I watched a fascinating documentary in the "Clydebuilt" series on BBC4 last night. The series is about various famous ships that were built on the Clyde. This programme was a repeat, but I must have missed it first time round. It told the story of the vessel Mackay Bennett which was built as a cable-layer. The material about cable-laying was interesting enough, but the story of Mackay Bennett's part in the "Titanic" disaster was even more interesting.
After the sinking of "Titanic," Mackay Bennett was selected to go and look for bodies. She was loaded with coffins and an undertaker came along.
It had been assumed that the maximum number of bodies the ship was likely to encounter was 70, but in the event far more bodies were found - too many for the ship to take on board.
The solution was for the bodies of first-class passengers to be embalmed by the undertaker and put in coffins. The bodies of the second-class passengers were wrapped in canvas sheets.
The bodies of third-class passengers were dropped back in the sea.
I think those who complain that our present-day society is élitist should contemplate what an élitist society really looked like. 🙂
After the sinking of "Titanic," Mackay Bennett was selected to go and look for bodies. She was loaded with coffins and an undertaker came along.
It had been assumed that the maximum number of bodies the ship was likely to encounter was 70, but in the event far more bodies were found - too many for the ship to take on board.
The solution was for the bodies of first-class passengers to be embalmed by the undertaker and put in coffins. The bodies of the second-class passengers were wrapped in canvas sheets.
The bodies of third-class passengers were dropped back in the sea.
I think those who complain that our present-day society is élitist should contemplate what an élitist society really looked like. 🙂
