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Taylor Rush
I believe there is much more to the Titanic disaster and its enduring mystique than the mere fact that counted among the lost were some of the wealthiest people in the world. It is easy to look back on the Edwardian era and paint the class structure as overly black and white.
All good points. Also, if you study the events leading up to that night in detail; what also sticks in your mind is fate's seeming determination to sink the Titanic that night:
* It was a moonless night; had there been a moon, the iceberg may have been seen sooner, and corrective action taken sooner
* The sea was flat calm. That is an extremely rare occurance in mid-ocean; had there been even the slightest of waves; they could have been seen breaking on the edge of the iceberg; once again possibly allowing corrective action to be taken sooner.
* The watchman in the forward crow's nest forgot to bring his binoculars with him that night; further imparing his ability to see the iceberg in time.
* The Titanic may have stayed afloat if corrective action was
not taken; and the iceberg was hit head on. Other ships, including the liner Stockholm that t-boned the Andrea Dora; stayed afloat and made it port fine after having their bows stoved in.
* As it was; had one less compartment been breeched; the Titanic may have been able to stay afloat; I believe it could stay afloat if three compartments were flooded; and four were flooded.
Add to this the comment uttered by someone beforehand that "not even God could sink this ship;" and it was a perfect setup for a disaster that would be remembered long after the others have been forgotton. Not to mention the images of the band playing and the firemen down below staying at their post until the very end, of Guggenheim and others retreating to the smoking room to "die like gentlemen"; and the slow death of those in the water afterwards.
-James Hefner
Hebrews 10:20a
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