Living A Dream

Finally! The Titanic was ready for her maiden voyage. Wednesday, April 10th 1912, was a very exciting day for Joseph Bruce Ismay. Finally, after five years of waiting, and then waiting some more, the Titanic was ready! Ismay and the chief designer of the Titanic, Thomas Andrews, would accompany the Titanic.Over the course of five years, Lord Pierre had aged dramatically; he was a sick old man. He had a tumor in his left eye, which would need surgery. He would not be able to make the Titanic’s maiden voyage, to his major disappointment.
Ismay had undoubtedly crossed the Atlantic Ocean many, many times. But this time it would be different! For the first time in his life he was living a dream, not that this was the first ship he had built, but this ship, the Titanic, was his own invention, a ship of his own making.Maybe some of us have had a chance to live our dreams, if you have, you might know what Ismay was experiencing. A sense of fulfillment! A sense of achievement! A sense of arrival! And possibly a sense of excellence!

Ismay would only have four days to live his dream. Four days, only four days. This magnificent ship would only have four days to prove her self-worthiness on the sea. To be the Queen of the Seas. Ismay’s pride in the matter affected more than just him. It affected the Titanic’s passengers, it affected the crew, and it definitely affected the White Star Line. It affected the world by being the first news to be worldwide.
Once the Titanic departed from the coast of Ireland, she would never see land again. For some on board, it would be the last time they viewed solid ground. As the huge liner swept past the Irish coast and progressed farther and farther away; until she was a mere speck, and then vanishing completely, the world would never set eyes upon her again. Titanic had a short and sad life, and the life that she did have was rushed to keep up with schedules, regulations and dates. It was almost as if she was built to sink.
Once the Titanic was on sea, she became a world of her own, at least to the passengers. Each class of passengers enjoying their own different luxuries their class afforded them. Titanic was also making excellent speed, much to her owner’s approval. From the time she left Queenstown, she was making more and more speed every day. Finally, on Sunday, April 14, 1912, she made 75 revolutions a minute, and covered 549 miles. But Monday the 15th was going to be the final test; she was going to attempt about 24 ½ knots compared to 22 knots on Sunday, putting Titanic at full speed, at Ismay’s request…