oute, but certainly one of the top five. Titanic was equipped with Marconi’s new wireless telegraph system and her two Marconi operators kept the wireless room running 24 hours a day. On Sunday, April 14, the fifth day at sea, Titanic received five different ice warnings, but Captain Smith was not overly concerned. The ship steamed ahead at 22 knots, and the Managing Director J. Bruce Ismay of the line relished the idea of arriving in New York a day ahead of schedule. On the night of April 14, wireless operator Philips was very busy sending chatty passenger’s messages to Cape Race, Newfoundland, whence they could be relayed inland to friends and relatives. He received a sixth ice warning that night, but did not realize how close Titanic was to the position of the warning, and put that message under a paperweight at his elbow. It never reached Captain Smith or the officer on the bridge. By all accounts the night was uncommonly clear and dark, moonless but faintly glowing with an incredible sky full of stars. The sea was, likewise, unusually calm and flat, “like glass” said many survivors. The lack of waves made it even more difficult to see icebergs. At 11:40 PM, a lookout in the crow’s nest spotted an iceberg dead ahead. He notified the bridge and First Officer Murdoch ordered the ship to turn hard to port. He signaled the engine room to reverse direction, full astern. The ship turned slightly, but it was much too large, moving much too fast, and the iceberg was much too close. During the night of heroism, terror and tragedy, 705 lives were saved, 1522 lived were lost. ...
