"Deeply regret advise you Titanic sank this morning, after collision with iceberg, resulting in serious loss of life. Full particulars later." This was the message sent to the White Star Lines New York office from the Carpathia, as she started to New York with the survivors of the Titanic Shipwreck.
The story of the Titanic starts berth 44, in Southampton, England. After four days of hiring crew members, loading supplies and making the final inspections, passengers started boarding on the morning of April 10. By noon, tugs pull the Titanic into open water for the start of her maiden voyage. She proceeds to Cherbourg, France and then to Queenstown, Ireland to pick up additional passengers.

April 11, 1912 started with an emergency rehearsal with alarm bells and a gradual descent of the watertight doors. With the final passengers on board, the anchor is raised at 1:30 pm and the Titanic heads to sea with 2,227 passengers and crew.

The ship performs beautifully, found to be extremely stable. Congratulations pour in by radio from other ships, often with warnings of icebergs ahead.

For the next three days the weather is beautiful and the sea calm. Ice warnings continue to come in on the radio. At 6 pm on April 14, the course of the Titanic is shifted slightly south, and the speed continues to increase. All through the evening ice warnings come in on the radio, but many are not relayed to the Captain.



At 11:30 pm lookouts see a slight haze ahead, and ten minutes later signal the bridge: "large iceberg dead ahead". The First Officer orders "Hard-a-starboard". All engines are stopped and then ordered full reverse. The watertight doors are also ordered closed.

Titanic veers to port, but too late. An underwater spar rips a 300-foot hole, opening five forward compartments to the sea. A quick inspection reveals the unthinkable: Titanic is sinking. The distress call is sent out.

Shortly after midnight, the lifeboats are ordered uncovered, but there is only room for 1178 people if the boats are filled to capacity. Signal rockets are fired.

Several ships hear the distress call and change course to help. The closest, the Carpathian, is 58 miles away. The Californian is actually within sight of the signal rockets, but with the radio off for the night assumes the ship in the distance is a tramp steamer and continues on.

Wallace Hartley and his band play lively ragtime tunes in the first class lounge almost to the very end. They were last heard to be playing "Nearer, My God, To Thee", a song Hartley had always said he would choose for his own funeral.

At 12:25 AM, the order is given to start loading the lifeboats, women and children first. The boats were filled and lowered, sometimes with less than half their rated capacity. The last boat was launched by 2:05 AM, as the Titanics tilt becomes much steeper.

At 2:17 AM the stern began to lift clear of the water. One minute later a huge roar was heard, and everything crashed toward the bow of the ship. The lights blinked once and went out. At 2:20 AM the Titanic silently slid to the ocean floor 13,000 feet below.

Two hours later the Carpathian picked up the first lifeboat. At 5:30 AM the Californian finally hears of the disaster and moves to help, but arrives just as the last boat is pulled form the water.

At 8:50 AM the Carpathia sets sail for New York with 705 survivors, leaving the search for additional survivors to the other ships.

My Dearest Friends; I heard this morning in an interview on CNN the opening of exhibits in the United States later this month in Las Vegas at The Tropicana Hotel & Casino, and later in other states. First let me say, I have been a major contributor to the entertainment industry, in the buying and selling of high end "movie related memorabilia." I find it very offensive that it goes unopposed that a company can gather up personal belongings and maybe even worse the 15 ton piece of wreckage from this life taking and most tragic aquatic event in world history. I feel it insulting and condescending, that anyone can and should make money from so eventful and tragic from this horrific historical time. I thought the many books and articles written on the subject of the sinking and the movie made, were in good taste and very well presented. But I think, people fail to remember, or realize the reality or the carnage that happened aboard this most magnificent ship. The thousands of families and friends this were affected, who had loved ones, both young and old, who died in the freezing waters in the early morning fog. I resent the money making (no matter how glamorous the presentation seems) off the hundreds of lives left for dead in the cold icy waters and upon the ocean floor .There are questions to me that arise. What "IF" someone wanted to place mementos or windows, doors, elevator doors, personal belongings from 9/11 The Twin Towers N.Y. or, other airplane, train or motoring accident? Would You display Princess Diana Mercedes or President John F. Kennedy's Continental Limousine. Ask Yourselves' what IS what IS NOT acceptable behavior and DO we have the right to make tragic events no matter how romantic, they may seem, a money venture off those who gave their lives, in these most horrific and tragic historical events. For me, I say NO! My gallery in Beverly Hills went worldwide news CNN discussing that I/We would NOT make money off a tragedy, i.e.: OJ Simpson, a realtor had shown me photos and offered me the front door off the Simpson estate in Bel Air, I REFUSED, I felt it wrong for anyone to make money off the tragic deaths of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman. There are those of us who still have some moral obligation, even when money is present. Respectfully I remain; David Harrison Levi - Beverly Hills, California 90210 USA itsmr5012u@aol.com