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The History - Passengers And Crew
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 Titanic's
maiden voyage would be commanded by Edward J. Smith, a notable and
experienced captain, having over two million miles logged on White
Star liners. He was celebrated by both crew and passengers,
and was even called by some the "Millionaire's Captain."
Smith was transferred to Titanic from her sister Olympic,
for what he expected to be his final voyage before retirement.
At sixty-two, and twenty-six years with the White Star Line, Titanic's
first Atlantic crossing would be his last.
Smith had great confidence in both his ships and his experience as
captain. In response to questions about his career he assuredly
remarked, "When anyone asks me how I can best describe my experiences
of nearly forty years at sea, I merely say uneventful. I have
never been in an accident of any sort worth speaking about....I never
saw a wreck and have never been wrecked, nor was I ever in any predicament
that threatened to end in disaster of any sort." |
  Also
on board for the maiden voyage were Bruce Ismay and Thomas Andrews,
of The White Star Line and Harland and Wolff, respectively.
While Ismay's interests were immediately that of the White Star Line,
Andrews' concerns were directed more toward the Titanic herself.
He scrutinized and noted final details that needed to be corrected,
including such minute details as the number of screws in clothes hooks.
Both Ismay and Andrews traveled among the First Class in private staterooms. |
  Titanic
also carried a number of the wealthiest people in the world.
First Class passengers included Colonel John Jacob Astor and his wife,
returning from a European voyage; Isidor Straus, a director of the
famous Macy's department store, who with his wife Ida, had been traveling
in the south of France; George Widener, one of the richest people
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, along with his wife Eleanor and son
Harry; William Stead, author and editor of the periodical Review
of Reviews; and the distinguished industrialist Benjamin Guggenheim. |
  Second
Class passengers included the British school teacher Lawrence Beesley,
who would later write a telling account of the events surrounding
Titanic's sinking. Beesley kept attentive mental and
written notes during the voyage. Also in Second Class were
Benjamin and Esther Hart, along with their daughter, Eva. Mrs. Hart
however was quite uneasy about having to travel on the Titanic.
So strong was her premonition of misfortune that she refused to sleep
during the night. Had she been sleeping when Titanic
struck an iceberg, she likely would not have noticed the slight bumping
it caused on impact. |
  Third
Class passengers, also known as "steerage," made up the
largest portion of any single class on Titanic. One
Third Class passenger was Henry Sutehall of Kenmore, New York.
He had travelled with a friend across the United States, then to Australia
and eventually back to England before finally booking passage on Titanic.
He was returning home after a worldwide voyage of nearly two
years. Swedish passenger Carl Jansson was also in Third Class.
As he prepared to come up on deck after collision with the iceberg,
he noticed that water was sloshing around his feet before eventually
reaching his ankles. |
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