Aftermath of the Sinking of the Titanic
Once the Carpathia docked in New York City on April 18th, the reality of 1,500 lost crew and passengers devastated those waiting for news. The Halifax, Nova Scotia office of the White Star Line spent weeks recovering those lost at sea. From the Library of Congress The SS Mackay-Bennett was the first ship ready to…
Extra! Extra!
“PASSENGERS SAFELY MOVED AND STEAMER TITANIC TAKEN IN TOW” (Christian Science Monitor, April 15, 1912) “ALL SAVED FROM TITANIC AFTER COLLISION” (New York Evening Sun, Monday April 15, 1912). “2,000 LIVES ARE SAVED OFF WRECKED TITANIC BY WIRELESS: VESSEL IS REPORTED SINKING.” (Denver Times, Monday evening April 15, 1912). These are just three newspaper headlines from Monday, April 15, 1912. In a world full of instant communication, it is hard to believe that for several days the true fate of the Titanic and all those onboard were not known by the public. Many confusing headlines, such as these, illustrate the lack of communication to the press from the rescue ship Carpathia and White Star Line. In fact, it was not until 6:16pm on Monday April 15 that the Olympic, the sister ship of the Titanic, confirmed that it…
Conclusion of Mrs. Brown’s Titanic Story
End of Statement of the Great Disaster Thursday, May 30th, 1912- The Gravity of the situation was there and then relieved, if the expression on faces was any criterion. The tense mental anxiety was perceptibly mitigated. A large number of the passengers living out of New York, were momentarily embarrassed for funds, and only needed enough to tide them over. The committee waited upon the owner—the survivors demands being made known, he conceded all. The demand was that the White Star Line furnish transportation and other necessities to their destination. The second officer, who acted as spokesman for the crew of the Titanic stated that their services were at an end when the Titanic sank, and upon reaching New York they would be sent adrift. It was immediately seen to that their transportation to England would be given, and…
Mrs. Brown’s Titanic Story, Part 2
Margaret Brown’s Titanic Story: Part Two The Rescue by the Carpathia and Other Incidents Wednesday, May 29th, 1912- It was fully lighted, but not one moving object was visible. Suddenly a rift in the water, the sea opened up and the surface foamed like giant arms spread around the ship, and the vessel disappeared from sight, and not a sound was heard. When none of the calamities that were predicted by our terrified boatman was experienced, we asked him to return and pick up those in the water. Again, we were admonished, and told how the frantic drowning victims would grapple the sides of our boat and capsize us. He not yielding to our entreaties, we pulled away vigorously toward a faintly glimmering light on the horizon. After three hours of pulling at the oars, the light grew fainter, and…
Margaret Brown’s Titanic Experience in her Own Words
The Sailing of the Ill Fated Steamship May 28, 1912 – Mrs. James J. Brown of Denver, well known as a summer resident of Newport, has written for the Herald a comprehensive story of the first and last voyage of the steamer Titanic on which she was a passenger. As Mrs. Brown is a keen…
What’s a Binnacle?
A binnacle is the housing for a ship’s compass. The idea behind a binnacle is to counter the magnetic deviation caused by the ship being made of iron so that the compass can point to magnetic north. Metals that were used to construct binnacles were required to be non-ferrous (containing no iron) such as brass. …
The Intrepid Woman Traveler
“I am a woman who has traveled all over the world, who has eaten with chopsticks and sat tailor fashion.” –Margaret Brown By the 19th century a new class of solo women travelers appeared in the United States and Europe. These women traveled not to accompany husbands but to please themselves, venturing beyond destinations considered…
History of the White Star Line
At the turn of the twentieth century, major advances in transatlantic travel were being made. In 1868, Thomas Ismay purchased the bankrupt White Star Line shipping company. Ismay decided to focus on providing shipping services in the North Atlantic. This spurred competition between shipping lines. White Star Line’s greatest competition was the Cunard Line. The…
Building the Titanic
In a time when technology was rapidly changing, shipping lines such as Cunard Line, White Star Line, Norddeutscer-Lloyd, and Hamburg-Amerika were competing to be the fastest and most elegant ships on the sea. From 1812 to 1912 the rate of sea travel nearly quadrupled- a trip across the north Atlantic that once took over a…
Victorian Christmas Traditions
Do you ever wonder where some of our Christmas traditions come from? The Victorian period saw many changes to Christmas due to the massive influx of immigrants and industrialization which helped create our own American traditions. In 1890, Christmas became a national holiday and was celebrated by many Americans regardless of their religious background. At the Molly Brown House Museum we are swept up in the holiday spirit with our decorations, and our fun events such as our Candlelight tours and teas. The Germans brought over the idea of a Christmas tree, and it was widely accepted as a major decoration in the Victorian time period. Typically, a Nativity scene would be found underneath the Christmas tree. Where would they put their presents? The gifts would actually be tied to the branches, rather than hiding them underneath the tree. During…