The Titanic Research Paper

Words: 1660
Pages: 7

The R.M.S Titanic was a mail carrier as well as a luxurious cruise ship that was to travel across the Atlantic in hopes of reaching New York City. The Titanic’s maiden voyage was centered on delivering mail from England to the awaiting United States Postal Service. The food aboard the luxury ship was said to be the finest on any ship, including items from as far as China. The voyagers were the ones who made up the majority of the ship. The other passengers included workers from the building crew and the band. There were many downfalls to the Titanic, including the shortage of lifeboats and the mishandling of them which cost many people their lives. Other misfortunes were the ignored iceberg alert messages from nearby ships, including the …show more content…
Being an extravagant ship that had all the latest luxuries, the Titanic included its own personal post service. Onboard the Titanic was a staff of five sea clerks. These clerks were Jago Smith, J. B. Williamson, John S. March, William L. Gwinn, and Oscar Woody. Smith and Williamson were both English, while the other three were Americans. March, Gwinn, and Woody were employed by the United States Postal Service. Once the Titanic docked, they were to become full time workers of the United States Postal Service. Each clerk had the duty of evaluating mail for correctness within the sender and the recipient. Once checked, the clerks would deliver all mail to those passengers onboard the ship had received. The mail that was not needed yet was organized and placed into mail sacks that were not to be opened until the Titanic reached New York. Each clerk was paid a salary of one thousand dollars every year, but was provided with free boarding and food onboard the ship. On the dreadful night of April 12, 1912, the clerks were faced with a horrific decision; rescue themselves or the mail (www.postalmuseum.si.edu). The slash that the iceberg had …show more content…
The Titanic was no stranger different to this belief. The first and second class passengers had the option of three meals a day, while the third class passengers had two scheduled meal times with a tea time at midday. In place of the initial food provided to normal passengers, the Titanic had a restaurant that was only available for the first class passengers. This restaurant was called the A la Carte, which means “off the menu” in French (www.ultimatetitanic.com). This restaurant was a private investment by Luigi Gatti, the restaurant’s owner. Gatti was no stranger to the restaurant business as he owned several major restaurants in London at this time. Being the owner of this establishment, Gatti hired over sixty professional employees who were well experienced within the high class food community. Every employee was either Italian or French and was paid directly by Gatti. Even though he owned A la Carte, the White Star Lines had the ultimate authority over the restaurant. The restaurant had extravagant furnishing that featured many designs inspired by Louis XVI, including marble carvings, decorative designs that had gold leaf, and amazing French mahogany paneling. The Titanic had introduced many new technologies during its maiden voyage; the first being the food warmers. These warmers were mass produced by Goldsmiths’ and Silversmiths’ Co. Ltd and had the companies trademark on