Titanic The Last Night of a Small Town by John Welsham

Titanic The Last Night of a Small Town by John Welsham will let you live intensely and vividly the night of April 14 1912 when the Titanic the  biggest transatlantic of the world sank because of an iceberg during its inauguration trip.

It was hallucinating for all the people in that ship.

At first an idylliac trip, with some bad omens we must admit the first four days dreaming ones, in 48 hous the ship would have reached triumphantly New York City, while the end all the opposite.

The story seen under the perspective of various voices who, mixed all together will create an only chant and an only reportage looked under different respective "angolations" and places, from the first, second and third class, of the most horrible absurd tragedy of the seas in modern time.

The sinking of the Titanic has been shocking maybe because it was  its inaugurational trip, maybe because the historical moment delicate, maybe because this one the biggest ship of the world, surely because there weren't sufficient lifeboats for aesthetics reason and so most of the passenger and voyagers lost their life for this absurb reason. Anyway nothing returned to the normality for all the protagonists of this story after it.

The sinking of the Titanic meant metaphorically, for rich people the end of an age of certainty as written wonderfully well by the author regarding their future.

A modern comparison with this tragedy of the past can be 9/11.

The White Star from Belfast constructed the Titanic. This modern sophisticated, wonderful and apparently "unsinkable" translatlantic, decided for the inaugurational trip on April 1912. Everyone electrified and curious for the novelty.
Smith the captain chosen for the inaugurational trip. Very educated, nice man, everyone wanted to work with him because a man of peace.

Passengers and crew were in total 2.201, 1731 men, 470 women with little children.
At the end 1490 people lost, 161 women and children.
373 women and children in lifeboats, 338 the men.

These tales will enrich with details, facts, anecdots and memories what happened minutes after minutes after the collision with the iceberg in that little town that 'till the end no one would have thought that was sinkable.

There are histories of immigrants in search of fortune or in a trip to the USA for being reunited with their relatives, there are stories of rich and poor, of children and adults of the most diversified people.

And there is the Titanic lived like a dream by everyone and how could it be different? A ship and a trip means a new adventure in the unknwon and what is it more extraordinary than to travelling the Atlantic from the Old Continent for reaching the New World in an inagurational trip in the biggest transatlantic of the world?

A trip meant also the unknown for immigrants plenty of great expectations for the choice made: to try a new life in the USA and for the richest part of the world (there was also the constructor of the Brooklyn Bridge of New York City, many writers, intellectuals, writers and so on) maybe the curiosity and priviledge of a trip in this stunning transatlantic the biggest one of this world.

Every tale is in grade to add something more to the perception of each person during that night. A night plenty of stars, a wonderful sky that more beauty you couldn't search for sure and maybe later a consolation for the people in opposite case lost in the absolute oscurity and profoundity of the ocean once the Titanic sank and once also the latest cries ended up signing the end of any life close to the lifeboats and a new start for everyone. New widows, new orphans, a new terrible reality consumned in just few hours.

At first it didn't sound a tragedy that deaf sound felt by everyone in the first, second and third class and the interruption of all the engines at 11 and something of the night. A passenger injured also the index finger because of it. Other ones decided to going out for trying to see what it was going on although the weather was so cold. Stewards, very polite and in their role added that there wasn't anything to be worried about and it was better to return to the cabin considering the cold outside. But situation appeared dramatic from the beginning and that lifeboats slowly slowly plenty of people at first just for precaution "because we will receive soon some help" de facto after a while left for good the Titanic, and most people said good-byes to their husbands, wives, relatives forever.
Maybe the idea of sinking appeared more clear and vivid when from the Titanic they ordered of lunching rockets for signaling the presence of the ship. An extreme sign of desperation for not losing all that human lives.
The story was not a joke.
A ship was a ship but the departure of wagons of people a complete different and very sad story.

Some people choose of dying in the Titanic as well as another life-adventure.
While people were trying in general to understand what it was going on wearing life belts (there is an interesting story  about life belts in the book as well) jumping in some lifeboats at the same time, the Titanic crew tried all its best for reaching some other closest ships and trying to avoid what happened later: an immense tragedy caused by cold water and weather for the people who fell in the water once the ship sank without possibility of being saved.

People in lifeboats felt people crying desperately and searching for help for 40 minutes after the sinking of the ship. Later, nothing more.


The Carpathia although many other ships were also contacted the one closest. They assured a tempestive arrival. Captain Rostron couldn't believe at the news: "Are you sure you understood well?" asked the Captain at his man when he received the news that the Titanic was sinking. This one was the inaugurational trip...
But the Carpathia arrived.
Later for the people in water, because of the cold water there was nothing to do, but for the survivors - some of them died also in lifeboats - it meant the end of a nightmare and the beginning of a new and different life. Because this experience signed everyone forever.

When I looked at the picture of Edith Brown  it seemed to see the old Rose Dawson  from the movie Titanic with Leo DiCaprio  and Kate Winslet, but it is true: who survived the sinking of the Titanic and later experienced the first and second world war had this face: in peace with the world, with themselves and with the others.


I highly recommend to everyone this book.

I thank Oxford University Press for the physical copy of this book.

Anna Maria Polidori