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Today, April 15, is the anniversary of the sinking of the R.M.S. Titanic. On that fateful night, 94 years ago, 1523 people lost their lives. There were only 705 survivors.
I have been interested in her story since I was a young girl. It started with a weekly 7th grade World History report. Reading from copies of the old newspapers, I was hooked. And I am not alone. Numerous books and movies have told and retold her story.
The Titanic has never faded from our memory. Perhaps it is the story of an elegant ship that knew no rival. Perhaps it is the mystery of why she sank. Maybe it is tales of gold and riches lying at the bottom of the sea.
But most of all, it is the people. Filled people from all walks of life, this ship of dreams was akin to a floating city. The young and the old, the rich and their servants, the immigrants, the middle class, and the ships crew. All were taking the maiden voyage on the gem of the White Star line. All had hopes and dreams.
So tonight, I remember her again and the people who lost their lives. And the survivors whose lives would be forever changed.
OLD ROSE: Fifteen hundred people went into the sea when Titanic sank from under us. There were twenty boats floating nearby and only one came back. One. Six were saved from the water, myself included. Six out of fifteen hundred.
Afterward, the seven hundred people in the boats had nothing to do but wait…wait to die, wait to live, wait for an absolution which would never come.
