Society Settles into Life at Sea as Titanic Sails Steadily Westward

ABOARD RMS TITANIC, April 13, 1912 (Saturday Morning) — The sun rose gently over the North Atlantic this morning, casting a soft silver sheen across the surface of the sea, which has remained mercifully calm since departure. Aboard the Titanic, life among the First Class passengers continues with all the ease and elegance of a well-run estate — though this one floats, and quite magnificently at that.

Now on her third full day at sea, the great ship moves with grace and quiet confidence, the engines churning in smooth rhythm beneath the decks. The morning hours have seen promenades taken, correspondence written, and preparations made for this evening’s much-anticipated First Class dinner — an event promising all the grandeur of a London season ball, but set upon the sea.

In our coverage of the RMS Titanic Anniversary this year, NetNewsLedger will cover the event as if we were covering it as it happened. This first report as the ship prepares to set course on her fateful journey is on the days before sailing. In those days newspaper coverage was the premier media.

BREAKFAST WITH A VIEW AND A STRING QUARTET

Early risers among the First Class guests took their breakfast in the À la Carte Restaurant or the First Class Dining Saloon, both of which offered a refined morning repast: grilled kippers, shirred eggs with ham, fresh rolls with Devonshire cream, and a choice of China tea or rich Colombian coffee.

The soft strains of a string trio, playing selections from Gilbert and Sullivan, floated through the Palm Court as diners lingered over the Morning Post and conversation turned to opera, weather, and Wall Street.

Passengers such as Colonel John Jacob Astor, Mr. and Mrs. Isidor Straus, and Mrs. Margaret Brown of Denver were seen exchanging pleasantries near the Grand Staircase. The prevailing mood remains one of genteel relaxation, touched with a sense of awe at the sheer scale and comfort of the ship.

DAYTIME PASTIMES: FROM PARLOUR GAMES TO ELECTRIC HORSES

For the more active, the gymnasium has become a favored novelty — particularly the electric camel and horse machines, which have kept both ladies and gentlemen amused. A fencing demonstration is scheduled for later this afternoon, and passengers are invited to try the rowing machine under the watchful guidance of the ship’s physical instructor.

More sedate activities include reading in the First Class library, where books by Galsworthy, Kipling, and Mrs. Humphry Ward are in steady circulation, or taking tea in the Café Parisien, which has proven especially popular with the younger set.

Gentlemen may retreat to the smoking room, where conversations range from politics to prizefighting, while card games of bridge and whist fill the tables in the afternoon.

A NIGHT TO REMEMBER: THIS EVENING’S FIRST CLASS DINNER

Excitement is quietly building for tonight’s formal dinner service, to be held in the First Class Dining Saloon. Guests have been advised that black tie or full evening dress is expected, and preparations are already underway in the galley for what may be the most elaborate meal served at sea.

The eleven-course menu will include such delicacies as:

• Hors d’Oeuvre variés

• Consommé Olga

• Poached salmon with Mousseline sauce

• Filet mignon Lili with truffle garnish

• Roast squab à la Victoria

• Asparagus salad with Champagne-saffron vinaigrette

• Peaches in Chartreuse jelly and French ice cream

Each course shall be accompanied by carefully paired wines, from chilled Chablis to a robust Château Margaux. Rumour has it that Captain Edward J. Smith himself will attend the affair and offer a toast to the success of the voyage.

Music will be provided by Wallace Hartley’s orchestra, whose arrangements of operatic selections and light waltzes have drawn high praise from both critics and passengers.

THE GRANDEUR OF A MODERN AGE

The Titanic is no ordinary vessel. She is not merely a ship, but a society — floating, glittering, and alive with possibility. As Saturday unfolds with refinement and rhythm, one cannot help but marvel at what has been accomplished: a voyage where comfort rivals any hotel on land, and where each day seems to outshine the last.

Tonight, with stars above and champagne flowing below, the passengers of First Class shall dine in splendor, unaware that they are living through what may one day be seen as the golden evening of an age.