The Titanic

"Save the Women and Children"

 

 

At about 0:20 am on the 15th of April Captain Edward John Smith gave the orders “Put the women and children in and lower away.” The Titanic was going down and fast, too fast for another ship to help. The only chance of survival were as listed: two wooden cutters capable of holding 40 people each, ten wooden lifeboats which could carry 65 people each and 4 collapsible boats that could hold 47 each. The captain and few others on board knew that the number of boats was not enough to save the 2223 people on board. Staff was assigned a class to look after. Those who were in charge of the first class and few people to deal with nd were quickly brought above deck. those in second and third class quickly lost control and had a great number of people to foresee. The poorest were then left to their own device while on board people were getting lifeboats ready.

 

At first no one was that panicked and thought they were much better of away from the harsh winds outside. On the first boat staff had to convince people to take refuge in a boat, in this boat it was mostly single women and men. Soon the impact of the situation came to light and everyone panicked, women and children were hurried into boats, loved ones were separated and staff had to hold back me from boarding the lifeboats. Panic stricken it became the survival of the fittest and youngest for the lifeboats, everyone was jumping and running into boats causing more harm than good. those who believed they would not get a chance to the boats or at survival jumped into the water. Ironically, most were killed within minutes from snapping their necks, hypothermia or a heart attack.

 

Madness was in the way of control so lifeboats were not filled properly. Although there were many women there were also quite a few men. This rule of women and children first had only been introduced before in another accident years before on a marine boat, also mentioned in a book once but never a tradition. Out of the 2223 people who were on the Titanic only 706 survived. The men who survived were usually seen as cowards for not giving up their place for women and children. Some men had their reasons for being on the lifeboats as they had jumped from the sinking titanic and were rescued others had to go on a lifeboat because they were sailors needed to help the lifeboats find a rescuer.