Two questions re: Marconi Room & Bridge on Titanic

[Gordon Mooneyhan]

Looking at the plans on Encyclopedia Titanica, I estimate the distance between the bridge and the Marconi room to be about 100 feet, maybe slightly less. Do we have an accurate distance?

Was there a phone in the Marconi room? If there was, why couldn't Philips or Bride use it while the other operator was sleeping to relay navigational (ice warnings) to the bridge?

 

[Dave Gittins]

it seems possible that their was a phone. Here's Harold Bride at the British inquiry.

16627. Just tell us what happens; what would you do in a case like that? - In a case like that I should take it along myself to the Captain.
16628. What is it you would take along? - The message.
16629. Well, I suppose it is a piece of paper? - Yes, a piece of paper. It would be enclosed in an envelope.
16630. Would it be enclosed in an envelope? - Yes.
16631. Then there is not any ship’s messenger or boy who does this; you do it yourself? - Well, you can have one, but by the time you have rung for him to come up, and he has come up, you could have taken it yourself and be back again.
16632. (The Commissioner.) You are close to him? - We are close to the Captain on the
“Titanic.”
I wonder what can be seen in photos.

 

[Dave Gittins]

Ferreting around, I found a list of phone lines installed for navigational purposes. It doesn't include one to the radio room. It's only from a magazine, so it's not totally reliable.

 

[Arun Vajpey]

Looking at the plans on Encyclopedia Titanica, I estimate the distance between the bridge and the Marconi room to be about 100 feet, maybe slightly less,

You are correct and in fact it might have been just over 100 feet. I had never looked at this myself and always assumed that it was much closer but looking at BB's plan of the boat deck, the Marconi Room appears to be only slightly less that half the distance between the Navigating Bridge and the Compass Platform. That was about 250 to 260 feet.

 

[Thomas Krom]

Ferreting around, I found a list of phone lines installed for navigational purposes. It doesn't include one to the radio room. It's only from a magazine, so it's not totally reliable.

The Olympic's specification book does mention one cabin telephone in the Marconi room and if my memory serves right during the 2001 and 2005 expedition to the wreck it was seen too.

 

[Mike Spooner]

That's an interesting list of phone departments. Question: How were they marked up to call the individual departments?

 

[Thomas Krom]

That's an interesting list of phone departments. Question: How were they marked up to call the individual departments?

There was a telephone switchboard on C-deck for the cabin telephones. The switchboard operator was a man named Laurence Alexander Perkins (1890-1912) and the person who used the telephone would ask to be connected to a certain station. Imagine for example if Doctor O'Loughlin wanted to be connected with Captain Smith about an incident, he would pick up the phone, press the plunger, he'd heard Perkins say: "With the switchboard, to who can I connect you too?", and O'Loughlin would say: "The commander's quarters please." and Perkins would then connect him to it.

 

[William Oakes]

There was a telephone switchboard on C-deck for the cabin telephones. The switchboard operator was a man named Laurence Alexander Perkins (1890-1912) and the person who used the telephone would ask to be connected to a certain station. Imagine for example if Doctor O'Loughlin wanted to be connected with Captain Smith about an incident, he would pick up the phone, press the plunger, he'd heard Perkins say: "With the switchboard, to who can I connect you too?", and O'Loughlin would say: "The commander's quarters please." and Perkins would then connect him to it.
View attachment 113839

Thank You for this great information!

 

[Mike Spooner]

Was there a telephone between the bridge and captain quarter?

 

[William Oakes]

Was there a telephone between the bridge and captain quarter?

Based upon that list, Yes.

 

[Thomas Krom]

Was there a telephone between the bridge and captain quarter?

No, there was no phone connected from the wheelhouse to the captain’s quarters. The four loudspeaking navyphones on the wheelhouse were connected to the forecastle head (which was portable), the crow’s nest, the starting platform of the reciprocating engine room and the docking bridge.

 

[Arun Vajpey]

The switchboard operator was a man named Laurence Alexander Perkins (1890-1912) and the person who used the telephone would ask to be connected to a certain station.

I could not find a listing for any other steward designated as a telephone operator. Did that mean that Perkins was on 24-hour call and practically lived in the switchboard cabin like the wireless ops did?

Since the loudspeaking "Emergency" phones bypassed the operator, I suppose it did not make a big difference in those days when having a phone was still bit of a novelty.

 

[Thomas Krom]

I could not find a listing for any other steward designated as a telephone operator. Did that mean that Perkins was on 24-hour call and practically lived in the switchboard cabin like the wireless ops did?

If I am allowed to speculate Perkins likely had the usual 8:00 to 23:00 shift like most stewards, based on research I’ve conducted previously based on Britannic her general arrangement plans the telephone switchboard operator was berthed together with the second class saloon stewards. Speaking from memory that is for I am quite exhausted.

 

[peterpeak362]

No, there was no phone connected from the wheelhouse to the captain’s quarters. The four loudspeaking navyphones on the wheelhouse were connected to the forecastle head (which was portable), the crow’s nest, the starting platform of the reciprocating engine room and the docking bridge.

No need for a phone. Smith was a bit inebriated, but not surprised when the carpenter gave him the news...after all, the doors were never closed until the floats closed them, and the pumps were reversed to get that water at the bunker 6 wall...took 2 hrs and change; saltwater, after all is like gasoline when introduced to burning coal...

 

[Thomas Krom]

Smith was a bit inebriated

Captain Smith wasn't inebriated in any way. Eleanor Widener, who hosted the dinner party in the á la carte restaurant. noted:

“Capt. Smith drank absolutely no wine or intoxicating liquor of any kind whatever at the dinner.”

Charles Emil Henry Stengel also recalled:

I have a distinct recollection of a Mrs. Thorne stating, while talking about the captain being to dinner, that she was in that party, and she said, "I was in that party, and the captain did not drink a drop." He smoked two cigars, that was all, and left the dining room about 10 o'clock.

but not surprised when the carpenter gave him the news...after all, the doors were never closed until the floats closed them,

First officer Murdoch pressed the alarm bell and turned the lever of the vertical watertight doors seconds before the iceberg hit. The closing of the vertical watertight doors are recalled by various survivors, this includes:
Leading fireman Frederick William Barrett (1883-1931)
Fireman George William Beauchamp (1888-1965)
Trimmer Thomas Patrick Dillon (1879-1939)
Greaser Frederick William Scott (1884-1915)
And beyond that, carpenter John Maxwell informed captain Smith that the tarpaulin of the number one cargo hatch was ballooning up as well that the ship made water in the forepeak tank.

and the pumps were reversed to get that water at the bunker 6 wall...took 2 hrs and change; saltwater, after all is like gasoline when introduced to burning coal...

The pumps had drains throughout most of the compartments of the Titanic and it wasn't purely focused on boiler room number 6 alone. Coal bunker W which is the likely coal bunker in question you refer to also was emptied the days before, which caused a slight list of 2.5 degrees to port earlier during the voyage. And to start a fire you need three essential things:
1 fuel
2 oxygen
3 heat
And cold water would take two of those away.