Titanic Survivor: Eva Hart
Video Summary
The above video is an interview with Eva Hart, the last survivor of the Titanic. Hart was only seven years old when she boarded the Titanic. In the video, Hart recounts the Titanic's final moments. She describes her memories of the ship's sinking, the lifeboats, and how she managed to survive.
Who/What was to Blame?
(Photo Credit: Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (file no. LC-USZ62-68081))
Poor communication led newspapers to believe the Titanic didn’t actually sink. The New York Time got the story right with the headline: “New Liner Titanic Hits an Iceberg; Sinking by the Bow at Midnight; Women Put Off in Life Boats,” (McPherson, 2012, p. 55). The Carpathia arrived in New York on April 18th and survivors were reunited with loved ones. The next step was to find out what really happened.
The U.S. held their inquiry from April 19th to May 25, 1912. Senator William Alden Smith led it. Over eighty people were interviewed including Second Officer Lightoller who stuck up for Captain Smith in his decision to increase the ship’s speed. The British inquiry followed in May 1912.
The British emphasized technical failures such as inadequate lifeboat regulations, unsafe speed, competition between companies, and imperfections in the design of the ship itself. While not ignoring these issues, the American investigation tended to stress the ‘human’ factor. How were the passengers notified of the collision? Where were different procedures followed in the way lifeboats were loaded on the starboard and port sides? Did the three classes of passenger have equal access to the ship’s deck? (McPherson, 2012, p. 63)
Blame was also put on the Californian, especially Captain Lord, for being close and not having its wireless on. Everyone had his or her own thoughts and opinions on why the Titanic sank. Hart believed that, “The whole thing was a tribute to men’s' arrogance. How could they be so arrogant to build something and claim it undestroyable?” (Hart). There were too many unanswerable questions to make a final conclusion.
The U.S. held their inquiry from April 19th to May 25, 1912. Senator William Alden Smith led it. Over eighty people were interviewed including Second Officer Lightoller who stuck up for Captain Smith in his decision to increase the ship’s speed. The British inquiry followed in May 1912.
The British emphasized technical failures such as inadequate lifeboat regulations, unsafe speed, competition between companies, and imperfections in the design of the ship itself. While not ignoring these issues, the American investigation tended to stress the ‘human’ factor. How were the passengers notified of the collision? Where were different procedures followed in the way lifeboats were loaded on the starboard and port sides? Did the three classes of passenger have equal access to the ship’s deck? (McPherson, 2012, p. 63)
Blame was also put on the Californian, especially Captain Lord, for being close and not having its wireless on. Everyone had his or her own thoughts and opinions on why the Titanic sank. Hart believed that, “The whole thing was a tribute to men’s' arrogance. How could they be so arrogant to build something and claim it undestroyable?” (Hart). There were too many unanswerable questions to make a final conclusion.