The Mathews journal. (Mathews C.H. [Court House]) 1903-1937, 1912-04-25
TITANIC WAS A
FLOATING PALACE

The Titanic left southampton last
wednesday ON her maiden voyage for
New York. She had then 1900 pas
SengerS. BIS of them in the first cabin.
She had trouble at the start because
OF her great suction. As she was leaV-
ing her pier there was a sound as if
of a mountain battery being discharg-
ed. and a rush OF passengers to the
port rail followed.
AS the big 4O.OOO-ton steamship
passed out into the stream she had
sucked the water between herself and
the quay TO such an extent that seven
huge hawsers with which the Ameri-
can liner New York was moored had
snapped and the New York was drift
ing helplessly, stern first, toward the
Titanic.
The biggest vessel afloat reversed
her engines and in a few minutes her
headway was stopped and tugs that
had rushed to the New York pre-
vented a bad smash between the liners.
Larger Than Olympic.
The Titanic was the largest ship
aloat. She was nearly 1000 tons
greater than her sister ship, the Olym-
pic. and. like her, was 100 feet higher
than their next rivals. She was $50
IL feet long. go 1-2 feet in the beam
and 81 feet deep. She was Of 1928
tons register and had a displacement
OF $4,000 tons. She was more than
5000 tons bigger than a battleship
twice as big as the great dreadnOught
Delaware. and her estimated cost was
$1O,0OO,00O. At the same time, she
was a floating marvel OF luxury and
carried literally a Iownful Of people.
The Titanic was fifteen stories high.
The floors were named the bottom,
double bottom, bed plates, lower or
Top, orlop. lower, middle, main. saloon,
upper, promenade, boat and sun decks
and extra compass platform. She had
-FOUR forwards and the height from
the keel 10 the top OF the tunnels was
rs feet. or not much less than the
Baltimore and Ohio Central Building
here.
Titanic Statistics.
The following applies not only TO the
Titanic, but 20 the sister ship, Olym-
pic. which has been in service nearly
a year:
Feet. Inches
Breadth over all. ...... 50 9
Tonnage, registered, $4,000; ton
mage, displacement, $4,000; engines
combination turbine and reciprocal
ing; anchors. each, - 4 tons; anchor
cable links each. 175 pounds; rudder,
100 tons; riVets used. 100000
weighing 1900 tons; wing propellors.
each, 50 tons; center propeller. -
tons sidelights IN each ship. 2.20O.
Feet. Inches
Breadth over boat deck. "a 0
Keel 10 boat deck. %
Height from bottom of
Keel TO top Of captains
house .......... 105
Height of tunnels above
casing ............ ~ 0
Height Of tunnels above
boat deck ...... 81 6
Distance from top of fun
nels TO keel. 0
Number of steel decks. . Il
Number of water-tight bulk
neads ................ i
Passengers carried $500
Grew NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. 500
The largest plates employed in the
hull were SO feet long, weighing y
tons each, and the largest steel beam
used was 80 feet long, the weight OF
this double beam being tons. The
rudder, which was operated electri-
cally, weighed 100 tons, the anchors
is p tons each, the center (turbine)
propeller % tons, and each of the
two wing propellerS SIS tons each
The after "boss-arms," from which
were suspended the three propeller
shafts, tipped the scales at 1914 tons
each, and the forward ''boss-arms'' a
45 tons. Each link in the anchor
chains weighed IFS pounds. In eacl
ship there We're more than 1000 sid,
lights and windows to light the pub
lie rooms and passenger cabins.
Would Carry $500 Passengers.
With officers and crew numbering
500, the Titanic was capable of carry
Ing $500 passengerS-cabin anC
steerage. She was built to be tn,
last word in size, speed, power anC
sea luxury, and il would take a power.
1ul imagination to conceive the mag.
nificence and detail for comfort anC
luxury and pastime on the great ship
Its interior more closely reSembled {
huge hotel, with heavy balustradeC
wide stairways, elevators, running VI
and down for nine stories; its great
saloons and restaurants, its miniature
fheater, squash and tennis courts
swimming pools and Turkish bath.
roomSs its great SIN oking room, caro-
rooms and beautiful music rooms. anC
even on the top of its twelve decks 9
mini1ture golf links.
In Command of Admiral Smith.
Captain Z. J. Smith, her command.
er, the admiral of the White Stal
fleet, was in command Of her sister
maiden voyage to New York and also
when she cOllided with British
cruiser Hawke in the Solent last Sep.
TENDER.
The other officers Of the Titanic
were:
Surgeon. w. r. n. OLoughHn; AS
1 PSTseT sgrse % McEi r. simpson gso6d
Purser, r. L. Brocker; Chief Stew
ard, A Latimer.
The Titanic was launched at Bel
fast May 31st, last year. J. Pierpont
Morgan, who was the guest of Lord
Pirrie, chairman and managing d.
rector OF the White Star line. and j.
Bruce Ismay, chairman OF the Inter
national Mercantile Marine Company.
witnessed the launching. Enthusiastic
crowds lining the banks OF the river