Californian Crew

[Inger Sheil]

While sticking my nose into the Californian's Crew Agreements today, I was reminded of a previous thread about stewardesses on the ship. It seems that the 'fatal' voyage (the one coinciding with the Titanic disaster) was one of the few in which there was not a stewardess aboard. Both before and after that April, a single stewardess appears in the agreements for each voyage (imagine being the only female crew member).

21.1.1912 - 30.3.1912 F A Foster, Age 41 of London. Previous ship the 'Antillian'.

18.5.1912 - 21.6.1912 Lily Bruce, Age 36 of 26 Hansweel St. Anfield. Previous ship the 'Cestrian'.

4.7.1912 - 10.9.1912 B A Bibley, Age 26 of 12 Margaret Street Walton. Previous ship the 'Bohemian'.

Another fairly random observation - Stone only joined the previous voyage, his previous ship being listed as the 'Yucatan'.

I also wonder how much pleasure Lord derived from writing the following in the Official Log on April 27, 1912:

E Gill (Fman) absent from ship since the night of April 25th is herewith proclaimed a deserter. HM Consul and local authorities notified in writing.

The wages owing to him were calculated thus:

22 days at £5.10 per month = £4.0.8
Tobacco = 3.0
Balance Due = £3.17.8

An A. Roberts was signed on as a substitute.

 

[John G. Moran IV]

Fellow Titanic Parties,

Syracuse University Orangemen are playing the Virginia Tech Hokies in a football game at 7:00
east coast time, USA.
Last year, Virginia Tech defeated Syracuse 62-0.
This was the worst defeat for Syracuse since 1912 when they lost to Princeton 62-0.
Poor Captain Smith was 62.
Now, in a civil war vernacular it was 87 years previous that the Titanic sank from 1999.. Remember , Gettysburg, four score and seven years ago...
Are you following the communication Yoshii.
Best regards,

John
The Syracuse scores can be confirmed on Yahoo sports at this moment.

 

[John G. Moran IV]

I still enjoy the keys to the city as "88" on a piano.

John

 

[Inger Sheil]

John -

Could you possibly keep your posts relevant to the thread at hand? As entertaining as sports scores are - and the conclusions you draw from them - your posts above have nothing to do with this thread's topic.

Unless, that is, you count the fact that there are quite a few numbers in the first post of the thread.

Inger

 

[John G. Moran IV]

Inger,

The Californian had the ability to accomodate 74 passengers. There were no passengers on the Californian on this trip where the response was zero as to an assist.

John

 

[Inger Sheil]

DONK.

Head collides with desk.

Yes, John, I know there were no passengers on the trip coinciding with the Titanic disaster. As observations go, your post was a bit of a non sequiter...but at least it's vaguely in keeping with the thread.

Thank you for yet more interesting statistics.

Inger

 

[John G. Moran IV]

Inger,
stewardesses aboard are a statistic.
John

 

[Michael H. Standart]

Huh? John, with all due respect, you're beginnig to sound like Loius Farrakahn with all these numbers and contrived connections. What's the deal here?

Inger, don't bang your head on the desk! We need your brains in working order. Come to think of it, so do you. ;-)

Getting on topic, I don't think Captain Lord missed Gill at all. Don't think I would have either. Something about the tone and character of his testimony doesn't leave me with the impression that he was the most streight up guy on the planet.

A little aside, Could you explain the old British monetary systemn to me? As used to streightforward dollars and cents as I am, all these pounds, shillings, farthings and pence are throwing me for a loop.

Cordially,
Michael H. Standart

 

[Maureen Zottoli]

Inger, you are truly great...Donk! I loved it. And had had the same feeling as I read the great and wonderful JMIV, but must agree with Michael please do not bruise the brains for we need them here.

I am not sure in total on this but it seems to me that the man named Gill was posted as a deserter but was found to have actually received a supoena to testify in the US Courts and that is why he did not show up for the sailing date of the Californian. The desertion was then dropped. But you are far more knowledgeable in this stuff Inger than I.
Maureen.

 

[Geoff Whitfield]

Michael,
The old Pound Sterling was just so simple that it was small wonder the British strove to keep it back in 1971 when we were overtaken with all this decimalization stuff!
You simply had to keep in your head that:
Twenty Shilling makes One Pound
Twenty One Shillings makes One Guinea
Twelve Pennies makes One Shilling
Two Hundred and Forty Pence makes One Pound
Twenty Four Pennies makes One Florin
Twenty Six and One Half Pence makes One Half Crown
Four Farthings makes One Penny
Two Halfpennies makes One Penny
Six Pennies makes One Sixpence
Three Pennies makes One Thruppeny Piece
Noiw Michael, just keep repeating it to yourself a few times and you'll end as as confused as everybody else was!
Best wishes
Geoff

 

[Inger Sheil]

Maureen -

It seems Gill hadn't opted to make his whereabouts known to his Captain...for fairly obvious reasons He didn't testify until the 26th, the day before Lord's log entry. One would have assumed that Lord would have been made aware of the Subpoena, but perhaps not. Gill had already told his story to The Boston American on the afternoon/evening of the 24th April. The story broke on the 25th, and Lord was confronted by a Boston Post reporter that morning, with a copy of Gill's affidavit.

However, I'd say there's little doubt that Lord knew that Gill had been called as a witness. After Gill's testimony on the 26th, a recess was called at 1.20 pm. The committee met again at 3.00pm, to take the testimony of Captain Lord.

It was the following day that Lord pronounced Gill a deserter.

Thanks to everyone for their concern over my gray matter, but really...a good kadonk sometimes reorders the disorder (and leaves me momentarily dazed so I don't post the very first thing that comes into my head. And thank you, Geoff, for finally explaining the old monetary system to me

Ing

 

[Michael H. Standart]

Thanks Geoff...I'll repeat it over and over and over and over...oh hell, where's my sword? I need to do the old Roman thing and fall on it to end my suffering! ;-)

Seriously Geoff, thanks.

Inger, try a pillow on your favorite DONK spot. There's no sense in contributing to your physicians income until your very old, grey haired, and had time to spoil a grandchild or two. I understand your exasperation though. I really do.

Cordially,
Michael H. Standart

 

[Mike Herbold]

Let me see if I've got this straight, Geoff, before I try out for the fastest fingers section of MGY-On-Air:

Farthing = .25p
Half Penny = .5p
Penny = 1p
Thruppeny Piece = 3p
Six Pence = 6p
Shilling = 12p
Florin = 24p
Half Crown = 26.5p
Crown (assume there was one) = 53p
Pound = 240p
Guinea = 252p

Now if you can just teach us how to make the L pound sign on our American keyboards and explain which coins had a d after them, we'll be happy to revert to colonial status.
Thanks very much for the help. Keep the change.

 

[Geoff Whitfield]

Mike, Yes, yes, you're getting there! All the pre-decimal coins were followed by a "d" they are now followed by a "p"! What's this - no £ signs on American keyboards?? Someone is obviously more in the know than others that the £ is likely to become an E (for Euro.) I think it's all a fiendish British plot to short change the American tourists!

Geoff

 

[Senan Molony]

Mike wrote:

"Let me see if I've got this straight, Geoff, before I try out for the fastest fingers section of MGY-On-Air:

Farthing = .25p
Half Penny = .5p
Penny = 1p
Thruppeny Piece = 3p
Six Pence = 6p
Shilling = 12p
Florin = 24p
Half Crown = 26.5p
Crown (assume there was one) = 53p
Pound = 240p
Guinea = 252p"

Mike, as the lazy compere of MGY-on-air, might I be allowed to patiently explain how things currently stand? (Please send me some dollars when I've finished...!)

Shilling = 5p (post decimalisation)
Florin = 10p (Yes we still use 'em)
Penny = 1p (you're right!)
Halfpenny = .5p (right again! except they no longer exist, thus, real value: 0p)
Thruppeny = now 2.5p (theoretically... except no longer legal tender)
Farthing = one forty-eighth of five pence, which is er... 0.1041666 recurring. Just over a tenth of one "new" penny, in other words (but has actually been abolished. Why did they go and do that, then?)
Guinea = one pound and five pence; OR, ALTERNATIVELY, one pound and eight and one-third pence, depending whether you are buying bloodstock or not.
Pound = 100p
Half Crown = now solely something that Jack fell down and broke to get some change. DONK! went Jack. And Ing came tumbling after.
Although now confined to the world of the fairytale, it can be assumed that the Half Crown was the very large and well-built cousin that the Florin brothers would call on anytime they were threatened with a scrap down at the Grapes pub - such as if Sven and Erik turned nasty after losing a 1912 poker pot on dockside, which brings us back to the Titanic and a mound of confusing change. Mr Half Crown would then proceed to empty the Full House in a rather convincing way. Or so I'm told.
But I now have a statistical/monetary-values question in return for our American friends:-

How much is one-IVth of a John Moran? Is it the full shilling?
Or am I thinking of Susan B. Anthony?