Like a blindfolded horse, the Titanic, the most splendid ship ever constructed, dashed at “full speed” into the midst of floating death traps, and crashed into a mountain of ice, while the look-out was vainly-trying to find some officer who could report the danger and change the vessel’s course.
He tells of the criminally inadequate supply of life-saving appliances. He relates the story just as it happened, drawing a sketch to show the mighty iceflow and the icebergs as they swept past the sinking ship. This, is a story told by an eyewitness of one of the most impressive features of the terrible accident, the funeral services conducted over the spot where the Titanic sank.
When the collision occurred, the iceberg seemed simply to brush alongside the ship, and the only result was that some ice and a quantity of snow fell onto the deck. The passengers stared in delighted surprise at their first iceberg, which reared its uneven shape fully 70 feet above the water, and then finding the snow lying about the deck, started to pelt each other with snow balls.
Our crew worked heroically, taking the rescued onto our boat, and there wasn’t the least sign of confusion. The iron doors at the side of our ship were opened and rope, ladders let down. The women were drawn up on a swing, the men who were able climbed the rope ladder and the children and babies were hauled up after being placed in a canvas sack.
Analysis
People were unprepared for the mass casualty incident. They even laughed it off lightly. Additionally, the severity of the incident wasn’t communicated early enough to alert passengers to the danger. Would this have changed the outcome of the survival? None of the life boats were outfitted with survival equipment and some ever even in poor shape not meant for rescue.
Dead sailors were given burials even in the midst of the crisis demonstrating the importance of respecting the dead. The ship the Carpathia didn’t “have the least sight of confusion” in regard to rescue. This is incredibly interesting because it portrays the different values between the two different ships. The titanic was deemed indestructible and unsinkable because of the way it was built. Additionally, she was equipped to carry 64 lifeboats but was actually only carrying 20 lifeboats during the maiden voyage (https://titanicfacts.net). How would the response changed if the Titanic was better prepared for the iceberg or any mass casualty event?
The Carpathia however didn’t see itself as indestructible. Therefore, it was better equipped to respond to this event. If the Carpathia wasn’t there to rescue the survivors, those left on the lifeboats would have nowhere to go and be stranded and eventually die at sea. Communication was vital in the survival of some of the titanic passengers. How long would the lifeboats lasted if the Carpathia didn’t come along? The lifeboats on the Titanic seem like an afterthought. Yet, it could have been the exact thing that could have completely flipped the scenario? What else was overlooked in this design that could have changed the outcome of the sinking of the Titanic?
Source
“Graphic Story of Titanic Survivors’ Rescue,” Encyclopedia Titanica, accessed August 31, 2023 https://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/pittsburg-architect-a-passenger-on-the-carpathia.html#google_vignette.
