Social Class and Survivors of the Titanic
Blake Carberry
The RMS Titanic, an Olympic-class ocean liner sailed from
Southampton, England en route to New York City on April 10th 1912. On
board were 2,208 passengers from three distinct social classes. First
class, second class, and third class were determined by the ticket
prices that guests paid for room and amenities. On the night of April
15th 1912, the Titanic struck in Iceberg in the North Atlantic creating
a rift on the starboard side. This resulted in the death of 1,501
passengers and crew members.
Titanic Background
The Titanic was the second of three luxury ocean liner ships built by
the White Star Line. Due to increased pressures from White Star’s main
rival Cunard Line, it was determined that the Titanic should be the most
prestigious luxury liner of its time. At the time it was called “the
largest moving object ever made by the hand of man in all history”. The
ships design was approved in 1908 and construction began on the 882 by
92 foot ship.
The Titanic docked in the Southampton Port. Its
maiden voyage began on April 10th 1912 and ended tragically in the early
morning hours of April 15th 1912.
Social Classes in the Early 20th Century
After the start of the Industrial Revolution, both Europe and the US
enjoyed extreme economic growth. This led to a disparity in income and
lifestyle among already existing social classes. The Titanic
specifically was designed for passengers of all classes, although very
different experiences would be had for those of the highest and lowest
classes.
First Class
On the Titanic, the first class typically consisted of members of the
prominent upper class. First class tickets costed between 30 pounds
(3,800 pounds today) and 870 pounds (109,000 pounds today).
Notable features of first class amenities included:
- Victorian style Turkish baths
- Gymanasiums
- Swimming pools
- Personal staff including chefs, nurses, maids, and governesses
Second Class
Second class passengers had tickets that costed between 12-15 pounds
(about 1500-2100 pounds today). This class consisted mainly of tourists,
academics, middle class families, and clergy members. Musicians on board
were also considered to be second class passengers and were not
generally considered crew members despite being employed under
contract.
Notable second class amenities included:
- Shuffle board
- Libraries
- Church services
- Smoking rooms
Third Class
Third class passengers generally used this trap as a one way passage
to the United States. They were seeking new lives and jobs in the US and
Canada. Tickets costed about 7 pounds (900 pounds today). Third class
passengers were also the most diverse class on board, consisting of many
nationalities throughout Europe and Asia that wanted to immigrate to
North America. The Titanic offered a few amenities to third class
passengers to compete with other steerage companies and so that
passengers would write to relatives fondly about their experience.
These amenities included:
- Dining facilities with chairs instead of benches
- Third class designated cooks and chefs
- Common rooms with chess and cards
Survival Statistics
data("Titanic")
#displays the first few rows & loads data
head(Titanic)
## , , Age = Child, Survived = No
##
## Sex
## Class Male Female
## 1st 0 0
## 2nd 0 0
## 3rd 35 17
## Crew 0 0
##
## , , Age = Adult, Survived = No
##
## Sex
## Class Male Female
## 1st 118 4
## 2nd 154 13
## 3rd 387 89
## Crew 670 3
##
## , , Age = Child, Survived = Yes
##
## Sex
## Class Male Female
## 1st 5 1
## 2nd 11 13
## 3rd 13 14
## Crew 0 0
##
## , , Age = Adult, Survived = Yes
##
## Sex
## Class Male Female
## 1st 57 140
## 2nd 14 80
## 3rd 75 76
## Crew 192 20
#convert to a data frame
titanic_df <- as.data.frame(Titanic)
#summarize: suvivors by class
survivors_by_class <- aggregate(
Freq ~ Class,
data = subset(titanic_df, Survived == "Yes"),
sum
)
# Rename column for clarity
colnames(survivors_by_class) <- c("Passenger Class", "Number of Survivors")
# Render as a Markdown table
knitr::kable(survivors_by_class, caption = "Titanic Survivors by Passenger Class")
Titanic Survivors by Passenger Class
| 1st |
203 |
| 2nd |
118 |
| 3rd |
178 |
| Crew |
212 |
The two largest parameters that determined whether or not a passenger
would survive the wreckage is sex, age and social class. Women and
children were more likely to survive the sinking than men of any social
class, and passengers in a higher social class were more likely to
survive than there counterparts of the same sex and age.
The Titanic’s Legacy
The sinking of the Titanic led to a revolution in ocean liner safety.
American and British law now requires safety boats or life rafts for
100% of passengers and crew members on board liners, however most
increased this capacity to 125%. The United States also passed the
Radio Act of 1912, requiring all radio and
communication systems on ships to be manned 24 hours a day and have a
backup power system in case of an outage. The US Coast Guard then
established the International Ice Patrol which monitors and
reports on icebergs in the Atlantic Ocean that could pose a threat to
ships.
Social Class and Survivors of the Titanic
Blake Carberry
The RMS Titanic, an Olympic-class ocean liner sailed from Southampton, England en route to New York City on April 10th 1912. On board were 2,208 passengers from three distinct social classes. First class, second class, and third class were determined by the ticket prices that guests paid for room and amenities. On the night of April 15th 1912, the Titanic struck in Iceberg in the North Atlantic creating a rift on the starboard side. This resulted in the death of 1,501 passengers and crew members.
Titanic Background
The Titanic was the second of three luxury ocean liner ships built by the White Star Line. Due to increased pressures from White Star’s main rival Cunard Line, it was determined that the Titanic should be the most prestigious luxury liner of its time. At the time it was called “the largest moving object ever made by the hand of man in all history”. The ships design was approved in 1908 and construction began on the 882 by 92 foot ship.
Social Classes in the Early 20th Century
After the start of the Industrial Revolution, both Europe and the US enjoyed extreme economic growth. This led to a disparity in income and lifestyle among already existing social classes. The Titanic specifically was designed for passengers of all classes, although very different experiences would be had for those of the highest and lowest classes.
First Class
On the Titanic, the first class typically consisted of members of the prominent upper class. First class tickets costed between 30 pounds (3,800 pounds today) and 870 pounds (109,000 pounds today).
Notable features of first class amenities included:
Second Class
Second class passengers had tickets that costed between 12-15 pounds (about 1500-2100 pounds today). This class consisted mainly of tourists, academics, middle class families, and clergy members. Musicians on board were also considered to be second class passengers and were not generally considered crew members despite being employed under contract.
Notable second class amenities included:
Third Class
Third class passengers generally used this trap as a one way passage to the United States. They were seeking new lives and jobs in the US and Canada. Tickets costed about 7 pounds (900 pounds today). Third class passengers were also the most diverse class on board, consisting of many nationalities throughout Europe and Asia that wanted to immigrate to North America. The Titanic offered a few amenities to third class passengers to compete with other steerage companies and so that passengers would write to relatives fondly about their experience.
These amenities included:
Survival Statistics
The two largest parameters that determined whether or not a passenger would survive the wreckage is sex, age and social class. Women and children were more likely to survive the sinking than men of any social class, and passengers in a higher social class were more likely to survive than there counterparts of the same sex and age.
References
Historical information on the Titanic and the survivors of the wreckage were found from What the Titanic Reveals About Life Expectancy and The Titanic and the Passengers Who Boarded it as well as Passengers of the Titanic.
The Titanic’s Legacy
The sinking of the Titanic led to a revolution in ocean liner safety. American and British law now requires safety boats or life rafts for 100% of passengers and crew members on board liners, however most increased this capacity to 125%. The United States also passed the Radio Act of 1912, requiring all radio and communication systems on ships to be manned 24 hours a day and have a backup power system in case of an outage. The US Coast Guard then established the International Ice Patrol which monitors and reports on icebergs in the Atlantic Ocean that could pose a threat to ships.