Voices from the Titanic

by Geoff Tibballs

  ANOTHER BELFAST TRIUMPH

  Launch of the Titanic

  Each year the tide of progress rolls steadily on, relentlessly and unceasingly. There is no retardation, no sign of an end. Arts and crafts have reached heights that were undreamt of by the last generation. Science brings forth fresh marvels with each rising of the sun. Thinking men light on new ideas, and in a twinkling these ideas are accomplished facts. Nature has been forced to yield her secrets. Pioneers full of determination march from triumph to triumph. Great feats compel the world’s admiration, and then sink into line, and are accepted as ordinary events, while others spring up to take their place. There has been no era like the present one in all history.

  Another step on the road of evolution was accomplished today when the Titanic, the sister ship of the Olympic, which has just completed her steam trials, was launched at the Queen’s Island. The triumphs of science and engineering have been many, and Belfast can well support its claim to be regarded as one of the leading pioneers, especially in the matter of shipbuilding. When the construction of the Olympic was contemplated doubts were expressed that such a monster undertaking could be carried out, but Messrs Harland & Wolff proved last October that the project was quite feasible, and that they were capable of building such a huge vessel. The Olympic and the Titanic are not merely ships: they are floating towns, with all the improvements and conveniences that are associated with cities. Both ships are, indeed, marvels of engineering.

  The Titanic is of the same dimensions as the Olympic. The two boats represent the last word in shipbuilding. Messrs Harland & Wolff, by their construction, brought back to Belfast the blue riband of shipbuilding, which was taken from the city when the giant Cunarders, the Lusitania and the Mauretania, were turned out from yards on the other side of the Channel. The last big vessel built for the White Star Line was the Adriatic, which was launched in 1906, but she is easily eclipsed by the Olympic and the Titanic. Never before have such huge vessels floated on the ocean. A few years ago and anyone who suggested vessels of their size would have been laughed to scorn.

  Messrs Ismay, Imrie and Co. have always endeavoured to lead the van with the White Star liners, and the two new giants worthily uphold their reputation as shipowners. The firm was not content to take the second place while other firms forged ahead. They have shown that they are determined to meet enterprise with enterprise. It now remains for some other large firm of shipowners to try to go one better. Messrs Harland & Wolff ably carried out the desire and orders of Messrs Ismay, Imrie and Co. and to them will always belong the honour and credit of being the constructors of the greatest vessels on the face of the globe – the Olympic and the Titanic. It takes a good amount of imagination to realize the marvel that has been accomplished with these two liners. Not only in size, but in equipment do they stand alone. They mark the beginning of an era.

  It is safe to predict that the Olympic and the Titanic will enhance the great reputation already enjoyed by the line; they are without a peer on the ocean. Though so large, they are beautiful. Everything on board has been well – in some cases brilliantly – conceived and admirably carried out, and passengers will find comfort, luxury, recreation, and health in the palatial apartments, the splendid promenades, the gymnasium, the squash racquet court, the Turkish baths, the swimming pond, palm court verandah etc. Moreover, the state rooms, in their situation, spaciousness and appointments, will be perfect havens of retreat, where many pleasant hours are spent, and where the time given to slumber and rest will be free from noise or other disturbance. Comfort, elegance, security – these are the qualities that appeal to passengers, and in the Olympic and the Titanic they abound. The horse has been described as the noblest work of the Creator. A ship may be said to be one of the finest of man’s creations. Today ships are amongst the greatest civilizing agencies of the age and the White Star liners Olympic and Titanic – eloquent testimonies to the progress of mankind – will rank high in the achievements of the twentieth century.

  The Launch

  The Titanic entered the waters of the Lagan as quietly and gracefully as did her sister Olympic. The wave she displaced was infinitesimally small, she was pulled up short and sharp, and almost before one could realize that a new leviathan had been launched the spectators were already turning their steps homeward. In this respect those who took the trouble to go to the Queen’s Island have ground for serious complaint against Lord Pirrie. So exact is he in his arrangements, and so admirably and completely are his plans carried out, that these big launches threaten to become quite uninteresting. A couple of gun-fires, the turn of a lever, and another floating palace is ready for the final equipment. You don’t get that thrill of expectancy born of a doubt whether the vessel will move or not. You are just told to be there at a certain time, and if you are not you have only yourself to blame. Incidentally you have missed the sight of a lifetime. You have missed a thrilling demonstration and how brain and labour, working harmoniously together, can turn out, without fuss or excitement, a wonder of the world.

  The Titanic looked very big as she lay on the stocks this morning; somehow she caught the eye more completely than did her sister ship. The vessel appeared the embodiment of strength, though at the same time her graceful lines made it difficult to believe that between her closely riveted plates was accommodation for the inhabitants of a respectably-sized town. High up in the air her stem lowered, the men on her deck looking mere specks on the skyline.

  There was a big crowd in the yard, and the special stands erected showed a sea of faces, all waiting expectantly for the great event of the day. Within the railed-off enclosure round the ship all was well-ordered confusion. Foremen got their orders from principals, and transmitted them to the men waiting to execute them. Lord Pirrie was the dominant figure. In yachting attire he was here, there, and everywhere, giving orders and inquiring into the minutest detail.

  From a quarter to twelve onwards the comparative silence became disturbed by the incessant rapping of hammers, as the final shores were being knocked away. Then again came silence. Rockets went up with two loud reports, and everyone was on the tiptoe of expectancy, for this was the first signal to stand clear, and men were seen scurrying from beneath the great mass of steel. Their work had been completed. The Titanic was only held in check by the hydraulic lever.

  Then came the final denouement, suddenly, almost unexpectedly, for it wanted three minutes to the advertized time of the launch. Two more loud reports were heard, and almost before the spectators had time to realize that the Titanic was about to leave the stocks, the launch was an accomplished fact. Lord Pirrie gave the signal, the releasing valve was opened, and while the crowd still wondered the Titanic slid slowly, but gracefully, down to the river as straight as a die between the giant gantries which seemed almost to touch her sides. So far so good. The next question which sprang to mind was, would she be checked safely? This was quickly answered, for the drags and anchors worked with mathematical precision, and the great liner was pulled up within her own length, and rested peacefully on the water until she was taken charge of by tugs and escorted to her berth. The actual time of launch was sixty-three seconds.

  A great many brains and hands have been concerned in the construction of the Titanic and her sister ship, but, as is well known, the master mind of the whole achievement has been Lord Pirrie, who designed the vessels and has personally taken the responsibility of their construction from keel to truck, also their arrangements, decorations and equipment. It is not often given to a man, even at the zenith of his career, to achieve so notable a triumph as is represented by the completion of the trials of the Olympic and the launch of the Titanic on the same day, which moreover, by a happy coincidence is the birthday of both Lord and Lady Pirrie. Their many friends, and all interested in the new vessels, will regard this and the beautiful weather under which the events have taken place as a fortuitous combination of circumstances of the most auspicious character.

  FROM THE COUNTY ANTRIM SIDEr />
  Thousands upon thousands of people assembled at all parts of the docks near to or opposite Messrs Harland & Wolff to enjoy the sight, but perhaps no finer view was secured than that in the vicinity of the Spencer Basin, which is situated on the County Antrim side of the river. Access to the basin was gained from Corporation Street right down past the timber piles, and from ten o’clock on till near noon, the roadway was thronged with men and women, boys and girls, from all classes of Belfast folk. The weather was brilliantly fine, and the gay colours of the ladies’ dresses lent an animated brightness to a scene which on other days of the year is composed of dull piles of wood and stacks of coal, and with everything gay to the eye, and with the expectation of seeing the Olympic’s sister ship take her plunge, everyone was in the best spirits. Down at the basin every possible point of vantage was taken up, the timber piles and coal stacks were utilized as grand stands for the time being, and lorries drawn up alongside the front of the river were also greatly utilized, the carters doing a rich day’s work by charging twopence per head for standing room.

  (Ulster Echo, 31 May 1911)

  THE LAUNCH OF THE TITANIC

  Another Triumph of Belfast Shipbuilding

  It took exactly sixty-two seconds for a launching weight of no less than 25,000 tons, travelling at a speed of twelve knots, to slip down the ways into deep water. And the amazing thing about it all was its seeming simplicity. As a nation we do great things quietly; and some of our overseas visitors who saw the Titanic enter with such quiet dignity the brown waters of the Lagan on Wednesday last must have thought for a moment that the launch of a 45,000-ton liner was quite an everyday incident in this famous Ulster shipyard. Indeed, it is not, of course, but Belfast is quickly educating us all to the idea that the only insurmountable limit to size in ships is the depth of the sea!

  With the experience of the Olympic behind them the townsfolk of the Ulster capital took the launch of the Titanic almost as a matter of routine. Certainly there was no thought of failure or even hitch, and while there was a most pardonable display of local pride in this latest vessel sent forth from the Queen’s Island yard, there was not, perhaps, the same element of novelty about the doings of the day, and the crowds that witnessed the launch were, I think, smaller than when the Olympic was waterborne on Oct. 20 last. Even so they were vast and enthusiastic, and the minute of launching thrilled them as before. The day was one of summer sunshine, and the scene was bright with dainty frocks, and with hats which in size paid a delicate compliment to the huge vessel herself.

  It was in keeping with the traditions of the yard that there should be as little ceremony about the launch as possible. This rule appeared even to restrain the display of bunting visible within the shipyard itself. Save for the British ensign, the Stars and Stripes, and flags signalling ‘Good Luck!’ which waved in a line from the landward edge of the gantries under which the vessel lay, there was an entire absence of decorative colour. The enormous proportions of the liner, it is true, did not suffer thereby, while the business character of what was being done gained immeasurably. Everything was carried out strictly to a well-defined programme, for everything was in order for the critical moment. There was no appearance of rush or anxiety, because the thing to be done was too great for any eleventh-hour hurry. Exactly an hour and a half before the vessel moved the clang of hammers under her indicated to the leisurely assembling people that the vessel’s minutes on earth were numbered. That reads like an obituary notice; but in truth it is rather an intimation of birth. For every shore that was knocked away the bonds that bound this Titan to earth were being released; only the hydraulic triggers held her in place, and on these the pressure was rapidly increasing.

  Meanwhile the stands erected for the convenience of the spectators within the yard were being gradually filled, and there successively appeared within the closely guarded foreground round the ship men of note in the shipping and shipbuilding world. The Right Hon. Lord Pirrie had been in the yard all the morning superintending the final arrangements for the launch of a vessel which owes her design and construction largely to his genius. A few minutes before noon (Irish time) he received the distinguished White Star party in the offices of the yard, and punctually at noon the owners’ representatives took their places on the stand reserved for them by the side of the vessel and immediately in front of the mechanism that released her. In addition to Lord and Lady Pirrie and the directors and officials of the shipyard, prominent among these were Mr J. Bruce Ismay, chairman of the White Star Line; Mr J. Pierpont Morgan and Mr E. C. Grenfell (his partner); Mr Harold A. Sanderson, general manager of the White Star Line; Mr Henry Concannon, assistant manager; Mr P. E. Curry, Southampton manager; Mr E. W. Bond, assistant Southampton manager; Mr R. J. A. Shelley, Liverpool; Mr M. H. Workman, London; Mr Charles F. Torrey, managing director of the Atlantic Transport Line; Mr John Lee, Mr Charles Payne, directors of Messrs Harland & Wolff; Mr J. W. Kempster, director; Mr R. Crighton, director; Mr Wm. Bailey, secretary; and Mr Saxon J. Payne, assistant secretary.

  On a final tour of inspection Lord Pirrie left his guests to visit the platforms at the vessel’s bows. A few minutes after noon a red flag was run up at the stern as a signal of preparation. Five minutes later two detonators warning the men to stand clear broke upon the hushed crowd to tell them all was ready and the mighty Titanic was straining to be set free. At 12.12 the firing of another rocket was followed immediately by Lord Pirrie giving the signal. For a second or two nothing happened. Then without fuss, without hesitancy, with much dignity and with an old-fashioned curtsy as her bows finally left the ways, the Titanic was waterborne. The supports that remained fell gently over like a pack of cards, and so smoothly and so sweetly did she take the water that there was practically no backwash. Her launching weight of 25,000 tons was slightly less than that of the Olympic.

  How easily to the eye of the onlooker was this huge mass of ineffective power brought to! She was motionless apparently in less than her own length from the water edge of the slipway, though it must in reality have been more. Powerful forces were at work, restraining her from going one foot beyond the limits assigned. I understand that Messrs. Bullivant & Co., Ltd., the well-known steel wire rope makers, were responsible for the manufacture of the ropes used in the launch. Six check ropes and two drag ropes were used, each of these being eight inches in circumference and having a guaranteed breaking strain of over 200 tons. In the case of both the Olympic and Titanic wire ropes for mooring purposes were adopted, and these were supplied by the same firm. These hawsers are of 9½-inch circumference, and were guaranteed, together with thimbles and splices, to withstand a breaking strain of 280 tons. Fussy but vigorous little tugs helped, too; and the well-known Mersey tugs Herculaneum, Hornby, and Alexandra were soon engaged in hauling the liner to the new fitting-out wharf below the Alexandra Graving Dock, while a score of small row boats were rescuing floating tallow from the water.

  And through it all while the crowds cheered themselves hoarse, and while most of the spectators were homeward moving, Mr Pierpont Morgan sat in the owners’ stand and smoked a contemplative cigar (brand unknown). Lord Pirrie beamed on all (and there were many) who congratulated him on the splendid success of the launch. These twentieth-century magicians deal not with spell and incantation, yet the magic of their work has surely no equal! than the Titanic, Lord and Lady Pirrie, both of whose birthdays, singularly enough, fell on Wednesday, could have had no better present to give to the world of intercourse, whereby seas are made narrower and hand may grasp hand round the wide world. Happy, indeed, were these coincidences, and they may be held to augur well for the future career of No. 401.

  (The Shipping World, 7 June 1911)

  The quarterly publication, The Shipbuilder, produced a special issue in the summer of 1911 to describe in detail the sumptuous accommodation provided for first-class passengers by the two new White Star Liners, Olympic and Titanic.

  The restaurant, situated on the bridge deck, will be considered by m
any competent judges the most enticing apartment in the vessel. It is 60ft long and 45ft wide. The style of decoration adopted is that of the Louis Seize period. The room is panelled from floor to ceiling in beautifully marked French walnut of a delicate light fawn brown colour, the mouldings and ornaments being richly carved and gilded. Large electric light brackets, cast and finely chased in brass and gilt, and holding candle lamps, are fixed in the centre of the large panels. On the right of the entrance is a buffet with a marble top of fleur de pêche, supported by panelling and plaster recalling the design of the wall panels. The room is well lighted by large bay windows, a distinctive and novel feature which creates an impression of spaciousness. The windows are divided into squares by ornamental metal bars, and are draped with plain fawn silk curtains having flowered borders and richly embroidered pelmets. Every small detail, including even the fastenings and hinges, has been carried out with due regard to purity of style. The ceiling is of plaster, in which delicately modelled flowers in low relief combine to form a simple design of trellis in the centre and garlands in the bays. At various well-selected points hang clusters of lights ornamented with chased metal gilt and crystals. The floor is covered with an elegant pile carpet of Axminster make, having a non-obtrusive design of the Louis Seize period. The colour is a delicate vieux rose, of the shade known as Rose du Barri, in perfect harmony with the surroundings.

  Comfort has been well considered in the arrangement of the furniture. Small tables have been provided to accommodate from two to eight persons, and crystal standard lamps with rose-coloured shades illuminate each table. The chairs have been well studied, and are made in similar light French walnut to the walls. The woodwork is carved and finished with a waxed surface. The upholstery covering is Aubusson tapestry in quiet tones, representing a treillage of roses. For convenience of service there are several dumb waiters encircling the columns and forming part of the decorative scheme. A bandstand, partly recessed and raised on a platform, is provided at the after end. On either side of the bandstand is a carved buffet, the lower portion of which is used for cutlery and the upper portion for the silver service, thus completing the necessities for a well-appointed restaurant to satisfy every requirement …