“God himself couldn’t sink this ship” … a slightly unfortunate statement in light
of what happened to the enormous and mysterious ocean liner on the night of April 14th, 1912,
during its maiden voyage.
The Titanic was built with the latest state-of-the-art technology of the time to compete with other
ships of the same caliber in service.
But this was not its greatest attraction as such.
What most fascinated the crowds were its luxurious facilities, which housed in its few hours
of service, those of top-tier society.
Today we will go on a journey surrounded by luxury, we will drink champagne, eat caviar
and enjoy the most extravagant rooms that an ocean liner could offer at the time.
All while joining the men, women and children of the Titanic for what will be their last
supper.
Welcome to The Copernicus Galaxy.
How much did a first-class ticket really cost?
Traveling by cruise is not exactly the most affordable way to spend your vacation today,
and even less so if you are looking for a luxurious experience like the one offered
on the Titanic.
Second and third-class passengers did not enjoy even a tenth of the privileges that
the wealthy in the first-class did.
In fact, only those with the most expensive tickets had the right to access services and
private entertainment that no other passenger of lower classes could.
The first class was located on the upper levels of the ship, directly in the center, where
the vibrations of the engines and the rocking were almost unnoticeable.
The cheapest first-class ticket included accommodation in what were called standard cabins.
These had their own dressing table, an elegant velvet sofa and a marble sink.
They sometimes also included pull-out bunks that served to accommodate an extra guest,
all for the then reasonable price of 30 pounds.
Due to rising inflation in over 100 years that have passed, today we would have to spend
at least 3,600 dollars to be able to afford it!
The next option would be the single cabins.
These were a little more ostentatious than the standard ones as they consisted of double
mattresses instead of single beds and offered considerably more space.
They had built-in wardrobes, electricity and even a button with which you called a butler
who could even warm up your bed in case you wished to.
However, if you could afford to pay what today would be almost $50,000, you would get one
of the 39 Luxury Suites comparable to the best 5-star hotels in New York.
These were equipped with all of the above in each room that made up the suite.
It was practically a luxurious apartment with its own bathrooms, faux fireplaces, large
walk-in closets, and rooms furnished with card tables where you could even host small
parties.
But the “creme de la crème” of 20th-century society could still opt for a suite fit for
a king.
A suite that had its own hallway where they could take a short walk or spend quality time
with their friends and family.
There were only 4 of these suites in the entire gigantic ship, which were located on the deck
and were near the entrances for the comfort of the passengers and easy transport of their
luggage.
These were by far the most deluxe suites on the entire ship, they had two dressing rooms,
private bathrooms and spacious rooms furnished with the most expensive furniture on the market.
They were designed to host private parties with their own faux fireplace, card tables
and ornate desks.
So much comfort for just the equivalent of $100,000 today.
First Class: A seat reserved for the elite of the time
Amongst the high society passengers aboard the Titanic was one of the richest people
in the world in 1912.
John Jacob Astor IV was a successful businessman, real estate builder, investor, inventor and
writer, whose fortune was valued at 87 million dollars, the equivalent of 2442 million today.
Both he and his pregnant wife Madeleine, accompanied by their pet "Kitty", were traveling on board
the ship on April 14, 1912.
Unfortunately, only his wife managed to make it to a lifeboat and survive while Mr Astor
perished along with "Kitty."
For Benjamin Guggenheim, another American businessman, life had the same fate in store.
Guggenheim boarded the ocean liner in Cherbourg, France, along with his mistress, as well as
a group of servants including Benjamin's trusted butler, Giglio.
When the Titanic collided with the iceberg on that fateful day, Benjamin bid farewell
to his mistress and maid in the lifeboats.
He and Giglio then went down to their cabin and put on their best clothes.
When they went up deck again, they were reprimanded for having removed their life jackets, to
which Benjamin replied: “We put on our best and we are prepared to go down as gentlemen.
If something happens to me tell my wife in New York that I’ve done my best in doing
my duty".
Among the few who survived were a wealthy couple, Sir Cosmo, a land owner and Lady Duff
Gordon a sportswoman, and a famous British fashion designer whose clientele included
Isadora Duncan, Oscar Wilde and the British royal family.
All three were traveling to the United States to open a fashion salon in New York.
However, when the incident happened, they bribed their way onto the first lifeboat ignoring
the crew's order of "women and children first".
Thus forever branding Sir Cosmo as the "coward of the Titanic ”.
Margaret Brown was a wealthy lady who throughout her life dedicated herself to fighting for
others, treating soldiers during the First World War, which earned her the recognition
of the Legion of Honor.
Yet, she is better known for having survived the sinking of the Titanic.
She was traveling back to the United States when she learned that her grandson was sick
and aboard the Titanic she rubbed elbows with people from the highest social strata enjoying
all the luxuries until the ship hit the iceberg and she had to abandon it aboard lifeboat
number 6.
A more beautiful story than the one portrayed by Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio is that
of Isador, co-owner of RH Macy's department stores, and Ida Straus who were traveling
back from their vacation in Europe.
During the evacuation of the RMS Titanic, Isador was offered a place on a lifeboat due
to his old age along with his wife, but he refused to get on while there were still women
and children on deck.
Seeing her husband's conviction, Ida left the lifeboat saying: "we have been living
together for many years.
Wherever you go, I go” … an example of courage, love and fidelity.
A tour of the luxurious facilities of the RMS Titanic
Beyond the luxurious cabins and suites that the Titanic consisted of, the place you would
spend most of the trip as a first-class passenger would be in its grand facilities which included
sports and leisure areas to satisfy even the most demanding.
The first stop on our tour is the gym where the first-class could keep fit.
This exercise space was open from 10 am to 6 pm for adults and offered a special time
slot for children from 1 to 3 pm.
The gym included equipment such as punching bags, rowing machines, training bikes, weights,
massage devices, strange machines that simulated riding a horse or camel, and even a private
instructor.
But if exercising while playing sports is more your thing, the Titanic offered a squash
court.
The first of its kind to be present on the Olympic-class ships, becoming so popular with
wealthy passengers that sessions were limited to 1 hour.
Nevertheless, if you couldn’t get a session on the squash court there was also a swimming
pool 10 meters long and 1.80 meters deep with heated sea water.
After those tough training sessions, passengers could move on to a sophisticated spa that
included shampoo rooms, rooms with different temperatures, massages and even Turkish and
electric baths for weight loss, all to pamper those who could afford it.
Though this service was so exclusive it was not included even the first-class tickets
and the schedules were of course separate for men and women.
Furthermore, if you wanted to improve your appearance there was a first-class men's barbershop
available where passengers could not only shave, comb or trim their hair but also do
some shopping as this space was also a souvenir shop.
To satisfy the palate, the Titanic had two exclusive restaurants for the most prominent
passengers.
One was the typical dining room where meals of up to 10 courses were served, 1000 square
meters and 554 seats lined with blue linoleum tiles with red and yellow details as well
as bright, decorative white wood panelling and porthole windows concealed behind stained
glass to create warm lighting.
Meals were served only between one to two-thirty in the afternoon and from six to seven-thirty
at night.
However, the most demanding passengers with a little extra money could eat in the a la
carte restaurant, decorated in the purest Louis XVI style, the passengers used to call
it the "Ritz" comparing it to the famous hotel.
Here you could eat whenever you wanted between 8 in the morning and 11 at night with the
possibility of choosing what you wanted from the menu.
According to a survivor of the shipwreck, this restaurant was the height of luxury,
with violins from the orchestra playing Puccini and Tchaikovsky and dishes varying from lobster,
caviar to Egyptian quail.
In addition to the restaurants were 2 different cafes, the Verandah Cafe, adorned with plants
and palm trees which, along with its huge windows and sliding doors, helped to give
people the feeling of being outdoors and where they served a variety of drinks.
While the “Parisien Cafe, which was “connected with the a la carte restaurant, so you could
enjoy the same dishes.
Further to this, there was an exclusive lounge for men which was a small space for smokers
and professional players.
A room decorated with dark mahogany panels, with many stained-glass windows and alcoves.
In contrast to the men’s lounge was the reading and correspondence room, which despite
not being intended only for women, was used mostly by them so that they could have their
own space where a man rarely entered.
This was the place where letters were written for their relatives and the preferred place
to enjoy reading.
In the main hall, you could find endless books in the library provided regularly by a club
affiliated with the "Times", as well as having the possibility of being able to order a series
of drinks at your disposal.
It catered to both men and women and was decorated in the Louis XV style with replicas of objects
from the Palace of Versailles.
Our last stop is the reception room for the first-class dining room.
This adopted a Jacobean style and could hold up to 600 people.
It greeted passengers before and after meals, being a very popular meeting place for all
during the orchestra’s performing hours.
The last supper of the “invincible” ship
A ship as large as the RMS Titanic, which could accommodate up to 3,300 people including
passengers and crew, needed provisions according to its capacity.
So on the only trip it officiated, it carried on board 75,000 pounds of meat, 11,000 pounds
of fresh fish, 40 tons of potatoes, 40,000 eggs, 7,000 heads of lettuce, 10,000 pounds
of sugar, 250 barrels of flour, 36,000 apples, 1,500 gallons of milk and 15,000 bottles of
beer to cater for 2,200 passengers for a week.
Thanks to a menu salvaged from the underwater ruins of the huge ship, we know that those
with a first-class ticket enjoyed a variety of French-style dishes which included duck,
lamb, beef, fish, top-quality fruit, and different wines for each dish.
Banquets fit for a king.
On the night of April 14th, 1912, hundreds of people from the upper class gathered in
the dining room to enjoy an extravagant dinner of 10 different dishes, as was customary on
most nights.
To whet one's appetite, the first course of this last dinner was a plate of raw oysters
and assorted appetizers, followed by an Olga consommé, made up of beef broth, or a cream
of barley soup.
For the main course, all diners were served a lightly poached Atlantic salmon topped with
a delicious mousseline sauce, followed by a protein dish of your choice which could
be Lili filet mignon, sautéed Lyonnaise chicken, lamb in mint sauce, roast duck with applesauce
or beef tenderloin with chateau potatoes.
With the purpose that passengers would continue enjoying the banquet until the end, right
in the middle, a digestif made up of wine, rum and champagne called "punch romaine" was
served to give rise to the last dishes before dessert.
These consisted of roasted pumpkin with watercress, asparagus vinaigrette and foie gras pate.
For dessert, you could order Waldorf pudding, peaches in chartreuse jelly, chocolate and
vanilla éclairs and French ice cream.
To end the marathon banquet a selection of cheeses, fruits and nuts were consumed while
drinking coffee and smoking cigars.
To end such a magnificent evening with a climax, diners gathered in the different rooms and
listened to the orchestra play classical and popular music until 11 at night.
This possibly being their last moment of peace before the disaster struck.
A huge structure that lies at the bottom of the sea remains frozen in time.
The last few minutes of over 1,500 people who died that morning.
Mysteries that rest in its spacious rooms with luxurious finishes, which we will try
to decipher here, in the next videos, in The Galaxy of Copernicus.