Ah, Just Like Yesteryear - Today's Complaints and the Titanic's Maiden Voyage

[Paul NH]

As Pincus pointed out on another thread, the Titanic set off on her maiden voyage on this date in 1912, from Southampton.

 

To mark the anniversary, I thought I would post this following affidavit, which was provided by Mrs. Imanita Shelley to the U.S. Senate after the disaster on May 15, 1912. Although the disaster was a terrible moment in history, I found this compilation of complaints almost comical and felt like I was reading a posting on this board at times. ;)

 

Maiden voyages seem to be a dicey venture at best. Seems like the ships are frequently still trying to get their acts together.

 

Enjoy ...

 

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Mrs. Imanita Shelley, of lawful age, being first duly sworn as regards the Titanic disaster, on her oath deposes and says:

 

That her mother, Mrs. Lutie Davis Parrish, of Woodford County, Ky., and herself embarked on the White Star steamship Titanic at Southampton, England, upon the 10th day of April, 1912, having purchased the best second-class accommodation sold by said company.

 

That instead of being assigned to the accommodation purchased, were taken to a small cabin many decks down in the ship, which was so small that it could only be called a cell. It was impossible to open a regulation steamer trunk in said cabin. It was impossible for a third person to enter said cabin unless both occupants first of all crawled into their bunks.

 

That the stewardess was sent to the chief purser demanding transfer to accommodation purchased. That he replied he could do nothing until the boat had left Queenstown, Ireland, when he would check up all tickets and find out if there was any mistake.

 

That after leaving Queenstown Mrs. L. D. Parrish made 11 trips herself to the purser asking for transfer, only to be put off with promises. That at 9 o'clock p. m., no one having come to make them to better quarters, Mrs. Shelley wrote a note to the purser to the effect that she had paid for the best second-class accommodation on the ship and had the receipts to prove it; that she was very ill and, owing to that freezing cold of the cabin, was in great danger; that if he, the purser, refused to act she, Mrs. Shelley, would appeal to the captain; that if neither would act she realized she would have to wait until reaching America for redress, but most assuredly would claim damages if she lived to reach her native land.

 

That the result of this letter was the arrival of four stewards to carry her to the room paid for, who offered apology after apology.

 

That the stewardess, on being asked what the purser had said on reading the note, replied: "He asked first if you were really so very sick, to which I answered there was no doubt about that. Then the purser asked me if there was such a cabin on board the Titanic, where a cabin trunk could not be opened; to which I replied in the affirmative. I also told him that the cabin was entirely too small for two women, and that two men could not hardly fit in; that it was impossible for myself or the steward to enter the cabin and to wait upon the occupants unless both of them first climbed into their berths. The purser then told me that he would have to act at once, or the company would get into trouble."

 

That after being transferred to this new cabin the second-class physician, Dr. Simpson, called from three to four times a day; that he feared the attack of tonsillitis brought on by the chill would become diphtheretic and ordered Mrs. Shelley to remain in her cabin.

 

That this cabin, though large and roomy, was not furnished in the comfortable manner as the same accommodation procured on the Cunard and other lines; that it looked in a half-finished condition; that this room was just as cold as the cell from which we had just been removed, and on asking the steward to have the heat turned on, he answered that it was impossible, as the heating system for the second-class cabins refused to work. That of all the second-class cabins, only three - the three first cabins to be reached by the heat - had any heat at all, and that the heat was so intense there that the occupants had complained to the purser, who had ordered the heat shut off entirely; consequently the rooms were like ice houses all of the voyage, and Mrs. L. D. Parrish, when not waiting on her sick daughter, was obliged to go to bed to keep warm.

 

That afterwards, when on board the Carpathia, Mrs. Shelley took pains to inquire of steerage passengers as to whether or not they had heat in the steerage of the Titanic and received the answer that there was the same trouble with their heating plant, too.

 

That although the servants on board were most willing, they had a hard time to do their work; that the stewardess could not even get a tray to serve Mrs. Shelley's meals and had to bring the plates and dishes one at a time in her hands, making the service very slow and annoying. The food, though good and plentiful, was ruined by this trouble in serving. That although both steward and stewardess appealed time and time again to the heads of their departments, no relief was obtained: there seemed to be no organization at all. That in the ladies toilet room only part of the fixtures had been installed, some of the said fixtures being still in crates.

 

--------------------

 

I wonder what kind of response she would have gotten if she posted her complaints on the board.

 

Paul

[patwell]

"I wonder what kind of response she would have gotten if she posted her complaints on the board."

 

I can't wait to hear!!

 

Thanks Paul....now that I am no longer rolling on the floor....guess cruise pax haven't changed all that much in 94 years!!! Funny though...she didn't mention being grateful that they had at least enough lifeboats for her to get off! This is truly a classic...thanks for sharing it!!! Cheers, Penny

[travel-to-go]

Well, at least she didn't threaten to withhold tips!

(And it sounds like the cruisleines haven't changed much either!)

 

Karie,

who knows, Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose!

[mufi]

I recently read "Titanic Survivor" about the life of a maid, Violet Jessop, aboard the liner and many others.

 

Well worth reading for anyone interested in life below decks for servants.

 

David.

[JWB.ESQ]

"Titanic Survivor" is a good read. Anyone who has the opportunity should also experience Maxtone-Graham's lecture on Violet Jessop.

 

I also seem to remember from a childhood reading of Walter Lord's "A Night to Remember" that Titanic passengers lodged with Thomas Andrews complaints about such details as the number of screws used to attach the clothes hooks in the first (or was it second?) class staterooms.

[carlmm]

Thank you for posting, Paul. I find especially interesting that Cunard is cited as being more comfortable than White Star. Former information indicated the opposite.

 

I recently read "Titanic Survivor" about the life of a maid, Violet Jessop, aboard the liner and many others.

 

Well worth reading for anyone interested in life below decks for servants.

 

David.

 

Indeed a very interesting book. And while it gives an inside into the hard life of the servants, which fortunately has improved since those times, it also makes clear, how bad service really is nowadays. Stewards on the old liners very really there to serve their passengers not just to clean the cabins.

[Pincus]

Paul, what a wonderful post. Thank you.

 

Having heard John Maxtone-Graham daily on a TA last year, and having purhased his books, I now have pleasant thoughts on hearing the name Violet Jessop.

 

Thanks everybody!

 

Pincus

[Pincus]

Forgot to mention that on our QM2 crossing, there was NO mention of the Titanic.

 

Maxtone-Graham's lectures (six of them!) were heard on a Celebrity Transatlantic last fall. We did a B2B -- QM2 over, Celebrity back, in the early fall.

 

Pincus