OUR
GENERATION'S
TITANIC

THEN

NOW

One reason why
it was important
for us to meet in NYC

90 years ago... today

April 10th, 1912

Sailing Day

Shortly before seven am, Captain Edward John Smith,
wearing a high bowler hat and a long overcoat against the morning chill,
left Woodhead, his red brick, twin-gabled home on Winn Road in Southampton.
As he walked towards a waiting taxi, he turned for one last long look
at his beloved wife Eleanor and 12 year old daughter Helen. This would
be the last time, the old skipper must have thought, as he would soon be
home for good, retired from a long, yet uneventful, career.




As he rode downhill toward the docks, it must have been with enormous pride
that he took in the view of the great ship--his ship--dominating the harbor front.
Freshly-painted buff and black funnels seeming to glow in the morning sunlight.
Here was to be his last and most prestigious command.
If he chanced to remember them, five days later, one wonders if his
own words mocked him...


"I cannot imagine any condition which would cause a ship
to founder. I cannot concieve of any vital disaster happening to
this vessel. Modern shipbuilding has gone beyond that..."

Aboard even earlier, around 6am, was designer Thomas Andrews.
He had already conducted a last inpection and meeting with his crew of nine
men sent over from the builder--the Harland and Wolff 'guarantee group'.
These men were especially chosen for their knowledge and experience,
along with the Titanic's Engineering staff, of all the ship's mechanical
systems in operational conditions.

All nine would perish along with their boss.

Deep inside her enormous hull, operating at the heart of the ship were
the Engineering Officers. Chief Officer Joseph Bell had the finest staff in
the Atlantic service. It was their responsibility to see to everything involved
in the mechanical operation of the ship.

The boilers and furnaces, with their armies of soot-blackened stokers,
firemen and trimmers--the "black gang'-- that kept up the steam vital to the ship's
massive engines and the power that provided light, heat and hot water.
All these systems were under their control.

Five days later, they would be called upon for service requiring the ultimate sacrifice.
Keeping the lights burning, operating the pumps, powering the wireless...

Of the thirty five Engineers and Assistant Engineers, not one would be saved.

Bell had been in consultation the Captain about a smoldering fire in one of
the starboard coal bunkers in Boiler Room 6. If the two men were concerned,
they hadn't mentioned the situation to the Board of Trade representative.

Not that adherence to the Board of Trade regulations were in any way overlooked.
Under supervision of Fifth Officer Lowe, two boats, numbers 11 & 15,
had been lowered and winched up again, for the satisfaction of BOT representative
Maurice Clarke. The Board had passed Titanic as fit for sea in every respect,
right down to her 16 wooden, and four wood-and-canvas collapsible, lifeboats.
Fully loaded they could hold 1.178 people. There would be more than
2.200 aboard when Titanic left Queenstown, Ireland.

Meanwhile the crew poured up the gangways and made their way
to their respective berths. As they stowed their gear, old shipmates
greeted each other with boiserous comeraderie.

They were the best and they knew it.

CONTINUED...

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