Titanic Live: April 27th, 1912, afternoon - With nearly two weeks elapsed since the disaster, daily publications around the world are still filled to the brim constantly with further news of Titanic, trickling out in the form of passenger accounts, obituaries and tributes to the lost - and increasingly outlandish ideas for both planned salvage of the vessel and future lifesaving equipment aimed at appeasing a nervous public. Published in The Graphic today:
“Something more than lifeboats - however large a number of these may be carried - is necessary to insure against a repetition of the Titanic disaster, and the most feasible plan seems to be to make portions of the deck detachable, and so provide rafts on which the ship’s company may escape. This scheme commends itself to so practical a seaman as Mr. Frank T. Bullen, who believes that the only practical solution to the problem is to have a large portion of the boat deck so built that it could be detached from the hull, forming a great raft capable of floating 2000 or 3000 people.”
Needless to say, it is a scheme never put into any widespread practical use, though this and others like it will continue to fill newspapers and magazine supplements through the end of the year and beyond.
Illustration by G.F. Morrell originally published by The Graphic, April 27th, 1912
