National Geographic: Secrets of the Titanic Page #3

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location when she sank.

This original confusion explains why

the wreck was so difficult to locate.

There are no landmarks

the coast of Nova Scotia

is some 350 miles away.

The sea tolerates

no gravestones or monuments

only the knowledge of what

lies 21/2 miles below

gives this place identity.

When you're out at sea

it's just a big, monstrousthing.

It has no dimensions.

You tend to wander around in the

ocean and not feel that you're

any where at any on time.

Then when you find the Titanic

it rivets you to that one spot.

You know exactly where you are and

you know exactly what took place

right where you are and that's eerie.

You want to see lifeboats or people

in the water that you can

take drowned right around you.

Yeah, you hear them, you feel it.

Very much so.

The grey down of April 15th,1912

revealed a scattered

fleet of life boats.

Hundreds of bodies floated

in the surrounding waters.

The boats contained just

Aboard the liner Carpathia

amazed passengers took these snapshots

as the survivors were rescued.

Her compliment of passengers

doubled Carpathia raced for New York.

Everything was quiet calm and orderly.

It was too soon to explain and

too late to cry.

Tragically rumors and confusion

kept hope alive that others might

have been saved by other ships.

Slowiy, as fragmented and

conflicting radio reports came in

the world began to realize

what had happened overnight.

In London, silent crowds gathered

at the offices of the White Star Line

Here many of Titanic's passengers

had bought their tickets

and here a precious few were

reported alive.

In Liverpool, homeport of Titanic

the streets were full of dazed

and grief-stricken families

begging for news

and reeling in shock when it came.

In New York wild rumors circulated

one paper reported Titanic

still afloat and everyone safe.

Anxious and incredulous crowds

gathered in front of newspapers

and offices of White Star.

Suspense and uncertainty grew

for 4 days.

Finally, on the evening of April 18th,

Carpathia arrived at last.

Then as night fell there followed

a chilling pantomime which

brought home the full impact

of what had happened.

In the glare of photographers

flashlights survivors

lined Carpathia's rails

but as thousands waited Carpathia

first unloaded Titanic's lifeboats.

Seeing finally was believing

all that remained of the greatest

ocean liner in the world.

By the next day survivors

had dispersed.

Frustrated newsreel cameramen were

left to film mere boys,

young stewards who clowned

and laughed even as the rest

of the world mourned.

There remained the task of bringing

in bodies

only some 300 were found out

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