100 Years Ago Today-April 14, 1912-2012

100 years ago today was Titanic's last glimpse of daylight. It was the 16th birthday of 3rd class passenger Alfred Rush who got trousers for the occasion. Later the next morning, the sailors would try and get Alfred Rush into one of the last lifeboats on the ship. Alfred pulled back and said, "No! I'm staying here with the men!" Alfred stayed with the men and died like a man that night. It was Sunday, so the passengers had church services. 1st class passengers had services in the 1st class Dining Saloon officiated by Captain E.J. Smith. 2nd and 3rd class had their services in their Dining Saloons and officiated by priests and preachers who were passengers and had volunteered. That afternoon was lovely for a stroll and other recreational activities like exercise. At 5:50, Captain Smith heeded the ice warnings and changed the course to a more southerly route. Little did anyone realize that this decision would prove fatal. In the Marconi Room, Jack Phillips having fixed the machine with Harold Bride was back at the key, sending messages and receiving messages, some of them ice warnings from ships ahead. Suddenly, the Californian's ice warning came blasting through Phillips' headset. Phillips replied, "Shut up, shut up, I am working Cape Race." The Californian would play a large and shameful role in the sinking later. Dinner in 1st class was interesting. The Wideners had a party in honor Captain Smith whose voyage was to be his last before retiring. The party held the creme of the crop of American and British society including the Thayers, Astors, Strauses, J. Bruce Ismay, and some other notable people.

At 11:40 P.M., the Frederick Fleet and Reginald Lee high in the crow's nest spotted an enormous iceberg looming in the distance. Fleet saw it first and rang the bell 3 times. He then proceeded to call the Bridge. 6th Officer James Paul Moody answered the phone and said, "What do you see?" Frederick Fleet replied, "Iceberg dead ahead sir!" and Moody said, "Thank you." 1st Officer Murdoch now saw the iceberg and ordered Quartermaster Robert Hichens who was at the wheel to turn the wheel Hard a Starboard. Then he told the bridge to reverse the engines. The Titanic kept going slowly towards the iceberg. Then, she slowly but surely turned. The iceberg was too close and the iceberg scraped the side of the Titanic. She could float with 2-4 of her compartments flooded, but the iceberg opened up 5. The water came rushing into the Boiler Rooms and Mail Room. The mail clerks worked to get the mail to the next decks, trying to beat the rising water. Neither the mail nor the clerks survived the disaster. Captain Smith came onto the Bridge right after the iceberg struck and asked Murdoch, "What have we struck?" Murdoch answered, "An iceberg, sir." In the passenger areas, the men enjoying some last card games or cigars felt or heard what was going on, and came out on deck to see an enormous iceberg just behind them. Those inside that felt it said that it was a bump, a shudder, or a heave of the engines. Captain Smith sent for Thomas Andrews, the ship's chief designer and told the wireless operators to get ready to send the call for assistance. When Andrews got there, the two of them explored the damaged part of the ship. Thomas Andrews told Captain Smith that the ship would sink in an hour or two. Captain Smith then told the wireless operators to send the international call for help which was C.Q.D. Then Captain Smith told the stewards to arouse the passengers, get them to put on the lifebelts, and get them on deck. He then told the officers to ready the lifeboats for lowering. The 1st class passengers began congregating in the Lounge where it was warmer while the band assembled and started playing cheery ragtime music to keep the passengers calm. In the Marconi Room Jack Phillips at 12:07 contacted the Carpathia. The operator on the Carpathia rushed to the Bridge with the news. The officer thought he was joking and proceeded to force him off the bridge. The operator opened the door to the Captain's room and then the officer realized it was serious. The Captain, Rostron, made all possible speed for the Titanic. They would reach the site 4 hours later, too late for over 1,500 people. 5th Officer Harold Lowe had readied some of them and waited for orders to lower. Ismay came out and asked why the boats weren't being loaded and lowered. Lowe, not recognizing him, said that he hadn't been ordered to. Ismay went to the Bridge and asked Smith about it. The order then came to load and lower the lifeboats. The first lifeboat that was lowered had 12 where there was room for 40. Among these first survivors were the Duff Gordons whose behavior was wrongly subjected to criticism later. At 12:55 A.M., 4th Officer Boxhall launched the first white rocket which was supposed to be a call to those that could see them that they needed assistance. Several miles away, the Californian saw a big steamer firing rockets but did nothing. The Wireless Operator was asleep. At the time the first rocket was launched, Margaret Brown who helped put other women into the lifeboats was going to stay and see what was going on when a sailor picked her up and placed her into a lifeboat. Later, Hichens who was at the wheel when the iceberg and was now in charge of the lifeboat used fear like the possibility of the ship sucking them down to motivate the rowers. Later, he wouldn't go back to the people in the water because he feared that those in the water would capsize the boat. Brown tried to get them to go back, but most of those in the boat wouldn't.

Will there be another TITANIC?

The novelty of building a Titanic 2 has been thought of, and an Irish Tycoon even announced he wanted to build a Titanic 2 by 2001, but obviously, that never happened. I'd like to see a Titanic 2; it's not like it would be disrespectful of the people that died on the ship. However, I'd like one that would have modern-day engines, capacity of lifeboats, and safety features while not changing the rest of the interior, nor exterior. I'd also like for there not to be separations by class, and giving the passengers full reign of the parts allowed for the passengers. The problem is that people would be reenacting Jack and Rose on the bow, while it's unsafe with it being 30 feet above the water. Maybe passengers shouldn't be allowed at the bow. The bridge could be state of the art design, all the while keeping the 1912 style. The wireless operating room would be a museum, since the communications would be at the bridge. The problem is that building the 882 1/2 feet long vessel is not cheap. The cost of building the ship in 1912 was the equal of 2.1 billion dollars in today's money. Also, the cabins on the ship wouldn't be cheap. The Parlor Suites (the best staterooms on the ship) costed the equal of $100,000 in today's money. The lifeboats would be white and modern, and there would be enough to carry more than the passengers on board. Think about it! The Titanic would finally reach New York and the ship, would regain her former glory. Yes I am dreaming, but it was just a thought. Who knows? maybe someone will rebuild the Titanic one day. Wouldn't it be a sight to see?

TITANIC: The Artifact Exhibit

Earlier this year, we went with our church to see a TITANIC artifact exhibit, in downtown, Atlanta. I dressed up in my costume that made me look like an officer on the ship, complete with a hat bearing the White Star logo. We were each given tickets that had the names and info about the passengers on board (I was David John Barton). We different rooms replicated from rooms actually on board the ship along with the bell that was rung when the Fredrick Fleet saw the iceberg. We also saw the tools that built the ship, and some personal affects that the builders owned. We came into a room that was replicated with to look like Southampton Dock. When we entered, there was a room that had personal affects from passengers, like purses, money, cards, and many other things. We even saw the jewelry box with the Duff-Gordon initials. There was also a replica of a 1st and 3rd class cabin . There was a replica of the bridge, that was cool. It had telemotors (that actually went on the stern bridge, since the bow bridge equipment were blown away and possibly destroyed. The we came into a room that had an iceberg that you could touch, in order to feel how cold it was that night. In another room we saw dishes that were in a crate in the cargo hold, but fell out of the ship when she broke apart. The crate dissolved, leaving stacked plates in perfect condition.  We also the side to a deck bench, and a part of the big piece of the hull itself was there too. In the final room, there was perfumes from that a perfume salesman that still had their scent. In the back, was a wall with the list of passengers that were on board separated between who lived, and died. I found out that Barton died.  The experience was pretty good, and in the end, I bought a replica of a 2nd class bowl. It's very beautiful, and rests on my shelf right now, as a prized possession.

Joseph Boxhall

Joseph Groves Boxhall was born on March 23, 1884 in Hull, Yorkshire. He was the second child of Captain Joseph and Mariam Boxhall. He had three sisters (one of whom died in infancy. His father was a respectable man of the Wilson Line. Boxhall only had only 4 years as apprentice before he was a full fledged sea-man. On June 2, 1899, he was on his first ship for the William Thomas Line. He did quite well and in 1907, he joined the White Star Line. He served on the Oceanic and the Arabic before being transferred to the TITANIC as the fourth officer at the age of 28.

Boxhall assisted in the TITANIC's sea trials of which took place on April 4, 1912. He was considered a junior officer so he assisted passengers and crew when he could and was sometimes even at the wheel. The only officer known to him prior to thw TITANIC was 2nd officer Lightoller from the Oceanic. Boxhall was off-duty when the iceberg struck. He heard the bell from the crow's nest struck three times which means that something is in the way of our course. He got to the Wheelhouse just after the collision and Captain Smith was already there. He ordered Boxhall to take a look at the damage. He found none but while in the Mail-room, he said that he could hear water flooding but couldn't see it so he reported to the Bridge. After that, he went and told Lightoller and 3rd officer Pitman to report to the bridge. Soon, the carpenter and mail-clerk reported flooding. They all now realized that the ship was doomed. Boxhall took charge of the distress rockets and morse lamp signals. He also calculated the ship's position for the wireless telegraph. He was in the chart room when he saw J. Bruce Ismay standing in the door way. Boxhall walked up to him and Ismay asked him why he hadn't gotten into a lifeboat. Boxhall replied by saying that he had not been ordered to enter a lifeboat. Boxhall went to the port side and watched Chief Officer Wilde lowering a boat. Captain Smith came up to him and ordered him to get into the boat. Boxhall stepped in and was put in charge of Boat No. 2 which was only about 2/3 full. He is depicted in the movie as saying "Bloody pull faster and pull!" as the stern rises. Boxhall never saw the TITANIC sink. He wanted to go back and rescue those in the water but he was immediately over-ruled by the 20 passengers in his boat. He later came aboard the rescue ship Carpathia and after being set ashore, was very informational in the U.S. Senate Inquiries and the British Inquiries.

After getting back to England, he was fourth officer on the Adriatic but that was short lived because he joined the Royal Navy Reserves. He was later a sub-lieutenant and was then promoted to Lieutenant after WWI. He married Marjory Beddells in 1919 and unfortunately never had a child. He was later a merchant and then joined the Cunard Line and he rose in rank to Chief Officer but was never captain. He served as Chief Officer on the Berengaria, Auquitania, Ausonia, Scythia, Antonia, and Franconia.

After retiring 1940 after 41 years at sea, he served as technical advisor for the movie A Night to Remember. He also had close friends that were officers aboard the Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth. Joseph Boxhall died on April 25, 1967 at the age of 84 on Cebral Thombrosis. Upon his last request, his ashes were scattered over where he calculated the TITANIC was on that fateful night.

Titanic Bridge

Click HERE to explore the TITANIC's Bridge

This is the bridge of the Olympic but the TITANIC's was similar.

Wheelhouse Today


The wheelhouse was very nice with windows surrounding you and the sea air coming through the open doorway. There were telegraphs where you could contact the engine rooms and also, you could close the watertight doors when needed. There was also a room inside where there was windows to look out and another wheel so that you could drive the ship in cold weather. There was also a second bridge on the stern where the bridge in front would communicate and where the ship would be driven in case something went wrong in front. The officers took shifts to give one another a rest. One of the few telephones on board was there to communicate with the crow's nest when they spotted something dangerous. The wheelhouse was made of all pine wood and wires and was one of the most difficult rooms to build. During the sinking, the forward funnel collapsed crushing the bridge and whomever was in it. Today, there is a telemotor gleaming as if brand new where the wheel used to be on top of it. It is the place where the most commemorative plaques are.