A Night to Remember

by Walter Lord

So much for the basic facts. Beyond these, much is a mystery. Probably nothing will ever equal the Titanic for the number of unanswered questions she left behind. For instance— How many lives were lost? Some sources say 1,635 … the American Inquiry, 1,517 … the British Board of Trade, 1,503 … the British Enquiry, 1,490. The British Board of Trade figure seems most convincing, less Fireman J. Coffy, who deserted at Queenstown. How did various people leave the ship? Nearly every woman survivor who was asked replied firmly, “In the last boat.” Obviously, all these women didn’t go in the same boat, yet to question the point is like questioning a lady’s age—one simply doesn’t do it. Careful sifting of the testimony at the British and American hearings shows pretty clearly how the ship was abandoned, but even here there’s conflicting evidence.