Titanic Titanic was the largest ship in the world, built by a workforce of 17,000. The
ultimate in turn-of-the-century design and technology. First-class suites ran to more than $
55,000 in todays dollars, and when she sailed on her maiden voyage from Southampton,
England on route to NY , she held among her 2,227 passengers. The cream of industrial
society, including colonel John Jacob Astor. Macys founder; U.S. congressman Isidor
Straus and Thomas Andrews, the ships builder. The ship was built of easily sealed-off
compartments. If, for some unimaginable reason, the hull were punctured, only the
compartment actually ruptured would flood. In an worst case example - builders figured
that the Titanic would take from one to three days to sink, time for nearby ships to help,
because there was only 16 lifeboats. Unfortunately, things didnt work out that way. On
April 14th, 1912 at about 7:30, at the first ominous hint of disaster has came. Into the
earphones of the wireless operator on duty came a message from the steamer California:
Three large bergs five miles southward from us. But the Titanic continued to rush through
the deepening darkness. The temperature was one degree above freezing. When lookouts
Frederick Fleet and Reginald Lee had come on duty at 10 P.M., the sky was cloudless and
the air clear. At around 11:30 P.M., just half an hour before they were to be rewired, a
slight haze had appeared, directly ahead. And about two points on either side. Suddenly -
his training causing his reflexes to function instinctively. Fleet gave the warning bell and
immediately reached across the crowns nest to the bridges telephone. In its compartment
on the starboard side. He rang ms bell urgently. Fleet replaced the telephone and gripped
the crowns nest rail. At 11:40 P.M., April 14 , 1912 ; The lookouts spotted the iceberg a
quarter-mile ahead. Had they not alerted the bridge, the ship would not have at...