Yes, Titanic Was a Real Ship!

April 30, 2012

So, I was listening to the radio the other day when I heard someone say that they never knew the Titanic was a real ship. That she hit a real iceberg, and real people died. The person on the radio just thought it was a movie until the news of the 100 year anniversary started in the media.

I could not believe what I was hearing. It got me thinking about the whole Titanic tragedy, what we know and what we don’t. Here are some interesting facts you might not have known.

• Among the property reported as lost on the Titanic were over 3000 bags of mail and an automobile.
• Each first class passenger paid a whopping $4,350 for a parlor suite ticket and $150 for a berth ticket.
• The ship contained a heated swimming pool, a first for any sailing vessel.
• The ship was still so brand new when passengers boarded it on April 10, 1912 that the paint was still wet in some spots.
• Every stateroom contained electric lighting and heat.
• Of the 1517 people of perished in the sinking of the Titanic, only 306 bodies were recovered.
• The largest percentage of survivors came from first class passengers.
• Sadly, Captain Smith had made plans to retire after seeing the Titanic safely across the Atlantic on her maiden voyage.
• Among the provisions when the Titanic set sail in Southampton, England were 40,000 eggs, 75,000 pounds of fresh meat and 1,000 bottles of wine.
• It took approximately 3 hours for the entire ship to sink. 

So, if you are looking for more information on the Titanic, MCPL is the place for you. We have many fiction and non-fiction books on the Titanic…the following are just a few:

• Titanic for Dummies Stephen J. Spigness
• Titanic: one newspaper, seven days, and the truth that shocked the world Stephen W. Hines
• The Company of the Dead  David Kowlaski
• The Dressmaker Kate Alcott
• Titantic Sinks  Barry Denenberg

Nancy H
Camden Point Branch