The Story of the Wreck of the Titanic: The Ocean's Greatest Disaster

by Marshall Everett

More than a century after the greatest seafaring disaster of all time, the tragic story of the R.M.S. Titanic continues to fascinate readers.

Just before midnight on April 15, 1912, the Titanic struck a gigantic iceberg in the icy waters of the North Atlantic, on its way to New York.

Within a few short hours the world’s largest ship, supposedly unsinkable, had sunk beneath the waves.

Over 2,000 people were on board for the Titanic’s maiden voyage, people from all echelons of society across two continents, but of them only seven hundred were saved.

Picked up and taken by the Carpathia to their original destination, the event still raw in their minds, public inquiries were launched, the need for improvement in maritime safety swiftly becoming evident.

Originally published just months after The Wreck and Sinking of the Titanic, this sobering yet sensationalist volume — written and edited by Marshall Everett — includes a collection of survivors’ accounts, including close escapes and unparalleled acts of heroism.

Marshall Everett (1863-1939) was a popular writer of the early twentieth century. His other works include Tragic story of America's greatest disaster : tornado, flood and fire in Ohio, Indiana, Nebraska and Mississippi Valley and Startling experiences in the three wars : war in China, the Philippines, South Africa.

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Genres: Nonfiction, History, Historical

236 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 19, 2016

About the author

1863-1939

Reviews

[Ajay Dutt Tiwari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book is a memorial edition of Titanic disaster with first hand accounts of survivors, senate enquiry with pictures and illustrations. It has detailed description of what happened with titanic and heroism shown by passengers on board.
Most of the accounts have come from first cabin passengers. Book has limited experience sharing from maids, stewards and steering cabin passengers. That's the reason i gave 4 stars.

[Sean Chick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a collection of American newspaper articles written in 1912 in the immediate aftermath of the Titanic’s sinking. It is a wealth of primary sources, including recollections by survivors, the Senate inquiry, and cartoons from 1912. Not a great read all around, but a useful one for the historian and buff.

[Pauline Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful eye-opening account of one of the most tragic events in history, as told by survivors, complete with photos and illustrations.

Titanic has fascinated me for as long as I can remember, and when my husband gave me this for Christmas, it was a wonderful chance for a unique perspective on a tragedy that was totally avoidable. This book gives eyewitness accounts not only of what happened on board the ship at the time of the collision, but also of the few hours in the lifeboats, rescue by the Carpathia, and from the Senate investigation that took place almost immediately afterwards, among others.

There were a few things I noticed:
1 – The majority of the accounts came from first-class survivors and crew. Very little was said from the steerage passengers. Mind you, the majority of them were lost with the ship.

2 – It was the heroic actions of the first-class and some of the crew that were celebrated and focussed on; again, very little, if anything, from other classes.

3 – The immediate fundraising that happened on both sides of the Atlantic was phenomenal.

4 – There are two major conclusions that arose from not only the Senate investigation but also the international community:
 Even though the number of lifeboats on board the Titanic was the legal minimum requirement under British Maritime Law requirements for the time, the wreck led to the realisation that an immediate improvement in maritime safety lifesaving equipment was required.
“The English Board of Trade passenger certificate on board the Titanic showed approximately 3,500. The same certificate called for lifeboat accommodation for approximately 950 in the following boats:
Fourteen large lifeboats, two smaller boats and four collapsible boats.
“Life preservers were accessible and apparently in sufficient number for all on board.
“The approximate number of passengers carried at the time of the collision was:
First class, 330; second class; 320; third class, 750; total, 1,400. Officers and crew, 940. Total, 2,340.
“Of the foregoing about the following were rescued by the steamship Carpathia:
First class, 210; second class, 125; third class, 200; officers and crew, 210. The total, about 745 saved, was about 80 per cent of the maximum capacity of the lifeboats.”
- End of Chapter 4,”Thrilling Story of the Wreck”

 The fixation on speed and breaking records played a major part in the accident, and is something that was creating problems not only in this instance, but also in other areas of society, much the same as it is today.

The book ends with a Roll of Honour for those who were lost; yet even here, there was a definite class distinction; in the majority of cases, the first-classes families were named, including children. Steerage families were identified by the adults and the tag “and family” or similar.

This book has made me even more aware of the impact of such disasters not only on those directly involved and their wider circle of community, and also the human costs and ramifications of hierarchy and the “societal class” structure.

[Eva Tipps · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found this 1912 edition among my mom's books. As it was published in the same year that the Titanic sank, I was curious to read the first-person accounts, the news coverage, the political cartoons, and Senate hearings. I learned several things I never heard before. One was about the coal fire onboard the ship before it even left dock! Another was that it was reported that the crew never practiced lowering and using the lifeboats. As one can imagine, there were many discrepancies between stories but most were minor. Anyway, it was fascinating reading a contemporaneous account of the tragedy of the Titanic, especially noting on occasion how the priorities and behavior of people has not changed over the last 110 years. Greed still rules. Occasionally we see chivalry, loyalty and sacrifice. I recommend this edition to history buffs.

[Theda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this would be a good teen read - for any teen interested in the Titanic and who isn't full of triggers. And a good read for anyone, like me, who just absorbs anything Titanic.
A reprint of the 1912 edition. Lots of mediocre quality but interesting pics and copies of political/social cartoons etc.
Information on the ship - an interesting pic showing its "height" in relation to other famous buildings, lifeboats vs. passengers, etc.
Many, many survivor stories. So many different perspectives, but generally in agreement.
Some excerpts of the hearings that were told.
-- remember this is a 1912 book, so it's more a recounting than an analysis. I prefer this style, so I can draw my own conclusions.
-- skip over any of the chapters (starting with the first one) written by Fred Miller. Convoluted prose with too few periods and an over-abundance of commas.

[Christine Pettigrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was interesting. I love learning about the Titanic. Reading about what the survivors went through, the actual accident, and even the aftermath. I honestly did not even know that they did an investigation into the accident. I found it very sad that they did not fully equip the Titanic. They did not even provide binoculars for those on lookout for icebergs. By the sounds of this book, Captain Smith was not even being told of the dangers before it was too late. I might of misunderstood that part though.

[Erwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

What makes this specific edition of the Titanic special is when it was published: 1912. It came out the year of the actual tragedy. Everything in this book is fresh and "in-the-moment".

This book is actually a collection of everything that had to do with the Titanic and its tragedy.
You have the story of the Titanic, the actual sinking, eyewitness accounts by survivors (these are outstanding), the days after, the U.S. Senate inquiries into what happenned and the testimony by some of the key folks involved with the Titanic including J. Bruce Ismay (Officer of the White Star Line) who was on the ship and survived. There are also great illustrations and photos that capture the entire story... including some of the heroes of the day.
Simply fascinating account and really helps to put everything in perspective and how this tragedy changed the way ships were governed, regarding safety, going forward.
Must read if you are a Titanic fan.

[Thomas Mengeling · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very wonderful book about the history of the Titantic sinking, along with some good bios of Stead and Astor. Very good editorial cartoons back in 1912. This is the second good book I have read about the ship, the other is A night To Remember, I have other good books about Titantic, I don’t care for the Conspiracy kind though.

[Kitkat18 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book set the tone and atmosphere of 1912. This book has alot of pictures and articles that were being published during this tragic sinking. It brings to the for font how the classes of people associated with each other. The arrogance of thinking the ship would never go down. Also you cannot ignore the heroism of a few. I enjoyed this historical book and highly recommend it.

[Catherine Flynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The great eyewitness accounts as the title itself. The stories of the witnesses were so heartbreaking and painful while reliving those moments reading through each of their story. I cannot imagine losing your whole family and loved ones in a snap and the only person to survive together with the others who are also grieving. However, these were great compilations with illustrations. For the history lovers and Titanic enthusiasts, this book is a great addition to your collection. Recommended.

[Madison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this book for free at a homeschool store. The eyewitness accounts were excellent, and the information was very interesting. I thought it was fascinating that it was written the year the Titanic sank, everything was so fresh in the mind of the writer.

[Kristin Sholler · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book doesn’t have a cohesive narrative, but rather is a collection of articles written around the time of the sinking. Sometimes a dry read, but informative and a good resource for how newspapers at the time wrote about the tragedy.

[Gabby Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't really like this book what I liked most about it was it was made right after Titanic sank, so the verbage is very 1912! I loved how dramatic this book was and it was accurate based on the information we had at the time. It got kind of boring at the end, so I think 3 stars fits.

[Papa Smurf · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story of the wreck of the Titanic

I found this book very moving. Such loss of so many people. Who was to blame? What really was the truth?

[Debby Lynn]

I found this 1912 gem at a used bookstore near me. The cover is quite warn and the pages yellowed, but it adds character to the book. I can't wait to read it.

[Tambra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book good story , some sad to read about who died but very informative books.

[chaptersofdaisy · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5 ⭐️

not much new information for titanic buffs, but it might be interesting for people who get started on their titanic obsession

[Glenda Schreffler · Rating 5 out of 5]

very interesting book

[J. Else · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully told piece of history. The first chapter opens the book with a poetic and thoughtful tale of how man tried to conquer the elements only to be brought down by their arrogance. It was such a lovely narrative, I read it a couple times over. The book throws most of the blame of the tragedy on commercial greed in that proper safety precautions (eg enough lifeboats) were ignored.

What is interesting to note is that Titanic actually carried a couple more lifeboats that was standard to that class of ship. In fact, the designer, Thomas Andrews, wanted to put enough lifeboats on the ship for every passenger, but the White Star line did not want that many boats cluttering the decks. In fact, the ship designer and the rest of the "guarantee group" who were on the fatal voyage and went down with the ship are only a passing whisper in the book, which is sad as they were the ones who put Titanic together and helped save many lives when the ship was sinking.

The book mourns the loss of so many innocent lives due to the god of greed and cries to action law-enforced safeguards to prevent another such tragedy. It was interesting to read this as there is still so much corporate corruption and greed now-a-days... 100 years later money is still the root of evil and neglect. There is also a lot of blame and investigation into the speed the boat was traveling and cries out against man's need to break speed records and constantly move at a faster pace. Oh if they could see us now!

Another interesting tidbit is how there was not a spyglass for the lookouts to use. During the hearings regarding the disaster, the lack of spyglasses was brought up. Apparently the crew asked for a spy glass when they arrived in Southampton only to be told there were none, an item which could have helped the lookout spot the ice berg considerably sooner.

The stories of the survivors are not incredibly in depth, but they are the best part of the book. Some interesting notes were how one survivor noted that the air felt considerably colder shortly before the ice berg came into view. There were a few stories about Capt. Smith and how he swam out to a lifeboat to put a baby into its cargo of saved lives but then swam back to the doomed ship to fulfill his duty. Its the survivors who are most important to this tale -- the stories of living again! It makes this tragedy personal in hearing how they coped with such horror. Reading about how men would go down with the ship and then surface back up and were able to find a place to get out of the water before they were picked up. Wow... imagine.

Everything about this book is fascinating, if not always incredibly accurate. But its a piece of time. Its the inquiries, reactions, personal stories, ship facts, etc. Its a delight to have experienced this book.

Breathe in this quote: "It is the crystal king of the emerald waters, the 'ghostly sentinal of the banks,' mantled with mist and arrayed in long robes of cloudy fog, a mountain of ice journeying southward, which claims the right of way and disputes the supremacy of the gallant ship... The trident of Neptune was triumphant." -- From a memorial service to the fallen victims.

[Allison Evans]

The unsinkable ship, that is the basis of the story. The author wrote to tell each dismal detail of the tradgedy. In writing this story, the author is clear about the purpose, which was to get the truth; not what would later become Hollywood's version. The truth was the tradgedy that occured on April 14, 1912 was not about some love story. The real story is about man desiring to build something "god himself could not sink". The truth was the tradgedy that is known as the sinking of the titanic.
When reading you can get a feel for the theme which was to show readers what really occurred that night. The theme was about how the passengers and crew reacted through the hours and changes that happened on the ship. The purpose is to tell how calm it was on the ship when the iceburg was first hit. To tell how up until the last minutes people still believed in their survival. How some people beileved in the "unsinkable" Titanic.
The book was a descriptive narrative due to the accounts of the same event told by the survivors. Throughout the book you read about how everything went down. In a few stories you read about people feeling the initial blow that led to the sinking, and them thinking nothing more of it. How people went back to sleep or back to play cards. It was a shock when they had to be loaded up in lifeboats. You read about how some woman wouldn't leave their husbands side. In some stories you also read about what happened once the survivors were rescued by the Carpathia. The accounts from different people tell you what was felt as the ship was sinking. The events being told about a particular event in the peoples' views are why this book is a descriptive narrative.
My oppinion of the book was that it was boring. So many people had similar accounts, so it felt like you were reading the same information over and over. At times some language used was hard to understand due to the fact that the people quotes spoke these words a century ago. The story itself seemed to lack excitement. I would change this story by maybe writing some in between the survivors accounts. That way you wouldn't feel like the book was dragging so much. I have not, nor do I want to read anything similar to this book again. I do not recommend this book to anyone thinking about reading it.
This is what i thought of the book. The story of the Titanic ,though now more clear, is still mysterious due to the fact that people honestly thought of it as being "The Unsinkable Ship". There is one good thing about the book though, and that is the information you learn. You find out although some of what Hollywood portrayed is correct, there was much unkown until I read this book.

[ryan o'donnell · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read the book "Story of the Wreck of the Titanic" by Marshall Everett. This book is basically compilation of first hand stories from the survivors of the Titanic. The author's purpose is to tell the public about what happened during the sinking of the titanic for better understanding.

I believe the theme of this book was simply to show people what went on and how the people aboard reacted during the sinking, and how they had hope. Many of the stories in the book it ws just a matter of luck that they got on one of the few emergency rescue boats. There was not a whole lot the passengers could do to control their fate, so no one really fought their way out for their life.

This book is a narrtive because it tells a story. These are stories that come directly from the survivors of the Titanic. The stories tell what everybody is doing, how the ship is being managed by the Captain and his crew, and how they are prepring to get off and onto the rescue boats. Most of the stories are really slow and basic which makes them hard to read, and since it was written in 1912, the language is very patchy and difficult to follow at times.

To be honest I found this booke quite boring. I did not like anything about this book because it was slow, boring, a lack of exciting events, and it was hard to understand. I would rate this book 1 out of 5 and I would not recommend this book to anyone.

[Kerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I started reading the first 2 chapters, I thought it was repetitive and redundant. The 3rd chapter started the recollections of survivors stories, in which I found very interesting. It talks of the calmness and chivalry of the men and gave stories on the last time the survivors saw their doomed loved ones. There were also pictures of some of the passengers and illustrations. This also had chapters on the memorials held and the investigation and testimonies of the crew that survived. It turned out to be an interesting read.

[Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

As expected this book was a lot of repetition re: events of the Titanic sinking that we already knew but what made this account interesting was the eyewitness accounts and news reports from so immediately after the tragedy. So interesting to see how the crew were perceived, how class distinctions were just accepted to the point of so many actually believing that all had equal chance of escape. Also like most reports given immediately after a disaster the stories varied so much from person to person. Very interesting.

[Cassie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is great. Obviously, it's a product of its time, and can get kind of melodramatic. However, it is fascinating to read survivor stories, testimony from crew members during the senate hearings, and newspaper articles from the time period. The graphics also really add to the writing--it's nice to be able to put faces with some of the names.

[Kristen · Rating 2 out of 5]

My dad found this book which belonged to his grandmother in a forgotten box. It is an original 1912 hardcover "Memorial Edition." Published in the immediate aftermath of the Titanic tragedy. I am very excited to read it, especially right now at the 100th anniversary.

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am absolutley fascinated by the Titanic, and this book really gave me more facts about it.

[Brandi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Published right after the sinking of the Titanic, this book compiles first-hand accounts of the surviving passengers. It was humbling to read such terrifying stories.

[Stacy · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was originally written in 1912, so the antiquated writing style was kind of interesting.