the North Atlantic. Within 40 seconds, “Iceberg! Right Ahead!” the ship’s starboard (right) side was raked By the time these words rang out on the below the waterline by the submerged RMS Titanic, it was too late. The warning spur of an iceberg. Less than three hours came at 11:40 p.m. on the clear, cold later, the Titanic sank beneath the water. night of April 14, 1912, in the icy seas of At least 1,523 of its roughly 2,228 Where does the name RMS NH:(Portsmouth, Heinemann). classroom use only. be reproduced for This page may Titanic come from? (answer on back cover) The Comprehension Toolkit The Comprehension FACTS 2 ©2005 by Stephanie Harvey and Anne Goudvis from from Goudvis Anne and Harvey Stephanie by ©2005 20 Lesson 10: Titanic (1 of 12) From Kids Discover — Titanic, © 2005. All rights reserved. passengers and crew were dead or dying. symbol for disaster. The great ship’s story Had the Titanic missed the iceberg that is a drama with a little of everything: Sunday, it may have simply been remem- heroism and fear, humility and arrogance, bered as one of the largest, most luxuri- wealth and poverty, life and death. ous ocean liners of its time. Yet so much Come aboard the grand ship for a voy- went wrong that the Titanic has become a age of a lifetime—from the safety of home. (Portsmouth, NH:(Portsmouth, Heinemann). classroom use only. be reproduced for This page may The Comprehension Toolkit The Comprehension l ONTHENIGHT it sank, the Titanic was making its The rivets (metal bolts used to join steel plates) on maiden (first) the TITANIC contained metallic impurities. As a result, voyage across the rivet heads tended to pop off when the ship the Atlantic scraped the iceberg. Once a rivet head popped, the Ocean. seams between plates separated, and water entered the ship. 3 ©2005 by Stephanie Harvey and Anne Goudvis from from Goudvis Anne and Harvey Stephanie by ©2005 From Kids Discover — Titanic, © 2005. All rights reserved. Lesson 10: Titanic (2 of 12) 21 4 build larger and stronger boats. Building a Colossus Around A.D.1000, Viking explorers from Norway, Sweden, and Denmark Boats have been around from the time of sailed to North America in wooden boats our earliest ancestors. Boats enabled no bigger than today’s mobile homes. But people to cross wide rivers and fish in traveling the Atlantic then—and for deep waters. As people began to explore centuries afterward—was dangerous. distant lands, they found better ways to Icebergs, storms, poor navigational equip- (Portsmouth, NH:(Portsmouth, Heinemann). classroom use only. be reproduced for This page may The Comprehension Toolkit The Comprehension The White Star Line approves plans Construction 1908for three of the biggest ocean liners in 1909 begins on history. They will be called Olympic, Titanic, the Titanic in Belfast, TIME LINE and Gigantic. Construction begins on Olympic. Northern Ireland. 4 ©2005 by Stephanie Harvey and Anne Goudvis from from Goudvis Anne and Harvey Stephanie by ©2005 22 Lesson 10: Titanic (3 of 12) From Kids Discover — Titanic, © 2005. All rights reserved. 5 ment, and unreliable sail power cost Shipping companies began building giant thousands of people their lives, as did ocean liners. In the early 1900s, the disease and unsanitary conditions. White Star Line was in a heated race By the late 1800s, transatlantic cross- with competitors to build even bigger, ings had become more routine. Ships more impressive ships. In 1912, after were now powered by steam engines and three years under construction, the built of iron and steel. (Ship is the term largest moving object in the world— used for a large seagoing vessel.) the Titanic—was unveiled. the ship. He lis- “When anyone asks how I can best describe my experience in nearly 40 years at sea, I merely say: uneventful. I never saw a wrec tened carefully to crew members’ been wrecked nor was I in any predicament that threatened to end in disaster of any sort.” complaints and made changes when possible. T Andrews sailed on H OR TH R E DIRECT E DESIG NE the Titanic to identify the prob- ATLEFTARETHE u J. BRUCE ISMAY u THOMAS ANDREWS lems that always propellers of was managing di- was the Titanic’s come up in a Titanic’s sister rector of the White designer. He was brand-new ship. ship Olympic. Star Line and a famous for know- Like the captain, (There are no driving force in ing every detail of Andrews perished. photographs of the creation of the the Titanic’s pro- Titanic. Ismay r THE TITANIC’S pellers.) It took was on board the captain, Edward three thousand Titanic during its J. Smith, was men three years maiden voyage often called the to build the and escaped the “millionaires’ cap- Titanic. The work sinking ship in tain” because was done in one of the Titan- wealthy families Belfast, Northern ic’s collapsible asked to book Ireland, at the lifeboats, perhaps passage on his Harland & thinking that his ships. The White Queen’s Island testimony would Star Line made Shipyards. be valuable later. him captain of the However, his rep- Olympic and later utation suffered of the Titanic. In after the tragedy. two years, he was He was accused to command the of saving himself Gigantic on its T while the captain maiden run. He ITANIC and others died. did not survive. C BULKHEADS are the watertight walls between compartments. APTAIN (Portsmouth, NH:(Portsmouth, Heinemann). classroom use only. be reproduced for This page may E DWARD The British technical journal THE SHIPBUILDER was so impressed with TITANIC’s bulkheads (left) and other J. S safety features that it u pronounced the ship MITH IN The Comprehension Toolkit The Comprehension THE TITANIC However, if the would overflow k and have never could float if any first five sections into the sixth, “practically unsinkable.” However, the bulkheads 1907 two of her 16 flooded, the bow and when that rose only 10 feet above “watertight” com- (front) would sink section filled, the waterline. Had they partments flooded, so low that the water would over- been built higher, the ship or even if the first water in the fifth flow into the sev- might not have sunk. four flooded. compartment enth, and so on. Olympic launched Titanic launched. White Star Line con- 1910 (set afloat). 1911 tinues with changes and improve- ments that make it the largest ship in the world (left). Olympic makes its maiden voyage. 5 ©2005 by Stephanie Harvey and Anne Goudvis from from Goudvis Anne and Harvey Stephanie by ©2005 From Kids Discover — Titanic, © 2005. All rights reserved. Lesson 10: Titanic (4 of 12) 23 6 People in 1912 were very aware of their class, or position, in soci- The ety. Class was determined by family background, wealth, and Classes of education, among other things. On the Titanic, the price of a passenger’s ticket said a lot about 1912 that person’s position in society. r THE WHITE STAR Line spared no expense to make its first-class rooms as opulent as possible. They came complete with thick carpets and overstuffed sofas and chairs. First-class pas- sengers had at their disposal a gymnasium, swimming pool, squash court, Turkish bath, and library. FIRST-CLASS STAIRCASE r THE PRESS CALLED (Portsmouth, NH:(Portsmouth, Heinemann). classroom use only. be reproduced for This page may the Titanic the “mil- lionaires’ special” because there were so many wealthy people traveling first-class. Their combined fortunes Toolkit The Comprehension were around $500 JOHN JACOB ARCHIBALD BUTT ISIDOR AND IDA Scotland’s LUCY million ($9 billion ASTOR, New York Military advis- STRAUS He was a NOELLE MARTHA today). Among the millionaire, and er to Presi- founder of DYER-EDWARDS, rich and famous wife MADELEINE dent William Macy’s depart- THE COUNTESS OF people were the (He died; she Howard Taft ment store. ROTHES (She following: survived.) (He died.) (Both died.) survived.) Builders put The Titanic com- The Titanic’s MARCH the finishing APRIL 2 pletes its sea trials, APRIL 10 maiden voyage touches on the Titanic. then sails from Belfast, Northern begins in Southampton and ends 1912 Ireland, to Southampton, England. in Cherbourg, France. 6 ©2005 by Stephanie Harvey and Anne Goudvis from from Goudvis Anne and Harvey Stephanie by ©2005 24 Lesson 10: Titanic (5 of 12) From Kids Discover — Titanic, © 2005. All rights reserved. 7 l RUNNING A GIANT the passengers’ machine like the needs, and 289 Titanic required firemen, trimmers, more than nine and greasers to The TITANIC could carry up to 3,547 people, yet hundred workers. carry and shovel it carried only 16 lifeboats and 4 collapsible Among them were coal into the boil- boats with canvas sides—enough for just 1,178 nine officers to ers and lubricate people. At the time, British laws stated that the supervise the moving parts of TITANIC had to carry only 16 lifeboats. By carry- crew, 390 stew- the ship. Seated ing the 4 collapsible boats, the TITANIC was ards and stew- at far left is Cap- actually carrying more than the law required. ardesses to serve tain Smith. “My pretty little cabin with its electric heater and pink cur- tains delighted d THE TITANIC’S rooms were sim- d MOST THIRD- spare. However, me. Its beauti- second-class ple but attractive, class, or steerage, the Titanic fea- ful lace quilt, rooms were as with mahogany passengers were tured private cab- and pink cush- ions, and pho- good as first-class beds and linoleum poor people leav- ins for two, four, tographs all rooms on other floors.