I need some help

[Amanda Splichal]

I would greatly appreciate it if someone could help me out a little bit!! I am currently writing my final paper for an expository writing class. We just got done reading the book by Walter Lord, I was thinking about my paper being about all the misconceptions during the time of the sinking of the Titanic and after, especially the lies that were told to the media. Unfortunately am having some troubles finding some info! If anyone has any answers for me that would be so incredibly wonderful!!!
e-mail me at spackle40@hotmail.com
Thanks for the help!
Amanda

 

[Shelley Dziedzic]

Hi Amanda- this is a pretty big subject to tackle. The answers you need are sprinkled all over the board. The media frequently made up their own lies when info was scarce- worse than the National Inquirer today- or sensationalized the bits of news and interviews they could get. There weren't the lawsuits and fear of legal reprisals like we see today- and folks were truly naive and gullible. Without TV or radio, newspapers were the main source for news.The first big blooper was the headline saying All Saved-Titanic towed to Halifax- this may have been crossed information which was misinterpreted in the radio signals. The White Star Line was playing for time too before releasing the bad news. P.S. Franklin had some time to formulate the course of action to take before it hit the papers in New York. Probably the most famous interview was Harold Bride's. Many of the memorial issues in hardcover feature highly sensational accounts by survivors- some which were embellished after the fact. Good luck on your paper.

 

[Tracy Smith]

Don't forget about Ernest Gill's interview. He sold his captain down the river for $500.

 

[Christine Geyer]

Hi Amanda !

Like Shelley already said there's sooo much to tell about Titanics story. Different books tell different versions and journalists, especially in 1912, made the story somewhat more upsetting and spectacular than it already was. Some of the rumours that were afloat are still taken serious today. Some of the secrets of the Titanic are never gonna be recovered.

Walter Lord has written two books about Titanic, "A night to remember" and later "The night lives on". Both are highly recommended and appreciated because he has talked personally to many many of the survivours and the informations come first hand.

To compare the facts that you have used in your papers you could have a look at:

http://www.rmstitanic.co.uk/

There you'll find the course of events partioned in chapters. If you want to go deeper into history you could have a look at

http://www.titanicinquiry.org

which contains the complete content of the british as well as of the american inquiries that were held right after the disaster happened.

Hope this could help you a little.
Good luck and many regards

Christine

 

[Dan Cherry]

Amanda,
if your local library has David G. Brown's "The Last Log of Titanic", I recommend it highly! He delves into a lot of stories about Titanic's last hours and explains why some things couldn't have happened the way they've been told over the years. He is an experienced captain with knowledge of ship's workings. He lurks around the boards here now and then. His book impressed me, and I am difficult to impress!

Regards,
Dan