Titanic: 9 Hours to Hell, the Survivors' Story
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'Quite the best and most level-headed telling of the whole story I have ever read' THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY 'So enthralling that you can almost hear the ghosts of the drowned, pressing to share their memories of that night of terror' THE DAILY MAIL --The Daily Mail
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
Product Description
A major new history of the disaster that weaves into the narrative the first-hand accounts of those who survived. It was twenty minutes to midnight on Sunday 14 April, when Jack Thayer felt the Titanic lurch to port, a motion followed by the slightest of shocks. Seven-year old Eva Hart barely noticed anything was wrong. For Stoker Fred Barrett, shovelling coal down below, it was somewhat different; the side of the ship where he was working caved in. For the next nine hours, Jack, Eva and Fred faced death and survived. They lived, along with just over 700 others picked up by 08.30 the next morning. Over 1600 people did not. This is the story told through the eyes of Jack, Eva, Fred and over a hundred others of those who survived and either wrote their experiences down or appeared before the major inquiries held subsequently. Drawing extensively on their collective evidence, this book weaves the narrative of the events that occurred in those nine fateful hours. The stories of some are discussed in detail, such as Colonel Gracie, a first-class survivor, and Lawrence Beesley, a schoolteacher, who both wrote lengthy accounts of their experiences. No less fascinating are the accounts of those who gave gripping evidence to the inquiries, people like the controversial Lady Lucille Duff-Gordon, steward John Hart who was responsible for saving the lives of the majority of the third-class passengers who lived, or Charles Joughin, the baker, who owed his survival to whisky. This is their story, and those of a fateful night, when the largest ship ever built sank without completing one successful voyage.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This new book was a welcome addition to the many differing stories about the legend called 'Titanic' What made it one of the best was the attention to detail that the author investigated and the very balenced view of the historic tragedy.
If you are interested in the views of the survivors, then this is the book for you. If however you want detail of the ship and it's story, this is not the book for you. A GREAT read and one I shall remember my whole life. My thanks to Mr Bartlett.
If you are interested in the views of the survivors, then this is the book for you. If however you want detail of the ship and it's story, this is not the book for you. A GREAT read and one I shall remember my whole life. My thanks to Mr Bartlett.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I found this book to be both sad and gripping at the same time. It is very well researched and goes into great detail on both the experiences of the passengers and the the harrowing events of that faithfull night. I have read many books on this subject and found this one moved me emotionally more than any of the others. You cannot help but feel the pain and fear of each person mentioned. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to read the human side of the disaster.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is one of the best books I've read on the Titanic for quite a while. And for someone who currently to date owns 40 books about the Titanic, I found out information that I didn't previously know (like exactly what a collapsible lifeboat was.)
The book is well written, and each chapter deals with one section of time, whether it be half hour intervals or hour intervals. It goes into a lot more detail about the people actually onboard, including information about the little known French boys, whose father abducted them and gave them false names. And the 13 month old boy who was discovered and buried, but not named, until advances in DNA testing came about. It also goes into extensive details about the conflicting reports that passengers and crew gave about exactly what went on during the events of the 14th April. Obviously, some of these details came to light years after the disaster, and so the people could be forgiven for failing to remember exactly. But there were a couple of glaring inconsistencies - one passenger saying that he swam 200 yards to one lifeboat after the Titanic sank, and another passenger saying he swam three quarters of a mile to the SAME lifeboat. Yes, the water was freezing cold, and the supposedly unsinkable ship had gone from beneath them, but there's quite a difference between 200 yards and three quarters of a mile.
The other good thing about this book was that the author included a chapter about what happened to some of the notable survivors after the events. I was shocked to discover that Frederick Fleet had hung himself after a "domestic dispute" which resulted in him being made homeless.
The only thing that bothered me about this book was the chapter concerning the court hearings after the disaster. I do understand that they were a big part of the events, but in my opinion, they are unnecessary in the majority of the books, unless the author is going to bring to light something new mentioned in the inquiries. At least this particular author laid out the transcripts of the court hearings in a different way to what I've read previously.
With the centenary (almost) upon us, the Titanic disaster should be as fresh in our minds as it was just after it happened. Especially with recent events concerning the cruise ship that sank off the coast of Italy in January - once more, the crew allegedly appeared to have no idea what to do, and many passengers were lost. Not quite to the extent of the unfortunates on the Titanic, but once again, it brings to light that things have not quite changed in 100 years. Even though the actual wreck is disappearing very fast, I hope more releases of books on the subject will keep the events topical for a long time to come.
The book is well written, and each chapter deals with one section of time, whether it be half hour intervals or hour intervals. It goes into a lot more detail about the people actually onboard, including information about the little known French boys, whose father abducted them and gave them false names. And the 13 month old boy who was discovered and buried, but not named, until advances in DNA testing came about. It also goes into extensive details about the conflicting reports that passengers and crew gave about exactly what went on during the events of the 14th April. Obviously, some of these details came to light years after the disaster, and so the people could be forgiven for failing to remember exactly. But there were a couple of glaring inconsistencies - one passenger saying that he swam 200 yards to one lifeboat after the Titanic sank, and another passenger saying he swam three quarters of a mile to the SAME lifeboat. Yes, the water was freezing cold, and the supposedly unsinkable ship had gone from beneath them, but there's quite a difference between 200 yards and three quarters of a mile.
The other good thing about this book was that the author included a chapter about what happened to some of the notable survivors after the events. I was shocked to discover that Frederick Fleet had hung himself after a "domestic dispute" which resulted in him being made homeless.
The only thing that bothered me about this book was the chapter concerning the court hearings after the disaster. I do understand that they were a big part of the events, but in my opinion, they are unnecessary in the majority of the books, unless the author is going to bring to light something new mentioned in the inquiries. At least this particular author laid out the transcripts of the court hearings in a different way to what I've read previously.
With the centenary (almost) upon us, the Titanic disaster should be as fresh in our minds as it was just after it happened. Especially with recent events concerning the cruise ship that sank off the coast of Italy in January - once more, the crew allegedly appeared to have no idea what to do, and many passengers were lost. Not quite to the extent of the unfortunates on the Titanic, but once again, it brings to light that things have not quite changed in 100 years. Even though the actual wreck is disappearing very fast, I hope more releases of books on the subject will keep the events topical for a long time to come.
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