TITANIC 1912 - The story of the RMS Titanic disaster told thru the news stories of the day.
The first narration is a rare 1936 radio interview of the only surviving bridge officer, Second Officer Charles Lightoller. Ken Rossignol explains how the news reports were fabricated, misconstrued, confused and in some cases, amazingly accurate. Myths are revealed about the story of the Titanic and heroes recognized in two speaking engagements - one as a Serenebe Fellow for the Serenbe Playhouse Musical at Chattahoochee Hills, Georgia and the second onboard the Celebrity Summit at sea.
Category Archives: Titanic Photos and Memoriabilia
Carpathia Captain Arthur Henry Rostron wrote this account of his rescue of Titanic survivors
One of the only photos taken while the Titanic was at sea
A father and son on the deck of the Titanic
103 years ago on April 15th the ship dove to the bottom of the Atlantic
This is one of but a few actual photos taken while the Titanic was at sea. This and others were taken by Father Francis Browne who had been given a ticket for the voyage between Southampton and Ireland by his uncle, a Catholic Bishop as a graduation present upon completing the seminary. Upon arriving at Ireland, Father Browne wired his uncle and asked permission to continue on to New York. The reply was “get off that ship now”. The priest had to turn down the offer from some wealthy Americans who were going to pay for him to travel to New York and back and he left the ship at Queenstown, Ireland. He had one other present with him on the trip and it was the camera he used to take this photo. By obeying his uncle, he also preserved for generations to come the only photos taken on board the Titanic while it was at sea. What was the fate of the father and son shown here? They both survived the sinking but within a couple of years both met tragic deaths.
Brand New Kindle Paperwhite or $119 Amazon Gift Card will be given away on April 15th. Pick up a copy of my book, TITANIC 1912 at Amazon. You will be able to learn more about how the newspapers of the day reported the story of the sinking of the great ship, how they got the story right and how they got it wrong. There are plenty of books describing the disaster itself, this one tells the story from the news reports and first interviews with the survivors themselves…along with the astonishing story of how the ship was actually on fire from the time it left Southampton.
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An evening of immersion in the facts, fiction, follies and foods of the Titanic
For those who wonder what really happened when the Titanic sank, Ken Rossignol, author of “Titanic 1912,” will provide details at the Hotel Fauchere’s “Titanic Dinner” Sunday, at which food from the galley’s recipes will be served.
The evening of immersion in the facts, fiction, follies and foods of the Titanic is a collaboration between the Pike County Historical Society and the Fauchere.
It will begin at 5:30 p.m. with Rossignol’s presentation at the Emerson House, next to the hotel. The dinner afterward will be in the Delmonico Room of the Fauchere.
Rossignol will expound on who was brave, who was cowardly, who later lied, told the truth, or was befogged. He can explain what made Molly Brown unsinkable and why the ship’s crew lacked binoculars to see the iceberg ahead.
Rossignol, who writes cruise ship thrillers and lectures on cruise ships, may also offer advice on what to do should you find yourself on a sinking ship. One piece of advice he gives is to bring a flashlight. As a ship sinks, electricity is lost and the ship goes dark.
Rossignol started his own weekly newspaper in Maryland, Saint Mary’s Today, when he felt local newspapers were filling pages with fluff while missing important stories, and he did extensive research to find out how 1912 newspapers made big mistakes with the Titanic story. Despite fast-moving information that quickly provided photos of the disaster, the London Daily Mail wrote that “all were saved,” and the Washington Post wrote that 800 had died, though the dead numbered over 1,500.
Rossignol will also highlight what news reports completely missed. He says, for instance, that while the ship was approaching an iceberg, 12 crew members were working around the clock to put out a coal fire that was damaging the ship.
“They should have returned to port when the ship caught fire,” says Rossignol. “It was burning the whole time.”
He points out that, like the Titanic, the World Trade Center was also undermined by heat-damaged metal.
Rossignol also notes that 6,540 people claimed they just missed boarding the Titanic. With such a load, says Rossignol, “The Titanic would have sunk at the dock.”
Rossignol, who has seen the 1997 film “Titanic” 15 times, says he knows all about all five Titanic movies. He has written poems about the disaster and is familiar with many poems written by the public about it.
His own interest began when, at 12, he read Walter Lord’s novel about the Titanic, “A Night to Remember.” And for his habit of writing, he says, “I blame my 10th-grade teacher, Mrs. Weaver, who made us write in our journals for the first 15 minutes of class every day.”
If you go
What: Titanic lecture, dinner will follow in the Delmonico Room of Hotel Fauchere.
When: 5:30 p.m. Sunday, April 27, 2104
Where: Emerson House, 401 Broad St., Milford.
Cost for lecture and dinner: $75, tax and gratuity included ($10 donated to the Pike County Historical Society)
Cost, lecture only. (If seating is available): $20
Dinner reservations: 570-409-1212
Lecture reservations: 570-296-8126
MILFORD — Ken Rossignol is a writer who has led a very interesting life. From reporting hard news, getting confessions from criminals, and speaking out on an unfair court system; to writing murder-mystery novels and poetry, Ken has ran the gamut of topics and genres. Rossignol has also written three books in which he explores different subject matters regarding the RMS Titanic, the famed luxury liner which met its demise due to an iceberg back in 1912. We’ve all seen the movie.
We’ve all heard the Celine Dion song, ad nauseum, but did you know the New York Times received hundreds of poems about the sinking of the Titanic daily in the days following the sinking or that there were 3,500 pounds of tomatoes aboard and 75,000 pounds of fresh meat?
In the book “Titanic 1912” Rossignol examines the facts and non facts which were printed about the great ship, its passengers, crew, and all things titanic, about the Titanic, which appeared as news in papers around the globe. Sometimes guilty of just reading the headlines, Ken found that if you read the whole story, many were contrary in fact and even dead wrong, in some cases.
Ken will share his insights and musings regarding the HMS Titanic and its fateful trip on April 27 in connection with a very special “Titanic Dinner” hosted by the Hotel Fauchere in cooperation with the Columns Museum.
A presentation by Rossignol will be held at the Emerson House, located next to the Hotel Fauchere, beginning at 5:30 p.m., followed by a dinner in the Hotel’s Delmonico Room which will consist of courses prepared on the Titanic, with Hotel Chef’s using original recipes from the ship’s various dining salons and it’s a la carte offerings in the ships “The Ritz” restaurant.
The cost for the dinner and lecture is $75, tax and gratuity included, with $10 of each sale being donated to the Pike County Historical Society. The lecture begins at 5:30 p.m. in the Emerson House. Dinner will then follow in the Delmonico Room of the Hotel.
Tickets to just the lecture will be made available, if there is seating available, for $20 on a first come, first serve basis. For dinner reservations call Hillary at the Hotel Fauchere at 570-409-1212. For lecture reservations call Lori at 570-296-8126. –
From Times-Herald Record: Learn about how a fire was burning out of control on the Titanic
Curator trashes authenticity of Wallace Hartley violin; biggest hoax since Hitler diaries?
March 16, 2013 — THE CURATOR of the Titanic in Lancashire Museum has rubbished claims that Wallace Hartley’s violin has been found.
Titanic auctioneers Henry Aldridge and Son claim a violin played by Colne bandmaster Wallace Hartley on board the fatal ship is to go on display in Belfast at the end of the month.
The instrument was discovered in an attic in 2006 and tests carried out by scientists are said to have verified it was Wallace’s violin.
Andrew Aldridge, of Henry Aldridge and Son, said: “When we first saw the violin we had to keep a lid on our excitement because it was almost as if it was too good to be true.
“The silver fish plate on the violin along with the other items it was with, such as the leather case with Hartley’s initials on, his jewellery and covering letter to the owner’s late mother, suggested it was either authentic or an extremely elaborate hoax up there with the Hitler Diaries.
‘We knew we would have to look into it and it couldn’t be rushed. Everything needed to be researched properly and the correct experts had to be commissioned.
‘We have spent the last seven years gathering the evidence together and have now reached the stage where we can say that beyond reasonable doubt this was Wallace Hartley’s violin on the Titanic.
“We now know that minutes before the end he placed his beloved violin in this hard-wearing travelling case.
“The bag rested on top of his lifejacket and would have largely been kept out of the water. A letter from his mother was found in his breast pocket and that suffered hardly any water damage.”
But Nigel Hampson, curator of the Colne museum, said: “The historical record does not show that Wallace was recovered with his violin strapped to his body – it actually proves the opposite.
“The inventory of items recovered on Wallace’s body makes no mention whatsoever of a violin or music case or anything similar being found with him.
“We are supposed to believe that when the ship sinks and everyone, the band included, are fighting for their lives, Wallace is more concerned with the fate of his instrument than his life?
“We are also supposed to believe that the violin survives almost two weeks in the sea and emerges intact?
“The local press in Colne make no mention of his violin whatsoever. If Wallace had indeed been recovered with his violin after the disaster, they would have been all over the story and given it massive coverage.
“This violin clearly is a Wallace Hartley instrument, but to claim that it is the violin that he had with him on the Titanic is preposterous and is not backed up by the historical record.”
A number of items of Hartley’s jewellery will be sold at auction in Devizes on April 20. ….MORE
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One of the heroes of the Titanic disaster was Capt. Rostron of the Carpathia
The fire on the Titanic – testimony of Charles Hendrickson, crewman of the Titanic
From Bruce M. Caplan:
Testimony at British Enquiry—-Charles Hendrickson (I think this is the real reason the iceberg was able to penetrate the steel!)
Day Five–
5232. Do you remember a fire in a coal bunker on board this boat?
– Yes.
5233. Is it a common occurrence for fires to take place on boats?
– No.
5234. It is not common?
– No.
5235. How long have you been on a White Star boat?
– About five years.
5236. When did you last see a fire in a coal bunker?
– I never saw one before.
5237. It has been suggested that fires in coal bunkers are quite a common occurrence, but you have been five years in the White Star line and have not seen a fire in a coal bunker?
– No.
5238. Did you help to get the coal out?
– Yes.
5239. Did you hear when the fire commenced?
– Yes, I heard it commenced at Belfast.
5240. When did you start getting the coal out?
– The first watch we did from Southampton we started to get it out.
5241. How many days would that be after you left Belfast?
– I do not know when she left Belfast to the day.
5242. It would be two or three days, I suppose?
– I should say so.
5243. Did it take much time to get the fire down?
– It took us right up to the Saturday to get it out.
5244. How long did it take to put the fire itself out?
– The fire was not out much before all the coal was out.
5245. The fire was not extinguished until you got the whole of the coal out?
– No. I finished the bunker out myself, me and three or four men that were there. We worked everything out.
5246. The bulkhead forms part of the bunker – the side?
– Yes, you could see where the bulkhead had been red hot.
5247. You looked at the side after the coal had been taken out?
– Yes.
5248. What condition was it in?
– You could see where it had been red hot; all the paint and everything was off. It was dented a bit.
5249. It was damaged, at any rate?
– Yes, warped.
5250. Was much notice taken of it. Was any attempt made to do anything with it?
– I just brushed it off and got some black oil and rubbed over it.
5251. To give it its ordinary appearance?
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Adriatic, Biggest Ship Yet Built, to Start It in May
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This press release was carried in newspapers to herald the launch of the new White Star liner Adriatic:
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SHE WILL CARRY 3,000 SOULS
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And Have a Turkish Bath, Plunge, and Orchestra Aboard—Line to
Liverpool to Stay.
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With the putting in commission next May of its new steamship Adriatic, which will be not only the largest steamship in service anywhere in the world, but the finest product of marine architecture yet designed, the White Star Line announced yesterday the inauguration at that time of a new line between New York and ports in the English Channel. The line has
decided to improve its facilities by transferring the British terminal of its Wednesday mail service to Southampton, the eastbound steamers calling at Plymouth and Cherbourg, and westbound ships at Cherbourg and Queenstown. This new line will be known as the United States and Royal
Mail Service.
This does not mean that the regular Wednesday sailings between New York and Liverpool, via Queenstown, are to be discontinued. The sailing day for this route will be changed to Thursday and will be maintained by the steamers Baltic, Cedric, Celtic, and Arabic.
The Channel service will be opened by the new Adriatic, which is to sail from Liverpool on her maiden voyage an May 8 and will sail from this side on May 22. Besides the 25,000-ton Adriatic, the new service will include the steamers Oceanic, Teutonic, and Majestic. In establishing
the new route, the White Star Line was influenced not only by the growing popularity of the Channel ports as a convenient and comfortable route by which the traveler may reach London and Paris, the objective points of a large majority of transatlantic travelers, but also to a
great extent by recommendations from many thousands of its patrons in America who have come to look with favor on the Channel route.
The new line means that the steamers of the White Star Line will touch at nearly all of the great tourist ports of Europe. The New York-Mediterranean service will be kept up by the steamers Republic and Cretic, while the fortnightly service between Boston and Liverpool will
be maintained by the Cymric and the Republic. The International Mercantile Marine Company, of which the White Star Line is a subsidiary company, has materially strengthened its European connections by the new departure.
When the new Adriatic is turned over to the company by the builders, Harland & Wolff of Belfast, in April, she will mark a new epoch in transatlantic travel. Not only does she combine in hull and engines every improvement and every invention—with the exception of turbines—which have been devised for the safety of vessels and the comfort of the oceangoing traveler, but in every detail she is the combined result of the experience of the managers and the builders. For her interior decorations the line will employ the most famous decorators, outfitters, and upholsterers of Europe.
The newest of all new features to be introduced in other respects is well-equipped Turkish baths. which will vie with the finest establishments of the kind ashore. There will be, in addition to the hot, temperate. and cooling rooms, a large plunge bath and an electric bath. Another innovation is the introduction of an orchestra, the first ever placed on an Atlantic British passenger-carrying steamer.
The German lines were the first to furnish music for the entertainment of their passengers. The Red Star Line to Antwerp followed suit. and then the French Line. The French Line, however, made a step in advance, for, while the other lines selected a band from among their own
stewards, the French line placed on its vessels orchestras from the hotels of Paris.
The Adriatic is 725 feet long, 75 feet 6 inches beam, and about 50 feet deep. Her gross tonnage is 25,000 and her displacement over 40,000 tons She has nine steel decks, and is divided into twelve watertight compartments. The total number of. steel plates used in her hull is
about 20,000 and the rivets are estimated at nearly two million and a half. Her cables are three and three-eighths inches in diameter, and weigh nearly ninety tons, and her anchors weigh about eight tons each.
The general arrangements of the ship are similar to those of the Baltic and other vessels of that type. The first-class dining room will seat 370 persons. It is to be paneled in the fashion of Charles II and painted in ivory white and gold. Over the middle of the room will be a dome made with leaded glass of white and yellow, and under the dome will be paintings of scenes in Switzerland, Italy, Yellowstone Park, and the Rhine country. The same scheme of decoration has been carried out in the second-cabin saloon, though less elaborately.
When filled the Adriatic will have on board 3,000 souls. She will be fitted with Marconi wireless and a submarine signaling apparatus.
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