ITS STORY AND ITS LESSONS
BY
LAWRENCE BEESLEY
B. A. (Cantab.)
Scholar of Gonville and Caius College
ONE OF THE SURVIVORS
The circumstances in which this book came to be written are asfollows. Some five weeks after the survivors from the Titanic landedin New York, I was the guest at luncheon of Hon. Samuel J. Elder andHon. Charles T. Gallagher, both well-known lawyers in Boston. Afterluncheon I was asked to relate to those present the experiences of thesurvivors in leaving the Titanic and reaching the Carpathia.
When I had done so, Mr. Robert Lincoln O'Brien, the editor of theBoston Herald, urged me as a matter of public interest to writea correct history of the Titanic disaster, his reason being that heknew several publications were in preparation by people who had notbeen present at the disaster, but from newspaper accounts were piecingtogether a description of it. He said that these publications wouldprobably be erroneous, full of highly coloured details, and generallycalculated to disturb public thought on the matter. He was supportedin his request by all present, and under this general pressure Iaccompanied him to Messrs. Houghton Mifflin Company, where wediscussed the question of publication.
Messrs. Houghton Mifflin Company took at that time exactly the sameview that I did, that it was probably not advisable to put on recordthe incidents connected with the Titanic's sinking: it seemed betterto forget details as rapidly as possible.
However, we decided to take a few days to think about it. At our nextmeeting we found ourselves in agreement again,—but this time on thecommon ground that it would probably be a wise thing to write ahistory of the Titanic disaster as correctly as possible. I wassupported in this decision by the fact that a short account, which Iwrote at intervals on board the Carpathia, in the hope that it wouldcalm public opinion by stating the truth of what happened as nearly asI could recollect it, appeared in all the American, English, andColonial papers and had exactly the effect it was intended to have.This encourages me to hope that the effect of this work will be thesame.
Another matter aided me in coming to a decision,—the duty that we, assurvivors of the disaster, owe to those who went down with the ship,to see that the reforms so urgently needed are not allowed to beforgotten.
Whoever reads the account of the cries that came to us afloat on thesea from those sinking in the ice-cold water must remember that theywere addressed to him just as much as to those who heard them, andthat the duty, of seeing that reforms are carried out devolves onevery one who knows that such cries were heard in utter helplessnessthe night the Titanic sank.
CONTENTS
I. CONSTRUCTION AND PREPARATIONS FOR THE FIRST VOYAGE
II. FROM SOUTHAMPTON TO THE NIGHT OF THE COLLISION
III. THE COLLISION AND EMBARKATION IN LIFEBOATS
IV. THE SINKING OF THE TITANIC, SEEN FROM A LIFEBOAT
V. THE RESCUE
VI. THE SINKING OF THE TITANIC, SEEN FROM HER DECK
VII. THE CARPATHIA'S RETURN TO NEW YORK
VIII. THE LESSONS TAUGHT BY THE LOSS OF THE TITANIC
IX. BU KİTABI OKUMAK İÇİN ÜYE OLUN VEYA GİRİŞ YAPIN!
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