Stephen J. Spignesi

Cheat Sheet / Updated 03-27-2016

On the night of April 14–15, 1912, the unthinkable happened: On its maiden voyage, the Titanic, the largest passenger ship ever built at that time, hit an iceberg in the North Atlantic and sank. More than 1,500 of the 2,200-plus people on board were killed, including some of the wealthiest and most well-known people in the world. Those who survived told harrowing stories of waiting in lifeboats in the frigid waters for hours, uncertain whether anyone even knew they needed to be rescued. Stories of the Titanic’s sinking still captivate audiences a full century after its demise — stories that remind us of the limits of men’s endeavors and the dangers of their arrogance.

Step by Step / Updated 03-27-2016

From the very beginning, even before she was launched, the Titanic was an object of fascination. At the Harland and Wolff shipyards in Belfast where she was built, workers marveled at the size of the ship. In Southampton, England, the first stop on her maiden voyage, thousands of people came to the docks to see the largest moving object ever constructed by man. And after the Titanic sank to the bottom of the North Atlantic on the sixth day of her maiden voyage — April 15, 1912 — the unsinkable ship began her voyage into time immemorial. These pictures help tell her tragic story.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

The story of the Titanic’s demise is achingly dramatic and keeps audiences and readers spellbound even a century later. The Titanic disaster wasn’t the greatest maritime disaster in history, but it’s by far the most famous. Following are some reasons that the story still resonates: The first-class passengers included some of the richest people in the world. The rich and famous flocked to the Titanic. In 1912, ocean travel was the only way to get from Europe to the United States, and the wealthy were drawn to the ship touted as the most luxurious steamship ever built — a luxury hotel on water. The ship’s maiden voyage attracted artists, authors, industrialists, retailers, and others who could afford the expense of a first-class ticket. While well more than half the first-class passengers survived the tragedy, some of the most famous passengers (such as John Jacob Astor IV and Benjamin Guggenheim) were among the casualties. The third-class passengers were sailing toward the American dream. Most of the 700-plus passengers in steerage were part of the great migration from Europe to America that occurred at the turn of the twentieth century. They were sailing in search of the American dream. Leaving their homelands with essentially everything they owned was the biggest decision of their lives. Only about 25 percent of them survived the sinking. The caste system was on full display. While the third-class accommodations on the Titanic were nice compared with other ships, they paled in comparison to the first-class amenities. And the classes did not mix and mingle during the voyage — or during the sinking. Divisions among the classes were stark, as evidenced by the vast difference in survival rates between first- and third-class passengers. (James Cameron acknowledged this disparity in his epic film when he had Rose’s pompous, imperious mother ask, “Will the lifeboats be seated by class?”) The ship was generally considered to be unsinkable. The sheer size of the Titanic (it was almost 900 feet long and weighed more than 46,000 tons) was a spectacle. It boasted 16 watertight compartments that were designed to allow the ship to stay afloat even if it suffered damage and began to take on water. While the White Star Line never claimed that the ship couldn’t sink, it did say (in a brochure) that the Titanic was “designed to be unsinkable.” No one imagined that it could go down, especially not on its maiden voyage. The lifeboat capacity was inadequate. The Titanic met regulations in terms of the number of lifeboats on board, but the lifeboats could hold only 1,178 people if filled to capacity. More than 2,200 people were on the ship. Also, the chaos of the sinking led to many lifeboats launching without being filled to capacity, which is why only around 700 people survived. The survivors’ stories were front-page news. Many survivors shared their harrowing stories of watching the ship sink and hearing the screams of passengers who did not secure spots on the lifeboats. They shared their terror of being in the icy waters of the North Atlantic for hours, uncertain whether any ships were trying to rescue them. Those stories made front-page news in the days and weeks after the sinking and became the stuff of legend. The wreckage was found. Interest in the Titanic waned in the years after the tragedy, although the 1955 publication of Walter Lord’s history A Night to Remember created a surge of attention. (Several movies focusing on the sinking also brought it back into the spotlight from time to time.) But in 1985, interest exploded when Dr. Robert Ballard, on a joint mission with IFREMER (the French Research Institute for Exploration of the Sea), discovered the wreck of the Titanic. Since then, photos, video, and artifacts have brought the ship back into the public eye; spurred the release of documentaries and movies that explored the Titanic in ways never before possible (including James Cameron’s 1997 masterpiece); and secured the story’s place in world history.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

The events surrounding the construction, voyage, and sinking of the Titanic — and the people involved in those events — have been a source of fascination for a century. Here are some of the key dates in the Titanic story, starting before its conception and ending with centennial celebrations in 2012. 1898 Morgan Robertson publishes a seemingly prophetic novella called Futility (later renamed The Wreck of the Titan). In this tale, the world’s largest steamship — the Titan — hits an iceberg and sinks. 1907 April 30: J. Bruce Ismay, the chairman and managing director of the White Star Line, and Lord William James Pirrie, a partner in the shipbuilding firm of Harland and Wolff, agree to build the Titanic. July 1: The order is officially placed with Harland and Wolff for the construction of the Titanic. 1909 March 31: The first keel plate for Titanic is laid in the Harland and Wolff shipyards in Belfast, Ireland. 1910 October 19: Plating of the Titanic is completed. 1911 May 31: The Titanic is officially launched from Harland and Wolff Slip Number 3. The launch is witnessed by more than 100,000 people. 1912 March 31: The outfitting of the Titanic is complete. April 2: Five tugs tow the Titanic down Victoria Channel to Belfast Lough for sea trials, which include maneuvering the ship at different speeds, evaluating the performance of the helm, and performing an emergency stop. After successful sea trials, the British Board of Trade awards the Titanic her passenger certificate. The Titanic departs Belfast under the command of Captain Edward J. Smith and proceeds to Southampton, England. April 3: The Titanic arrives in Southampton and docks at Berth 44. April 10: The Titanic casts off, accompanied by six tugboats, and has a near collision with the New York. After this delay, she leaves Southampton and sails to Cherbourg, France, where she takes on more passengers. The same evening, the Titanic departs from Cherbourg, bound for Queenstown (now Cobh), Ireland. April 11: The Titanic drops anchor in Queenstown harbor and takes on more passengers. Later, she raises her starboard anchor for the final time and departs Queenstown harbor for New York. April 14, 9 a.m.: The Titanic receives the first of several messages warning of icebergs in the area. April 14, 11:40 p.m.: In the crow’s nest, Frederick Fleet sees an iceberg looming directly ahead in the Titanic’s path. He rings a 16-inch brass bell three times and picks up the telephone that connects to the bridge. Sixth Officer James Moody answers. Fleet shouts into the phone, “Iceberg right ahead.” First Officer William Murdoch immediately orders maneuvers to avoid the iceberg. He sounds a bell alarm for ten seconds to warn crew below decks that the watertight-compartment doors are about to be closed. Murdoch then pulls the switch to slam the doors shut. A mere 37 seconds after Fleet spotted the danger, the Titanic collides with an iceberg. April 15, 12:05 a.m.: Captain Smith orders the Titanic’s lifeboats uncovered and the crew and passengers assembled. April 15, 12:15 a.m.: The Titanic sends out her first distress call. April 15, 12:45 a.m.: The Titanic’s first distress rocket is fired. The first lifeboat, No. 7, is lowered from the starboard side. April 15, 1:40 a.m.: The Titanic’s last distress rocket is fired. April 15, 2:05 a.m.: Collapsible D, the last lifeboat to hold passengers and crew, is lowered from the port side. Collapsibles A and B, free from their tie-downs, are swept from the deck. April 15, approximately 2:17 a.m.: The Titanic’s last wireless distress call is transmitted: “We are sinking fast.” April 15, 2:18 a.m.: The Titanic’s lights fail. People in the lifeboats hear an enormous crashing sound as things in the ship — from grand pianos to engines — break free and plunge toward the ocean. April 15, 2:20 a.m.: The Titanic’s stern rears up out of the ocean, poises upright for a moment or two, and then plunges downward, splitting in two and sinking 2.5 miles to the bottom of the ocean. More than 700 survivors watch the nightmarish tragedy from lifeboats. April 15, 4:10 a.m.: The Carpathia arrives at the site of Titanic’s foundering and begins taking on survivors. The rescue operation continues for four hours. April 15, 8:50 a.m.: Captain Arthur Rostron of the Carpathia sets sail for New York with the Titanic’s survivors. April 18: The Carpathia arrives in New York with the Titanic’s survivors. More than 10,000 people line the docks. April 20: The cable ship Mackay-Bennett arrives at the site of the Titanic’s foundering to retrieve bodies. A total of 328 bodies are recovered. May 13: The last lifeboat belonging to the Titanic is found adrift in the Atlantic by the Oceanic. Three bodies in the boat are buried at sea. May 18: More than 30,000 mourners attend the burial of the Titanic’s bandmaster Wallace Hartley in his hometown of Colne, Lancashire, England. 1955 November: Walter Lord’s history of the Titanic disaster, A Night to Remember, is published. It goes on to become the bible for Titanic historians. 1985 September 1: A joint French-American scientific expedition led by Robert Ballard discovers the wreckage of the Titanic 2.5 miles below the surface of the North Atlantic. 1987 August: An expedition by IFREMER (the French oceanographic institute that co-discovered the wreckage in 1985) to the site of the Titanic retrieves some 1,800 artifacts. 1994 June 7: A Norfolk, Virginia, court names RMS Titanic, Inc., the salvor-in-possession of the Titanic and any and all artifacts the company recovers. In order for possession to remain in effect, RMS Titanic, Inc., must remain “in possession” of the ship, thus requiring periodic visits to the site, some of which have been solely for photography. 1997 December 19: James Cameron’s film Titanic opens in the United States to excellent reviews and extraordinary business. 1998 August: RMS Titanic, Inc., successfully raises a 20-ton piece of the Titanic’s hull, known as the Big Piece, to the surface. 2009 Elizabeth Gladys Millvina Dean, the last Titanic survivor, dies in England at the age of 97. 2012 Titanic centennial commemorations take place in Belfast, Southampton, Halifax, and other cities important to the Titanic’s history. Commemorative cruises to the North Atlantic are launched as well.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

The famous flocked to the Titanic. With ocean travel the only way to get from continent to continent, the wealthy were drawn to the Titanic, the ship touted as the single most luxurious and greatest steamship ever built. Colonel John Jacob Astor IV Colonel John Jacob Astor IV, a real estate millionaire, sailed on the Titanic with his pregnant 18-year-old wife (he was 48). Astor went down with the Titanic and ended up covered in soot from head to toe when the forward funnel fell and crushed him. His wife, Madeleine, survived. Astor was eulogized as a hero for going down with the ship after seeing to the safety of his pregnant wife. He requested a place on the lifeboat with his wife, but from all accounts, when he was turned away, he calmly accepted his fate. Madeleine Astor Madeleine Astor was Colonel Astor’s wife. After her husband’s death aboard the Titanic, Mrs. Astor inherited a $5 million trust fund and the use of her husband’s residences on the condition that she never remarry. She eventually relinquished her inheritance so she could marry — and divorce — twice more. J. Bruce Ismay J. Bruce Ismay was the chairman and managing director of the White Star Line. He was the person who sketched the first plans for the Titanic on a dinner napkin in 1907. To this day, some people believe that Ismay behaved like a scoundrel on the night Titanic sank. He left aboard one of the last collapsible lifeboats, shirking his responsibilities as a gentleman and White Star executive by leaving the ship when hundreds of passengers, many of them women and children, were still aboard. Ismay swore there were no more passengers on the deck when he was offered a place in a lifeboat. Isidor and Ida Straus Isidor Straus was a first-class passenger and the millionaire founder of the Macy’s department store chain. Straus remained on the Titanic and was last seen sitting with his wife on deck chairs waiting for the end to come. Margaret Tobin (Molly) Brown Margaret Tobin Brown, known to the world as “the unsinkable Molly Brown” (even though no one called her Molly until after her death), was the wife of the Colorado mining kingpin J.J. Brown. Ms. Brown took charge of Lifeboat 6 and threatened to throw Quartermaster Robert Hichens overboard when he refused to allow her and the other women in Lifeboat 6 to row back to the site of the Titanic’s sinking to look for survivors in the water. Dorothy Gibson Dorothy Gibson, a 22-year-old singer, model, and silent-movie star, survived the sinking of the Titanic and went on to star in a silent film called Saved from the Titanic (also known as I Survived the Titanic). Gibson’s was the first movie made about the disaster. The film was released on May 14, 1912, just one month after her rescue. In the film, Gibson wore the same dress, sweater, gloves, and black pumps she had been wearing when she was pulled from Lifeboat 7, the first boat launched. Gibson was one of the first people saved. Benjamin Guggenheim Benjamin Guggenheim, a wealthy industrialist and heir to the Guggenheim mining fortune, is remembered for saying as the Titanic sank into the icy Atlantic, “We’re dressed in our best and are prepared to go down like gentlemen.” Legend has it that Guggenheim and his valet smoked cigars and sipped brandy while awaiting their deaths.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

What happened the night of April 14–15, 1912, when the Titanic sank? From the initial iceberg warnings to the wreck of the Titanic sinking to the bottom of the ocean, the night was a horrible ordeal. Heeding iceberg warnings Captain Edward J. Smith and the officers on the Titanic were well aware that they might encounter icebergs in the North Atlantic. Knowing about icebergs was part of their training. On April 14 alone, six wireless messages were sent to the Titanic about icebergs in her path. The wireless messages tell of a huge ice field in the Titanic’s path. Here’s what the crewmen did: 5:20 p.m.: Captain Smith set the Titanic on a course slightly to the south and west of the route he would normally take his ship. 7:15 p.m.: First Officer William Murdoch ordered the fore-scuttle hatch closed so that no light emanated from the hatch and they could see forward of the ship without any light interfering. 9:30 p.m.: Second Officer Charles Lightoller sent a message to the crow’s nest to “keep a sharp lookout for ice.” Here’s what the crew of the Titanic didn’t do: Slow the ship. Post extra lookouts. Colliding with the iceberg At 11:40 p.m., lookout Frederick Fleet saw the outlines of a large dark object looming in the mist, and he rang the 16-inch brass bell in the crow’s nest three times to signal “object directly ahead.” He rang the telephone connecting the crow’s nest to the bridge, and when Sixth Officer James Moody answered, he shouted into the phone, “Iceberg right ahead.” Moody relayed the order to First Officer Murdoch in the wheelhouse, who tried to prepare the Titanic for impact. Few passengers had any idea that the ship was less than three hours from sinking. Passengers came out of staterooms and cabins to inquire why the engines had stopped. The porters assured them that nothing was the matter. The side of Boiler Room 6 ripped open, sending a cold, violent flood of water into the room; seawater was also pouring into Boiler Room 5. Assessing the damage The iceberg had pierced the hull, buckling the hull plates and popping rivets as it scraped the ship. Five of the watertight compartments in the hull were flooding. The watertight compartments were devised so that the ship would remain afloat if any two were flooded, but when the five compartments at the front of the ship filled with water, their combined weight would sink the ship. Thomas Andrews, the chief designer of the Titanic, figured that the Titanic had two hours left before the frontmost compartments flooded entirely with water and the ship sank. Sending out distress signals When Captain Smith returned to the bridge, he ordered Fourth Officer Joseph Boxhall to calculate the Titanic’s position. Then he had the Titanic’s Marconi operators send out distress signals. Besides the wireless messages, the Titanic sent out two types of distress messages: Rockets: Fourth Officer Boxhall fired off signal rockets from the Boat deck. Morse lamp: Boxhall tried to signal a ship he saw in the distance by Morse lamp, but he got no response. Boarding and launching the lifeboats Titanic officers observed the “women and children first” rule when loading the lifeboats, but if a lifeboat wasn’t full when the time came to launch it, men were invited to board. Third-class passengers had been confined to lower decks of the ship. Trying to get to the lifeboats on the Boat deck, they got lost in the unfamiliar passages and stairways of the upper decks. Immigrants who didn’t speak English couldn’t find out from the stewards where they were supposed to go or what they were supposed to do. By the time the last lifeboat was launched at 2:05 a.m., there wasn’t enough time to launch two of the Englehardt collapsible lifeboats, so these two boats were cut loose and fell overboard. At 2:18 a.m., the ship’s electrical system failed. All lights aboard the ship went out. Sinking into the North Atlantic By now the bow of the ship was submerged, and the stern reared high in the air. As the Titanic’s bow sank, her stern rose, and those still on the Boat deck scrambled to the stern to stay clear of the water, or they took their chances and jumped into the frigid Atlantic. The giant ship became nearly perpendicular to the surface of the ocean. It could no longer bear the strain of carrying so much seawater or being in a position — nose down — for which it wasn’t constructed. The steamship cracked in two. The bow sank first. Then the stern fell backward to the surface of the ocean, rested there a moment as if nothing had happened, and then sank, too.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

The history of the birth of the Titanic — how she was constructed and outfitted — provides a glimpse into the history of shipbuilding, as well as the construction that ultimately failed the Titanic: March 31, 1909: Workers for Harland and Wolff (the shipbuilding company that constructed many ships for the White Star Line) lay down the keel of the Titanic in Yard 401. April 1910: The Titanic is fully framed. October 19, 1910: The plating of the Titanic (accomplished by assembling 1-inch-thick sheets of steel) is complete. Hydraulic riveting is used to give the best-quality plating for the ship. May 31, 1911 (12:13 p.m.): Titanic is officially launched from Harland and Wolff Slip Number 3. The Titanic’s launch lasts 62 seconds and is witnessed by more than 100,000 people. Twenty-three tons of tallow, train oil, and soft soap are used to lubricate her slip and ease her entry into the water. Eighty tons of cable and three anchors on each side control her speed. Five tugs tow the Titanic to a deep-water berth for her fitting out (the phase when final construction of the ship, mostly of the interior, is completed). January 1912: Sixteen wooden lifeboats and four collapsible Englehardt boats are fitted on board. March 31, 1912: The outfitting of the Titanic is complete. April 1, 1912: Scheduled sea trials for the Titanic are postponed due to strong northwest winds. April 2, 1912 (6 a.m.): Five tugs tow the Titanic down Victoria Channel to Belfast Lough for sea trials. The trials include maneuvering the ship at different speeds, evaluating the performance of the helm, and performing an emergency stop. The Titanic travels less than a half mile at 20 knots before coming to an emergency stop. April 2, 1912 (7 p.m.): The Titanic returns to Belfast Lough. The Harland and Wolff observers disembark. The ship is awarded her passenger certificate. April 2, 1912 (8 p.m.): The Titanic departs Belfast under the command of Captain Edward J. Smith and proceeds to Southampton, England. (Captain Smith, known as the “millionaire’s captain,” has logged about 2 million miles aboard White Star Line ships.) April 3, 1912: The Titanic arrives at Southampton and docks at Berth 44. April 4 and 5, 1912: Workers begin preparing to load the Titanic with cargo and supplies for her maiden voyage, which is scheduled for six days hence. April 6, 1912: A British coal strike is settled. The shortage of coal had made it necessary for the Titanic to load 4,427 tons of coal from the Olympic and five other International Mercantile Marine steamships docked at Southampton. April 6, 1912: The majority of the Titanic’s crew arrives at the docks. Most crew members are drawn from the British Seafarer’s Union and the National Sailors’ and Firemen’s Union. April 7, 1912 (Easter): No work is performed on the Titanic. April 8, 1912: Foodstuffs are loaded onto the Titanic. The ship’s chief designer, Thomas Andrews, oversees all activity and remains onboard until 6:30 p.m., after which he returns to his office. April 9, 1912: The Titanic passes its final day in Southampton. All the officers spend the night on board and keep regular watches. April 10, 1912 (11:45 a.m.): The Titanic’s mighty triple-toned steam whistle blows three times. Twenty minutes later, the great vessel casts off and is towed from the Southampton dock by six tugboats.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

Second- and third-class passengers on the Titanic had their own dining saloons, where they were served breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Titanic passengers received different food options based on this ticket’s class, and the second- and third-class passengers had no restaurant options, as first-class passengers did. Second-class dining saloon In the second-class dining saloon, located on the Saloon (D) deck, diners ate at large rectangular tables, often with strangers. The saloon provided starched white linen tablecloths and napkins. It could hold 394 diners. Interestingly, the diners sat in swivel chairs fastened to the floor, the idea being for the chairs to swivel and offset the rocking of the ship. Here are examples of breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus from the second-class dining saloon, taken directly from the original menus: Breakfast menu (April 11, 1912): Fruit; rolled oats; boiled hominy; fresh fish; Yarmouth bloaters; grilled ox kidneys and bacon; American dry hash au gratin; grilled sausage; mashed potatoes; grilled ham and fried eggs; fried potatoes; Vienna and Graham rolls; soda scones; buckwheat cakes; maple syrup; conserve; marmalade; tea; coffee; watercress Lunch menu (April 12, 1912): Pea soup; spaghetti au gratin; corned beef; vegetable dumplings; roast mutton; baked jacket potatoes; roast mutton; roast beef; sausage; ox tongue; pickles; salad; tapioca pudding; apple tart; fresh fruit; cheese; biscuits; coffee Dinner menu (April 14, 1912): This menu was divided into courses: First course: Consommé with tapioca Second course: Baked haddock with sharp sauce; curried chicken and rice; spring lamb with mint sauce; roast turkey with savory cranberry sauce; green peas; puree turnips; boiled rice; boiled and roast potatoes Third course (desserts): Plum pudding; wine jelly; coconut sandwich; American Ice Cream; nuts, assorted; fresh fruit; cheese; biscuits Third-class dining saloon In the third-class dining saloon, located in the Middle (F) deck, diners sat at long tables that could seat 20. They hung their hats, coats, and scarves on hooks attached to the walls. The saloon was large and spare. It could seat 473, which means that two seatings were necessary to accommodate all 710 passengers in third class. The food was hardy and wholesome. Here’s the fare served in the third-class dining saloon on April 14, 1912: Breakfast: Oatmeal porridge and milk; vegetable stew; fried tripe and onions; bread and butter; marmalade; Swedish bread; tea; coffee Lunch: Bouillon soup; roast beef and brown gravy; green beans, boiled; potatoes; cabin biscuits; bread; prunes and rice Dinner: Rabbit pie; baked potatoes; bread and butter; rhubarb and ginger jam; Swedish bread; tea

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

The sinking of the Titanic changed history and the travel at sea for all time. Here are some of the changes that ensued to ensure a tragedy like the loss of Titanic didn’t happen again: Enough lifeboats were carried onboard. The Titanic didn’t carry enough lifeboats for her passengers and crew. After the Titanic’s historic accident, ships were required to provide one seat for every passenger and crew member on a lifeboat. The International Ice Patrol (IIP) was established. This organization monitors icebergs in the Arctic and North Atlantic oceans and broadcasts information about their locations. Not a single accident involving a ship and an iceberg has occurred since the establishment of the IIP. Ship designs changed. Ships’ hulls were made stronger to prevent them from being breached and flooded by objects such as icebergs. Maybe these reforms and changes to regulations would have been made if the Titanic didn’t strike the iceberg and sink on April 15, 1912. But it may well have taken the sinking of the biggest ship ever built on its maiden voyage to cause the “sea change” in ship design and ocean travel the world needed. The Titanic disaster took the lives of just over 1,500 people. It is without a doubt the single most famous maritime disaster ever. It’s famous not just because rich and famous people died or because it sank on its maiden voyage (although that factor certainly contributed to the immediate and ongoing fascination with the disaster). It’s also famous because it opened eyes. It awakened people to the awesome power of nature and reminded them that no human-made edifice, no matter how strong or technologically advanced, is immune to the raw force of nature. It also made governments and the shipbuilding industry take a step back and ask, “Are we being as safe as we can?” And the answer, of course, was “No.”

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

The majority of the 700-plus steerage passengers on the Titanic were emigrants. Only 25 percent of the Titanic’s third-class passengers survived, and of that 25 percent, only a fraction were men. By contrast, about 97 percent of first-class women survived the sinking of the Titanic. The term steerage originally referred to the part of the ship below-decks where the steering apparatus was located. However, over time, the term came to refer to the part of a passenger ship below-decks where third-class passengers were housed. On the Titanic, third-class passengers shared common bathrooms, ate in dining facilities with other third-class passengers, and slept in cabins four to a room. By the standards of the day, the accommodations on the Titanic for third-class passengers were excellent. In fact, the Titanic provided nicer living conditions than many of the steerage passengers were accustomed to at home. It was said that the Titanic’s third-class accommodations resembled other steamships’ second-class accommodations: Third-class cabins on the Titanic had running water and electricity. Steerage passengers were provided with meals, which were a wonderful perk; most steamships that carried steerage passengers at the time required them to bring their own food. Passengers could clean up in their cabins in a washbasin. However, only two bathtubs served all 700-plus third-class men and women. Bunk beds in third class had mattresses, pillows, and blankets, but no sheets or pillowcases. This fact wasn’t a problem because most third-class passengers, who were leaving their native lands forever to start over in America, had all their belongings with them, including their sheets and pillowcases. For these passengers, anything that the ship provided was a bonus that made the voyage more pleasant. Titanic's third-class dining facility Third-class passengers ate three meals a day in two common dining rooms called the dining saloons. These rooms were located on F Deck between the second and third funnels, exactly two decks below the first-class dining room. Third-class passengers did not get individual tables; they ate on rows of tables lined up next to each other. Combined, the two third-class dining saloons could hold only around 475 people, so diners were served in two seatings. Titanic's third-class entertainment options The Titanic provided the General Room, where steerage passengers could sit, read, play cards, and otherwise pass the time. Steerage passengers weren’t allowed into the areas of the ship boasting other entertainments, like the gymnasium or the pool, but they could have their own parties and dances. The party scene in James Cameron’s 1997 movie Titanic offers a perfect example of the spontaneous gatherings in third class, complete with fiddle players and plenty of beer. Interestingly, all the sitting surfaces in the General Room were made of wood. (Lice can’t find a home on slatted benches the way they can in fabric and upholstered surfaces.) Third-class men also had access to a smoking room complete with spittoons.