On the night of April 14, 1912, the RMS Titanic had a fatal encounter with an iceberg that sealed its fate. Known as the largest cruise ship at the time, its sinking still amazes the world, and there is always something new to learn. From the massive consumption of resources to keep it moving to the inconsistency of its official numbers, today we review all these details, starting with the most frequent question: "How many people died on the Titanic?"
How Many People Died on the Titanic?
It is virtually impossible to present an exact figure on the number of deaths in the sinking of the Titanic simply because there is also no precision on the definitive number of passengers. Some people canceled their trip at the last minute, and others traveled with nicknames and pseudonyms, so they were counted twice.
The most solid estimates speak of a total of 2,224 people on board including the crew, although some sources indicate 2,208, 2,228, or 2,230. The loss of life ranges from 1,490 to 1,635: approximately 80 percent of the men, 26 percent of the women, and 49 percent of the children. In general terms, less than a third of those traveling on the Titanic survived the disaster, and some passengers died shortly after being rescued. Two things are certain: the number of boats was insufficient, and the crew did not have adequate training to handle them.
How Long Did Help Take to Arrive?
The radio operator of the RMS Carpathia, Harold Cottam, received the Titanic's distress call a few minutes after midnight on April 15 (between 12:11 am and 12:15 am). The Titanic suffered its impact at 11:41 pm and sent more than one message requesting assistance, but Cottam did not record them since he was on duty on the bridge. Alerted to the situation by Cottam, the captain of the Carpathia, Sir Arthur Henry Rostron, immediately ordered a change of course to head to the Titanic's position at full speed.
The Carpathia's engineers pushed their engines to the limit, and the entire crew prepared for the rescue process. Despite the enormous danger due to ice, the Carpathia covered the 107 kilometers that separated it from the Titanic in three and a half hours. In other words, the Carpathia arrived at the disaster area less than two hours after the sinking of the Titanic, rescuing an estimated 705-710 people.
A Floating City of Coal, Water, and Food
The Titanic was the largest ship of its kind at the time of the tragedy, and by extension, a beast that devoured fuel. Its coal bunkers held a total of 6,611 tons of coal, with another 1,092 tons stored in a secondary reservoir. The furnaces demanded 600 tons of coal daily (other sources say 800) that had to be loaded by hand, and produced about 100 tons of ash that were thrown into the sea. The work of the stokers was brutal.
But besides energy, the Titanic also needed provisions. Several sources indicate that passengers and crew consumed 14,000 gallons of water daily (63,600 liters if we assume imperial gallons). In the official inventory, 40,000 fresh eggs loaded in Southampton stand out, 34 tons of fresh meat, 5 tons of fresh fish, 40 tons of potatoes, almost 1,600 kilograms of onions, another 1,600 kilograms of tomatoes, 7,000 lettuce plants, 36,000 apples, and 36,000 oranges. Regarding tobacco and alcohol, 8,000 cigars, 15,000 bottles of beer and similar variants, 1,000 bottles of wine, and 850 of "spirits" were reported.
"Unsinkable"? Separating Myth from Reality
The idea that the Titanic was unsinkable has resisted the passage of time without much trouble. The builders of the cruise ship denied on several occasions having promoted their creation in that way. However, the truth is that the marketing of the time definitely contributed to the development of its hypothetical invulnerability, and the classic word of mouth did the rest. Almost all advertisements added special conditions such as "designed to" or "practically", and as expected, the public ignored them without thinking twice.
Perhaps White Star never used the expression "unsinkable" without modifications, but it also didn't oppose that excess of advertising, let's say. The first confirmed case happened after the sinking, when Philip A. S. Franklin, vice president of the International Mercantile Marine Company (the company that controlled White Star), told the press: "I thought it was unsinkable, and I base my opinion on the best expert advice available. I don't understand it."
Violet Jessop, the Woman Who Survived Three Ships
Violet Jessop was born in 1887 in the Argentine city of Bahía Blanca. Daughter of Irish immigrants, Jessop survived a complex case of tuberculosis, and returned with her family to England after the death of her father. At age 21 she joined the Royal Mail Line as a stewardess, and began her work aboard the Orinoco in 1908.
Jessop was one of the stewardesses on the RMS Olympic when the cruise ship collided with HMS Hawke in September 1911. Less than a year later, she joined the crew of the Titanic, and at the time of the sinking she was ordered to go to deck to "serve as an example of behavior" among passengers who could not speak English. Finally her superiors ordered her to board lifeboat 16, and she was rescued by the Carpathia.
During World War I, Jessop again served as stewardess/nurse in the British Red Cross, aboard the HMHS Britannic. On the morning of November 21, 1916, the Britannic suffered a massive explosion due to a mine, and sank in just 55 minutes. Jessop almost lost her life there (and suffered a serious head injury) because the ship's propellers were sucking the lifeboats under the stern. Anyone would think Jessop stopped there, but the opposite happened: she worked for the Red Star Line, returned to the Royal Mail Line, and retired in 1950.
23 Women, and Mailbags
The crew of the Titanic consisted of more than 800 members, most of them casual workers who boarded the ship just hours before the voyage began. However, the number of female employees was extremely low: barely 23, and almost all of them stewardesses, responsible for responding to the needs of passengers in upper classes.
At the same time, the Titanic had five mail clerks assigned, two British and three American. These five men were responsible for supervising and processing all mail entering and leaving the ship. On the night of the accident, one of them was celebrating his birthday. When they confirmed that the ship had been hit and was sinking, the five decided to move the registered mailbags to the upper deck to try to save them. None survived.
