These are my final thoughts of the fateful voyage of the Titanic.
It is indisputable that of all the passengers and crew on the stricken vessel none made it to their destination as originally planned.
What began from Southampton on April 10, 1912, with the happiest of prospects, ended in a sudden, unscheduled calamity four days later.
For this reason I have posted a picture of Mother Earth on today's BWI.
We are all denizens of this planet travelling at 5,000,000 miles an hour through space to an unknown destination.
The teaching of Christ tells us that the day will come when the heavens will be rolled up like a scroll and our planet and solar system will come to and end.
Hard to believe isn't it? It was also unbelievable that the Titanic could founder .... but she did.
For the fortunate 700 there was a place on a life boat; for 1500 souls there was a watery grave.
I saw a bumper sticker the other day which read:
'SALVATION. DON'T LEAVE EARTH WITHOUT IT'
When this cosmos in which we are travellers comes to it's sudden stop, make sure you are on the life boat proffered by faith in Jesus Christ.
Ian
It is truly frightening the responsibility that belongs to the captain of passenger liner. The recent debacle of the Costa Concordia proved that the trust given by the passengers for their safety in the delinquent captain was entirely misplaced.
So it was with Captain Edward Smith of the Titanic. This bearded veteran had a reputation for flamboyance and was known as the "millionaire's skipper."
For numerous of the millionaires the maiden voyage of the Titanic was to be their last. Although Smith had been warned of an extensive ice field ahead of him he kept the Titanic at full speed in order to arrive at New York on schedule.
We know the consequence of his folly.
Although his ship only caught the iceberg a glancing blow it was enough to open up several small punctures in the hull. The sheer weight of the vessel meant that water entered the holds with unstoppable force especially in the forward engine room. In a matter of two and half hours the unsinkable vessel plunged into the abyss taking with her 1500 souls.
Uniforms, gold braid, and reputation: marvellous for photos and resumes but they don't give immunity from going through the traffic lights on red.
Ian
The passenger list of the Titanic was a pantheon of the rich and famous.
Heading the roster was John Jacob Astor, the world's richest man, and his young wife Madeleine.
After the ship had struck the ice berg and it was clear that she was doomed, the signal was given to assemble on the life-boat deck.
The Astors were among the passengers lining up by the boats.
Suddenly Mrs Astor left her husband's side and dashed to her state-room. She returned with her shawl and a bag of oranges.
Her priceless jewels were ignored where they lay in the security box as were the bundles of bank notes in the desk.
Dr Samuel Johnson said:
"Being hung in the morning will bring great focus to a man's mind"
Lady Astor was experiencing such clarity as she returned to her husband's side. Kissing him a last farewell she stepped into the life boat knowing that a shawl would keep out the cold better than a pearl necklace, and that oranges would serve her better than diamond rings.
She survived but her husband John, left behind,was discovered eight days later drowned but immaculately dressed with gold watch, diamond cuff links and several thousand dollars in his pockets.
He took none of them with him.
Ian
As I mentioned in yesterday's post, stories abound on the tragedy of the Titanic. Some of the lesser known ones are intriguing.
This vast ocean liner, commissioned and owned by the White Star shipping company, was insured by Lloyd's of London.
It was a grim tradition with Lloyd's (and still is) to toll a bell in the office portico whenever one of their insured vessels sank.
How the bell tolled in April 1912 when news of their greatest ever loss came through by Morse telegraph.
Yet Lloyds should never have been Titanic's insurance agent.
The contract had been formerly offered to the Rothchild Merchant Bank.It seemed to everyone that to insure an unsinkable ship was to take money under false pretences.
Lady Rothchild, the morning the contract was to be signed by Baron Rothchild, was astounded to hear that her husband had declined the opportunity to insure the vessel.
On enquiry she was told that through the night he had felt uneasy about the deal and believed that it was God warning him not to accept the proposal.
Thus it was that the contract was passed on to Lloyds and we know the rest of the story.
For reasons such as this The Rothchild family were and still are the richest family in the world.
Jubilate.
Ian
A hundred years ago this week the Western World gave a collective shudder on hearing news that the Titanic, the largest and most modern of all ocean going liners, had foundered on her maiden voyage.
That this ship, built by Harland and Wolffe in Belfast, should be declared unsinkable was symptomatic of the hubris of the age.
Her doom also presaged the calamity of the First World War and the decline of the British Empire.
Stories abound, too numerous to cover in this short series, but enough to unearth signs of foreboding for those discerning enough to perceive.
I like the one of the lady who, looking up at the towering bulk of the ship docked in Southampton, wondered to a steward how she would fare on the high seas. She was offered the following assurance:
"Safe, Madam,safe! God Himself could not sink that ship!"
Upon that guarantee she promptly turned round and cancelled her ticket and within a week lived to hear of a different opinion.
Ian
