Did Jack Thayer jump before or after the forward funnel fell?

RmS_TItAnIc

RmS_TItAnIc

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Jack Thayer jumped from the ship at 2:15, that is also the same time the first funnel fell. Jack said he heard a deep below within the ship and that it sounded like breaking china. That is what other survivors said the first funnel sounded like when it fell. But Thayer never specifically said that he saw the funnel fall. Anybody want to add?
 
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He was probably fixated on looking at the water below. After his friend went over the side and he knew he was going in too, that was probably what he was zeroed in on. Maybe the noise from the funnel helped make up his mind that now is the time to go. But unless he said differently somewhere else that I haven't read then it's just guessing. But that's a good question because I don't remember what he said if the lights were off when he jumped or not. That might help with the exact timeline they tripped for good for those interested in it.
 
Jack Thayer jumped from the ship at 2:15, that is also the same time the first funnel fell.
IMO, Jack Thayer and Milton Long jumped about a minute and a half before the first funnel fell. He would have jumped - as you said - around 02:15 am, probably seconds before the Titanic lost its longitudinal stability and took that 'lurch' downwards at the bow, that resulted in that 'wave'. Thereafter the superstructure started to flood and it was soon after that the first funnel fell - as far as I am able to make out.
 
Jack Thayer jumped from the ship at 2:15, that is also the same time the first funnel fell. Jack said he heard a deep below within the ship and that it sounded like breaking china. That is what other survivors said the first funnel sounded like when it fell. But Thayer never specifically said that he saw the funnel fall. Anybody want to add?
In Jack Thayer's "Survivor's Account" he says;

"The ship was in front of me, 40 yards away. How long I had been swimming under water, I don’t know. Perhaps a minute or less. Incidentally, my watch stopped at 2:22 am."

He seemed to believe he had not been swimming away from the ship for long after he jumped into the water. If his watch stopped at 2:22am when he entered the water that does not coincide well with a jump much earlier than this time.

In the next line Jack says;

"The ship seemed to be surrounded with a glare and stood out of the night as though she were on fire."

I take this to mean the lights were still on after he had entered the water.

In this last line of interest he says:

"She continued to make the same forward progress as when I left her. The water was over the base of the first funnel."

I hope this information will help.
 
In Jack Thayer's "Survivor's Account" he says; "She continued to make the same forward progress as when I left her. The water was over the base of the first funnel."

That's relevant IMO. Of course, the Titanic wasn't making any 'forward progress' but the wave washing towards the stern might have created that momentary illusion in Jack Thayer's mind. That is the reason I felt that he must have jumped only seconds before the 'wave' struck and that the first funnel was still in its place at the time.
 
Jack Thayer jumped from the ship at 2:15, that is also the same time the first funnel fell. Jack said he heard a deep below within the ship and that it sounded like breaking china. That is what other survivors said the first funnel sounded like when it fell.

Do you know which survivors said so?
 
IMO, Jack Thayer and Milton Long jumped about a minute and a half before the first funnel fell. He would have jumped - as you said - around 02:15 am, probably seconds before the Titanic lost its longitudinal stability and took that 'lurch' downwards at the bow, that resulted in that 'wave'. Thereafter the superstructure started to flood and it was soon after that the first funnel fell - as far as I am able to make out.
If he jumped about a minute and a half before it fell, then it would not have been 2:15
 
In Jack Thayer's "Survivor's Account" he says;

"The ship was in front of me, 40 yards away. How long I had been swimming under water, I don’t know. Perhaps a minute or less. Incidentally, my watch stopped at 2:22 am."

He seemed to believe he had not been swimming away from the ship for long after he jumped into the water. If his watch stopped at 2:22am when he entered the water that does not coincide well with a jump much earlier than this time.

In the next line Jack says;

"The ship seemed to be surrounded with a glare and stood out of the night as though she were on fire."

I take this to mean the lights were still on after he had entered the water.

In this last line of interest he says:

"She continued to make the same forward progress as when I left her. The water was over the base of the first funnel."

I hope this information will help.
Mt theory is, Thayer Jumps in near or the exact time the forward funnel falls, since he is on the starboard side the flooding does not look as bad as on port. When he jumped he soon got sucked down by water entering the lower deck and when he comes up a minute or so later, the lights has turned off and the ship was about to snap because the line he said after "The water was over the base of the first funnel" was the line "All of the sudden the superstructure of the ship seemed to snap. Or it could be the case his watch was set up wrong because it stopped at 2:22 and he said the iceberg hit at 12:45 opposed to 12:40
 
Jack Thayer jumped from the ship at 2:15, that is also the same time the first funnel fell. Jack said he heard a deep below within the ship and that it sounded like breaking china. That is what other survivors said the first funnel sounded like when it fell. But Thayer never specifically said that he saw the funnel fall. Anybody want to add?
he jumped off to the starboard side, and watched the Second Funnel fall to starboard.
 
Thayer said that the water was just over the base of the first funnel when he left the ship. If that was indeed the case, it must have been still in place when he jumped. About a minute or so later, the bow had dipped even further, resulting in the stays giving way and the funnel falling.
 
Thayer said that the water was just over the base of the first funnel when he left the ship. If that was indeed the case, it must have been still in place when he jumped. About a minute or so later, the bow had dipped even further, resulting in the stays giving way and the funnel falling.
why would the ship dipping result in the funnel stays snapping?
 
why would the ship dipping result in the funnel stays snapping?
Gravity, I guess. My conjecture is that the combination of the dipping bow and port list would have put stress on the rear and starboard stays of the funnel. Then when the Titanic lost its longitudinal stability and gave that forward and downward 'lurch', the stays might have started to give way.
 
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Gravity, I guess. My conjecture is that the combination of the dipping bow and port list would have put stress on the rear and starboard stays of the funnel. Then when the Titanic lost its longitudinal stability and gave that forward and downward 'lurch', the stays might have started to give way.
That would be my guess also. As good as they are cables can only do so much. I've seen them snap before. They might have been undersized to begin with for what they were subjected to. But maybe not as I never read anything about problems on the Olympic.
 
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Gravity, I guess. My conjecture is that the combination of the dipping bow and port list would have put stress on the rear and starboard stays of the funnel. Then when the Titanic lost its longitudinal stability and gave that forward and downward 'lurch', the stays might have started to give way.
ohhhh ok, sounds plausible to me. Good work Arun and Steven.
 
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