• Dedication
  
• B2T News
  
• Titanic Links
  
• Timeline
  
• Poem - A New Life
  
• Hired in Haste – The Alice Cleaver Story
  
• Graphics
  
• Thank You

DEDICATION

This issue of Making Waves is dedicated to the 2200 people whose lives were changed by the tragic disaster that took place in the early morning of April 15, 1912. This issue is not only dedicated to the passengers but to the families and loved ones whom were also affected by the tragedy.

Sometime during your day – please take a moment to stop and remember what happened on this day 89 years ago.

B2T NEWS

Back to Titanic, at long last, is proud to present its History section. Within you will find biographies of some of Titanic's famous passengers, a full list of her passengers, an inventory of the cargo, names and lifeboats boarded by each survivor, a timeline of her sinking, the transcript of Bruce Ismay's testimony, the launch order of the lifeboats, and there is more to come!

Also, our image gallery will be getting a new edition from The Official Copal Website's archive. Over 200 images will be added to the "real" section of Back to Titanic's Image Gallery.

TITANIC LINKS

Today please take a moment to visit some of these sites that are dedicated to the RMS Titanic.

Fan Sites:

Titanic: Collide With History
(http://members.tripod.com/~rhazz/index.html)

This site has a vast resource of Titanic information. If you are looking to find information on Titanic's history, myths, passengers, crew or just see some rare photographs this is a great place to start. This site is also host to a discussion list that is still running.

Encyclopedia Titanica (http://www.encyclopediatitanica.com)

This site is the best resource of Titanic information on the internet. This site hosts biographies to all passengers and crew members that were on board the ship, as well as pictures for many of those passengers. Also worth visiting here is the article archive, active messageboards, as well as the photo gallery. It would take many days to read all the information here.

Societies:

The Titanic Historical Society (http://www.titanic1.org)

This Titanic Society is the most notorious in the United States. A convention is held about once a year somewhere that has a historical meaning with the Titanic. Also with your membership you will receive a quarterly newsletter. The prices of the membership vary so check the site for prices.

The Ulster Titanic Society (http://www.nireland.com/uts)

This Titanic Society is founded where the Titanic was built – in Belfast. This group also hosts a convention about once a year and often other gatherings throughout the year (dinners and the like). The prices of this membership vary so please check the site.

TIMELINE

March 29, 1912 - Belfast -- Trials begin, these will continue daily until April 3rd.

April 3, 1912 - Titanic sets sail for Southampton to pick up remaining crew, and prepare for her departure April 10, 1912. Titanic docks in White Star Line's berth 44.

April 9, 1912 - Titanic's final day in Southampton. One of the few photographs of Smith on the Titanic was taken this day.

April 10, 1912 - Southampton

7:30 AM Captain E J Smith boards, went through the paperwork to declare the RMS Titanic an Emigrant ship.

8:00 AM - Blue Ensign Warrant flag, and a White Star Flag were hoisted. Morning - Lifeboats 11 & 15 were lowered, rowed around the dock, and hoisted back onto the ship.

Coal Bunker #10 was noted as to having a fire in it, although this was not reported to the Board of Trade.

12:00 PM - Captian Smith ordered the whistles to be blown. Blue Peter (the flag that told merchants the ship was departing and to collect any debts) was hoisted to the foremast and the whistles roared twice more. Threes blasts, the signal of departure.

As she passed down the River Test towards the Nab Light Vessel the water displaced by her huge hull raised the volume of water under the New York, moored at Berth 38 just outboard of the Oceanic. New York raised with the water and her ropes went slack. As Titanic passed by the water dropped from under her and her hawsers snapped with a noise like gunshots and her stern started to swing towards Titanic, drawn to her by the suction.

Captain Gale of the tug Vulcan saw what was happening and heard someone shout for him to push New York away. Realizing this was impossible he sent a line to the New York's port quarter and, when that one parted, sent another which held.

While Vulcan was getting her line aboard New York, Captain Smith and Pilot Bowyer had given the order of full astern and Titanic came to a stop then started backing slightly passing the New York's stern. Additional tugs were attaching to the New York by now and she was moved to another mooring spot and Titanic was again on her way.

After making the "S" turn at Calshot Spit and clearing the Bramble she picked up speed again then slowed near the Nab Light Vessel so Pilot Bowyer could be dropped off. She then was ordered ahead, the American flag at her foremast indicating her destination, and stated the 67 mile crossing to Cherbourg France, her first destination.

6:30 PM - Dropped anchor at Cherbourg, and awaited the tenders, Nomadic and Traffic.

8:00 PM - The tenders were away and the anchor was being raised. Ten minutes later she was outward bound, her next stop Queenstown, County Cork, Ireland.

April 11, 1912 - Queenstown

11:30 AM - The anchors were dropped in Queenstown. Some passengers debarked here, including Francis M. Brown, whom took many of the remaining pictures of the Titanic, including the last one of her ever intact. Also here is where the fireman climbed up into the fourth smokestack and waved good-bye as the land departed from view. This was taken as a bad omen by many.

1:30 PM: Titanic hauled the anchor up once again, and left for New York.

April 12, 1912 - Between noon Friday and noon Saturday Titanic covered 519 miles.

April 13, 1912, Saturday - The coal fire that had been in coal bunker 10 was extinguished.

April 14, 1912 - At Sea, her final day

6:00 PM - Charles Herbert Lightoller relieved Chief Office Wilde on the bridge placing him in command of her.

7:15 PM - First Officer Murdoch ordered Lamp Trimmer Samuel Hemming to close the forward forecastle hatch and skylight to prevent the light from interfering with the lookout's vision.

7:30 PM - A wireless from the Californian from Antillian was intercepted by her wireless operator and delivered to the bridge. It warned of three large icebergs 5 miles to the south of Titanic. Lightoller took a stellar sighting and gave the information to Boxhall to plot on the chart.

8:55 PM - Captain Smith left the party he was attending and went to the bridge. He discussed the weather and how calm the sea was with Lightoller.

9:20 PM - Captain Smith went to his cabin leaving word that he should be called "if it becomes the least doubtful".

9:30 PM - Lightoller tells the lookouts to "keep a sharp lookout for ice" and in particular "small ice and growlers" till daylight.

9:40 PM - A wireless comes in from the Mesaba warning of heavy pack ice, large icebergs and field ice. Jack Phillips was alone in the wireless room as Harold Bride was taking a nap. Phillips, busy with traffic for Cape Race, sets the message aside for later delivery to the bridge and it is forgotten.

10:00 PM - Lightoller was relieved by Murdoch. They discussed the evening and Lightoller gave Murdoch the pertinent information that was required when the watch is handed over to another officer and went off to do his rounds of the ship.

At the same time the lookouts, Symons and Jewell, were relieved by Fredrick Fleet and Reginald Lee. Lightoller's orders about ice were passed along to them.

10:50 PM - The Californian's wireless man, Cyril Evans, is told to notify ships in the area that the freighter was stopped in ice. The Captain, Stanley Lord does not tell him to send it "master to master" and Evans sends to Titanic that they are stopped and surrounded by ice. This was sent as a casual message to the Titanic's operator and Evans was rebuffed by him, "Shut up! I'm working Cape Race!"

On Titanic the night went on. Seven bells (11:30) sounded. It was just another routine night aboard ship.

11:40 PM - Fleet and Lee had noticed a slight haze ahead and a bit off either side of the ship around 11:30 and were watching it to see if there was something beyond it. They watched and waited. Fleet noticed something and rang the crow's nest bell three times and grabbed the telephone to the bridge. A voice answered, "Yes. What do you see?", "Iceberg right ahead!", "Thank you."

The men waited their nerves on edge. Why wasn't she turning? Then she started to turn to port and the berg glided past. There was little noise other than ice hitting the deck and they thought it had been a close call, neither one thought that Titanic was in trouble.

On the bridge the officers had been alerted by the sound of the three clangs of the crow's nest bell. Moody answered the phone and repeated the message to Murdoch "Iceberg right ahead". Murdoch rushed to the telegraphs pulling them around to full reverse and calling out to the quartermaster "Hard-a-starboard!" Robert Hitchens at the wheel spun it till it could turn no more and Murdoch rang the alarm bell and threw the lever that would close the watertight doors.

The iceberg bumped and scraped along the hull far below the waterline, about 12 feet above the keel. When it was all over Titanic was taking water in her first 6 compartments.

Smith came on the bridge and asked Murdoch what they had struck. Murdoch answered that it was an iceberg and that he had tried to "port around it". He also said he had closed the watertight doors. Smith asked if the alarm for the doors had been rung and Murdoch said it had.

Boxhall was then sent to inspect the ship and report damage. He saw none himself but was told by one of the Postal Clerks that water was coming in the lower mail sorting room on and they were moving the mail up to the deck above. On his way back to the bridge Boxhall had alerted Lightoller and Pitman and they now reported to the Captain. He then was told by Smith to work out their position and gave it to Smith who headed towards the wireless room. It was now a few seconds before midnight, April 14th 1912 was over.

April 15th, 1912 - North Atlantic

Latitude: 41 degrees 46 minutes north, Longitude: 50 degrees 14 minutes west.

12:00 AM - Thomas Andrews of Harland and Wolff is on the bridge and he and Smith take a fast tour of the ship's forward area. They are back on the bridge in 10 minutes.

12:10 AM - Smith asks how long and Andrews after some fast calculations tells him "An hour and a half. Possibly two. Not much longer." Smith orders the boats uncovered.

12:15 AM - Captain Smith walks into the wireless room and tells Phillips to send the call for assistance he hands him the paper with the position of the ship and returns to the bridge. The order has been given to get the passengers up and into lifebelts. Many, still confused as to why they have been awakened, line up at the purser's office to get their valuables. Most are still unaware of the urgency and make no preparations to leave the ship.

12:25 AM - Order has been passed to load the boats.

12:45 AM - Boat number 7, is the first to be lowered with 28 people in a boat designed for 65. The boat rows away from the ship and it's passengers sit there for the next 90 minutes watching Titanic sink.

In the third class dining room a number of people are praying, rosaries in their hands.

On the bridge Boxhall has Quartermaster Rowe start firing distress rockets which shoot up to a height of 800 feet and explode in a burst of 12 white stars. Boxhall also sees a ship approach head on with two masthead lights visible to his naked eye. He believes the ship to be a four masted steamer.

Lightoller lowers boat 4 to the promenade deck to load people through the windows there but the windows are closed. He sends a hand to open them and the group that has assembled there waits. The bulkhead between numbers 5 and 6 boiler rooms bursts and water rushes in. Engineer Harvey orders Leading Fireman Barrett up the escape ladder and turns to assist his friend Engineer Shepherd, the two are swallowed up by the water.

12:55 AM - Boat 6 portside is lowered. Margaret Brown is picked up and dropped into the descending boat. The passengers notice there is only one man present and call for more to aid in rowing. Major Arthur Peuchen is allowed by Lightoller to slide down the falls, the only man Lightoller will let in a boat this night. Boat 6 contains 28 passengers.

As boat 5 starts down Bruce Ismay stands by after helping load it telling the sailors to "Lower away! Lower away!" Officer Lowe tells him "You want me to lower away quickly? You'll have me drown the whole lot of them!" Ismay, now silent, stands back and keeps quiet.

Boat 3 is loaded by Murdoch and when there are no more women present men are allowed to get in. The boat leaves with 32 aboard, 11 of them crewmen. Murdoch is also in charge of Emergency Boat 1, forward, starboard. The boat holds 40, it leaves with 12. Seven of them are crew.

Other boats leave, more passengers in each than the ones before. People are starting to realize that the danger is real.

1:40 AM - Most of the boats forward have gone. Collapsible C has been put in the davits in place of the now departed number 1 and Chief Officer Wilde calls for woman and children, no one responds. Ismay and first class passenger Billy Carter (the owner of the Renault in forward hold #2) get into the boat and it is lowered. By now the list is pronounced enough that the boat has to be pushed away from the hull so the rivets will not tear the canvas that makes up it's sides.

1:55 AM - Lightoller returns to load boat 4 through the windows of the promenade deck. Again a boat is lowered with too few seamen and Quartermaster Perkins slides down the falls to help. Seven more men are pulled from the water, two die of exposure.

Collapsible D is now in the davits once occupied by boat 2. There are 1500 aboard and 47 seats in the boat. Lightoller has the men lock arms and form a circle around the boat allowing only women and children to pass. The boat starts to lower and two men jump into it from the deck below.

2:05 AM - Captain Smith goes to the wireless room and releases the operators from their duty. Phillips starts to gather their papers while Bride keeps working the key. Smith returns to his bridge to await his fate.

2:10 AM - Collapsible B is washed from the deck while the seamen are attempting to attach the davits. The men working on it including Lightoller find themselves in the water. The boat floats away upside down.

Father Thomas Byles hears confessions and recites the rosary with the faithful on the aft end of the boat deck.

The band, who have been playing ragtime and light music stop playing. Their leader, Wallace Hartley, starts what many believe to be the final tune of the evening, the hymn "Nearer My God To Thee" which he had always said he reserved for his funeral.

She sinks faster now. People are washed off the forward end of the boat deck, the bridge is submerging. The forward funnel snaps it's guy wires and crashes down crushing the starboard bridge wing and many of the swimmers in doing so. The stern rises from the water, the 1500 souls remaining move further and further aft.

There is a roar as everything not bolted down breaks free and rushes forward. The lights, kept alive by the engineers (all were lost), flicker once then go out for good. The second and third funnels break away.

More noises are heard and she breaks apart between the 3rd and 4th funnels the water filled bow section planes away underwater, the fourth funnel goes the way of the others and the stern settles back almost level then rises perpendicular and as at her launch, slowly at first, then with gathering momentum it slides beneath the surface.

2:20 AM - She is gone.

3:30 AM - The Titanic survivors adrift in the lifeboats, first saw Carpathia's Rockets.

4:10AM: Carpathia arrived at the site of the sinking, and began to take on survivors. Lifeboat 2 was the first to be picked up.

8:10AM: Lifeboat 12, the last one afloat, was picked up by the Carpathia.

8:30AM: The Californian arrived at the site.

8:50AM: Carpathia sets sail for New York, leaving the Californian to pick up the bodies.

HIRED IN HASTE – THE ALICE CLEAVER STORY

April 10, 1912: Mr. and Mrs. Hudson Allison, their two children, three servants and nurse Alice Cleaver board the Titanic in Southampton, England under ticket number 113781. Upon reaching New York, the party will only be four strong.

Thirty year-old self-made investment broker Hudson Allison had traveled to England in December of 1911 to purchase horses with his twenty-five year-old wife of four years, Bess. On this particular trip, they had brought along their two children, two year-old Loraine and eleven-month old Trevor. The family were to return to America aboard the Royal Mail Steamer Titanic, on which they had booked two adjoining First Class C-Deck staterooms. Mr. and Mrs. Hudson and their daughter were to share one of the rooms, while their baby son Trevor, maid Sarah Daniels and nurse Alice Cleaver were to occupy the other. Staying in Second Class were the two other servants, cook Mildred Brown and chauffeur George Swane.

Twenty-two at the time, Alice Catherine Cleaver was the daughter of postman Joseph Cleaver and Lavinia Alice Cleaver (nee Thomas). She was born on July 5, 1889 in Pancras, Kentish Town, London. Her childhood was spent at the family's home, 42 Marquis Road, Pancras. Miss Allison was still in her teens when she started working as a nursemaid to fashionable English families.

Alice Cleaver was the newest servant under the Allisons' employ. The family's trained nurse had quit at the last moment, leaving Mr. and Mrs. Hudson to hire Miss Cleaver in haste. Miss Cleaver, however, forgot to include an important factor in her application. Three years ago, she had allegedly been convicted for murdering the infant she had borne out of wedlock. Of course, there was no wonder Alice was nervous throughout the entire trip. Mrs. Allison had to repeat instructions several times, and often cared for the children herself.

What started out as a peaceful, uneventful trip for the Allisons turned into one of tragedy and intrigue when the ship encountered an iceberg in the North Atlantic. None of the party members were woke during the collision, however, upon the ship's engines stopping, maid Sarah Daniels began to sense that something was wrong. She immediately knocked on her employer's door, who assured Daniels that nothing was wrong. Miss Daniels was not convinced, and after dressing, she once again knocked on Mr. Allison's door. This time, an annoyed Mr. Allison told Daniels to go back to bed.

Daniels, returning to her cabin, found that her roommate, Alice Cleaver, was now awake, though reluctant to wake baby Trevor. Daniels left the cabin, hurrying down the corridor, where she bumped into a steward who began fastening her lifebelt, assuring her that he would warn the rest of her party. Daniels continued on her way to the Boat Deck, where she reluctantly took a seat in Lifeboat 8, after being told the boats were just a precaution.

Meanwhile, on C-Deck, Mr. Allison realized that something was indeed wrong. He left Mrs. Allison in the room to dress, while he went to investigate. Mrs. Allison, however, was too nervous to do much. Alice Cleaver helped her into her clothes and a fur coat.

A short time later, a steward ordered everyone onto the deck, causing both women to panic even more. Mrs. Allison was reluctant to leave the stateroom while she had no idea where her husband was. Alice Cleaver decided to take matters into her own hands, taking baby Trevor down the corridor before Mrs. Allison could stop her. Cleaver did not stop until she reached the Boat Deck, where Trevor was handed to Steward William Faulkner. Since he was holding the baby, he was able to take a seat in Lifeboat 11, with Alice and the family's cook, Mildred Brown, who had found her way to the same boat.

The Allison family spent the rest of their last night searching for Alice and their son. The couple, and their two year old daughter Loraine, perished. Loraine was the only child from First and Second Class to die.

On board the rescue ship Carpathia, Alice found that herself, baby Trevor, Sarah Daniels and Mildred Brown were the only survivors of the Allison party. Upon their arrival in New York, reporters saw Miss Cleaver as a great news story when they spotted her clutching Trevor. She gave newspapers the false name 'Jane', and she was hailed as a hero.

Trevor Allison was returned to his aunt and uncle, George and Lillian Allison, who saw nothing heroic about Alice's actions. They held her indirectly responsible for the deaths of Mr. and Mrs. Hudson, and their daughter. The attention brought to Alice Cleaver did, however, work in her favor. It was discovered that Alice was not the criminal she was rumored to be. It emerged that Alice Catherine Cleaver (Titanic survivor) had apparently been confused with an Alice Mary Cleaver (alleged child killer).

Trevor continued to be raised by his aunt and uncle, but never inherited his father's fortune. On August 17, 1929, he apparently died from ptomaine poisoning, aged 18. Modern science, however, suggests that ptomaine poisoning is a myth. Ptomaines allegedly do nothing more than make spoiled food taste bad. This leaves a fair question. What did Trevor die of? While there is no evidence to indicate foul play, it has been rumored that his aunt and uncle, anxious to inherit Hudson's fortune, purposely did not call the doctor in time. One thing is for certain, however, that Trevor Allison did die of something. He was buried beside his father, whose body was recovered by a charter ship shortly after the disaster. Alice Cleaver returned to England shortly after the tragedy, and married Edward James Williams, bearing him two daughters. An interesting factor is that on the fourth page of Walter Lord's A Night to Remember, the author thanks a Mrs. A. C. Williams for her assistance in research. This leaves us to wonder; did Alice Cleaver tell her story after all?

Alice Catherine Cleaver died on November 1, 1984 in Winchester, Hampshire.

GRAPHICS

Below are links to graphics that you can use to honor the RMS Titanic.

/waves/special/graphic_out-window.jpg
/waves/special/graphic_framed.jpg
/waves/special/graphic_89th-anim.gif
/waves/special/graphic_beneath.jpg

Wallpaper:
/dl/wall/waves/special_01.jpg

Desktop Theme (958 KB):
/dl/themes/waves/1912.ZIP

This desktop theme includes:
1 wallpaper (800x600)
1 screensaver
15 cursors (1 of which is animated)
6 icons

Extract the screensaver to: C:/WINDOWS/SYSTEM
Extract the cursors to a "1912" folder you create under: C:/WINDOWS/CURSORS
The icons and wallpaper may be extracted anywhere on your machine.
Exact locations may vary, but almost everyone who has Windows will be extracting to the same places.

THANK YOU

Back-to-Titanic would like to thank all of those fans that helped with the Special Issue.