Elleda Wilson: Did you know?
Apr. 13—A few Titanic factoids are in order, courtesy of the Maritime Herald.
The ship might not have sunk if they'd had binoculars in the crow's nest to be able to spot the iceberg earlier. The binoculars were locked in a cabinet, and the man with the key took it with him when he left the ship before she sailed from Southhampton, England.
A 30-second delay in the ship's communication system didn't help, either. By the time the message about spotting the iceberg reached the captain, it was too late to change course.
While it's true the ship's musicians played for hours and went down with the ship, it's also true that after the disaster, their families were billed for the uniforms the musicians were wearing at the time.
One of the four stacks on the ship was fake, only added to make the stacks appear symmetrical.
About 300 bodies were recovered, one of which was John Jacob Astor IV, who was on his honeymoon trip with his pregnant wife, Madeleine. It's estimated that 11 other couples were honeymooning as well.
Last but not least, scientists believe the Titanic was done in by an iceberg that started forming around 1,000 B.C. (Illustration: Willy Stöwer)
