News / Clark County News

Check it Out: There’s still much to learn about Titanic

By Jan Johnston

Published: May 2, 2015, 5:00pm

Jan Johnston is the Collection Development Coordinator for the Fort Vancouver Regional Library District. Email her at readingforfun@fvrl.org.

When choosing books for this column, I have several paths to follow.

Sometimes a book catches my attention because I’ve read a review, or sometimes a theme is running around in my head, and I intentionally look for theme-appropriate titles.

Much more frequently, though, serendipity guides me. Accidental discoveries can happen anywhere, but most of my spontaneous encounters occur at the library — big surprise, right? I can be walking through the cataloging department, minding my own business, when out of nowhere a book jumps off a cart and begs me to open it, or I might be visiting one of the library branches — Cascade Park Community Library, let’s say — and an attractive display beckons me. I casually scan the hand-picked titles, then “whack!” — a book throws itself at me and demands attention. Bet you didn’t know books could be so aggressive. Word to the wise: stay alert.

So long story not so short, writing about “The Titanic: Amazing and Extraordinary Facts” is the result of a serendipitous, perhaps slightly combative brush with a well-placed library display.

Although it’s been more than 100 years since the sinking of the Titanic — April 15, 1912 — her tragic story continues to captivate. Even with the plethora of Titanic-related books and movies available, we just can’t seem to get enough. But perhaps you’re like me. I have an interest — or maybe the better word choice is a curiosity — about the Titanic, but at this point in my reading life, the Titanic has to compete with all of my other reading interests and curiosities, and quite frankly, I just don’t have the time to pursue in-depth Titanic research. So bite-sized pieces, please, and yes, a compendium of extraordinary facts is just fine.

Here are some things I learned from Stuart Robertson’s unusual guide.

• How much water flooded the ship immediately following the collision with the iceberg? “One estimate says that 4,000 cubic feet of water entered the ship in the first 10 minutes. An hour after the collision Titanic had taken on 24,000 cubic feet of water.”

• Undeniably, the Titanic’s story is riveting — both figuratively and literally: “Three million rivets — made from 1,500 tons of metal — were used in the construction.”

• Regarding the passenger list, some names are instantly recognizable: John Jacob Astor IV (who perished), and Margaret “The Unsinkable Molly” Brown (who survived). But many emigrant families, traveling in third class, were on their way to the U.S. in search of a better life. Tragically, several of these families “perished in their entirety” that terrible night: “… the Sages, a family of 11 emigrating from Peterborough to Florida; the Goodwins, a family of eight, emigrating from Fulham to New York; and the Anderssons, a Swedish family of seven emigrating to Winnipeg.” With no surviving relatives, these passengers were among the most difficult to identify.

Many more pieces of information are included in this collection of Titanic facts. Reading it in page order is not required: just open the book to a random spot and learn something unusual. Curious about what the journey was like before the fateful event? You’ll find menus, on-board pastimes, details about the accommodations, even the number of grape scissors and oyster forks carried on board (1,500 and 1,000, respectively).

Much of the information in this week’s book centers on the moments between 11:40 p.m., when the Titanic struck the iceberg, and 2:20 a.m., when the ship succumbed to the icy waters. Some sections are harrowing to read. Mistakes were certainly made not only after the initial collision but also leading up to the event. Confusion, panic, and to some degree, arrogance prevented many crew members and passengers from proceeding with an organized evacuation.

If only we could go back and alter the events of that terrible night. But the past is immutable, and 100 years later, we can but review what happened to the Titanic and her passengers. Something we can do is to learn from the mistakes; but more importantly, we can remember the lives lost and continue to keep their memories alive.

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