An insomniac on the Titanic

[Kritina Johnston]

This is a strictly hypothetical question, and it does get a little strange, so bear with me.

Imagine a passenger, who at 2 in the morning still can't sleep. They need something to do, but their options are limited. The smoking room is closed. The bar is closed. The A La Carte...ditto. So, what is an insomniac first class passenger to do?

Can they get a steward to bring them something? If they decide to go out on deck, what would they see?

And, off in the areas the passenger can't see, what is going on? I know that on the bridge, a watch is being maintained, and that in the wireless room, the handover of duties has just taken place. And down in the boiler rooms, all systems are go.

But what else is going on? What other members of the crew would be up on the overnight shift? What would they be doing?

And what about the second and third classes? If any of them got a case of the nighttime wanderings, would what they be up to?

Well, that's my whole question. Sorry if it's weird!

Kritina

 

[Teri Lynn Milch]

Kritina,

If a passenger could not sleep they could walk out on the decks and look up at the stars in the sky for a bit and enjoy the scenery and relax with that. Did the passenger bring any reading material to read? If they did, they could read. I do believe the Titanic was equipped with a library, so the passenger could read something from Titanic's library.

Teri

 

[Dan Cherry]

Kritina,
I would imagine the galleys would be somewhat active in the night with the cooks and chefs making bread and pastries for the morning meal.
All the public rooms would be closed at 2 a.m. and the lights turned down. Nothing would prevent the insomniac from wandering the corridors and up the grand staircase and on 1st class promenade space. Perhaps a steward or two posted here or there might greet the passenger and make a short statement to the effect that it is surprising to see him/her up at that hour and wouldn't he/she prefer to be asleep in their cabin? The steward might even propose fetching a glass of warm milk. Those are my thoughts...

Dan C.

 

[Jan Kite]

Hiya, Eva Harts mum sat up all night doing her crochet and napped during the day.I have a picture of all the men doing the same!!!Jan BTS

 

[Leanne Rohrbach]

This is a very interesting topic, considering I myself am a night owl (and here I am typing this question at 3:30 AM)

I don't think it's been addressed what 2nd or 3rd class would do? Obviously 3rd class didn't have nearly as many options as 2nd.
Would the stewards be around, just as handy, for the insomniac 2nd Class passenger, or were they more left to their own devices. No glass of milk!

Was there anything for the 2nd Class to do besides just go outside and watch the stars, or walk the corridors? Or were they just out of luck?

 

[Kateřina Sittová]

I'd be walking on the boat deck and listening to the sea around me...and 'winking' on some handsome officer on duty

 

[John Paul Galvez]

Esther Ada Hart, Eva Miriam's mother, was awake at night and only slept during the day. It was because she was afraid the ship might sink.....and she was right.

 

[J.P. Wachtel]

Seems like people those days were as histerical about sinking ships as people these days are histerical about crashing planes, i can never stay awake on a plane and im scared to death of flying hehe, but sea travel costs much more so im left with no option hehe

 

[monica e. hall]

Insomnia. Listen to the radio. Moderate stuff overnight - well, here in the UK now anyway. Nothing, however, to help those in 1912, or even in WW2. You just lay awake and fretted. Nobody wants to be unable to sleep, even if they believe it is time wasted. You just stay awake and do whatever it takes.

 

[Arun Vajpey]

>>>>>.If a passenger could not sleep they could walk out on the decks and look up at the stars in the sky for a bit and enjoy the scenery and relax with that. <<<<<<<

Very interesting question by the OP. The quote above is an excellent answer and certainly what I would do if I could not sleep. Perhaps wander the corridors of the ship for a bit before going on to the top deck, find a cosy seat in a dark corner, curl-up in a warm blanket and watch the stars.

>>>>>Perhaps a steward or two posted here or there might greet the passenger and make a short statement to the effect that it is surprising to see him/her up at that hour and wouldn't he/she prefer to be asleep in their cabin? The steward might even propose fetching a glass of warm milk.<<<<<

Mm. I'd ask the steward to get me a glass of Irish Coffee. Of course, in those days they probably called it a Gloria or something.

 

[Robert T. Paige]

Insomnia. Listen to the radio. Moderate stuff overnight - well, here in the UK now anyway. Nothing, however, to help those in 1912, or even in WW2. You just lay awake and fretted. Nobody wants to be unable to sleep, even if they believe it is time wasted. You just stay awake and do whatever it takes.

If you wanted to listen to the radio, you would have to be very good at Morse Code. LOL

The only thing you could hear would be "Spark's" Bride and/or Phillips sending on the Marconi and they could send and receive very fast.But I doubt if any passengers even had even a crystal set and you would certainly would need to string a long antenna for that. No...."listening to the radio " wouldn't have been an option - No radios in 1912 other than the Marconi.

There was one of those TV specials . I believe it was on the Britannic story.
The spy had a receiver hidden in a book, no less ! Ridiculous ! Rates a big "ROFLOL".

 

[Robert T. Paige]

Kritina,

If a passenger could not sleep they could walk out on the decks and look up at the stars in the sky for a bit and enjoy the scenery and relax with that. Did the passenger bring any reading material to read? If they did, they could read. I do believe the Titanic was equipped with a library, so the passenger could read something from Titanic's library.

Teri

Better dress warmly if you wanted to walk out on the deck.
I thought they turned off all the lights in the public rooms such as the library, so you would have to read in your own cabin.

 

[Robert T. Paige]

>>>>>.If a passenger could not sleep they could walk out on the decks and look up at the stars in the sky for a bit and enjoy the scenery and relax with that. <<<<<<<

Very interesting question by the OP. The quote above is an excellent answer and certainly what I would do if I could not sleep. Perhaps wander the corridors of the ship for a bit before going on to the top deck, find a cosy seat in a dark corner, curl-up in a warm blanket and watch the stars.

>>>>>Perhaps a steward or two posted here or there might greet the passenger and make a short statement to the effect that it is surprising to see him/her up at that hour and wouldn't he/she prefer to be asleep in their cabin? The steward might even propose fetching a glass of warm milk.<<<<<

Mm. I'd ask the steward to get me a glass of Irish Coffee. Of course, in those days they probably called it a Gloria or something.

If it was later during WWI, you couldn't get a hamburger.....Maybe you could get a Salisbury Steak sandwich.

 

[Cam Houseman]

This is a strictly hypothetical question, and it does get a little strange, so bear with me.

Imagine a passenger, who at 2 in the morning still can't sleep. They need something to do, but their options are limited. The smoking room is closed. The bar is closed. The A La Carte...ditto. So, what is an insomniac first class passenger to do?

Can they get a steward to bring them something? If they decide to go out on deck, what would they see?

And, off in the areas the passenger can't see, what is going on? I know that on the bridge, a watch is being maintained, and that in the wireless room, the handover of duties has just taken place. And down in the boiler rooms, all systems are go.

But what else is going on? What other members of the crew would be up on the overnight shift? What would they be doing?

And what about the second and third classes? If any of them got a case of the nighttime wanderings, would what they be up to?

Well, that's my whole question. Sorry if it's weird!

Kritina

I have insomnia myself. I'd wander all the decks bow to stern to tire myself out. thank god for clonidine, or I don't sleep

 

[Bo Bowman]

It's off-topic, but a spoonful or two of honey will overcome most cases of insomnia. It's a natural sedative, and better for you than clonidine.

On topic, I would assume that a steward is on duty at all times for this very type of situation. Ready to fetch a needed item, or direct the wandering insomniac somewhere. I wonder if the ship's library would have remained open for late-night readers, and there were plenty of discreet sitting areas for late-night reading or conversation. Elsewhere, in the working spaces, laundresses would be laundering and bakers would be baking. A ship at sea never really sleeps.