>>In Mrs. Ryerson's affidavit, she stated that she heard people overhead, which is most likely the First Class Entrance.<<
Actually, Shane, there were no 1st-Class cabins under the staircases. There were a few, however,
near the staircases. If they heard people overhead, it wouldn't have been from the staircases; those overhead sounds could have come, then, from two places: (1) corridors or rooms on the deck directly above, or (2) from the
A-Deck promenade. Remember that
B-Deck cabins came right to the hull (except at the extreme forward part of the deck, forward of the grand staircase), which means that the outside B-Deck cabins would have, at least partially, fallen directly under the
A-Deck promenade, on which people were moving all the time. This could account for the "overhead sounds." In this case, the Ryerson's could have occupied
any outside cabin on B-Deck (except at the forward end, and we know they weren't there), not necessarily one near a staircase.
>>Some of the rooms suggested are to far forward so something closer to the expansion joint would be more likely. So,B-81, B-83, and B-79 are the cabins concluded.<<
What does this have to do with "overhead sounds"? These sounds could have come, as stated, from
anywhere above, not just near an expansion joint.
Of course, I think this is your reasoning: the Ryersons heard 'incessant bustling,' which would put them near a staircase. Since B-57 through -63 were too far forward and not close enough to the forward grand staircase, and, for some reason that you think, noise is somehow amplified near an expansion joint, then the Ryersons' cabin(s) must have been near the aft grand staircase, putting them in the higher-numbered cabins.
For the reasons stated in my first two paragraphs above, this was not, nor could not have necessarily been, the case. There is no reason or proof that noise is amplified near an expansion joint. Further, the terms "overhead sounds" as used in the affidavit do not suggest
amplified sounds--just sounds! Since the A-Deck promenade would no doubt have had constant movement traversing them on both sides of the ship, it would be easy to hear such sounds in
any given outside cabin along B-Deck (except, as stated, those forward).
Besides, Mrs. Ryerson, an adult and most likely an intelligent woman, would have known the cabin(s) in which her family were occupants, so have some faith in an eyewitness account. According to your words...
"...57, 59 and 61 were the cabins assumed to be the Ryersons'due to the fact that these deduced from her affidavit..."
...Mrs. Ryerson claimed they were in B-57 through -61 (-63?). These cabins were on the outside, right under the starboard A-Deck promenade, from which they would have heard "overhead sounds," so there's no reason to
assume that Ryerson was 'mistaken.' She had to have known. There is nothing in her testimony that would have suggested that she was wrong (Of course, I haven't read her entire testimony; I am merely going by what you have asserted she had said).
Nice try, Shane, I don't mean to put a damper on your efforts, but keep working at it . . .
