The Voyage Begins
“The civilised world is suffering from the shock of a huge calamity, the sorrow attending which is brought home with particular force to our own town of Southampton. The loss of the White Star liner Titanic is a disaster of a magnitude which is unparalleled in the annals of the Mercantile Marine.”
That report in the Hampshire Independent. Let’s return to the day when the Titanic left this great port and city.
April the 10th, 1912. 7.30 am. The weather is cold, crisp and clear in Southampton. The sea is calm. Captain Edward John Smith boards RMS Titanic, the pride of the White Star Line. The crew, from stokers to stewards, forms a long, straggling procession. Once on board, they take up their positions on the sleek new liner.
All supplies have been loaded. 75,000 pounds of fresh meat and 11,000 pounds of fish cram the large refrigerators and store rooms.
Approaching noon. Hustle and bustle all around berth 44. Thousands of spectators wave and jostle for position. Some are happy, smiling and enjoying the occasion. Others are weeping and wondering when they will see their loved ones again.
On the water, the tugs Albert Edward, Hercules, Vulcan, Ajax, Hector and Neptune surround the massive ship. Their whistles are suddenly drowned out by the Titanic's own whistle. Three times, the eerie blast echoes across Southampton.
Titanic towers over the docks. Her four funnels – three real, the other a dummy - are gleaming and starting to produce puffs of dark grey smoke. 48,000 tons of state-of-the-art ship, lovingly crafted at Harland and Wolff in Belfast. Picture her now, on that day exactly 100 years ago, dwarfing every other vessel.
On board: 1316 passengers and 913 crew. They're from all walks of life. The first class passengers will be chattering enthusiastically and perhaps looking forward to a sumptuous dinner. The crew will be checking and double checking everything that needs to be checked for an Atlantic crossing.
Not on board, the Slade brothers: three Irish stokers. They have one too many in the Grapes pub and miss the sailing.
Down below, in steerage, entire families are hoping for a new life in the New World. They've sold all their belongings, and are looking forward to a fresh start.
For some, it is a business trip. Other passengers are settling down for a voyage of leisure. In steerage, they just want to reach New York, find work and feed their children.
After a final frenzy of activity on the dockside and on the water, Titanic is eased gently from her berth.
Titanic’s movement causes mooring ropes on the liner New York to snap. The tug Vulcan saves the day, taking the New York under tow…..the liners miss each other by four feet.
The backgrounds of those on board Titanic matter no more. Millionaires, Broadway producers, cooks and labourers. They sail now......as one.
“Now she sails…..they would be filled with dread... If they knew the perils that lay ahead.”
© These 'Titanic' documents are the original work of David Meikle, cleverwriting.co.uk. All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, by any means (electronic, photocopying recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the author.