"There fell on the ear the most appalling cries that human being ever listened to — the cries of hundreds of our fellow beings struggling in the icy cold water, crying for help with a cry that we knew could not be answered."- Lawrence Beasley
The Sinking
At 10:25 p.m. on April 14th, the Titanic struck an iceberg and began taking on water quickly. Women and children soon boarded lifeboats, and the ship reached the ocean floor by 2:20 a.m. Over 1,500 people perished, and only 705 survived. Though Titanic received warnings about icebergs, the captain didn't post extra lookouts. A recent study also shows a rare mirage occurred making the iceberg seem farther away.
"Striking the water was like a thousand knives being driven into one's body. The temperature was 28 degrees, four degrees below freezing." -Charles Lightoller, Second Officer aboard Titanic
“The Captain was at dinner with Bruce Ismay and a number of millionaires for more than three hours that night, instead of being on the bridge where he belonged, knowing they were going into ice fields. Not a single extra lookout was posted, and the speed was never reduced a particle. We were running very fast, when we struck.”- Major Arthur Peuchen
|