The Refuge of Few

(Here's an example of what it would have looked like)

Click HERE to see footage from the 1997 video on what happened to Collapsibles A and B

Collapsible A was one of the collapsible lifeboats that was on top of the Officer's Quarters towards the bow just behind the Bridge on the Starboard side. It was in fact, one of the 4 lifeboats that weren't supposed to be there but since it was the outdated rule that a steamer of 10,000 tons and over should carry 16 lifeboats. However, the rule didn't change and the steam ships got bigger. The Titanic was so big, that with the addition of 4 Collapsibles, the was only enough for half. Collapsibles A and B were placed on the roof of the Officer's Quarters to provide more room for the passengers on the Boat Deck. The reason it was called a collapsible lifeboat, was because half of the sides were actual wood while the other half could be raised because it was made of canvas. The Titanic struck an iceberg of April 14, 1912. The damage was so great, that it began to sink. All the lifeboats were lowered and the water was creeping closer to the boat deck. Officers Murdoch and Moody worked and freed Collapsible A from the roof using oars as a ramp (since they were there to ease the passengers and no one thought that they would be taken down). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wl50X86kgMU reached the Boat Deck, but the crewmen started to put the lifeboat on the davits. Then, the Titanic surged downward causing Collapsible A to drift off. After a cutting the ropes, it drifted away. The side canvases were not drawn up, so the rushing sea swamped the lifeboat half full of water. Just as Collapsible A clears the Titanic, the forward funnel collapsed and caused the dozen people rough seas. Famed tennis player R. Norris Williams gave his account, of what happened in his experience. He said that he and his father were swimming towards Collapsible A when the forward funnel collapsed, killing his father and narrowly missing him. He was on the side of A for several minutes until he was able to be pulled aboard. The water was 28-29 degrees F, so not many people survived. Out of the dozen men, few survived. It was in fact, the lifeboat with the fewest survivors. One thing that helped R. Norris Williams from dying of exposure like most of his companions, was his now waterlogged fur coat. Later, 5th Officer Lowe picked up those that were left and left three bodies in the boat. It then set out alone, to be picked up a few weeks later by the Oceanic with the bodies still in there. One was identified as Thompson Beatie. The others were unrecognizable and didn't have any identity on them. Nothing is currently known about what happened to Collapsible A nor the other lifeboats after they were returned to England and disappeared.

The Forward Funnel Collapse

For a long time, it's been thought that the forward funnel fell forward like in the movie. However, if it did, the whole wheelhouse would collapse and there would be nothing left. But there is a bottom outline plus a telemotor which would have been destroyed if the funnel fell on top of it. Plus, if the funnel fell forward, there would be damage on the Cargo Deck and/or Forcastle Deck. There is damage on both sides of the hull but the starboard side has damage on the top decks where you can see the trail of damage almost distinctly clear as you observe the collapsed roofs and decks. When the forward funnel fell, it killed many already in the water like John Jacob Astor (the richest man on boarded), R. Norris Williams' father, the Natravil children's father, and many other men.

The Richest Man On Board

John Jacob Astor was born in 1864 and was the 4th heir to a huge estate with 3 vacation homes, a fortune from a locomotive manufacturer and gold mining company, and other things. He
wrote a scientific novel called, Journey in Other Worlds and in 1898, he was developing Bicycle Brakes, Turbine Engines, and
Rivets. He soon was married to Ava whom bore him one boy and one daughter. Their happiness was suddenly drawn apart when John fell in love with Madeline Force. After an ugly divorce, he married Madeline who was younger than his own son,
Vincent (she was 19 and Vincent was 22). On their honeymoon, they visited Egypt and Paris. Along with them were V. Robbins (Manservant), R. Bidias (Maidservant), and a nurse. During the honeymoon, Madeline got pregnant. She was 7 months into the pregnancy when they boarded the R.M.S. Titanic on April 10th, 1912, and were the center of attention. John might have taken $87 million dollars in cash with him.

While the TITANIC was sinking, John found a few lifejackets and dissected them to show his wife what was inside them. He and his wife got on a lifeboat and the boat was full so, he and his wife got out for a 3rd class washer woman and her child. He put his wife on one of the last lifeboats and when he asked to accompany her, he was turned down by Lightoller so he gave his wife a pair of gloves. As the ship went down, Astor was last seen walking Kitty, their Airendale. His body was found with 750 British pounds in his pocket and covered in soot which meant that he had been crushed by the forward funnel. Madeline inherited the fortune and named her son after his father.