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Message |
    
Wade Sisson
Member
Username: wsisson
Post Number: 2
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Friday, August 29, 2003 - 11:11 pm: | 
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I've read from various sources that the Titanic, like many ocean liners of her day, carried her own printing press and published a daily newspaper to be distributed to passengers. I suppose no survivor came off the ship with a copy, but I wonder if one day they'll recover an intact copy from the wreck site. Who knows what new information might be gleaned from the text? |
Dave Gittins
Member
Username: gittins
Post Number: 1460
Registered: 4-2001
| | Posted on Saturday, August 30, 2003 - 12:36 am: |
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I'm afraid the 'various sources' are wrong. White Star only introduced ships' newspapers in about June of 1912. On Titanic news received by radio was made available to passengers by notices put up in public areas. |
Deborah Russes
Member
Username: violet
Post Number: 178
Registered: 7-2003
| | Posted on Saturday, August 30, 2003 - 5:21 pm: |
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Maybe there is a source to find out what news was radioed to the ship from land for posting...like a log of some kind. |
Michael H. Standart
Moderator
Username: mstandart
Post Number: 6736
Registered: 12-2000
| | Posted on Saturday, August 30, 2003 - 5:35 pm: |
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I would bet long odds against that, Deborah. The logs that would have been kept in the Titanic's radio room never made it off the ship. I suppose there's a possibility that the logs of the shoreside station may have survived, but if they're still extant, they're likely buried in some dusty archive somewhere.
Cordially,
Michael H. Standart
Equal Opportunity Curmudgeon
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Bob Godfrey
Member
Username: bobgod1
Post Number: 860
Registered: 11-2002
| | Posted on Saturday, August 30, 2003 - 6:10 pm: |
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The tradition of printing newspapers on board ships goes back a lot further than the Titanic, but was more associated with longer voyages to the Far East and Australia, where passengers might otherwise be starved of reading material for weeks rather than a few days. There was little real 'news' content, of course, but the detailed coverage of very minor events mixed with irreverent humour at the expense of some of the 'characters' on board (including the captain!) was eagerly consumed. |
Dave Gittins
Member
Username: gittins
Post Number: 1462
Registered: 4-2001
| | Posted on Saturday, August 30, 2003 - 9:48 pm: |
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Michael, some of the news sent to Titanic is in Signals of Distress. It was the usual sort of thing. Turkey and Italy were at war, there were multiple murders in Paris and the English were on strike. Couldn't happen now! |
Deborah Russes
Member
Username: violet
Post Number: 179
Registered: 7-2003
| | Posted on Saturday, August 30, 2003 - 11:05 pm: |
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I meant that maybe there is a record or log about news being sent to the Titanic kept at the originating source..somewhere on land. If the same news was sent to all or any other ships during the Titanic's voyage maybe we can check those sources. Maybe they will say something about the news being radioed to (and give a list of ships so only one record is actually in print). Am I making sense? |
Michael H. Standart
Moderator
Username: mstandart
Post Number: 6745
Registered: 12-2000
| | Posted on Sunday, August 31, 2003 - 2:22 am: |
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Computer troubles Dave? I just had to delete two duplicates of your same post!
>>It was the usual sort of thing. Turkey and Italy were at war, there were multiple murders in Paris and the English were on strike. Couldn't happen now!<<
Nawwww....not in a million! We all know the age of peace, love, sweetness and light we live in.
Eh??? What???
You mean the people in places like Afghanistan, Bosnia and Iraq haven't noticed it yet? Oh bloody hell! Some people just live in bad neighbourhoods!
Seriously Dave, thanks for the reference. I'll be sure to check it out.
Cordially,
Michael H. Standart
Equal Opportunity Curmudgeon
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Dave Gittins
Member
Username: gittins
Post Number: 1466
Registered: 4-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, August 31, 2003 - 6:59 am: |
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Computer troubles at Phil's end I fear. Also in my head. The book you want is actually Signals of Disaster. |
Michael H. Standart
Moderator
Username: mstandart
Post Number: 6757
Registered: 12-2000
| | Posted on Monday, September 1, 2003 - 1:56 am: |
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Not to worry, I figured the reference out easily enough. The book is right here by my desk. As to the computer troubles...well...join the club. Seems the site or the servers have been a little hinky lately.
Cordially,
Michael H. Standart
Equal Opportunity Curmudgeon
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Dave Tuttle
Member
Username: dave_tuttle
Post Number: 6
Registered: 11-2003
| | Posted on Saturday, November 22, 2003 - 3:49 am: |
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Deborah, you are correct, but it's a nightmare to track down. Wireless messages can be traced, but there are many varied sources. Every shore station in Europe who may have generated a message to MGY (Titanic)before she got out of range of land would have a copy. Likewise, every ship that relayed traffic to Phillips or Bride would also file a copy with reference to from whom received and to whom relayed. This, however, refers to only FORMAL traffic. Casual informal exchanges of information between operators would have no record, other than perhaps a log entry merely documenting contact.
When MGY got in range of Cape Race, Phillips was more interested in working off HIS backlog of messages. However, we do know that Californian mentioned to Jack that Cape Race was holding traffic for him. They would have a record if any was sent to MGY.
In today's National Traffic System (NTS) we radio amateurs maintain a permanent file of formal written traffic. In this manner, a reply can be generated back through the system to the originating station. Much of this is by digital methods today, but there are still some of us "brass pounders" sending over the air by morse.
Although Titanic had no daily paper, of interest to all WAS the printed passenger list. Especially in First Class, all would examine the passenger list on the ship as a social activity to see who all else was aboard. Acquaintances were renewed, and dinner or party plans were made.
On-board print shops also cranked out such items as meal menus on many ships.
Dave Tuttle - NC4DT |
