Oh dear, I would loose my membership with the Titanic Historical Society
if I didn't correct some of the mistakes listed below:

From:    "Michaele T. Haynes" <[log in to unmask]>
From: [log in to unmask]

Also, I don't believe the ice came right up next to the railing in the
actual
disaster. Didn't the damage occur below the waterline, when the iceberg
appeared to be far away?

The documentary footage was what made the greatest impression on me. One
of
the opening scenes, documentary footage of the crowds waving from the
dock, gave
me goosebumps--soon to disappear for the next three hours.
[Snip]
The iceberg did actually graze the side of the Titanic.  The damage which
sank the ship occurred below the waterline, but also large chunks of ice
fell onto the Starboard side of the bow.  Eyewitnesses saw third-class
passengers playing "soccer" with chunks of broken ice.

The documentary footage mentioned above was actually modern, James
Cameron, movie magic.  It was filmed on the same Titanic set.  It looks
poignant, but in actual fact bears no resemblance to 1912 era film of the
ship or her sister Olympic (often portrayed as actual Titanic footage).



From:    Deb Fuller <[log in to unmask]>

And contrary to the movie, there were enough life boats by British law
and
standards.  British law stated that one person in a lifeboat occupied 2.5
feet (or something decimal like that.)  The number of square-footage in
the
lifeboats was equal to the amount of people on the ship with each life
boat
holding something like 65.5 people.  (I forget the exact numbers but it
did
work out that a .5 person was in each boat.)  Obviously, this was not
going
to work because a) you can't put .5 people in a boat and b) you can't
fill
a lifeboat to capacity and lower it down 12 stories into the water.  The
weight in the middle of the boat would cause it to crack in two.
Furthermore, since the ship was listing on it's side, a number of the
lifeboats could not be lowered because they were jammed up against the
side
of the ship thus reducing the number of boats that could be used.

I was also disappointed that someone who could reconstruct every last
detail of the ship and insist on actual period garments for costumes, did
such a lousy job with recreating the history of
the events.
[Snip]
True there were enough lifeboats according to British law, but that law
had nothing to do with the number of people aboard the ship.  Up to the
time of the Titanic, lifeboats regulations were based on the tonnage of
the ship, not the number of persons aboard.  This practice changed after
the disaster.  Lifeboat regulations had last been updated in the 1890s
when the largest ships were a little over 10,000 tons.  The Titanic was
over 50,000 tons.  Ships grew much larger in a short amount of time, but
safety regulations did not keep up with the pace.

Originally, 65 lifeboats were commissioned for the Titanic.  This was
later cut to 32 and then again to 16 (the number of boats required
according to British law at the time) so there would be more deck space
in first class.  Each of these boats could SAFELY hold 65 persons.  The
lifeboats were very well made and had been tested fully loaded with adult
men (I believe there is a photo showing the lifeboat test during
Titanic's sea trials).  There was no danger of the lifeboats cracking.
 Additionally, four collapsible, canvas-side lifeboats were added which
could hold 45 persons, bringing the total to 20 lifeboats; more than
British law required.   Even if all 20 lifeboats could hold 65.5 people,
that number would only be 1310.  There were 2700 people aboard.   All of
the lifeboats got away from the ship; one flipped over with men standing
on top or clinging to the sides (and yes, a few survived despite the
freezing water).

James Cameron's research for the staging of events was amazingly
accurate.   In fact, with a correct layout of the bridge, the action from
the time the iceberg was spotted to impact with the ship, took longer
than previously written in historical accounts - and the movie set was 10
percent smaller than the actual Titanic.  Also, the total destruction of
the first class grand staircase during filming, despite its steel
gritting, surprised film technicians.  There has been no trace of the
forward first class staircase in the wreckage and it is now believed to
have been destroyed in a similar manner.

Kevin Jones
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