By Our Special Society Correspondent, Aboard the Titanic
Filed April 13, 1912 — Somewhere on the Atlantic
ABOARD RMS TITANIC — Well, darlings, if the sea has been calm these last few days, the same cannot be said for the social currents swirling about First Class aboard the White Star Line’s crowning jewel. With four hundred of the world’s best-dressed, best-connected, and most-watched souls aboard, there is more sparkle on the Titanic than in the vaults of Cartier.
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.
Though the crossing is only halfway through, here is the very latest from your floating drawing room.
ASTORS ON PARADE
The talk of every table, naturally, is Colonel John Jacob Astor IV and his youthful bride, Madeleine. One hardly blames the ladies for turning their heads — the Colonel is ever-attentive, and young Mrs. Astor has been spotted in a different Paris gown each day. She wore a powder blue ensemble at luncheon on Friday that drew murmurs from even the stewards.
It is said the couple are keeping largely to themselves, taking quiet walks along the private promenade and dining away from the main saloon. A few have noted the Colonel’s protective manner — perhaps owing to the delicate condition rumoured to be accompanying the honeymoon.
MRS. BROWN, UNBOTHERED & UNSTOPPABLE
If one woman is determined to make herself known aboard, it is the indomitable Mrs. Margaret “Maggie” Brown of Denver. No mere ornament of society, she has dined with officers, sparred verbally with millionaires, and even gave an impromptu lecture on the rights of women to inherit property — much to the discomfort of a few older gentlemen at the smoking room door.
She is said to have tipped her steward with a gold coin and invited one of the chambermaids to tea. “Why not?” she was overheard saying. “I’ve dined with mine owners and miners alike.”
THE GUGGENHEIM ENSEMBLE
Mr. Benjamin Guggenheim, meanwhile, has turned the upper deck into his personal runway. He has reportedly changed into a new waistcoat for each appearance — no less than four times in a single day. On Thursday, he wore a silk cravat embroidered with his initials in gold thread.
Accompanying him is his valet, who is seen constantly pressing collars, polishing boots, and once even dusting a deck chair. One wag was heard to say, “If Mr. Guggenheim is to be rescued, it will be with a fresh collar.”
A MYSTERY MAN ON C-DECK
Several ladies — and more than one stewardess — have asked about a “quiet gentleman with a French accent” staying in a stateroom on C-Deck. His name does not appear on the published passenger list, though it is whispered he may be a minor count traveling under discretion. He dines alone and writes frequently in a leather-bound journal.
One rumour says he’s a wine merchant, another that he’s on a diplomatic errand. Whatever the truth, he has been seen speaking in hushed tones with a crew member in the Café Parisien. Watch this space!
LADY DUFF-GORDON: DRESSING FOR THE WATERS
Lady Lucile Duff-Gordon, famed couturière and society fashion icon, has reportedly brought over twenty trunks of personal wardrobe, some containing unreleased gowns from her upcoming London collection. Her silks and sables were nearly the cause of a shipping delay in Southampton, it is said — no doubt to the delight of the Parisian salons, who find her quite the ambassador.
She has also been seen sketching near the staircase and was overheard complimenting a steward’s uniform cut. “Even ship’s cloth could be chic, with the right stitch,” she said.
NOTES FROM THE LOUNGE
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The ship’s orchestra, led by Mr. Wallace Hartley, received a standing ovation after a spirited rendition of Il Bacio last evening. A certain young widow from Montreal is rumoured to have requested a private encore.
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Champagne ran low in the First Class saloon Friday evening — not due to poor provisioning, but thanks to a lively bridge tournament hosted by a Chicago stockbroker and an English viscountess. Several glasses were shattered during what one steward called “a disagreement of interpretation.”
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A new salon game is making the rounds — passengers pass a note predicting where Titanic will dock to the minute in New York. The prize? A bottle of Veuve Clicquot and the right to ring the ship’s dinner bell on the final night. Yours truly has guessed 8:57 PM, Wednesday. We shall see.
Until next dispatch, I remain ever your humble observer,
– “Salonica”
