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Titanic Landmark Series
The Loss of the SS. Titanic
One of the survivors of the sinking of the Titanic in April 1912, Lawrence Beesley wrote this successful book about his experience, The Loss of the SS Titanic (June, 1912), published just nine weeks after the disaster.
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First published June 1, 1912
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About the author
Lawrence Beesley
22 books5 followersLawrence Beesley was an English teacher, journalist and author who was a survivor of the sinking of the RMS Titanic.
Beesley was educated at Derby School, where he was a scholar, and afterwards at Caius College, Cambridge, again as a scholar. He took a First Class degree in the Natural Science tripos in 1903.
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence...
Beesley was educated at Derby School, where he was a scholar, and afterwards at Caius College, Cambridge, again as a scholar. He took a First Class degree in the Natural Science tripos in 1903.
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 132 reviews
June 6, 2019
Lawrence Beesley’s The Loss of the S.S. Titanic: Its Story and Its Lessons is a fascinating book and a must-read for those who are addicted to anything Titanic, as I am. Beesley was an actual passenger on the doomed ship, and he wrote this account only a few months after the sinking. Beesley writes from experience and from interviewing the saved passengers and Titanic crew on the rescue ship Carpathia. His writing is concise, and unlike what one might find from a book written in the early twentieth century, Beesley’s book moves along quickly and isn’t anchored by flowery speech. This is not to say it is unscholarly. Beesley peppers the narrative with quotes from poets and other writers. But ultimately, we are enthralled by his account, and readers get insight into how it truly was on that fateful night, rather than the sensational accounts of newspapers of the time and movies made through the decades. This is a book that should be read, not only by Titanic enthusiasts, but also by anyone who wants answers as to how such a disaster could have happened and how it could have been prevented.
March 20, 2012
Eye-opening insights into one of the worst tragedies in history. It's incredible to me how clueless the passengers were even as they loaded into lifeboats. The myth of the ship's invincibility was so strong, it took hearing the screams of people dying in the water for many to realize something had gone seriously wrong.
For as many books that have been written about the Titanic, nothing can come close to a first-hand account written months after the incident. Read this for a true historical context.
For as many books that have been written about the Titanic, nothing can come close to a first-hand account written months after the incident. Read this for a true historical context.
April 14, 2023
i genuinely love that he goes from existential questions about man’s accumulation of knowledge and awareness of mortality to being like “anyway i had a cup of coffee then went to bed”
January 7, 2023
I find it difficult not to judge historical people by today's standards. I understand that they are products of their time and place. They've grown up with different sets of values in a different era with different ideas and different points of view. I still think Lawrence Beesley is kind of a dick.
Beesleys book about the disaster was one of the first to come out, and his story from his point of view obviously could not fill up a whole book (especially since he left out every day of the journey except the first and last). This meant a good portion of the last part of the book was Beesley waxing philosophically about the disaster, it's implications, the legislation that should be enacted because of it, and lots of boat nonsense I didn't care about.
He also goes into numbers and percentages about the survivors, and suggests that more crew members should have stayed on the ship and died so that passengers could have been saved. He also theorized that a well behaved intelligent Englishman (such as himself) had more right to be on a lifeboat than a drunken stoker.
I understand that right after the disaster Mr. Beesley and his book must have seemed like a calm, British, voice of reason. He dispelled rumors (although he adamantly argued the ship did not break in half), and told a matter-of- fact story that placed little blame except on the deceased captain.
Beesley comes off as elitest, self-important, biased, and dull.
Beesleys book about the disaster was one of the first to come out, and his story from his point of view obviously could not fill up a whole book (especially since he left out every day of the journey except the first and last). This meant a good portion of the last part of the book was Beesley waxing philosophically about the disaster, it's implications, the legislation that should be enacted because of it, and lots of boat nonsense I didn't care about.
He also goes into numbers and percentages about the survivors, and suggests that more crew members should have stayed on the ship and died so that passengers could have been saved. He also theorized that a well behaved intelligent Englishman (such as himself) had more right to be on a lifeboat than a drunken stoker.
I understand that right after the disaster Mr. Beesley and his book must have seemed like a calm, British, voice of reason. He dispelled rumors (although he adamantly argued the ship did not break in half), and told a matter-of- fact story that placed little blame except on the deceased captain.
Beesley comes off as elitest, self-important, biased, and dull.
May 26, 2020
This was a unique perspective on the Titanic‘s doomed voyage. I enjoyed the first-hand account from someone who actually survived the wreck. However, I didn’t learn as much as I wanted to and I had to deduct a star as the second half became incredibly dry. I felt as thought the most riveting part is the book somehow took a backseat to the aftermath, while still important, just didn’t make for an engaging read. I’ll now read the first-hand account by Colonel Archibald Gracie for a comparison of the voyage and wreck.
February 20, 2023
Written by a survivor of the sunken Titanic in the immediate aftermath of the tragedy in 1912, this firsthand account is even more impressive for having been written by a schoolteacher and not a professional writer.
Some colorful details of the ocean liner are included, such as a description of an exercise room with mechanical animals and stationary bicycles. We all know about the string ensemble that stoically played calming music for the passengers as the ship sank, but Beesley adds details about passengers exercising at the same time. Beesley also describes a beautiful library and a heated swimming pool on board.
Amazingly and tragically, a ship called the California was a mere 20 miles from Titanic when the emergency radio telegraph was sent, but the radio operator aboard California was asleep at the time.
Beesley is insistent that the passengers comported themselves with grace and calm throughout the ordeal, although he does mention a lifeboat rower brandishing a firearm to warn away extra passengers who would likely swamp and overturn the vessel. He also addresses rumors of Captain Murdoch’s shooting of passengers and subsequent suicide, still a subject of controversy. The reason the lifeboats were lowered half full, according to Beesley, is that so many passengers refused to board the lifeboats either because the women refused to leave their men, or because they didn’t really believe the ship would sink before help arrived.
The last part of the book is dedicated to Beesley’s suggestions for how to improve future transatlantic travel.
Some colorful details of the ocean liner are included, such as a description of an exercise room with mechanical animals and stationary bicycles. We all know about the string ensemble that stoically played calming music for the passengers as the ship sank, but Beesley adds details about passengers exercising at the same time. Beesley also describes a beautiful library and a heated swimming pool on board.
Amazingly and tragically, a ship called the California was a mere 20 miles from Titanic when the emergency radio telegraph was sent, but the radio operator aboard California was asleep at the time.
Beesley is insistent that the passengers comported themselves with grace and calm throughout the ordeal, although he does mention a lifeboat rower brandishing a firearm to warn away extra passengers who would likely swamp and overturn the vessel. He also addresses rumors of Captain Murdoch’s shooting of passengers and subsequent suicide, still a subject of controversy. The reason the lifeboats were lowered half full, according to Beesley, is that so many passengers refused to board the lifeboats either because the women refused to leave their men, or because they didn’t really believe the ship would sink before help arrived.
The last part of the book is dedicated to Beesley’s suggestions for how to improve future transatlantic travel.
January 11, 2025
Dobrej pory moja ulubiona historia osoby ocalałej z Titanica. Mamy do czynienia ze znakomitym obserwatorem a do tego pasażerem często zapominanej 2 klasy. Widać, że ma on zmysł ciekawego świata naukowca, którym zresztą jest. Dużo można wyciągnąć z tych zeznań
October 16, 2023
This is my Roman Empire.
January 24, 2025
4.5 ⭐️ Such a great book. So cool to learn about Titanic through Lawrence Beesley.
May 20, 2021
There were things I liked, and things I didn't like in this book...
Firstly, I liked having the viewpoint of an actual survivor. His documentation of life aboard the ship, particularly in second class (which is often overlooked in favor of the ultra-rich first class, or ultra-unfortunate third), was very interesting to read. Also, it was very refreshing to read some takes about the disaster that some people just don't seem comfortable talking about, and I've seen very rarely discussed in other places: particularly, that the passengers themselves are also culpable, to a point. Their demand for ever-increasing speed, in conjunction with J.P. Morgan's careful manipulation of the seas and passenger liners in general to make everything a race, did play a rather significant part in the disaster. Peppered in and amongst these observations are obvious signs of what we would call nowadays PTSD, and a heavy dose of survivor's guilt, I think.
It might be the aforementioned things that led to a lot of what I didn't like in this book. In one part he was praising the crew for how well they handled the disaster - and a few pages later, he was basically pointing fingers at the crew and complaining about how many of them survived, when so many passengers died. Apparently you're only worthy of praise if you were crewmembers who died. Following this, he also made mention that it would have been so much more heroic for Captain Smith and First Officer Murdoch (with a "h", not a "k", like you see in the book) had survived and given "valuable" testimony. While this is true, and I do wish both of these gentlemen had survived, Beesley's tone in this particular part of the book starts to sound a teeny bit unhinged. I also noticed he relies heavily on the second officer's comments and testimony, as well as that of Colonel Gracie, both of whom have proven themselves to be rather ... unreliable sources. Also, it's interesting the things he accepts as fact secondhand from other survivors (for example, the passengers left aboard being absolutely silent until they reach the water when the ship goes down, when far more [and far more reliable] witnesses testify otherwise), but he so adamantly says time, and time, and time again that the ship sank in one piece, and anyone who says otherwise is lying. History does not look kindly upon this observation, and the superior tone he takes when lambasting anyone who disagrees with his viewpoint (later proven to be wildly erroneous) leaves a very bad taste in my mouth.
The entire second half of the book is difficult to read, at best. Not only does the tone of it change and become rather judgmental (see above), but his obsessive detailing of every. little. thing. (including a scientific breakdown of how these things work, how they were built, and what function they could serve) that could have been done/should be done in future leave it a rather dry, boring read.
Two stars for the part of the book that details life on board - those were a truly fascinating read!
Firstly, I liked having the viewpoint of an actual survivor. His documentation of life aboard the ship, particularly in second class (which is often overlooked in favor of the ultra-rich first class, or ultra-unfortunate third), was very interesting to read. Also, it was very refreshing to read some takes about the disaster that some people just don't seem comfortable talking about, and I've seen very rarely discussed in other places: particularly, that the passengers themselves are also culpable, to a point. Their demand for ever-increasing speed, in conjunction with J.P. Morgan's careful manipulation of the seas and passenger liners in general to make everything a race, did play a rather significant part in the disaster. Peppered in and amongst these observations are obvious signs of what we would call nowadays PTSD, and a heavy dose of survivor's guilt, I think.
It might be the aforementioned things that led to a lot of what I didn't like in this book. In one part he was praising the crew for how well they handled the disaster - and a few pages later, he was basically pointing fingers at the crew and complaining about how many of them survived, when so many passengers died. Apparently you're only worthy of praise if you were crewmembers who died. Following this, he also made mention that it would have been so much more heroic for Captain Smith and First Officer Murdoch (with a "h", not a "k", like you see in the book) had survived and given "valuable" testimony. While this is true, and I do wish both of these gentlemen had survived, Beesley's tone in this particular part of the book starts to sound a teeny bit unhinged. I also noticed he relies heavily on the second officer's comments and testimony, as well as that of Colonel Gracie, both of whom have proven themselves to be rather ... unreliable sources. Also, it's interesting the things he accepts as fact secondhand from other survivors (for example, the passengers left aboard being absolutely silent until they reach the water when the ship goes down, when far more [and far more reliable] witnesses testify otherwise), but he so adamantly says time, and time, and time again that the ship sank in one piece, and anyone who says otherwise is lying. History does not look kindly upon this observation, and the superior tone he takes when lambasting anyone who disagrees with his viewpoint (later proven to be wildly erroneous) leaves a very bad taste in my mouth.
The entire second half of the book is difficult to read, at best. Not only does the tone of it change and become rather judgmental (see above), but his obsessive detailing of every. little. thing. (including a scientific breakdown of how these things work, how they were built, and what function they could serve) that could have been done/should be done in future leave it a rather dry, boring read.
Two stars for the part of the book that details life on board - those were a truly fascinating read!
April 15, 2025
Lawrence Beesley był nauczycielem i dziennikarzem. W 1912 roku, jako pasażer drugiej klasy, podróżował na Titanicu, podczas gdy feralnej nocy z czternastego na piętnastego kwietnia statek zatonął. Przeżył katastrofę, a dziewięć tygodni po tej tragedii wydał książkę ze wspomnieniami z tego wydarzenia, zatytułowaną "The Loss of the SS. Titanic". Niniejsza książka jest jej drugim wydaniem.
Napisana w całości z punktu widzenia Beesleya ma trochę niedomówień. I z jednej strony nie ma się czemu dziwić, wszak była pisana w 1912 roku, w niedługim czasie od katastrofy statku. Wówczas, jak mniemam, śledztwo było jeszcze w toku i wiele informacji mogło nie być jeszcze wyjaśnionych. Dlatego Autor niekiedy wspomina w swoim tekście, że coś jeszcze nie jest do końca ustalone, czy też zbadane. I tutaj [akurat] chwała mu za to.
Co znajdziemy w tej książce? Autor opisuje w niej swoje wrażenia z podróży ówcześnie najbardziej luksusowym liniowcem świata. Mamy więc opisy wyglądu statku i kajut, ale w głównej mierze skupia się on na ludziach, których zapamiętał.
W pozostałych rozdziałach Beesley opisuje moment kolizji, tonięcia statku widzianego z poziomu deku, z poziomu łodzi ratunkowej, akcję ratunkową, dopłynięcie do Nowego Jorku na Carpathii. Wspomina też o tym, czego ta katastrofa może nauczyć ludzkość, jakie można by było wyciągnąć winsoki z tej tragedii, która - jak wiemy dzisiaj - ostatecznie była lekcją na przyszłość za równo z punktu widzenia technicznego, jak i społecznego.
Beesley niekiedy bardzo dramatycznie i emocjonalnie pisze o tych doświadczeniach z katastrofy. I to też jest w wielu aspektach jak najbardziej zrozumiałe, zwłaszcza kiedy czytamy o doświadczeniach rozbitków siedzących w szalupie, słyszących krzyki dryfujących współpasażerów tonących i marznących w w lodowatej wodzie. Tego typu relacje, ukazujące ludzkie odczucia zarówno w osobie Autora jak i jego współpasażerów, opisy sytuacji oraz tego, co ci ludzie czuli i jak się zachowywali w tamtych chwilach, to jest właśnie to, czego oczekiwałam po tej książce. Kolejnym plusem jest rozdział siódmy zatytułowany "The Carpathia return to New York", w którym Autor opisuje dopłynięcie szalup do statku i wejście na pokład Carpathii oraz chwali załogę i kapitana Arthura Rostrona za zaangażowanie w pomoc, niezłomność ale też niebywałą odwagę w pokonywaniu usianego górami lodowymi pola, z zawrotną dla statku szybkością - a wszystko po to tylko aby przyjść z pomocą najszybciej jako to tylko możliwe. Plusem jest też rozdział ósmy "The lessons taught by the loss ot fhe Titanic", w którym Beesley dzieli się własnymi spostrzeżeniami oraz przykładowymi rozwiązaniami co do ewentualnych ulepszeń dla statków, aby można było w przyszłości przeciwdziałać podobnym wydarzeniom, bądź zminimalizować rozległość strat. Doceniam też zdanie Beesley'a na temat nadmiernej wiary ludzi w przesądy. W tym miejscu jednak kończą się moje zachwyty i peany pochwalne dla Autora.
Po pierwsze to, co nie podobało mi się w jego tekście, to rozmijanie się z faktami, które dziś są już znane i zbadane. Rozumiem, że Autor być może wiele rzeczy nie wiedział, bądź mu się wydawało, że w wiedział. Jednak mój największy zarzut kieruję do jego krytycznego polemizowania, a w szczególności pisania czegoś, co prawdopodobnie nie miało miejsca. Mam na myśli zaprzeczenie jakoby statek przełamał się na pół. I to sprawiło, że Autor stracił u mnie na wiarygodności. Co jak co, ale on był w łodzi ratunkowej i widział wszystko na własne oczy. Cudownie rozpisuje się na temat gry świateł, którą obserwował z poziomu szalupy, czy o pięknym, rozgwieżdżonym niebie, ale jasno stwierdza, że usłyszał ogromny hałas po czym Titanic stanął pionowo aby z czasem zanurzyć się pod wodę. Jasnym dla niego jest, iż ów hałas nie była eksplozją, ale jednocześnie podważa insynuacje, które przeczytał w gazetach, jakoby statek miał przełamać się na pół... Aż chciałoby się powiedzieć: "No Panie, ja chciałeś napisać rzetelną relację, to może było patrzeć rzeczywiście na przebieg wydarzeń zamiast obserwować te gwiazdy na niebie"...
Mój drugi zarzut dotyczy zbytniego opisywania i rozwodzenia się w tekście nad tematami, bądź sytuacjami nieistotnymi, jak na przykład rozmowy Autora z księdzem, opisywanie wyglądu lub jakichś rozmów pobocznych osób, które niczego większego nie wnoszą do tej historii, a tylko zaburzają lekturę. Niepotrzebne ukwiecanie i patetyzm w tych opisach były chwilami irytująco - zabawne.
Moim trzecim zarzutem jest zbytnia pewność Autora co do tego, co czują wszyscy. Jego pewność siebie i słów, które wypowiada karzą mi stwierdzić, iż Autor był niezwykle przekonany o swojej nieomylności. I to na wielu płaszczyznach, bo yo się tyczy mojego pierwszego zarzutu, o którym wspomniałam wcześniej, ale też ludzkiej psychiki. Jeszcze bym się nie dziwiła gdyby był chociaż psychologiem, gdyby w życiu "zęby zjadł" na psychiatrii i wgłębianiu się w ludzkie dusze. Jednakże to nauczyciel i dziennikarz, który zresztą mało obiektywnie napisał swoją książkę. Ten gościu ma czelność mówić za wszystkich i wypowiadać się co do tego, iż WSZYSCY i NA PEWNO czuli się w tamtej chwili właśnie tak, jak on pisze, że się czuli. Najbardziej zabawne jest to, że sam Beesley stwierdza iż: "nie można zajrzeć do świadomości innej osoby i powiedzieć, co jest tam napisane", a mimo to dalej idzie w zaparte. Tym bardziej, wiedząc że Autor ma tego świadomość, dziwi mnie, że z taką pewnością wypowiada się za, za stan psychiczny wszystkich pasażerów, zwłaszcza będących w obliczu takiej tragedii...
Tą książkę rozpatruję bardziej jako ciekawostkę, aniżeli rzetelną relację z wydarzeń. Owszem, można w niej znaleźć wartościowe fragmenty - jak na przykład opis momentu katastrofy i tego co w tamtym momencie czuł Lawrence oraz pozostali pasażerowie; jak się zachowywali tuż po zderzeniu z górą lodową, czy też odczucia gdy obserwowali tonięcie statku, a także moment akcji ratunkowej. Jednakże Autor parokrotnie opisuje rzeczy kompletnie zbędne i mało interesujące w danej chwili, co zaburzało mi lekturę. Już pomijam fakt, iż stwierdził, że statek tonął pionowo w całości... Aż z ciekawości zwrócę uwagę na ten aspekt, gdy będę czytała w przyszłości zapisy innych relacji pasażerów, bo nie chce mi się wierzyć, że ten istotny fakt, przeanalizowany przez badaczy (zarówno wcześniej, jak i później) został tak mocno pominięty przez człowieka, który siedział tamtego dnia w szalupie. O jego zadziwiającej wierze w swój punkt widzenia i właściwość krytyki, to już żal się więcej wypowiadać.
Ubolewam, gdyż sięgając po tą książkę miałam nadzieję znaleźć iście reporterską relację z wydarzeń w oparciu o emocje i odczucia pasażerów, którzy tamtego dnia widzieli tonący statek oraz emocje i odczucia Autora, który przeżył to wszystko na własne oczy. Cóż, może jednak dziewięć tygodni to za krótko, a sprawa zbyt świeża, aby dotykać tematu. Może warto było poczekać na końcowe raporty, na wypowiedzi ekspertów etc. zamiast trochę zbyt stronniczo krytykować. Szkoda, bo książka jest pisana przez naocznego świadka. Szkoda, bo Autor zawarł w niej ważne aspekty co bezpieczeństwa morskich podróży. I wreszcie: szkoda, gdyż ogólne wrażenie pozostawia niesmak, przez co teraz oceniam tą książkę na "ok, w porządku, ujdzie w tłumie i nic ponadto"...
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Napisana w całości z punktu widzenia Beesleya ma trochę niedomówień. I z jednej strony nie ma się czemu dziwić, wszak była pisana w 1912 roku, w niedługim czasie od katastrofy statku. Wówczas, jak mniemam, śledztwo było jeszcze w toku i wiele informacji mogło nie być jeszcze wyjaśnionych. Dlatego Autor niekiedy wspomina w swoim tekście, że coś jeszcze nie jest do końca ustalone, czy też zbadane. I tutaj [akurat] chwała mu za to.
Co znajdziemy w tej książce? Autor opisuje w niej swoje wrażenia z podróży ówcześnie najbardziej luksusowym liniowcem świata. Mamy więc opisy wyglądu statku i kajut, ale w głównej mierze skupia się on na ludziach, których zapamiętał.
W pozostałych rozdziałach Beesley opisuje moment kolizji, tonięcia statku widzianego z poziomu deku, z poziomu łodzi ratunkowej, akcję ratunkową, dopłynięcie do Nowego Jorku na Carpathii. Wspomina też o tym, czego ta katastrofa może nauczyć ludzkość, jakie można by było wyciągnąć winsoki z tej tragedii, która - jak wiemy dzisiaj - ostatecznie była lekcją na przyszłość za równo z punktu widzenia technicznego, jak i społecznego.
Beesley niekiedy bardzo dramatycznie i emocjonalnie pisze o tych doświadczeniach z katastrofy. I to też jest w wielu aspektach jak najbardziej zrozumiałe, zwłaszcza kiedy czytamy o doświadczeniach rozbitków siedzących w szalupie, słyszących krzyki dryfujących współpasażerów tonących i marznących w w lodowatej wodzie. Tego typu relacje, ukazujące ludzkie odczucia zarówno w osobie Autora jak i jego współpasażerów, opisy sytuacji oraz tego, co ci ludzie czuli i jak się zachowywali w tamtych chwilach, to jest właśnie to, czego oczekiwałam po tej książce. Kolejnym plusem jest rozdział siódmy zatytułowany "The Carpathia return to New York", w którym Autor opisuje dopłynięcie szalup do statku i wejście na pokład Carpathii oraz chwali załogę i kapitana Arthura Rostrona za zaangażowanie w pomoc, niezłomność ale też niebywałą odwagę w pokonywaniu usianego górami lodowymi pola, z zawrotną dla statku szybkością - a wszystko po to tylko aby przyjść z pomocą najszybciej jako to tylko możliwe. Plusem jest też rozdział ósmy "The lessons taught by the loss ot fhe Titanic", w którym Beesley dzieli się własnymi spostrzeżeniami oraz przykładowymi rozwiązaniami co do ewentualnych ulepszeń dla statków, aby można było w przyszłości przeciwdziałać podobnym wydarzeniom, bądź zminimalizować rozległość strat. Doceniam też zdanie Beesley'a na temat nadmiernej wiary ludzi w przesądy. W tym miejscu jednak kończą się moje zachwyty i peany pochwalne dla Autora.
Po pierwsze to, co nie podobało mi się w jego tekście, to rozmijanie się z faktami, które dziś są już znane i zbadane. Rozumiem, że Autor być może wiele rzeczy nie wiedział, bądź mu się wydawało, że w wiedział. Jednak mój największy zarzut kieruję do jego krytycznego polemizowania, a w szczególności pisania czegoś, co prawdopodobnie nie miało miejsca. Mam na myśli zaprzeczenie jakoby statek przełamał się na pół. I to sprawiło, że Autor stracił u mnie na wiarygodności. Co jak co, ale on był w łodzi ratunkowej i widział wszystko na własne oczy. Cudownie rozpisuje się na temat gry świateł, którą obserwował z poziomu szalupy, czy o pięknym, rozgwieżdżonym niebie, ale jasno stwierdza, że usłyszał ogromny hałas po czym Titanic stanął pionowo aby z czasem zanurzyć się pod wodę. Jasnym dla niego jest, iż ów hałas nie była eksplozją, ale jednocześnie podważa insynuacje, które przeczytał w gazetach, jakoby statek miał przełamać się na pół... Aż chciałoby się powiedzieć: "No Panie, ja chciałeś napisać rzetelną relację, to może było patrzeć rzeczywiście na przebieg wydarzeń zamiast obserwować te gwiazdy na niebie"...
Mój drugi zarzut dotyczy zbytniego opisywania i rozwodzenia się w tekście nad tematami, bądź sytuacjami nieistotnymi, jak na przykład rozmowy Autora z księdzem, opisywanie wyglądu lub jakichś rozmów pobocznych osób, które niczego większego nie wnoszą do tej historii, a tylko zaburzają lekturę. Niepotrzebne ukwiecanie i patetyzm w tych opisach były chwilami irytująco - zabawne.
Moim trzecim zarzutem jest zbytnia pewność Autora co do tego, co czują wszyscy. Jego pewność siebie i słów, które wypowiada karzą mi stwierdzić, iż Autor był niezwykle przekonany o swojej nieomylności. I to na wielu płaszczyznach, bo yo się tyczy mojego pierwszego zarzutu, o którym wspomniałam wcześniej, ale też ludzkiej psychiki. Jeszcze bym się nie dziwiła gdyby był chociaż psychologiem, gdyby w życiu "zęby zjadł" na psychiatrii i wgłębianiu się w ludzkie dusze. Jednakże to nauczyciel i dziennikarz, który zresztą mało obiektywnie napisał swoją książkę. Ten gościu ma czelność mówić za wszystkich i wypowiadać się co do tego, iż WSZYSCY i NA PEWNO czuli się w tamtej chwili właśnie tak, jak on pisze, że się czuli. Najbardziej zabawne jest to, że sam Beesley stwierdza iż: "nie można zajrzeć do świadomości innej osoby i powiedzieć, co jest tam napisane", a mimo to dalej idzie w zaparte. Tym bardziej, wiedząc że Autor ma tego świadomość, dziwi mnie, że z taką pewnością wypowiada się za, za stan psychiczny wszystkich pasażerów, zwłaszcza będących w obliczu takiej tragedii...
Tą książkę rozpatruję bardziej jako ciekawostkę, aniżeli rzetelną relację z wydarzeń. Owszem, można w niej znaleźć wartościowe fragmenty - jak na przykład opis momentu katastrofy i tego co w tamtym momencie czuł Lawrence oraz pozostali pasażerowie; jak się zachowywali tuż po zderzeniu z górą lodową, czy też odczucia gdy obserwowali tonięcie statku, a także moment akcji ratunkowej. Jednakże Autor parokrotnie opisuje rzeczy kompletnie zbędne i mało interesujące w danej chwili, co zaburzało mi lekturę. Już pomijam fakt, iż stwierdził, że statek tonął pionowo w całości... Aż z ciekawości zwrócę uwagę na ten aspekt, gdy będę czytała w przyszłości zapisy innych relacji pasażerów, bo nie chce mi się wierzyć, że ten istotny fakt, przeanalizowany przez badaczy (zarówno wcześniej, jak i później) został tak mocno pominięty przez człowieka, który siedział tamtego dnia w szalupie. O jego zadziwiającej wierze w swój punkt widzenia i właściwość krytyki, to już żal się więcej wypowiadać.
Ubolewam, gdyż sięgając po tą książkę miałam nadzieję znaleźć iście reporterską relację z wydarzeń w oparciu o emocje i odczucia pasażerów, którzy tamtego dnia widzieli tonący statek oraz emocje i odczucia Autora, który przeżył to wszystko na własne oczy. Cóż, może jednak dziewięć tygodni to za krótko, a sprawa zbyt świeża, aby dotykać tematu. Może warto było poczekać na końcowe raporty, na wypowiedzi ekspertów etc. zamiast trochę zbyt stronniczo krytykować. Szkoda, bo książka jest pisana przez naocznego świadka. Szkoda, bo Autor zawarł w niej ważne aspekty co bezpieczeństwa morskich podróży. I wreszcie: szkoda, gdyż ogólne wrażenie pozostawia niesmak, przez co teraz oceniam tą książkę na "ok, w porządku, ujdzie w tłumie i nic ponadto"...
Opinia opublikowana na moim blogu:
https://literackiepodrozebooki.blogsp...
July 31, 2018
I finished "A Night To Remember" yesterday at 7;16 am, audiobook. I cried and started researching more books on the Titanic and first hand accounts because I am very quickly learning that 'common' knowledge shouldn't be allowed to contan the term "knowledge." Most of the commonly held beliefs about the Titanic are not right, or they are not telling the whole story. I loved this book. I loved "A Night to Remember." Yes, I am finished with this one in less than an entire day's time. i had the audiobook on all day while I was working online because I didn't want to pause it. Beautifully written and there is nothing like getting a first hand account from someone who was there. I think the attraction and fascination of the Titanic comes from the incredible mix of the very worst and very best of humanity that was shown that night. Selfless acts of heroism mixed with cruelty and selfishness, then the awful moment when the ship disappeared never to be seen again until enterprising explorers found the wreck decades later. The captain of the Carpathia was an amazing man. I researched him too and I am very happy to see he had the admiration he deserved in his lifetime, although it didn't seem like he was the type of man to want it and he didn't even take the credit. I read numerous interviews where he stated that there was another hand guiding his ship that night and he gives all credit to God. So beautiful and so tragic. And I'm tearing up again. I am very grateful for this book and all the others like it. I now know how much I didn't know and I have a much clearer understanding of that terrifying night so long ago. Its hard to believe that only a few years ago there were still Titanic passengers alive. Their words and insights will live on though, in the pages of this book and many others and the people who knew them.
July 6, 2020
One of the first accounts written in detail about the sinking of the SS Titanic in 1912. Beesley, himself, almost didn't make if off the Titanic because when Lifeboat 13 was lowered those aboard the lifeboat couldn't figure out how to disconnect the lines from the fall -- and Lifeboat 15 was coming down on top of them. Luckily, a stoker named Fred Barrett managed to cut the lines at the last minute.
Beesley's account of the last minutes of the Titanic was considered controversial because of conflicting claims. Beesley recounted the ship breaking -- not quite in half -- and then the boilers came out of the side of the ship. It wasn't until the ship was found in September, 1985 that it was discovered his story was accurate.
Lawrence Beesley died in 1967 at age 89.
Beesley's account of the last minutes of the Titanic was considered controversial because of conflicting claims. Beesley recounted the ship breaking -- not quite in half -- and then the boilers came out of the side of the ship. It wasn't until the ship was found in September, 1985 that it was discovered his story was accurate.
Lawrence Beesley died in 1967 at age 89.
April 15, 2020
Beesley has done the great job, when he has written that book. Remarkable and very important book about the truth or "truth" and the view from the first viewer, the passenger!
I believe he made the world of the travelling with ships better, he helped to see some important things. Some things were really interesting and almost unbelievable.
I have read the book now, in 2020, and some things were just in some way boring or not so important for me, I know all that were needed to be written and I'm happy they are!
I believe he made the world of the travelling with ships better, he helped to see some important things. Some things were really interesting and almost unbelievable.
I have read the book now, in 2020, and some things were just in some way boring or not so important for me, I know all that were needed to be written and I'm happy they are!
March 8, 2025
I found the first few chapters to be enjoyable and the middle to end slow and uninteresting.
May 23, 2024
die titanic ist unendlich spannend & ich würde am liebsten alles über sie wissen, das buch hat mir allerdings nicht viele infos gegeben, die ich vorher nicht hatte (ich habe mich aber auch schon sehr viel mit ihr beschäftigt.) noch dazu fand ich viele aussagen seeehr gewöhnungsbedürftig - man muss natürlich bedenken, aus welcher zeit dieses buch kommt, deswegen gibt’s auch nur einen stern abzug.
Read
December 8, 2016I was not very interested in the book.
February 15, 2022
Edited, A haunting first hand account of the sinking of The Titanic. One of the most well known maritime tragedies in history. Written two months after the tragedy by one of the survivors from second class.
I write this as I read. I have always been interested in The Titanic and its fate, so I am surprised it took me this long to not only read but find this book (on sale at my local library for .25c). I am at the point where their fate has been sealed and the ship has struck the ice berg. I am starting to write this now at only 17% in because a few years ago I watched a documentary looking at another angle for the reason the Titanic sank. If you are fascinated by this ship and all that happened then you know that there are a ton of these documentaries. The reason I have brought this up and have started writing this now, not even half way through the book is that this docu spoke of a cold water mirage. Now this docu took its info from the survivors and their accounts (there is more too it but I wont go through it all here) about how many of them stated that they couldn't see where the sky ended and the water began. Where a desert mirage will reflect the sky on the ground, a cold water mirage will reflect the water to the sky kinda. Now what has struck me at this part of the book is how Lawrence speaks about how he looked over either side of the ship when the engines stopped and was not able to see an ice berg on either side. An ice berg that big should be visible. The docu stated that with them still traveling at night as they were that even if they slowed down, with a mirage like that they still would not have been able to see the berg until it was too late. I don't recall if they mentioned this book in there, though I would be surprised if they didn't, it is interesting to read his first hand account that collaborates what was said.
I find it interesting how calm the narrative is and I guess it does make sense considering our author was able to escape the ship relatively early in the disaster. That fact also brings to mind (though it is not my place to contradict someone who was there) how he states that there was no panic, that the passengers handled it in a calm collected manner. Though the fact that he seemed to escape as early as he did I am not sure how he can say with all confidence what the attitude on the ship was as it disappeared beneath the surface. This is 90% from the view of the lifeboat (one of the few that seemed to have been filled up). Our author passed away in 1967 and sadly never knew that his eye witness testimony of "The ship did not break in half" was incorrect. I wonder what he would have said when Ballard found the ship in the 85 in two pieces. It brings to attention as well how eye witness accounts can not always be trusted as facts.
He goes through the launch and the sinking pretty quickly and not in a whole lot of detail. Though how much he really could see from the distance he was is debatable. I know the fate of the breaking was highly debated until the ship was finally found. He then goes to talk about the after affects. What laws have and should be changed. What he feels would better suit for safety for sea travel. An interesting book considering how recent after the disaster it was written, sadly there are better books to read if you want more of a scientific view.
I write this as I read. I have always been interested in The Titanic and its fate, so I am surprised it took me this long to not only read but find this book (on sale at my local library for .25c). I am at the point where their fate has been sealed and the ship has struck the ice berg. I am starting to write this now at only 17% in because a few years ago I watched a documentary looking at another angle for the reason the Titanic sank. If you are fascinated by this ship and all that happened then you know that there are a ton of these documentaries. The reason I have brought this up and have started writing this now, not even half way through the book is that this docu spoke of a cold water mirage. Now this docu took its info from the survivors and their accounts (there is more too it but I wont go through it all here) about how many of them stated that they couldn't see where the sky ended and the water began. Where a desert mirage will reflect the sky on the ground, a cold water mirage will reflect the water to the sky kinda. Now what has struck me at this part of the book is how Lawrence speaks about how he looked over either side of the ship when the engines stopped and was not able to see an ice berg on either side. An ice berg that big should be visible. The docu stated that with them still traveling at night as they were that even if they slowed down, with a mirage like that they still would not have been able to see the berg until it was too late. I don't recall if they mentioned this book in there, though I would be surprised if they didn't, it is interesting to read his first hand account that collaborates what was said.
I find it interesting how calm the narrative is and I guess it does make sense considering our author was able to escape the ship relatively early in the disaster. That fact also brings to mind (though it is not my place to contradict someone who was there) how he states that there was no panic, that the passengers handled it in a calm collected manner. Though the fact that he seemed to escape as early as he did I am not sure how he can say with all confidence what the attitude on the ship was as it disappeared beneath the surface. This is 90% from the view of the lifeboat (one of the few that seemed to have been filled up). Our author passed away in 1967 and sadly never knew that his eye witness testimony of "The ship did not break in half" was incorrect. I wonder what he would have said when Ballard found the ship in the 85 in two pieces. It brings to attention as well how eye witness accounts can not always be trusted as facts.
He goes through the launch and the sinking pretty quickly and not in a whole lot of detail. Though how much he really could see from the distance he was is debatable. I know the fate of the breaking was highly debated until the ship was finally found. He then goes to talk about the after affects. What laws have and should be changed. What he feels would better suit for safety for sea travel. An interesting book considering how recent after the disaster it was written, sadly there are better books to read if you want more of a scientific view.
August 9, 2024
Beeseley was a Second-class male on the Titanic, the demographic group with the lowest survival rate between passengers and crew. He wrote this book shortly after the sinking, but as the book shows, not before coming under the influence of some others who had firm opinions on the sinking. He explains that he was reading in his cabin when the ship struck the iceberg, and reveals that that evening he felt more vibrations than ever before which to him meant the ship was going faster than it had been--in fact, all investigations came to blame the captain for speeding the ship in waters known to have ice. He states the impact was little more than a bump, but then the engines stopped. He went on deck and slowly but surely became aware things were very wrong.
One of the great tragedies of Titanic was the lowering of many life-boats that were not totally full of passengers. When Beesley saw boat 13 going down with plenty of room in the boat, he leaped into it. But this boat almost foundered, coming down it was pushed back by a stream of water being pumped out of the ship and pushed underneath another boat being lowered, a scene fully shown in the 1997 movie Titanic, but they got free at the last moment.
I think the chapters in this book where Beesley talks directly about his own experiences are the most interesting and historical. Where the book goes wrong is where he tries to tell the whole story of Titanic, from having read newspaper articles, and talking to others. This was too close to the event to yet gain a full perspective of the disaster, and he also clearly fell under the strong opinions of Charles Lightoller, 2nd officer. Lightoller was a hero in that he saved a bunch of people on a swamped lifeboat, but he also had a dark side. He put absolute loyalty to his employer ahead of the truth, insisting for example the Titanic did not break in half before sinking even though he was at most a hundred feet away in the water, he was rude to American investigators, and mis-treated his own shipwrecked crew with his British class oriented snobbiness raising a fuss about being housed with ordinary seamen when he was an "officer" and "gentleman."
While he dances around a bit, in the end of the book Beesely makes some harsh comments about the Titanic's construction, lack of lifeboats and total lack of the crew's training in the deployment of lifeboats as well as some recommendations for improving liner safety.
What you do get out of this book is that Beesely is still somewhat in shock over his experience on Titanic, and you can discern his confusion and lashing out and going back and forth in his own mind as he was writing; in this way this book may be the most personal of any of the books by Titanic survivors.
While he doesn't appear in the 1997 Titanic, Beesely was the focus of the excellent 1970s move "SOS Titanic" finally available on DVD that may lack the special effects of the 1997 blockbuster but which is still a great movie.
Despite its meandering Beesely's book is an important contribution to the history of the Titanic written soon after the disaster by someone who was there and is an important read for any historian of the disaster as well as anyone interested in Titanic who wants to understand the experience and mindset of someone actually there.
One of the great tragedies of Titanic was the lowering of many life-boats that were not totally full of passengers. When Beesley saw boat 13 going down with plenty of room in the boat, he leaped into it. But this boat almost foundered, coming down it was pushed back by a stream of water being pumped out of the ship and pushed underneath another boat being lowered, a scene fully shown in the 1997 movie Titanic, but they got free at the last moment.
I think the chapters in this book where Beesley talks directly about his own experiences are the most interesting and historical. Where the book goes wrong is where he tries to tell the whole story of Titanic, from having read newspaper articles, and talking to others. This was too close to the event to yet gain a full perspective of the disaster, and he also clearly fell under the strong opinions of Charles Lightoller, 2nd officer. Lightoller was a hero in that he saved a bunch of people on a swamped lifeboat, but he also had a dark side. He put absolute loyalty to his employer ahead of the truth, insisting for example the Titanic did not break in half before sinking even though he was at most a hundred feet away in the water, he was rude to American investigators, and mis-treated his own shipwrecked crew with his British class oriented snobbiness raising a fuss about being housed with ordinary seamen when he was an "officer" and "gentleman."
While he dances around a bit, in the end of the book Beesely makes some harsh comments about the Titanic's construction, lack of lifeboats and total lack of the crew's training in the deployment of lifeboats as well as some recommendations for improving liner safety.
What you do get out of this book is that Beesely is still somewhat in shock over his experience on Titanic, and you can discern his confusion and lashing out and going back and forth in his own mind as he was writing; in this way this book may be the most personal of any of the books by Titanic survivors.
While he doesn't appear in the 1997 Titanic, Beesely was the focus of the excellent 1970s move "SOS Titanic" finally available on DVD that may lack the special effects of the 1997 blockbuster but which is still a great movie.
Despite its meandering Beesely's book is an important contribution to the history of the Titanic written soon after the disaster by someone who was there and is an important read for any historian of the disaster as well as anyone interested in Titanic who wants to understand the experience and mindset of someone actually there.
May 31, 2019
“When the noise was over the Titanic was still upright like a column: we could see her now only as the stern and some 150 feet of her stood outlined against the star-specked sky, looming black in the darkness, and in this position she continued for some minutes—I think as much as five minutes, but it may have been less. Then, first sinking back a little at the stern, I thought, she slid slowly forwards through the water and dived slantingly down; the sea closed over her and we had seen the last of the beautiful ship on which we had embarked four days before at Southampton.
And in place of the ship on which all our interest had been concentrated for so long and towards which we looked most of the time because it was still the only object on the sea which was a fixed point to us—in place of the Titanic, we had the level sea now stretching in an unbroken expense to the horizon: heaving gently just as before, with no indication in the surface that the waves had just closed over the most wonderful vessel ever built by man’s hand; the stars looked down just the same and the air was just as bitterly cold.”
3⭐️
I don’t want to waste a ton of time writing a review on a 157-page first-hand account of one of the greatest tragedies in history that was so incredibly boring I almost cried.
So there. I hardly wasted any time at all.
And in place of the ship on which all our interest had been concentrated for so long and towards which we looked most of the time because it was still the only object on the sea which was a fixed point to us—in place of the Titanic, we had the level sea now stretching in an unbroken expense to the horizon: heaving gently just as before, with no indication in the surface that the waves had just closed over the most wonderful vessel ever built by man’s hand; the stars looked down just the same and the air was just as bitterly cold.”
3⭐️
I don’t want to waste a ton of time writing a review on a 157-page first-hand account of one of the greatest tragedies in history that was so incredibly boring I almost cried.
So there. I hardly wasted any time at all.
March 26, 2020
This book is a recount by Lawrence Beesley in relation to the sinking of the Titanic. I know about the story of Titanic via the movie hence, it is definitely fresh to hear it from its actual survivor.
In the book, Lawrence shared that what had happened prior Titanic's sinking is vastly different from what was shown in the movie. As it is a movie, in certain aspects, it is slightly exaggerated. In addition, he also shared suggestions which people or ship builders can definitely refers to in the future in order to prevent such tragedy from happening again. It was supposed to be a happy occasion and it was also the Titanic's first voyage. Such things could have been avoided if more precautions were in placed. However, it is too late to gripe about the past but rather, use this as an opportunity to learn.
It is always saddening to hear stories of people staying on the ship and how the service crews are still performing their respective jobs prior the sinking. This group of people are brave in their own ways.
Overall, this book brings about a brand new light on the story of Titanic and it gives reader the opportunity to learn more and what had actually happened on the fateful night itself.
In the book, Lawrence shared that what had happened prior Titanic's sinking is vastly different from what was shown in the movie. As it is a movie, in certain aspects, it is slightly exaggerated. In addition, he also shared suggestions which people or ship builders can definitely refers to in the future in order to prevent such tragedy from happening again. It was supposed to be a happy occasion and it was also the Titanic's first voyage. Such things could have been avoided if more precautions were in placed. However, it is too late to gripe about the past but rather, use this as an opportunity to learn.
It is always saddening to hear stories of people staying on the ship and how the service crews are still performing their respective jobs prior the sinking. This group of people are brave in their own ways.
Overall, this book brings about a brand new light on the story of Titanic and it gives reader the opportunity to learn more and what had actually happened on the fateful night itself.
December 30, 2021
I definitely don't have as much to say about Beesley's account as I did about Gracie's, and in this case, that's a good thing.
If someone has never read a first-hand account of the wreck of the R.M.S. Titanic, I would easily suggest to start here. Beesley leaves out both the flowery prose and the hyperbolic assumptions and instead gives us his recollection of what happened both before, during, and after the event. I stress the word his here because he, thankfully, does not try to speak for everyone or pull the classic if I didn't see it, it didn't happen shtick (see p1).
He also does a good job at placing blame on certain groups, while also expressing sympathy for what might have contributed to those mistakes unbeknownst to those groups (ex. Captain Smith and the senior officers).
Finally, Beesley's includes an important, albeit very extensive, chapter at the end that stressed the importance of what civilization can learn from the mistakes made that night and leading up to it.
I enjoyed this account immensely and would recommend it to anyone interested in the subject.
If someone has never read a first-hand account of the wreck of the R.M.S. Titanic, I would easily suggest to start here. Beesley leaves out both the flowery prose and the hyperbolic assumptions and instead gives us his recollection of what happened both before, during, and after the event. I stress the word his here because he, thankfully, does not try to speak for everyone or pull the classic if I didn't see it, it didn't happen shtick (see p1).
He also does a good job at placing blame on certain groups, while also expressing sympathy for what might have contributed to those mistakes unbeknownst to those groups (ex. Captain Smith and the senior officers).
Finally, Beesley's includes an important, albeit very extensive, chapter at the end that stressed the importance of what civilization can learn from the mistakes made that night and leading up to it.
I enjoyed this account immensely and would recommend it to anyone interested in the subject.
February 25, 2019
Enlightening account of the voyage, sinking, and aftermath of the sinking from the second-class survivor. We hear so much about first-class passengers is was interesting to read something from a more 'average person' point of view, and doesn't over sell actions as heroic or distraught like another survivor's account I've read.
Beesley writes well and gives a very broad overview of his experience but also his opinions on what could be done to prevent such an accident occurring again, and on the behaviour of the passengers and crew regardless of how the newspapers had dramatised events. In the last chapter he does ruminate on God and 'the teutonic race' which was a little uncomfortable but taken entirely in context of his period/society.
Beesley writes well and gives a very broad overview of his experience but also his opinions on what could be done to prevent such an accident occurring again, and on the behaviour of the passengers and crew regardless of how the newspapers had dramatised events. In the last chapter he does ruminate on God and 'the teutonic race' which was a little uncomfortable but taken entirely in context of his period/society.
July 9, 2024
Think you know all about the sinking of the Titanic? Read the first 50 pages of this short book and you may learn first-hand details that you didn't know. The second half wasn't as interesting to me, but the first half is the author's vivid account, full of details I'd never heard. He observed that the ship listed very slightly to port while they were underway and speculated from later reports that the coal may have been loaded too much on the port side. This has no bearing on the sinking itself, but it is an interesting detail. He describes shipboard activities and vignettes of families and friends. His tribute to Mr. Carter, a vicar of uncommon care, must have been greatly comforting to his parish.
November 25, 2018
A brief first-hand account of the sinking of the Titanic. Though by today's standards, it paints an incomplete picture of the entire disaster (as would be expected of a single personal account published not long after the disaster), it was influential in opening the public perception of what happened. Beesley's account introduces many of the themes that students of history now know about that night-- the elegance of the passengers, the calm and disbelief that anything went wrong, and the stoicism of many of the male passengers when they yielded seats to women and children. A polished and useful primary source.
December 21, 2022
Ho atteso parecchio a conoscere questa testimonianza e ora capisco perchè.
Come al tempo stesso non ci ho speso denaro e ho invece colto l'opportunità Librivox.
Piuttosto arrogante e furbetto, il Beesley, cita la stampa quando e come fa comodo a lui, e dall'altra parte, all'occorrenza la tratta come invenzione infernale da controllare con la legge.
Propaganda, anche militarista, come spesso in quest'epoca, definendo molto spesso questa tragedia "avventura".
Difficile tener presente che lui fosse su questa nave e abbia avuto poi la fortuna immensa di sopravvivere per raccontarlo.
Come al tempo stesso non ci ho speso denaro e ho invece colto l'opportunità Librivox.
Piuttosto arrogante e furbetto, il Beesley, cita la stampa quando e come fa comodo a lui, e dall'altra parte, all'occorrenza la tratta come invenzione infernale da controllare con la legge.
Propaganda, anche militarista, come spesso in quest'epoca, definendo molto spesso questa tragedia "avventura".
Difficile tener presente che lui fosse su questa nave e abbia avuto poi la fortuna immensa di sopravvivere per raccontarlo.
September 23, 2017
I picked this book up on audio as it had the lowest duration of hours, and it was free !
My information about the titanic sinking were merely based on what I saw of the movie , I also remmeber watching a documentary on it back as I was a kid and remember a survivor recounting how his mother disguised him as a girl in order for him to get in the boats!
It was a both a moving and informative read!
Although it may be naive of me , I hope that no more tragedies like the titanic happens now or the future ...
May God rest their souls in peace
My information about the titanic sinking were merely based on what I saw of the movie , I also remmeber watching a documentary on it back as I was a kid and remember a survivor recounting how his mother disguised him as a girl in order for him to get in the boats!
It was a both a moving and informative read!
Although it may be naive of me , I hope that no more tragedies like the titanic happens now or the future ...
May God rest their souls in peace
May 19, 2024
Allegedly...
"I think we all learnt many things that night about the bogey called "fear," and how the facing of it is much less than the dread of it."
It is very,very suspicious, but the Titanic's sinking should have been kept in secret. Any publications related to the contemplations about that subject were strongly prohibited. Allegedly, those publications would probably be erroneous, full of highly colored details, and generally calculated to disturb public thought on the matter. Also Messrs. Houghton Mifflin Company took at that time exactly the same view, that it was probably not advisable to put on record the incidents connected with the Titanic's sinking: it seemed better to forget details as rapidly as possible. But here comes Mr.Lawrence Beesly, who once again allegedly was never told to shut up and who got a possibility even to publish his own book dedicated to the mysterious sinking...Isn't it very suspicious, that one tried to create a fictitious picture of the very nonchalant attitude of the world towards the fact that 1503 persons wen tdown with the ship? And after the world was allowed to get some explanations, or something like answers to the direct questions, it turned to be that they fed to the public another foolish story. Actually, you mus tbelieve that everybody was a fool there: starting from the master of the Titanic and to the last stoker of the vessel. So, let's think about some facts.There were 2208 persons on board and only 16 lifeboats 30 feet long! Thestokers are very important for such immense vessels as the Titanic, aren't they? Theoretically yes, but the master of the Titanic was either so ignorant or just an ordinary snob and he simply preferred not to take on board a knot of stokers, who were a bit late for the Titanic's departure. I wonder who afterwards did their job? The construction of the Titanic obviously was designed by a genius fool as well, for to walk from a cabin on F deck up to the top deck, climbing five flights of stairs on the way, was certainly a considerable task for even a professional sportsman.
A very interesting fact: the percentage of men saved in the second-class is the lowest of any other division—only eight per cent.
After the alleged collision with the mysterious iceberg nobody of the crew gave a shit. Neither informed the passengers! The people had no possibility to dress themselves. Later the survivors made statements that they had seen no iceberg at all...
"no iceberg on either side or asternas far as we could see in the darkness"
Another suspicious subject is wireless communication – was there any? The only vessel which allegedly received one wireless notification was the Olympic. And it was the Olympic that was coming to the rescue. Why it is suspicious? Because the Olympic was, after all, the farthest away of all eight other ships which lay within three hundred miles of the Titanic. Somebody wanted to make an impression of a rescuing process, with the clear intention to bring the rescue to the fruitless finale... When think about that keeping in mind that on that night the sky was "without a single cloud to mar the perfect brilliance of the stars" you certainly might exclaim "what the hack was going on that night?" If there were enough life-boats, if there were enough cablegrams informing other vessels but the Olympia, the most of the passengers and the crew might have been rescued...
"So when one of the stokers said he had been to sea for twenty-six years and never yet seen such a calm night, we accepted it as true without comment."
Right after this statement the book's author starts dwelling on some bullshit like Shakespeare- masterpieces-type of the night, or the sense of stillness about the sinking Titanic. He really proceeds on that off-limits, making the readers suspect another black and misty something in the story. Enjoying the stillness of the night everybody forgot about the iceberg, which had allegedly caused the disastrous sinking. Just try to think and rethink the following fact: the catastrophe occurred not in the vicinity of Spitsbergen or Greenland. Middle of April, Atlantic ocean (not Arctic ocean). And tens of huge icebergs. To cover the crime scene one usually requires witnesses. So, Mr. Lawrence Beesly is not an exception to the rule. He tries to involve as many people as possible into his allegedly unbiased report.
"The testimony oft he captains and officers of other steamers in the neighbourhood is of the same kind: they had "never seen so many icebergs this time of the year," or "never seen such dangerous ice floes and threatening bergs."
The captains informed (allegedly) the master of the Titanic of the army of icebergs, but the guy really played a fool part and never gave a shit...
So, here we might have called it a day, but we cannot. One cannot omit the fact, that on that night together with the Titanic sank the main competitors of Mr. J.P. Morgan, the Titanic owner.The names of the gentlemen are as follows: Jacob Astor, Isidor Straus (also the owner of the Macy's retail network) and Benjamin Guggenheim (also a supplier of parts for the Eifel Tower). One must agree, that the fact that these guys had not been rescued unlike some stokers or pursers, is very suspicious. The author of the book not even mentioned about the guys. And it's very suspicious as well. And to distract the public attention from the fact was not an easy thing. That's actually what you need Leonardo DiCaprio's talent for...
Amen!
"I think we all learnt many things that night about the bogey called "fear," and how the facing of it is much less than the dread of it."
It is very,very suspicious, but the Titanic's sinking should have been kept in secret. Any publications related to the contemplations about that subject were strongly prohibited. Allegedly, those publications would probably be erroneous, full of highly colored details, and generally calculated to disturb public thought on the matter. Also Messrs. Houghton Mifflin Company took at that time exactly the same view, that it was probably not advisable to put on record the incidents connected with the Titanic's sinking: it seemed better to forget details as rapidly as possible. But here comes Mr.Lawrence Beesly, who once again allegedly was never told to shut up and who got a possibility even to publish his own book dedicated to the mysterious sinking...Isn't it very suspicious, that one tried to create a fictitious picture of the very nonchalant attitude of the world towards the fact that 1503 persons wen tdown with the ship? And after the world was allowed to get some explanations, or something like answers to the direct questions, it turned to be that they fed to the public another foolish story. Actually, you mus tbelieve that everybody was a fool there: starting from the master of the Titanic and to the last stoker of the vessel. So, let's think about some facts.There were 2208 persons on board and only 16 lifeboats 30 feet long! Thestokers are very important for such immense vessels as the Titanic, aren't they? Theoretically yes, but the master of the Titanic was either so ignorant or just an ordinary snob and he simply preferred not to take on board a knot of stokers, who were a bit late for the Titanic's departure. I wonder who afterwards did their job? The construction of the Titanic obviously was designed by a genius fool as well, for to walk from a cabin on F deck up to the top deck, climbing five flights of stairs on the way, was certainly a considerable task for even a professional sportsman.
A very interesting fact: the percentage of men saved in the second-class is the lowest of any other division—only eight per cent.
After the alleged collision with the mysterious iceberg nobody of the crew gave a shit. Neither informed the passengers! The people had no possibility to dress themselves. Later the survivors made statements that they had seen no iceberg at all...
"no iceberg on either side or asternas far as we could see in the darkness"
Another suspicious subject is wireless communication – was there any? The only vessel which allegedly received one wireless notification was the Olympic. And it was the Olympic that was coming to the rescue. Why it is suspicious? Because the Olympic was, after all, the farthest away of all eight other ships which lay within three hundred miles of the Titanic. Somebody wanted to make an impression of a rescuing process, with the clear intention to bring the rescue to the fruitless finale... When think about that keeping in mind that on that night the sky was "without a single cloud to mar the perfect brilliance of the stars" you certainly might exclaim "what the hack was going on that night?" If there were enough life-boats, if there were enough cablegrams informing other vessels but the Olympia, the most of the passengers and the crew might have been rescued...
"So when one of the stokers said he had been to sea for twenty-six years and never yet seen such a calm night, we accepted it as true without comment."
Right after this statement the book's author starts dwelling on some bullshit like Shakespeare- masterpieces-type of the night, or the sense of stillness about the sinking Titanic. He really proceeds on that off-limits, making the readers suspect another black and misty something in the story. Enjoying the stillness of the night everybody forgot about the iceberg, which had allegedly caused the disastrous sinking. Just try to think and rethink the following fact: the catastrophe occurred not in the vicinity of Spitsbergen or Greenland. Middle of April, Atlantic ocean (not Arctic ocean). And tens of huge icebergs. To cover the crime scene one usually requires witnesses. So, Mr. Lawrence Beesly is not an exception to the rule. He tries to involve as many people as possible into his allegedly unbiased report.
"The testimony oft he captains and officers of other steamers in the neighbourhood is of the same kind: they had "never seen so many icebergs this time of the year," or "never seen such dangerous ice floes and threatening bergs."
The captains informed (allegedly) the master of the Titanic of the army of icebergs, but the guy really played a fool part and never gave a shit...
So, here we might have called it a day, but we cannot. One cannot omit the fact, that on that night together with the Titanic sank the main competitors of Mr. J.P. Morgan, the Titanic owner.The names of the gentlemen are as follows: Jacob Astor, Isidor Straus (also the owner of the Macy's retail network) and Benjamin Guggenheim (also a supplier of parts for the Eifel Tower). One must agree, that the fact that these guys had not been rescued unlike some stokers or pursers, is very suspicious. The author of the book not even mentioned about the guys. And it's very suspicious as well. And to distract the public attention from the fact was not an easy thing. That's actually what you need Leonardo DiCaprio's talent for...
Amen!
April 8, 2018
The one interesting fact I learned from reading this book was that a rumor started that they were loading the men onto the lifeboats on the other side of the ship so all the men left to go there. He did not know how the rumor started but for some reason he stayed where he was and was offered a spot to jump into a life boat. He said he and only a couple of other men stayed on the side women and children were being loaded.
December 27, 2018
This is a first person account of the sinking of the Titanic. I found it interesting to hear the perspective of someone who was on the ship, especially the later chapters where ideas for what could be done to prevent such a thing happening again. Read this if you are interested in the Titanic. Do not expect and in depth analysis of the disaster, it is simply the impressions of one person who was there. Very emotional to read in places.
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