Titanic Historical Society Commutator 247
THS Commutator No. 247, Fall 4th Quarter, October to December 2024
Contents
Margaret Hays’ Journey to Southern California
There arrived in Pasadena, California in January 1913 a large group of tourists who were part of an excursion organized by the Raymond & Whitcomb travel agency. Escaping the snow and cold of the East, most were prominent citizens from New York and Massachusetts. The leader of the group, Chester W. Smith, discovered he had a newsworthy participant in the group, Margaret B. Hays.
By Don Lynch
Thomas Andrews in Court, In Rotterdam, In Belfast and Standin-In: November 1911 to March 1912
There is, inevitably, a historical focus on Titanic during this period. However, there was plenty of other work going on. One unwelcome task was having to complete extensive repairs to Olympic in October and November 1911, as a result of the Hawke collision on 20 September 1911. Harland & Wolff were working on plenty of other ships as well. This article explores some of the things that Thomas Andrews was involved with from November 1911 through to March 1912.
By Mark Chirnside
Prohibition Gives Dr. Beaumont a New Title Vintage Vignettes
Cats Aboard Ocean Liners
Aboard ships were not only crew members but, when docked at a harbor, rats would also commonly climb aboard and would feast on the edibles stored inside. To solve this, King Louis XIV of France ordered that all French ships were to carry two cats who were experts in hunting and killing vermin which could otherwise damage the cargo. Over the more than 400 years that have passed since, many cats have sailed the seas alongside their sailor companions and some have even served aboard naval vessels. But what about ocean liners?
By Jerry N. J. Vondeling
Fire at the White Star Docks in Boston Vintage Vignettes
Titanic Artifacts from the Stan Lehrer Collection
Adolphe Saalfeld decided to slip this menu into one of his jacket pockets as a keepsake. Ironically, as events unfolded that evening, this would become the last menu ever issued aboard. Thus, Saalfeld’s letter not only would become the very first one to be mailed aboard; the dinner menu he kept would represent forever the last one of its kind with the Café Parisien on the cover to survive the tragic sinking.
By Stan Lehrer
Majestic II is Drydocked in Boston Vintage Vignettes
The Sinking of the Sultana: The Worst Maritime Disaster in American History
Titanic sank on the night of April 15, 1912. Forty-seven years earlier, another marine disaster, even worse, also occurred in April at night. However, unlike Titanic , steamboat Sultana has never been a major subject in books or movies. Even today, this tragedy is hardly known, rarely commemorated or even mentioned. Sultana carried more passengers than Titanic and was 1/14th her size. The number of deaths on Sultana was about 1,800. Her tragedy is much more than a record of a steamboat; it was one of greed and the lengths to which some men go for personal gain, even if it meant endangering the lives of others.
With thanks to the Sultana Association
Covers:
Front: Britannic in hospital livery is eased into a dock.
Back: Titanic at Southampton on her maiden voyage barely misses a collision.
Paintings courtesy of Harley Crossley
