How's Your Recent Post Memory?

[Bo Bowman]

Mine's fair for a 70-year-old, which is pretty spotty. Recently someone mentioned that, if they were aboard Titanic as she sank, they would have coated themselves with grease in an effort to survive immersion in the cold water. That seemed a silly notion at first, but the more I considered it the more I thought I might use it in a fictional manuscript I'm working on. Should that happen, and if a publisher or agent is foolish enough to take on the manuscript, then I'd like to be able to give credit to the fellow whose idea I stole. BUT I CAN"T RECALL WHICH THREAD IT WAS, OR WHO MADE THE COMMENT. Okay, I can just picture 127 "It was me!" replies, so please - not everybody at once. But whose idea was that?

 

[Bob_Read]

A coating of grease will not provide thermal insulation. Channel swimmers use it to prevent skin chafing. Here’s a photo of one who didn’t use it.

 

[Mark Baber]

Why weren't people constructing rafts and such?

I am 58 years old. My love of all things Titanic began at about age 7. This question has perplexed me for over 50 years. When the boats were gone, the list was great, the head was well down, and it was obvious that the ship would founder, why weren't more men using doors, paneling, deck chairs...

www.encyclopedia-titanica.org

 

[Steven Christian]

A coating of grease will not provide thermal insulation. Channel swimmers use it to prevent skin chafing. Here’s a photo of one who didn’t use it.

I would disagree. Every little but would help. I've been diving for almost 50 years and been on quite a few dives where just wearing a pair of jeans and a long sleeve t-shirt was the difference between a chilly and a comfortable dive. Wet suits work by trapping a thin layer of water allowing your body to warm it up. Same principle applies.

 

[Steven Christian]

Mine's fair for a 70-year-old, which is pretty spotty. Recently someone mentioned that, if they were aboard Titanic as she sank, they would have coated themselves with grease in an effort to survive immersion in the cold water. That seemed a silly notion at first, but the more I considered it the more I thought I might use it in a fictional manuscript I'm working on. Should that happen, and if a publisher or agent is foolish enough to take on the manuscript, then I'd like to be able to give credit to the fellow whose idea I stole. BUT I CAN"T RECALL WHICH THREAD IT WAS, OR WHO MADE THE COMMENT. Okay, I can just picture 127 "It was me!" replies, so please - not everybody at once. But whose idea was that?

I guess that would be me. But without going back and looking I also stated there would have to be more to the process. As in tying the pants and sleeves and such to mitigate water infiltration. It was more of a thought experiment in keeping with the thread being discussed. Reality would be a different thing. Time, materials and would you be thinking clearly in that situation. But feel free to use the idea if you would like. No need to give me credit. I'm full of whacky ideas...like portable backpack sized weather ballons for escapeing high rise building fires like the tradgic event of 9-11. Fun to ponder but in reality?