Titanic: 'Iceberg Ahead': The Story of the Disaster By Some of those Who Were There

by James W Bancroft

Overview

To have sailed on ‘the voyage of the century’ aboard White Star Line’s RMS Titanic – described at the time as ‘a floating palace’ – was like being one of the first passengers to fly on Concorde.

On 10 April 1912, people from all walks of life began embarking on Titanic, then the largest ship afloat, for what was to be the trip of a lifetime on the ship’s maiden voyage across the north Atlantic. Many were looking forward to starting new lives in the United States.

However, just before midnight on Sunday, 14 April 1912, Titanic’s crew began to send out distress signals stating, ‘We have struck an iceberg’. The liner had been steaming at speed when it collided with an enormous iceberg which stripped off her bilge under the waterline for more than 100 yards, opened up five of the front compartments and flooded the coal bunker servicing one of the boilers.

The damage was fatal, and some three hours after the disaster began to unfold the last visible part of Titanic slipped beneath the waves. There were only sixteen lifeboats and four collapsible dinghies – which was completely insufficient for the number of passengers making the crossing. As a consequence, more than 1,500 passengers and crew died: two out of every three people onboard perished.

Much has been written about the Titanic disaster, and it has been the subject matter for several films. The author is well-known for his depth of research and his attention to detail, and in a new style of format, he has selected fifty people involved in the disaster, and by using their specific eyewitness accounts he has managed to make the confusing situation much clearer, making it possible for the reader to experience the dreadful events as they unfolded. The book also includes biographical tributes to the fifty people, who came from all walks of life and geographical regions, telling who they were, their experiences during the disaster, and what happened to those who were fortunate enough to survive.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781526797520
Publisher:	Pen and Sword
Publication date:	11/04/2022
Pages:	192
Sales rank:	665,215
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

In the four decades JAMES W. BANCROFT has been writing he has produced more than 100 books and articles, the subjects of which reflect his varied interests. He contributed a number of articles for The New Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, and his book Rorke's Drift: The Zulu War, 1879 has been re-printed seven times. When he is not writing, James enjoys singing and playing and listening to music.

Table of Contents

Part I Terror at Seven Bells 1

Introduction 1

1 'Health and Safety?' 5

2 'All Aboard!' 9

3 The Hands of Fate 23

4 'Iceberg Ahead!' 36

5 'All Hands on Deck!' 46

6 For Those in Peril 62

7 'Save Our Souls!' 75

8 Aftermath 82

Part II Biographical tributes to most of the victims who appear in the main text 97

Allsop, Alfred Samuel 97

Andrews, Charles Edward 98

Andrews, Thomas 99

Barkworth, Algernon Henry 101

Barlow, George 103

Barrett, Frederick William 104

Bell, Joseph William 105

Bonnell, Elizabeth 'Lily' 106

Bowen, David John 'Dai' and Williams, Leslie 107

Brailey, William Theodore Ronald 110

Bride, Harold Sidney 111

Butterworth, John 114

Cameron, Clear Annie 114

Clarke, John Frederick Preston 115

Davison, Mary Elizabeth 117

Etches, Henry Samuel 119

Fleet, Frederick 120

Fynney, Joseph John 121

Gee, Arthur Henry 122

Gold, Catherine 'Kate' 124

Hart, Esther, Eva and Benjamin 126

Hart, James 128

Hartley, Wallace Henry 129

Howard, Benjamin and Ellen 131

Hyman, Joseph Abraham 132

Jessop, Violet Constance 132

Joughin, Charles John 136

Julian, Henry Forbes 137

Lightoller, Charles Herbert 139

Livshin, David 143

Lowe, Harold Godfrey 144

Marsden, Evelyn 146

Meanwell, Marian 147

Navratil, Michel 148

Phillips, Alice Frances Louisa 150

Phillips, Kate Florence 152

Saalfeld, Adolphe 153

Scarrott, Joseph George 155

Shepherd, Jonathan 156

Shulver, Christopher (John Dilley) 158

Stap, Sarah Agnes 161

Taylor, Leonard 162

Threlfall, Thomas 162

Webb, Samuel Francis 164

Whiteley, Thomas Arthur 164

Wilkinson, Elizabeth 'Lizzie' Anne 165

Witter, James William Cheetham 166

Wynn, William 167

Appendix 170

Bibliography and Research References 177

Index 180

Editorial Reviews

A unique and impressively effective approach to an historical study of the Titanic disaster, Titanic - 'Iceberg Ahead': The Story of the Disaster By Some of Those Who Were There is an extraordinarily informative and highly recommended addition to personal reading lists, as well as community, college and university library Maritime History collections.

Midwest Book Review