapt overboard, and reached Collapsible B just before the ship sank. Julia Smyth in lifeboat 13 recognized a "young Irish lad" in her boat, but there is no evidence to suggest that this was Daly. Daly's own claims of his survival are borne out by his physical condition when taken aboard the Carpathia (he was unconscious from cold), by his claim of injuries filed in the 1913 Limitation of Liability Lawsuit against the White Star Line, and by his testimony under oath in the same hearings, during 1915. In both The Evening World April 22, 1912, and The East Galway Democrat May 11, 1912 Daly claims to have reached and clung to "an upturned collapsible raft," an "upturned boat," "a boat which upset," etc., before later being pulled into a regular lifeboat (undoubtedly Lifeboat #4 or #12 which rescued the survivors aboard B in the morning).
Dorking, Mr Edward Arthur	Gave lengthy interviews, describing Collapsible B.
Duquemin, Mr Joseph	Said he was picked up by Collapsible D. However he was almost certainly in it when it was lowered away.
Hedman, Mr Oskar Arvid	Said in a few interviews that he 'swam for it', in others that he entered the last lifeboat (i e Lifeboat 15).
Jansson, Mr Carl Olof	Collapsible A, he and Mr Andersson/Wennerström corroborate each other's stories.
Jonsson, Mr Carl	Jonsson claimed in a few interviews to have been lashed to a door for six hours, or to have "swam about for hours" before being pulled into Collapsible A. There is nothing to support his claims, and according to an article in The Hartford Times, Jonsson boarded Lifeboat 15, which was lowered from the deck, with a group of Scandinavians.
Karlsson, Mr Einar Gervasius	Claimed that he 'Swam for it', but actually entered Lifeboat 13 with Mr Asplund without further ado.
Karun, Mr Franz	Said he swam with his daughter before they were picked up, but in other interviews he denied this and said he entered a lifeboat instead (very likely Lifeboat 15).
Lang, Mr Fang	Picked up by Officer Lowe in Lifeboat 14.
Lindqvist, Mr Eino William	Claimed that he swam to Collapsible B, when he in reality entered lifeboat 15 with sister and niece (Mrs and Miss Hirvonen), and Mr Abrahamsson.
Lulic, Mr Nikola	Claimed that he 'Swam for it' and was picked up by a passing boat. But he was probably with the Karuns in lifeboat 15.
Lundström, Mr Thure Edvin	Claimed that he 'Swam for it' and was picked up by a passing boat. He had first helped the Sandströms into lifeboat 13, which might indicate his presence in lifeboat 15.
Madsen, Mr Fridtjof Arne	Mr Madsen stated that he was picked up by lifeboat 13, which, in fact, picked up nobody from the sea. He must have been in the boat already when it was lowered away.
McCormack, Mr Thomas Joseph	McCormack said he tried to climb into a boat in which the Murphy sisters already were seated, but that a sailor hit him with an oar. In another interview, he claimed to have reached a collapsible boat. In reality, he almost certainly boarded lifeboat 16 from the deck with the Murphy sisters, and was never even in contact with the water.
Moss, Albert Johan	Said he swam to Collapsible B. His hands were badly frozen.
De Mulder, Mr Theodoor	Gave vague interviews about being picked up by some boat. Not true. He may well have been one of the 'Germans' in lifeboat 11 together with Julius Sap and Jan B Scheerlinck, whom he knew.
O'Keefe, Mr Patrick	Has been placed on Collapsible B. Truth unknown.
Olsson, Mr Oscar Wilhelm ("_ Johansson")	Collapsible A. He is mentioned as being in the boat by Mr Jansson.
Persson, Mr Ernst Ulrik	In a letter to his wife he describes swimming to an upturned boat. See the biography for further details.
Sap, Mr Julius	See Mr De Mulder.
Scheerlinckx, Mr Jean	See Mr De Mulder.
Sunderland, Mr Victor Francis	Described his presence on Collapsible B. Truth unknown.
Tenglin, Mr Gunnar Isidor	He would sometimes describe being on a waterfilled collapsible boat, other times he left in the next-to-last lifeboat (i e lifeboat 13).
Törnquist, Mr William Henry	Claimed that he 'Swam for it', but his story is very vague. Most likely boarded a starboard aft boat.
Vartanian, Mr David	Has been placed on Collapsible A; but most likely, he was in lifeboat 13 or 15.
Andersson, Mr August Edvard {"Wennerström"}	Collapsible A. See Mr Jansson.
Jalševac, Mr Ivan	In some interviews, he leapt overboard, in others he said those interviews were incorrect and that he in fact was with the Karuns in their lifeboat.
McCoy, Mr Bernard	Said his sisters pulled him into their boat. Very unlikely, he probably boarded with them.
Crew survivors.
Allen, Mr Ernest F.	Collapsible B.
Bride, Mr Harold Sydney	Collapsible B.
Brown, Mr Edward	Collapsible A.
Collins, Mr John	Collapsible B.
Cunningham, Mr Andrew	Picked up lifeboat 4.
Daniels, Mr Sidney Edward	Daniels claimed he was on Collapsible B, which is possibly true. After the disaster, he came down with a case of quinsy, and press reports suggest that he was one of the survivors taken to a hospital, probably St. Luke's, after the Carpathia reached New York.
Dillon, Mr Thomas Patrick	Picked up by lifeboat 4.
Fitzpatrick, Mr Charles William N.	Claimed he swam to Collapsible B. Truth unknown.
Hebb, Mr A.	Collapsible B.
Hemming, Mr Samuel Ernest	Swam to lifeboat 4.
Hurst, Mr Walter	Collapsible B.
Joughin, Mr Charles John	Collapsible B.
Judd, Mr Charles E.	Collapsible B.
Lightoller, Mr Charles Herbert	Collapsible B.
Lindsay, Mr William Charles	Collapsible B.
Lucas, Mr William (saloon steward)	Collapsible A.
Maynard, Mr Isaac	Collapsible B, according to Joughin.
McGann, Mr James	Collapsible B.
McIntyre, Mr William	McIntyre was likely on board Collapsible A or B. Details of his known accounts are too vague to determine which was the case.
O'Connor, Mr John	Collapsible B, according to Podesta and Nutbean.
Phillimore, Mr Harold Charles William	Picked up by lifeboat 14.
Pragnell, Mr George	Collapsible B.
Prentice, Mr Frank George	Picked up by lifeboat 4.
Scott, Mr Frederick	Picked up by lifeboat 4.
Senior, Mr Henry ("Harry")	Collapsible B.
Snow, Mr Eustace Philip	Has been placed on Collapsible B. Truth unknown.
Theissinger, Mr Alfred	Claimed to having swum for it. In reality, he was in lifeboat 11.
Thompson, Mr John	Collapsible A.
Weikman, Mr Augustus H.	Collapsible A.
White, Mr Alfred	Picked up by lifeboat 4.
Whiteley, Mr Thomas	Collapsible B.
At least 31 crewmen claimed to having been in the water.

In all, from 44 to 48 were actually saved from the water while about 79 passengers and crew have have been found who said they had been in contact with the water. There are probably others whose accounts are yet to be discovered, as well. This figure stands in sharp contrast to the number actually saved from the water.
Lifeboat 4 picked up eight, two of whom died (not included in the list above); six survivors.
Lifeboat 14 picked up three or four people, one of whom died; there were two or three saved.
Collapsible A probably contained between 11 and 14 survivors but estimates vary so much that it is impossible to determine the exact number. R.N. Williams said 11, Scarrot and Lowe testified to 20 or so men and one lady, Carl Olof Jansson stated there was 12, Rheims said that there was 12 in the letter to his wife, and then said 14 in his 1913 testimony, Steward Brown said 14, then 12, Peter Daly said 13, Wennerstrom said 11, etc., etc.
Collapsible B probably had between 25 and 35 people on board when boats 4 and 12 saved them however, eyewitness testimony varies so much that it is impossible to pin point the number. Steward Whiteley said that there were 30-35 aboard, Lightoller said there were about 30, mainly stokers and only three male passengers, but that three or so died during the night, Colonel Gracie says he was certain there were at least 30, Jack Thayer believed 28 men were aboard the boat, Barkworth gave conflicting figures, but estimated around 20-30, etc., etc.
Collapsible D picked up one passenger; Mr Hoyt.
There is no evidence that any of the other boats picked up swimmers.

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TITANIC - Ice and Californian

Ice: Clear and Absent Danger

 

Titanic Research

by Senan Molony

Sunday 14 October 2007

This is an argument hewn from ice… a substance that offers solidity and occasional clarity.
But it is also an argument about the absence of ice – meaning nothing less than clear water, with all the plain sailing that implies.
The Leyland liner Californian was effectively named by official Inquiries in 1912 as the vessel seen from the sinking Titanic. 
That craft was seen at a mean distance of 5.6 miles by Titanic evidence, and estimated at 5 miles or less byTitanic officers. Professional navigational officers instinctively know their own horizon, and this vessel is testified to have approached within middle distance.
There is no denying Titanic evidence about its own mystery ship – with visible sidelights (required officially to be seen at two miles), and a sidelight and stern light seen even from lifeboats on the water…
We now know where the Titanic sank. She lies three miles south of the New York track in latitude 41° 43’ N. Her famous SOS transmission, which was in error longitudinally, specified a latitude of 41° 46’ N.
[Each minute of latitude represents one nautical mile, giving that material difference as the Titanic drifted and sank 2 hours and 40 minutes after striking her berg.]

Captain Lord in summer whites aboard a Leyland liner
© Senan Molony
The Californian on the other hand was bound for Boston, on a track that led along the latitude line of 42° 05’ N. This is fully 19 nautical miles from the Titanic latitude (41° 46’ N) on the north-south axis.
[Fourteen minutes / miles brings latitude 41° 46’ up to 42 degrees, and five more minutes is five further miles.]
There can no longer be any question, therefore, of the Titanic journeying towards the Boston-bound liner, asCalifornian Third Officer Charles Victor Groves believed she must have done.

Captain Lord and officers of the Anglo-Saxon.
© Senan Molony

Groves trusted implicitly in his own ship’s position (“bound to be accurate if the Captain put it in;” Br 8425), which he had personally helped to guarantee as Officer of the Watch, overseeing her course, before his ship stopped on the night of April 14, 1912.
Groves, who gave it as his opinion that another steamer stopped close to his own vessel that night was the Titanic, admitted (at Br. 8445): “If the latitudes are right, then of course I am wrong.”
8446: If the latitude of your ship and that of the Titanic are anything approximately right, it
follows that the vessel which you saw could not have been the Titanic?
Groves — Certainly not.
The wreck on the seabed proves conclusively that the Titanic was on her correct latitude line for New York, because the debris field lies substantially south of it.
The only remaining possibility, if the Californian is to be the mystery ship seen from the Titanic, is for the Californian to have broken off her line for Boston, and to have headed towards the Titanic, turning that 19-mile north/south separation into just five.
It will be seen that this indulges the theory that the Titanic had to be facing north after her iceberg impact (encountered when heading west!) and after subsequent attempts to “resume her course,” as Lawrence Beesley puts it.
There is ample testimony of cautious renewed Titanic movement for a time after the failure of the initial iceberg-avoidance manoeuvre (which itself involved an attempt to go south of west, with the ship answering her helm by a few points before impact.)
It is necessary, among Californian-accusers, for the Titanic to be assumed pointing her bows to the north when all engines are finally stilled. Only in such a scenario can the Californian be painted as the mystery ship, the latter vessel being indisputably seen off the port bow of the Titanic, indeed almost directly in front of her.
Allowing this assumption (for the sake of argument) means placing the mystery ship an appropriate five miles north of the Titanic’s 41° 46’ latitude, in accordance with the evidence of those on board that vessel.
The mystery ship then occupies a latitude of 41° 51’ N. Indeed it must be here, if those who say the Titanicended up facing north are correct.
The longitude of the wreck site is 49° 56’ W, which gives us a point on the westerly axis. The vast bulk ofTitanic’s post-impact drift was southerly, and there is no reason why the wreck site longitude should not also give us a near-enough longitude for the mystery ship.
So the mystery ship, when seen from the Titanic, was in 41° 51’ N, 49° 56’ W.
That’s the spot the Californian must reach if she is to be the Titanic’s near visitor!

***

Field ice photographed on the morning of April 15, 1912,
in the general vicinity of the Titanic sinking, by Dr Marloth,
ship's surgeon aboard the NDL Frankfurt. Courtesy of the author

IT is necessary here, before building further, to rehearse some argument from Mystery Ship Made Simple, an earlier article on this site.
It deals with the importance of a position for the Californian that was transmitted earlier on the fatal night, heard and logged by Titanic and other ships, and sent out before any vessel got into difficulties.
This wireless message was broadcast by Californian at around 7.30pm her time. It related to a sighting an hour earlier, at 6.30pm on the Californian. It took the form of an ice warning to other shipping, and included theCalifornian’s position at the relevant time.
"To Captain Antillian - 6.30pm apparent time ship; Latitude 42° 3’ North, Longitude 49° 9’ West. Three large bergs five miles to southward of us. Regards, Lord."  (Evans 8941, 8943; Br report p.43)
[Captain Lord later testified and wrote that the latitude had been 42° 05’ N, rather than 42° 03’ N, and it seems that wireless operator Cyril Evans may have misread the Master’s handwriting. The difference is two miles in “height,” but the lower position of 42° 03’ will be used, since this is what was broadcast.]
The Californian had been steaming west at 11 knots. Boston lies above the line of 42° N (actually in 42° 21’ N), and a Boston-bound steamer would have no reason whatever to go below this line.
When the Californian stopped at 10.21pm that night, she recorded her position as 42° 05’ N, 50° 07’ W. This is a spot 43 nautical miles from where she was by dead reckoning at 6.30pm.
Four hours of steaming at 11 knots, her highest ordinary speed, gives 44 nautical miles travelled. A mileage of 43 is almost exactly right for a vessel that stopped nine minutes short of four hours. The Californian did not slacken speed – thus, it can be reasoned, there must have been nothing to cause her to do so. She was not troubled by ice for those four hours.

Letter sent by the Leyland Line to the British Inquiry, pointing out that theCalifornian's claimed stop position was consistent with pre-accident wireless transmissions, showing she was on course to Boston.

No new wireless report about ice from the Californian for four hours indicates most strongly that she held her course to the West — staying north. If anything had caused her to deviate from her course, the only imaginable cause being ice, then she would have presumably sent a wireless about it, as she had done earlier.
This inference is further strengthened by the fact that she did send another wireless warning about the presence of ice when finally confronted by it.
After she had been halted, Californian sent a wireless to the Titanic specifically, stating: “We are stopped and surrounded by ice.”  The Titanic, still speeding towards her unseen consummation, replied with the now-famous “Keep out, keep out, I am working Cape Race.”

So where is the evidence, or the motivation, for the Californian to have headed in any way south?

***
Leaving aside that sheer unlikelihood, and the fact that no-one on the Californian spoke about an altered course, especially not officer Groves, let’s try to get the Californian to the mystery ship spot (41° 51’ N, 49° 56’ W) anyway.     
The reality is that with 43 miles steamed, she could have reached there. The distance to where the Titanicwas later sinking is 41 nautical miles, but the distance to where the mystery ship would have been seen – ifTitanic was pointing her bows to the north at this time – is 37 miles.
The Californian could have got there, but would have had to alter her course sharply to the southwest, and almost immediately after 6.30pm when she transmitted her earlier position.
This is the diagonal she must make – from the more northern and eastern position to a southern and western one. And the great difficulty with sending her there comes down to just one deadly issue: ice.
Ice reports had been coming in all day, showing large numbers of hazards in the box bordered by Latitude 41° and 42°, and Longitude 49° and 50°.
This is the last insurmountable difficulty with sending the Californian southwest, whether for any reason or no reason. Ice would have intervened.
This chart, drawn up by US Naval Hydrographer Captain John Knapp, shows the problem. It shows all the ice reported to his office for April 14, 1912.

The dotted line represents what Knapp imagined the Titanic course line to be. It is north of here that the mystery ship was seen, if the preferred theory of Californian-accusers is indulged.
The jumble of ice south of line 42° N, compared with a relative absence of ice above 42° N, can at once be seen.
It implies that the Californian, sent whimsically on a diagonal SW course from her 6.30pm position, would certainly have encountered ice. Even if not blocked directly by ice, she would have seen it at close quarters – and would therefore have reported it to other shipping by wireless. No ship is in trouble yet; and theCalifornian has shown herself assiduous at warning others.
Furthermore, on seeing extensive ice, the likelihood in such a scenario is that the Californian (finding herself “guessing wrong” by going to the SW), would have reduced her speed quite significantly. Even if she could thread the needle, therefore, the concept of her continuing at operational top speed of 11 knots is redundant.
If she cuts speed to half-ahead even as late as two hours into this near four-hour run until she broadcast her stop, the Californian will have travelled 2 x11 (22), plus 2 x 5.5 (11) = 33. It’s not enough to reach the mystery ship position.
No intermediate ice reports from Californian, added to not enough speed even if ice was threaded through, argue against a descent below 42° N.
The distance from the testified Californian overnight stop position (42° 05 N, 50° 07’ W) to the mystery ship position assumed in this article is 16 nautical miles. That is an hour and a half’s steaming for the Californianafter she has broadcast the fact of her being stopped at around 11pm her time.
But the sheer unlikelihood of her getting underway again, after she has stopped, is destroyed by the fact that no-one on the Californian suggested for a moment that the vessel renewed engine movement before daylight.
Even if we were to assume instead that the Californian continued steaming West until she reached the precise longitude of the Titanic seabed wreck, and only at that point made a 90 degree turn to port to head south to the assumed mystery ship position, there are problems.
Such a course would keep the Californian above 42° N, thereby avoiding reported ice in the ‘box’ below, and require her to work her way south after encountering ice (which she would choose this time not to report) in the exact longitude of 49° 56’ W. 
This gives the Californian 35 miles of westward progress since 6.30pm, but the distance to the assumed mystery ship spot, on making that hypothetical 90-degree turn to the south, is a further 14 miles.
That’s a total of 49 miles. The Californian could only ever have done 43 or 44 miles in the near four hours from 6.30pm until she stopped at 10.21pm, both times according to her clock. Even in this dog-leg scenario, she simply can’t reach the required location.
This is a map prepared by A. M. Foweraker, an early – and amateur - sceptic of the official version of events, in 1912. Foweraker was a lawyer, but is better known today for his watercolours.

The map shows ice reported by both the German oil tanker Paula and the Greek steamer Athinai (also rendered Athenai) , as well as the Californian’s transmitted 6.30pm position and her testified stop position, both above the line of 42° N.
The official SOS position is shown at (A), and the author of the present article has added the now-knownTitanic wreck position (B), as well as that deduced position for the mystery ship in the assumed scenario.
The black dotted line shows Knapp’s assumed course of the Titanic; and the red dotted one the more likely course that Foweraker extrapolated from evidence of a delayed Titanic turn at the ‘corner.’ This article makes use of the Knapp line – since a slightly more southerly mystery ship position would be even harder for the Californian to achieve.
The Paula ice is slightly misrepresented in this drawing, although Foweraker’s observation at the bottom of his personally-prepared chart remains entirely sound:

“The ice reports show that had she [Californian] altered her course to the southward, she would have entered a region full of pack ice before 10.20.”

 This is some of what Captain Rieke of the Paula transmitted to the US hydrographic office:

April 14, forenoon, from latitude 41° 58', longitude 49° 30' W. until 41° 56', 49° 52' - heavy pack ice (one field).
The Paula is reporting a field of heavy pack ice that is two miles “high” (in latitude, probably as far as her Master can see), and no fewer than 16 nautical miles long (22 minutes of longitude in this location).
That ice will have drifted slowly further east from the forenoon to the evening, and could be eight to ten miles further east by the time the Californian is “diverted” SW in order to fulfil her condemned role in the mystery ship position.
In other words, the band of heavy Paula pack ice, shown red below in its before-noon position, would effectively deny any diagonal to the Californian. She can’t get through – would have stopped, and would have transmitted early that she was ‘stopped, surrounded by ice’ as she later did in reality.

The green spot, above, represents the assumed mystery ship position. Clearly the sheer mass of ice would have made it extremely difficult to reach.
Samuel Halpern, in a research article on this site, has laid stress on the probability of the Titanicencountering ice in the southern box. From ice reports, the probability appears even greater for a vessel entering diagonally from the north.
Ignoring the lack of motive or impulse for the Californian to seek to go southwest or south in any case, what cannot be ignored is her knowledge of a lot of ice to her southward – making such a journey all the more unlikely, in that it was known to be much more hazardous than remaining on her existing course.     

From the evidence of Captain Lord:

Lord: Well we had had a report of this ice three or four days before, so we were just taking the extra precautions.
Senator Smith: You had had reports of this ice? - Yes, sir.
Two or three days before? -  Yes.
Senator Smith: From whom had you received those reports? - From Capt. Barr, of the Caronia, on the 13th of April. That was the day before.
…The next warning was when I saw it myself at half past 6, I think. I do not remember any others. There may have been something. No, sir; I mistake. We had the Parisian; we were talking with theParisian, who was some distance ahead of us, and I was asking if he had seen any ice, and to let me know, as he was so far ahead, before dark came on; and he gave me reports.”

Captain Lord cites 'numerous ice reports' that day in an article in the Savannah Morning News published in March 1914. Courtesy of the author.
Lord’s innate caution can be seen. He is taking “extra precautions.” He has personally seen ice to his southward, and is worried about encountering ice after dark. In such circumstances, he is hardly likely to contemplate, never mind actually risk, a full-speed southwesterly plunge.
Lord had received a report from the Parisian of ice in the southern box on April 14, he testified, and a similar (but days earlier) one from the Nieuw Amsterdam.
Parisian Captain William Hains told the US hydrographic office (and presumably told Captain Lord’s vessel) of encountering “medium and large icebergs and numerous growlers” across almost the entire width of the southern box, from 4.30pm to 8pm, a key timeframe. They were in latitude 41° 42’ to  41° 55' N., a band with a “height” of 13 miles.
It was all south of Captain Lord’s latitude and course above the line of 42° N. So why enter it?
The Californian PV was never read into the record, so we cannot be sure of the totality of ice reports she received, or whether all were even passed on to the Master. However her Captain appears to have been sufficiently aware of them to know that any deviation of course to the south or southwest, especially after dark, would have been sheer folly.
Nor is there any conceivable navigational reason to enter the heavier ice region – she was clear of the bulk of it, and was only halted by the general ice barrier at 10.21pm. She would certainly not get to Boston quicker by diverting towards the New York track, and would always have to get back above 42° N.

Captain Lord at the wheel, surrounded by friends.
He personally took the wheel to avoid ice in the late evening. Any sharp course diversion by the Leyland liner would have required his express command.
(Vessel is illustrative Leylander, not Californian.)© Senan Molony
And even if Captain Lord had known absolutely nothing of any ice reports, a decision to enter the southern box would likely have been swiftly answered by formidable icy obstruction – however surprising to a skipper unaware of prior warnings.
Yet she did not report any ice until after she had stopped (past 50° longitude by her own evidence, and above 42° N.) long into the evening. That is clear evidence in itself. And even if the testified stop position is disregarded, the 10.21pm stop time cannot be.
This article has granted every indulgence to the theory that the Californian was the Titanic’s mystery ship.Titanic evidence as to distance cannot be denied… unless we also overrule the contending armies at Gettysburg, for example, and tell them that their front lines were actually twenty miles from each other…
The mystery ship had “beautiful lights,” in the phrase of Officer Boxhall, who later spoke of seeing a line of her portholes. That ship was near – so near that the Titanic energetically flashed her Morse lamp towards her.
We may place the Titanic to face north, as anyone may like, but Titanic testimony as to a five mile separation must be held (even if officers Lowe and Pitman offered four miles and two miles respectively at the 1913 court case Ryan v. OSNC). It is their mystery ship, after all.
As to the question of whether the Californian could or would have reached the assumed mystery ship spot… Does it really now need to be asked?

TITANIC - Mount Temple Temp's Memories

Mount Temple Temp's Memories

 

Titanic Research

by Senan Molony

Thursday 8 October 2009

THE replacement Fourth Officer of the Mount Temple on her homeward voyage in April 1912 was a man named William Henry Baker.
He is the temp who signed himself ‘W. H. Baker’ in subsequently writing to Captain Stanley Lord of the ss Californian…
Baker said – among sensational other things – that he had been taken out of the Empress of Britain at short notice to replace an officer of theMount Temple who departed that vessel after the crossing coinciding with the Titanic disaster.
Officer Baker was a highly accomplished man, married to a highly accomplished woman.
A majestic watercolourist of maritime scenes, he was also a photographer of some ability.
The full story of William Henry Baker is told in my new book “Titanic Scandal: The Trial of the Mount Temple”, published by Amberley Books.
Here, with the kind permission of the copyright owner, a descendant, are a handful of the thousands of photographs Baker took – ones that Encyclopedia Titanica readers may find of interest.
The first is a shot of the RMS Olympic, below, taken from a passing steamer on which Baker served, certainly post 1913 by lifeboat arrangement and possibly pre-WW1, although it may be during an early trooping voyage. She is not in camouflage.

The next is of the RMS Empress of Britain - from which Baker joined the Mount Temple - manoeuvring in the St Lawrence:

Another is a photograph of the Uranium Steamship Co’s Volturno, burning in mid-ocean in 1913. The ship standing nearby is identified as the Cunarder Carmania.

Among those later on the scene was the Cunarder Campania, commanded by one Arthur H. Rostron.

POSITION OF THE VOLTURNO
The Cunard Company received the following Marconigram at 12.45 p.m. yesterday via Crookhaven wireless station from Commander Rostron, of the Campania :- "2.15 p.m., October 12th. Steamed round Volturno, latitude 47.37 north, longitude 33.45 west going south-east, about one knot per hour [sic], smoking, but hull appears to be in good condition. Liable to float indefinitely. La Touraine six hours later continued search, but did not see boats. There is no news from other steamers. High swell, north-west wind. All well."

Baker was aboard the Leyland Liner Devonian when he took a series of Volturno-related images, some of which are shown here.
One is a remarkable picture of Devonian lifeboats actually preparing to go to the rescue of passengers. Taken just a year after the Titanic sinking, the initial scenes on board the stricken White Star maiden voyager must have looked something like this.

Other shots show Officer Knight of the Devonian with some of his boat crew (second image below), while that below shows some of the male passengers rescued from the Volturno – which steamer ultimately sank with the disastrous loss of 131 lives.

Captain Alfred William Vincent Trant of the Devonian (1867-1934) is pictured in jolly mood after his ship’s success in saving life.

Two Officer Baker pictures shown hereafter are thought to be from the aftermath of the Halifax Explosion on December 6, 1917 – the largest man-made blast before Hiroshima.

It occurred when the aggressively-departing Imo (formerly the White Star’s Runic) collided with the explosive-packed Mont Blanc, which was heading slowly for the Bedford basin.
The blast destroyed the whole of the North End of Halifax, obliterating a train station at North Street and Hollis Street in front of the King Edward Hotel.

Baker has photographed the ruin of the King Edward, where at least one person died and more than a score were injured.
Another picture, this time from 1912, shows damage to the bow of the Empress of Britain after she was in collision that July.

Officer Baker (pictured above with camera in hand) mentioned this collision in his letter to Captain Lord of the Californian, but did not dwell upon it – as he had larger and far more momentous fish to fry.
Baker’s story, and that of a great number of other individuals aboard the Mount Temple, is told comprehensively - and in more than 170 pictures - in Titanic Scandal: The Trial of the Mount Temple ,” published by Amberley.
None of these images has proved worthy of inclusion, but they nonetheless have a resonance all their own.
© Senan Molony 2009 

TITANIC - OLYMPIC & TITANIC - The Truth Behind The Conspiracy (review)

March 6, 1912: Titanic (right) had to be moved out of the drydock so her sister Olympic, which had lost a propeller, could have it replaced.

Switch theory founders in a sea of evidence

Titanic Review

Reviewed by Monica Hall

Monday 12 July 2004

OLYMPIC & TITANIC - The Truth Behind The Conspiracy by Steve Hall and Bruce Beveridge

The Olympic–Titanic Switch Theory, for the uninitiated, rests on a proposal by Robin Gardiner that the damage inflicted on the Olympic in 1911 after a collision with the elderly warship Hawke, armed with a quaint but effective underwater ram, prompted the WSL to attempt an insurance scam. The crocked-up Olympic would be disguised as her almost identical sister, the new Titanic, then sailed out into deep waters, safely abandoned on a pretext, and allowed to quietly sink. The real Titanic would become the Olympic, sail on happily ever after, and the WSL would claim on Titanic’s insurance. Thus Gardiner’s thesis is that the ship two and a half miles down in the Atlantic is not the newer Titanic, but actually the older and terminally un-seaworthy Olympic. This proposition might make even the most factually-challenged ofTitanic enthusiasts frown and say “But…..”, and it would be a brave person, on Encyclopedia Titanica, who publicly defended Gardiner’s conspiracy theory.

Luckily, however, for all those interested in fairness, two men have decided to put it to the ultimate test. And a rigorous test it is. The detailing of all the differences between the two ships, in order to lay to rest the theory that such a switch took place in the populous Harland and Wolff shipyard, in1912.

The great thing about conspiracy theories is, of course, that they are such fun. One must suddenly feel so much more interesting, for example, as a self-proclaimed alien abductee. Anyone writing cold, dismal facts disproving these entertaining wish-fulfilments runs the risk of being cold-shouldered as a killjoy. This is something the authors are aware of, but on this forum at any rate, if not among general Amazon customers, that risk is minimal.

So how good is Hall & Beveridge’s evidence refuting the conspiracy theory? Well, although only running to 200 odd pages plus some very large appendices, it is certainly impressive in terms of the bulk and diligence of research. Only consummate techies could have devoted themselves to the task of documenting the minute details of the differences between the two ships. The first part of the book is a ‘teaser’, which details the more puzzling and ‘believable’ aspects of the conspiracy theory, thus leading the reader to think there might be something to it. The latter part of the book attempts to refute this. Given the authors’ remit – to lay the conspiracy theory finally to rest – the obvious question is, “Do they succeed?” Oddly enough, the answer is that in one sense, actually, they do not quite. They ask some questions in the first part of the book which they do not actually answer in the second. Most of them, it must be said, are unanswerable, and the authors were not the ones to pose those questions in the first place – Gardiner was. However, it does leave a very tiny chink of light to illuminate the hopes of conspiracy theorists, which actually may be no bad thing if one is hoping to sell the book to the general public as well as to rivet counters.

They certainly succeed, however, in proving that the possibility of a substitution is so vanishingly small that it can safely be totally ignored.

What can be asserted, without fear of contradiction, is that the technical detail of the Olympic-class ships in this book will delight all whose primary interest is construction and operations. I am not qualified to verify the accuracy of the detail, but I have no reason to doubt it, and would be very surprised if there were any real errors, especially when one considers the sources and contributors referenced at the end.

The book is stuffed with photographs and diagrams contrasting the two ships, which of course provides the really compelling evidence, and the appendices include a concise history of both the Olympic and Britannic.

One does have to ask whether the book was worth the obviously considerable effort, and whom they hoped to convince. The informed audience for such a book, however, is quite small and easily targeted through theTitanic world. I know of no rivet-counter who for a moment countenances the Gardiner theory, which leaves a less technically-minded public as a desirable audience for this book. And one could ask whether the sheer detail of the latter part of the book might not put them off somewhat? Part of the problem is structural, and the fact that the authors actually demand a fair bit of their readers mentally. The section on the lifeboats is particularly gruelling, if one is trying to follow the argument and weigh the evidence. It might have been better to use visuals or a diagrammatic format to follow the twists and turns of the fate of each boat. Purely verbal description exerts a toll on the general reader which I found slightly heavy, so to also target the lay reader (not to mention the eager conspiracy theorist) they might done better to assume less mental cooperation on the part of the reader, and made the evidence easier to follow. This, however, is my only real criticism of the book.

Those who never needed to be convinced in the first place, and only ever regarded the conspiracy with total disdain, will enjoy this book for its forensic detail. For a technically-minded audience, written by technical experts, it succeeds well.

OLYMPIC & TITANIC - The Truth Behind The Conspiracy - Publisher: Infinity Publishing ISBN: 074141949

TITANIC - PROFILE

TITANIC - "Titanic, The Ship Magnificent" Reviewed

Titanic : The Ship Magnificent : Reviewed

 

Titanic Review

Reviewed by Dave Gittins

Thursday 3 April 2008

Dave Gittins reviews Titanic: The Ship Magnificent, the ambitious two-volume edition that describes the achievement that was "Titanic" in detail as never before.

To be published in two massive volumes on 15 April 2008, this truly magnum opus is claimed by the publisher to represent ‘a culmination of a life time’s research and study into the famous ship’. It is easy to agree. No work about Titaniccomes close to it for the sheer quantity and quality of information. Volume I covers the construction of the ship’s hull and its external and mechanical equipment. Volume II is devoted to passenger and crew accommodation and facilities.

First, what’s to dislike? There are a few details to quibble over.

The editing, by Art Braunschweiger, is generally sound. The prose is eminently readable, if inevitably prosaic, and is almost devoid of spelling errors. I personally dislike the use of single spaces between sentences, a common feature of books produced digitally. This does the reader’s eye no favours. In many places, the spacebar appears to have gone missing in action. One hopes this has been corrected in the final printed edition.

When the authors depart from their areas of expertise, they produce a few howlers. One of the worst of these is on page 509.

The reported bearing of Titanic’s foundering was latitude 41° 46' N., longitude 50° 14' W. Titanic’s final position was determined not by celestial observations, but by dead reckoning. As history now records, this position was off by about thirteen-and-a-half miles, the ship’s actual position at the time of collision being further along her course track than estimated. This apparently resulted from 4th Officer Boxhalloverestimating Titanic’s speed by about two knots.

A position is not a bearing. Titanic was not as far along her course as Boxhall thought. Boxhall correctly estimated Titanic’s speed at 22 knots, in line with her observed speed for more than 24 hours. The reason for his navigational lapse has never been definitely ascertained, in spite of suggestions by this reviewer and American researcher, Sam Halpern.

There are other incorrect statements about navigation, but they are far out-weighed by the overall excellence of the work.

The very sobriety of the writing is a much-needed antidote to the endless gushing about ‘the ship of dreams’ that has bedevilled so much writing about Titanic. From the outset, the authors make clear their view thatTitanic was not ‘an example of groundbreaking, state-of-the-art naval architecture in anything other than her size’. The ship is placed in perspective and the realities and limitations of her construction and appointments made clear.

The authors have taken pains to gather material from primary sources, including some previously unknown gems, such as Cunard naval architect Leonard Peskett’s account of his voyage on Olympic in 1911. Credit is given to those who made such items available. A few shots are directed at collectors who adopt a dog-in-the-manger attitude to their Titanic material, a practice known to this reviewer.

The books are copiously illustrated with more than 1,500 photographs, drawings, contemporary advertisements and diagrams. A few of these will be familiar to enthusiasts, but most are not widely known. Many show little-known features of the Olympic class ships. Others show the men of Harland and Wolff at work, even using stills from a contemporary publicity film. Because very few photographs of Titanic exist, extensive use is made of pictures of her sister ships. When this is done, the subjects are clearly identified, a feature missing from certain other books.

The section about the building of the hull draws heavily on accounts of contemporary shipbuilding. We are given a basic course on the complexities of the half-model, the taking off of lines and the scrive board. There is an extensive account of the materials used to build the ship and the various forms of steel plate and beams. Rivets are covered in great detail, together with the methods of using them. This information is accompanied by numerous plans, including drawings of every watertight bulkhead. The early chapters are by far the most technical parts of the books and will repay careful study.

A section that especially pleased this reviewer explains the workings of the watertight doors, including the hand-operated doors on the decks above the orlop deck. Good use is made of photos and the working of the mechanisms is clearly displayed.

Amid the minute details, several topics are particularly relevant to the sinking. These include the ship’s plating, the expansion joints, the lifeboats, the ship’s radio and the engines. These are covered in great detail and many frequently asked questions are answered. Somebody, one suspects the eagle-eyed Bruce Beveridge, has noticed discrepancies between the capacities marked on the lifeboats and the evidence given in Lord Mersey’s court. This is indicative of the depth of the research.

Volume II is less technical and is somewhat easier reading. It opens with a very informative section about the treatment of the various classes of passengers upon their arrival at the ship and during the voyage. This is followed by a general description of the passenger accommodation. A special feature is a detailed explanation of the various styles of furniture and interior decorations, accompanied by numerous illustrations. Drawings show how elegant cabins were fitted into what was essentially a big steel box, full of structural elements that had to be disguised.

Titanic’s sanitary arrangements are described in detail. Starry-eyed enthusiasts would do well to read this section and imagine the hard realities of life for most passengers. A real surprise is the finding of notes from Thomas Andrews about the insanitary habits of certain third class passengers.

A chapter is devoted to the culinary arrangements and the tableware and accessories. Some readers might be surprised at the high degree of mechanisation in the galleys.

The book moves on to describe each deck and its features in turn, working downward. The authors first take pains to clear up misunderstandings about the names of the decks.

Among many other things, the following chapters explain the wide variations in the accommodation provided to passengers and crew. In all areas, there were established pecking orders. Even in third class, some passengers were more third class than others. Details are given of arrangements for lighting, sanitation, ventilation and headroom on each deck. Many will appreciate the detailed description of the illumination of the domes over the two main staircases. Some unromantic facts about the swimming bath and its faults are given.

The books include a very detailed marine glossary and are very well indexed. They are not referenced in the conventional scholarly manner. As the authors explain---

A bibliography has been provided to list all the sources for all research material used, although because of the wide range of period resource materials employed, specific references as to sources have not been provided throughout the text. Where they do appear in some specific cases; they are referenced as numbered endnotes. In addition, end notes have also been used when additional explanatory text is required.

There is much to be said for this approach, as in such a complex work there is a danger of producing more references than book, while constantly de-railing the reader’s train of thought. In any case, many of the illustrations constitute primary source material.

Such large books are inevitably expensive, but purchasers can console themselves with the thought that they will never need to buy lesser publications about the construction and appointments of the most famous ship since Noah’s Ark.

Dave Gittins is author of Titanic: Monument and Warning

TITANIC - John Jacob Astor

John Jacob Astor

Colonel John Jacob Astor IV was born in Rhinebeck, New York on July 13th, 1864 the son of William Astor and great-grandson of John Jacob Astor the fur trader.  Astor was educated at St. Paul's School, Concord and later went to Harvard. After a period of travelling abroad (1888-91) he returned to the United States to manage the family fortune.  He had homes at 840 Fifth Avenue, New York and at Ferncliff , Rhinebeck, New York.

In 1894 Astor wrote a semi-scientific novel A Journey in Other Worlds . During his life he also developed several mechanical devices including a bicycle brake (1898), helped to develop the turbine engine, and invented a pneumatic road-improver.

In 1897 Astor built the Astoria Hotel, New York adjoining the Waldorf Hotel which had been built by William Waldorf Astor, his cousin. The new complex became known as the Waldorf-Astoria. Astor's real-estate interest included two other hotels, the Hotel St. Regis (1905) and the Knickerbocker (1906).

He became Colonel-staff to General Levi P. Morton and in 1898, at the time of the Spanish-American War, was commissioned as a lieutenant colonel in the US volunteers. He placed his yacht Nourmahal at the disposal of the U.S. government and equipped a mountain battery of artillery for use against the Spanish.

On 1 May 1891 Astor was married to Ava, daughter of Edward Shippen Willing of Philadelphia . Together they had a son and one daughter. However, in 1909 Astor divorced Ava and, two years later, married eighteen-year-old Madeleine Force (who was a year younger than his son Vincent).
Public opinion was divided concerning the respectability of Astor's actions, and the newlyweds decided to winter abroad in order to let the gossip die down at home. Mr and Mrs Astor travelled to Egypt and Paris and, in the spring of 1912, decided to return to America as First Class passengers on board the brand new Titanic .

-------------------------

They boarded the Titanic at Cherbourg with Colonel Astor's manservant Mr Victor Robbins , Mrs Astor's maid Miss Rosalie Bidois , Miss Caroline Louise Endres Mrs Astor's private nurse and their pet Airedale Kitty. Their ticket was PC 17757 which cost £224 10s 6d. They occupied cabins C-62-64.

After the accident Astor left his suite to investigate, he quickly returned and reported to his wife that the ship had struck ice. He reassured her that the damage did not appear serious.

Later, when the first class passengers had begun to congregate on the boat deck , the Astors sat on the mechanical horses in the gymnasium. They wore their lifebelts but Colonel Astor had found another and cut the lining with a pen knife to show his wife what it was made of.

Even as the boats were loaded Astor appeared unperturbed, he ridiculed the idea of trading the solid decks of the Titanic for a small lifeboat 'we are safer here than in that little boat' . He had changed his mind by 1:45 when Second Officer Charles Lightoller arrived on A deck to finish loading Lifeboat 4 . Astor helped his wife to climb through the windows of the enclosed promenade and then asked if he might join her, being as she was in 'a delicate condition'. Lightoller told him that no men could enter until all the women had been loaded. Astor stood back and just asked Lightoller which boat it was. After boat 4 was lowered at 1:55 Astor stood alone while others tried to free the remaining collapsible boats.

The Two Deaths of John Jacob Astor

---

For many years it has been 'common knowledge' among Titanic researchers that Colonel John Jacob Astor lost his life when the Titanic's forward funnel crashed down on top of him as he struggled in the sea next to the sinking liner. This belief is based on the claim that Mr. Astor's body was badly crushed and impregnated with soot when it was recovered by the Mackay Bennett a few days after the disaster [e.g. see note #1.]
But is this claim accurate?
Despite a wide-ranging search for the original report that Mr. Astor's body was crushed and blackened by soot from a falling funnel, only one account has come to light which partially supports this contention. Page 31 of Archibald Gracie's "The Truth About the Titanic" contains the following statement:

• "From the fact that I never saw Colonel Astor on the Boat Deck later, and also because his body, when found, was crushed (according to the statement of one who saw it at Halifax, Mr. Harry K. White, of Boston, Mr. Edward A. Kent's brother-in-law, my schoolmate and friend from boyhood), I am of the opinion that he met his fate on the ship when the boilers tore through it, as described later."

The reader will immediately notice that, although the Gracie account claims that Col. Astor's body was indeed recovered in a crushed condition, there is no suggestion at all that the body was blackened by soot as if from a falling funnel. The present author believes that the 'extra' detail about the soot was just an imaginative addition to Gracie's account that was tacked onto it by researchers who felt a need to 'pin down' the exact cause of Colonel Astor's death.
Despite Archibald Gracie's claim that Colonel Astor's body was crushed, however, the present author has succeeded in uncovering several previously-unknown eyewitness accounts which cast serious doubt on the claim that Colonel Astor's body was badly damaged during the sinking of the Titanic.
Let us examine these accounts.

• Gerald Ross (an electrician on the Mackay Bennett) said: "I saw the recovery of Col. Astor's body. Like the others it was floating buoyed by a lifebelt. Both arms extended upwards. The face was swollen, one jaw was injured. His body was clothed in a business suit and tan shoes. His watch, a costly thing, studded with diamonds, was dangling from his pocket. It had stopped at 3:20. Practically all the other watches on bodies we recovered had stopped at 2:10. His watch chain was of platinum and so were the settings of the rings he wore."

• John Snow (the undertaker who served on board the Mackay Bennett) made the following observation: "Colonel Astor's body was in an excellent state of preservation. It was clad in full evening dress. Col. Astor's handsome gold watch was dangling from the chain out of one of his pockets as though he had looked at it just before he took the final plunge. There was $2,500 in cash in his pocket."

• Captain Richard Roberts (the commander of the Astor yacht) was the first to view the body of his employer when it was brought to Halifax. The features, he said, were unharmed, the face being only slightly discolored by water. When the body was recovered it was in ordinary garments, on which were Col. Astor's initials, and by this means as well as by certain documents in his pockets he was identified. He also carried considerable cash. Col. Astor was also wearing a belt with a gold buckle that had been in the family for years.

Although the above three accounts differ slightly in certain particulars, all three of them seem to confirm the fact that Colonel Astor's body was not crushed, soot-blackened or disfigured in a manner suggesting that he had been killed by either a falling boiler or a falling funnel. Quite the opposite, in fact.
The above three interviews make it very clear that Titanic researchers cannot afford to take 'common knowledge' for granted; these interviews prove that serious researchers must regard undocumented secondary sources with a great deal of caution and should instead rely on primary sources of information as often as they possibly can. If this cautionary advice is not acted upon, it is quite possible for well-meaning researchers to expend a great deal of time and energy discussing the fine points of historical events that never occurred in the first place.

Notes

1. Butler, Daniel, "Unsinkable: The Full Story of RMS Titanic," Stackpole Books, 1998. Page 136.
http://home.comcast.net/~georgebehe/titanic/page12.htm

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MRS. ASTOR IS ILL, BUT NOT CRITICALLY

 

New York Times  - Saturday 20 April 1912

Alarming Reports as to Her Condition Formally Denied by Secretary
---
VINCENT ASTOR STILL HOPES
---
Mrs. Henry B. Harris Slowly Regaining Her Strength
---
Robert W. Daniel Receives Friends at His Hotel
---
At the home of Mrs. John Jacob Astor, 840 Fifth Avenue, it was announced last night that, while Mrs. Astor was ill as a result of the experience through which she had passed, her condition was not critical, as had been reported. No alarm was felt by her relatives and friends, it was said. Interviews had been sought by so many during the day that this statement was finally issued by William Dobbyn, who was Col. Astor's secretary:


Mrs. Astor is very ill and under the care of a physician. It will be impossible for her to be interviewed or to give out any statement.


Vincent Astor, son of Col. Astor, also refused to discuss the foundering of the Titanic, and devoted most of his time yesterday to interviewing survivors, in the hope that he might obtain some further information about his father.


In fact, he has refused steadfastly to believe that all chance that his father may have been rescued is gone, and is hoping against hope that he may have been picked up by some other craft. He obtained little news that was comforting, however, and was greatly depressed last night.


One of those whom Vincent Astor interviewed yesterday was Robert Williams Daniel, a banker of Philadelphia and Richmond, who is stopping at the Waldorf-Astoria. Mr. Astor went to the hotel during the afternoon, accompanied by Mr. Dobbyn. He had heard, he said, that Mr. Daniel had seen his father on the Titanic not long before the giant ship foundered.


Mr. Daniel's story was that he had seen Col. Astor and Walter M. Clark, another of the Titanic's passengers who lost his life in the disaster, leaning against the rail, talking. The last boat had gone then, he said, and Mrs. Astor was safe. He ran up to Col. Astor and Mr. Clark and begged them to jump overboard, in the hope of being picked up by one of the boats.
"They refused to leave the ship," said Mr. Daniel, "and I left them standing there. What happened after that I hardly know myself. I had not taken time to dress and wore only a bathrobe. Under this I had slipped a life preserver. It didn't seem to me that we were sinking, but the waters seemed rising up over us. Finally, I jumped in and I was
struggling about among the ice cakes, fighting for my life, when I was rescued."

Mr. Daniel said that he was positive the first officer of the Titanic committed suicide by sending a bullet in his brain before the ship foundered.

"I know it," he declared. "I was not more than ten feet away. I do not believe the stories that Capt. Smith ended his life. He stuck to his post to the last. He was a brave man.

"There were several shots fired, however. I saw one man discharge a revolver several times to frighten others away from a lifeboat and then got into it himself. In fact, I saw him afterwards in the very lifeboat that picked me up."

According to relatives who were with Mr. Daniel when Vincent Astor called upon him, Mr. Astor was greatly agitated, and showed plainly the effect of sleeples [sic] nights and mental anguish. He had told them, he said, that while Mrs. Astor was quite ill, she was in no danger.


Mr. Daniel seemed little the worse for his experience, and in the afternoon entertained a score or more of his friends at the Waldorf.
------------------------------------------