Voices from the Titanic

by Geoff Tibballs

  Comparing the Titanic to its sister ship, the article went on:

  The reception room adjoining the first-class dining saloon having proved such a popular feature on the Olympic, in the case of the Titanic a reception room has also been provided in connection with the restaurant, consisting of a large and spacious lounge decorated in the Georgian style. Here friends and parties will meet prior to taking their seats in the restaurant. The elegant settees and easy chairs are upholstered in silk of carmine colour, with embroideries applied in tasteful design. The breadth of treatment and the carefully proportioned panels on the walls, with richly carved cornice and surrounding mouldings, form an impressive ensemble, which is distinctly pleasing to the eye.

  (The Shipbuilder, June 1911)

  THE WORLD’S BIGGEST SHIP

  A Visit to the Olympic at Southampton

  The state rooms in each of the three classes are distinguished by being exceptionally large and lofty, while the furnishings are probably without parallel on any vessel afloat. Everything has been done to ensure the comfort of the passenger, and he is given a degree of privacy hitherto almost unknown on board ship. Down to the least detail his wishes have been consulted. The wash-stand accessories are many; his wardrobe convenient to all his immediate needs; his couch the best he could possibly wish for. The popular Marshall ‘Vi-Spring’ mattresses (formerly known as ‘Hare Spring’) manufactured by the Marshall Sanitary Mattress Co. Ltd, London, are used very extensively on this ship, as they will be used on her sister ship, the Titanic; and in many other respects these state rooms will appeal to all sorts and conditions of voyagers. The second-class and third-class are furnished in a style that represents, without exaggeration, what was thought sufficient for the first-class only a few short years ago; and if there is one thing more than another that should induce second and third-class travellers to patronize this great liner, it is the fact that they share in all the advantages of an absolutely steady, practically unsinkable ship with those who can afford the highest-priced suite of rooms that the Olympic can boast. This is a consideration of the first importance to all who are in the least afraid of the sea.

  But it is when we reach the public rooms that we best realize what the large vessel means. She is a floating palace; and in three or four of the principal rooms there is nothing to distinguish them from the rooms of some stately country house or elegantly furnished hotel on the sea front. It is difficult to believe we are afloat. This particularly applies to the reading and writing room which Lord Pirrie has confessed is his favourite. Fireplace, bow windows, and the furnishings generally convey an idea of a retreat in some country house amid ‘haunts of ancient peace’.

  (The Shipping World, 14 June 1911)

  Ten months later, in the immediate aftermath of the disaster, a number of newspapers quoted extensively from the official White Star brochure to illustrate the splendour that was the Titanic. The Boston Post from Masschusetts wrote:

  Perhaps the best description of the giant Titanic is that which was furnished by the officers of the White Star Line at the time of the Titanic’s launching on June 15, 1911.

  This description, which also embraced the sister ship Olympic, was as follows:

  In the White Star Line’s new triple-screw steamers Olympic and Titanic are epitomized all the science and skill of a century of steam navigation. The same spirit which actuated the White Star Line in introducing into the Atlantic passenger trade the steamers Oceanic, the first steamer to surpass the length of the Great Eastern – Celtic, Cedric, Baltic, and, latterly, the giant Adriatic – has produced these new surpassing ships.

  Figures speak most concisely and eloquently of the supremacy of the Olympic and Titanic. The largest plates employed in the hull are 36ft long, weighing four and a half tons each, and the largest steel beam used is 92ft long, the weight of this double beam being four tons.

  Further, the colossal rudder, which is to be operated electrically, weighs 100 tons, the anchors 15½ tons each, the center turbine propeller 22 tons and each of the two wing propellers 38 tons.

  The huge after ‘bossarms’, from which are suspended the three propeller shafts, tip the scales at 73½ tons, and the forward ‘bossarms’ at 45 tons. It is also interesting to note that each link in the anchor chains weighs 175lb. In each ship the unusually large number of sidelights and windows – over 2,000 – add much to the brightness and cheerful effect of the public rooms and passenger cabins.

  As already intimated, nothing has been left to chance in the construction of these superb ships, and besides being the largest and heaviest vessels ever built, they are also undoubtedly the strongest.

  Their towering hulls are moulded to battle against the seven seas, and boast, in each ship, the presence of three million rivets (weighing about 1,200 tons) holding together the solid plates of steel. To ensure stability in binding the heavy plates in the double bottom of each ship a half million rivets, weighing about 270 tons, have been used.

  The whole plating of the hulls has been riveted for hydraulic power, with an almost entire absence of the usual deafening noises, new type seven-ton riveting machines, suspended from travelling cranes having accomplished this work quickly and well.

  Safety Assured

  The double bottom referred to extends the full length of each vessel, varying from 5ft 3in. to 6ft 3in. in depth and lends added strength to the hull. The subdivision of the hulls of the Olympic and Titanic into fifteen compartments separated by watertight bulkheads of steel further assures the safety of the vessels.

  The gigantic size of these steamers is best appreciated when it is recalled that in length each vessel overtops by 182½ ft the height of the Metropolitan Tower in New York – the highest office building in the world, and 132½ ft beyond the height of the new Woolworth building now under construction.

  Each ship being four times as long as the height of the famous Bunker Hill Monument and 327ft longer than the height of the Washington Monument, their massive measurements far excel America’s most famous memorials.

  Bilge or fin keels prevent these fine steamers from rolling, and their machinery is the unique combination of reciprocating engines (operating the two wing propellers) and a low-pressure turbine (operating the center propeller), an ideal arrangement which has been tested thoroughly and found most satisfactory from an engineering point of view in the White Star Line’s Canadian service steamer Laurentic.

  Spaciousness and Beauty

  A rapid survey of the 11 steel decks of the Olympic and Titanic reveals the most careful and comprehensive preparations in every department. Three elevators in the first class and one in the second class provide a comfortable means of access between decks, which, on ships so vast as these, saves the passenger much effort.

  On the topmost deck – cheerfully named the ‘Sun’ deck – one finds a commodious open promenade with a large area for deck sports. All the enticing outdoor games that seem exclusively identified with the pleasant hours aboard ship are played here, and the ardent devotee of the putter and the niblick can keep in ‘top trim’ by assiduous attention to the fascinating pastime, ‘deck-golf’, with its 18-hole course.

  Here also is located the roomy gymnasium with its complete equipment, which will attract many passengers seeking mild and healthful diversion. Forward are the officers’ quarters and the wheelhouse and chart rooms.

  Comfort and Luxury

  On the vast area of the upper promenade deck ‘A’ just below, the steamer’s chair ‘brigade’ will be very much in evidence, as here are many sheltered nooks and corners where the bracing salt air can be enjoyed with the utmost comfort.

  There is also abundant space for promenading. On this deck are situated several of the most charming public apartments. The extensive, richly decorated Lounge, one of the chief social centres, the spacious, elegantly fitted smoke room vie in interest with the exquisitely furnished reading and writing room with its delicate colourings.

  All these public cabins have the spacious,
graceful windows of the various colonial periods, which easily cause the impression that outside one might see lawns and trees; and, although this be not so, the view is one excelled by no other in the world – the mighty grandeur of the ever-changing sea.

  The amateur photographers will be especially pleased with the photographic dark room, which is provided with fittings of the latest pattern, all available without charge.

  The palm court and veranda café, where one may while away many a pleasant half-hour, are also situated aft on this deck, and will be found largely reminiscent of the delightful boulevard cafés of Paris and Vienna. The wide outlook from this vantage point adds greatly to the pleasure of those who visit its precincts.

  On the upper promenade deck are also a large number of the choicest state rooms both as to location and luxurious furnishings, which are in excellent taste.

  A striking and at the same time a pleasant feature of the promenade deck ‘B’ is the glass-enclosed section. As a protection against inclement weather, its windows make it a pleasing and perfect shelter, while on cold, clear days when the windows are closed to prevent the ingress of icy breezes, the deck becomes a veritable sun parlour, and here at times promenade concerts by the ship’s professional string orchestra and delightful evening dances are held with every degree of comfort. Under gleaming vari-coloured electric light bulbs and with gay streamers adding their brightness, one could hardly wish for a more pleasurable scene.

  On this deck are also many cabins and apartments de luxe, the latter consisting of several rooms en suite, having their own private bath and toilet arrangements, with rooms for servants adjoining. The beautifully appointed restaurant with its superior à la carte service, seats 160 people and is designed to cater to those travellers who prefer merely to engage their cabins and transportation, and as a separate transaction avail themselves of the restaurant’s facilities.

  On the upper deck ‘C’, in addition to the passenger state rooms and apartments de luxe, one will find the ship’s inquiry office, where the business of this floating city will be transacted. Afton this deck an important innovation is the special maids’ and valets’ saloon, where servants may congregate and where their meals will be served.

  The saloon deck ‘D’, just below the upper deck ‘C’, has as its most prominent feature that important gathering-place, the grand dining saloon, seating 550 passengers, and extending the full width of the ship, 92½ ft.

  Small tables are everywhere in attendance, and the alcoves, which congenial parties will find especially pleasant, lend an air of cosiness to this apartment which is, at first view, so vast and impressive. The large leaded glass windows about the sides of the room are an unusual feature, assisting materially in ventilating and lighting the saloon. On this deck also is the beautifully decorated reception room, whose handsome furnishings and hangings add to it a distinct note of refined taste.

  Among many other special attractions for passengers in the first class are the Turkish and electric bath establishment, completely equipped with a hot room, temperate room, cooling room, shampoo rooms and massage rooms, but more notably, the adjoining large salt water swimming pool, of even greater dimensions than that on the company’s well-known steamer Adriatic, which was the first ship to be equipped with these delightful innovations.

  The remarkable dimensions of the Olympic and Titanic have also made it possible to introduce for the pleasure of passengers a full sized tennis and handball court, 30ft long, extending through two decks, where these healthful exercises may be indulged in.

  (Boston Post, 15 April 1912)

  LAUNCH OF THE TITANIC

  The general arrangements for launching the 45,000-ton White Star steamship Titanic, which occurred on May 31 at the Harland & Wolff shipyard at Belfast, were similar to those in the case of the sister ship Olympic, which were described in the December 1910 issue of International Marine Engineering. The vessel was held on the ways by hydraulic triggers, only requiring to be released by the opening of a valve in order to let her glide into the water. Her launching time was sixty-two seconds, her speed twelve knots and her weight about 25,000 tons.

  The Titanic is of the same design as the Olympic. The following are the leading dimensions:

  Length over all 882ft 9in.

  Length between perpendiculars 850ft

  Breadth, extreme 92ft 6in.

  Depth, moulded, keel to top of beam, bridge deck 73ft 6in.

  Total height from keel to navigating bridge 104ft.

  Gross tonnage (about) 45,000 tons

  Load draft 34ft 6in.

  Displacement (about) 60,000 tons

  Indicated horsepower of reciprocating engines 30,000

  Shaft horsepower of turbine engines 16,000

  Speed 21 knots

  The Titanic is a triple-screw steamer having a combination of reciprocating engines with a low-pressure turbine. The reciprocating engines exhaust into the low-pressure turbine, which drives the central propeller. The reciprocating engines which drive the wing propellers are sufficient for manoeuvring in and out of port and going astern. There is no necessity for an astern turbine, which is required in steamers fitted with turbines only. There are 29 boilers for the ship, having in all 159 furnaces. All of the boilers are 15 feet 9 inches in diameter; but 24 are double-ended, being 20 feet long, while five are single-ended, being 11 feet 9 inches long. The shells of the latter are formed by one plate; the others have, as usual, three strakes. At each end there are three furnaces, all of the Morison type, with an inside diameter of 3 feet 9 inches. The working pressure is 215 pounds, and this under natural draft. The boilers are arranged in six watertight compartments, and owing to the width of the ship it has been possible to fit five boilers athwartship. The boiler compartment nearest the machinery space accommodates the single-ended boilers, and these are arranged for running the auxiliary machinery while the ship is in port, as well as for the general steam supply when the ship is at sea.

  In each of the five large boiler rooms there are two See’s ash ejectors, and in addition there are four of Railton & Campbell’s ash hoists for use when the vessels are in port. A large duplex pump of Harland & Wolff’s own make is fitted in a separate room in each boiler room, the advantage being that the working parts of the pumps are not injuriously affected by dust. The boilers are fitted with the Ross-Schofield patent marine boiler circulators. The exhaust turbine, instead of being in the same engine room with the two sets of piston engines, as in earlier ships, is accommodated in a separate compartment abaft the main reciprocating engine room, and divided from it by a watertight bulkhead. In the reciprocating engine room there are two sets of main engines – one driving the port and the other the starboard shaft. In the wings there are the main feed and hot-well, bilge, sanitary, ballast and fresh-water pumps, and a contact and surface heater; while on the port side a space has been found for an extensive refrigerating plant under the immediate observation of the engineers.

  The two sets of reciprocating engines – one driving each wing shaft – are of the four-crank type, arranged to work at 215 pounds per square inch, and to exhaust at a pressure of about nine pounds absolute. These engines are on the balanced principle. The high-pressure cylinder is 54 inches in diameter, immediate cylinder 84 inches, and each of the two low-pressure cylinders 97 inches in diameter, the stroke being 75 inches in all cases. The exhaust steam turbine, by which the central screw will be driven, is of the Parsons type, to take exhaust steam at about nine pounds absolute and expand it down to one pound absolute. The condensing plant is designed to attain a vacuum of 28½ inches (with the barometer at 30 inches), the temperature of circulating water being 55 degrees to 60 degrees F. The rotor, built up of steel forgings, is 12 feet in diameter, and the blades range in length from 18 inches to 25½ inches, built on the segmental principle, laced on wire through the blades and distance pieces at the roots, and with binding soldered on the edge as usual. The length of the rotor between the extreme edges of the first and last ring o
f blades in 13 feet 8 inches. There is, as has been said, no astern turbine, as the centre shaft is put out of action when the ship is being manoeuvred. The bearings, thrust and governor are of the ordinary type adopted in Parsons turbines. The turbine can be rotated by electric motor, and the usual lifting gear for the upper half of the casing and the rotor is also actuated by electric motor. The rotor weighs about 130 tons, and the turbine complete weighs 420 tons. The turbine shaft is 20½ inches in diameter, the tail shaft 22½ inches, each with a 10-inch hole bored through it.

  The propeller driven by the turbine is built solid, of manganese bronze with four blades, the diameter being 16 feet 6 inches. It is designed to run at 165 revolutions per minute when the power developed is 16,000 shaft-horsepower. As usual with turbine condensers, the inlet is of the full length of the condenser, and is well stayed vertically by division plates. In line with these there are in the condenser corresponding division plates, which secure an equal distribution of steam over the whole of the condenser tube area. The pear shape concentrates the tube surface at the point where the largest volume of steam is admitted where it is most needed.

  There are four sets of gunmetal circulating pumps, two for the port and two for the starboard condensers, with 29-inch inlet pipes and driven by compound engines of Harland & Wolff’s own make. For each condenser there are two sets of Weir’s air pumps of the ‘dual’ type, both air and water-barrels being 36 inches in diameter by 21 inches stroke.

  For generating electric current, both for light and power, four 400-kilowatt engines and dynamos are fitted in a separate water-tight compartment aft of the turbine room at tank-top level. The engines, which indicate each about 580 horse-power, are of the Allen vertical three-crank compound, enclosed forced lubrication type, running at 325 revolutions per minute. Each set has one high-pressure cylinder, 17 inches in diameter, and two low-pressure cylinders, each 20 inches in diameter, with a 13-inch stroke. They take steam at 185 pounds pressure per square inch. The engines exhaust either into a surface heater or to the condenser. Each engine is direct-coupled to a compound-wound, continuous-current dynamo, with an output of 100 volts and 4,000 amperes. Their collective capacity is 16,000 amperes. The dynamos are of the ten-pole type, and are fitted with inter-poles.