Other notables on the Titanic:
Macy's co-owner Isidor Straus and his wife Ida.
Benjamin Guggenheim
Jack Thayer, 17, and heir to a Pennsylvania railroad fortune.
Amount Molly Brown claimed for lost items: $27,887
This included 14 hats, some 20 gowns, an opera cape, two Japanese kimonoes, jewelry and more.
--Cooter
Number of iceberg warnings received: 6
Miles sailed before sinking: 2,070
Temperature of the water at sinking: 28 degrees
Number of lifeboats the ship was equipped to carry: 64
Number of lifeboats the Titanic actually had: 20
Number of people who died: 1,517
Who was the richest passenger: John J. Astor
How much was he worth: $787 million (about $2.21 billion today)
--Cooter
Number of courses served during the ship's final first class dinner: 10
Menu choices: oysters, consomme, poached salmon, filetm mignn, lamb with mint sauce, punch romaine, roast squab, cold asparagus, vinigrette, pate de foie gras, Waldorf pudding.
Wine pairings: each course had one.
Spirits and cigars: Offered after dinner
Second Class fare: Classic French bistro and American dishes
Third Class: Typically soup or stew
--Cooter
Ticketed Pasengers: 1,317
Maximum persons: 3,300
People on board for maiden cruise: 2,200 including 900 crew
First Class: 324
Second Class: 284
Third Class: 709
--Cooter
From October 30, 2020, History "Titanic by the numbers: From construction to disaster to discovery" by Lesley Kennedy.
Two Hours and 40 Minutes: How long it took the "Unsinkable" ship to sink.
Cost to Build: $7.5 million (then)
Rivets: 3 million
Length of construction: 3 years
Weight: 46,000 tons
Length: 882 feet 8 inches
Workers: 3,000
--Cooter
"No one in our boat knew how many lifeboats were on the Titanic but ... there was ample time for saving every soul on board had their been sufficient boats....
"The Captain and Officers of the Carpathia did all that was possible to make us comfortable and to those that were sick or injured, they gave their tenderest care. The icebergs were huge and the weather extremely rough on the voyage to New York."
Afterwards, Saalfeld returned to his wife in England. But as a male survivor of the disaster he found himself ostracized by society and his family reported that he never slept properly again, often calling on his chauffeur to drive him around empty midnight streets before he drifted off.
He died in Kew, Surrey on June 5, 1926, at age 61. He was still chairman of the firm, which continued to do business until 1954. His estate was settled on July 16, 1926, and his assets were worth 46,902 pounds. Burial was at Golders Green Jewish Cemetery in Barnet, London.
--Cooter
Before boarding, he and his nephew, Paul Joseph Danby, also a chemist, boarded the ship and toured it together. Danby wrote a letter back to his wife in Manchester which stated: "Uncle has a very large cabin, nearly a living room with sofa and electric ventilator."
Saalfeld wrote his own wife: "... I just had an hour's roaming about on this wonderful boat. I like my cabin very much. It's like a bed-sitting room and rather large. They are still busy to finish the last things on board...."
According to a later statement, Adolphe Saalfeld had been in the smoking room at the time of the collision and saw the iceberg following which, he went to his cabin. In his haste, however, he left his perfume samples there.
He recounted: I saw a few men and women go into a boat and I followed and when lowered, pushed off and rowed some distance, fearing ... Titanic sinking... as we drifted away gradually saw the Titanic sink lower and lower and finally her lights went out, and others in my boat said they saw her disappear. Our boat was nearly two miles away but the pitiful cries could be plainly heard."
--Cooter
From the Titanic Encyclopedia Message Board.
Someone was looking for some information on "Popcorn Dan."
Some comments:
** Suggested the person look up local papers around Merrill, Wisconsin, from 1912 for stories that weren't covered in major papers.
** Dan was known as "Popcorn Dan" and got that nickname because he would set up a popcorn stand at different public events around Merrill. He lived in Scott's Mansion.
** Another person said the wrong photo of him was being used. The one you see in sources is of his nephew David.
** This set off a lot of discussion as to the correct photo of Dan.
--Cooter
It is believed that Daniel Coxon had returned to England one time earlier, but he returned to his home land aboard the SS New York on 22 December 1911, traveling in third class aboard the same steamer that almost collided with the Titanic in Southampton docks four months later.
Whilst in England, he lived at 38 Rockford, Kentish Town, London, presumably the address of one of his siblings. Reportedly delaying his return to the U.S. so he could board the new steamer Titanic, he boarded the vessel at Southampton as a third class passenger (ticker number 364500 which cost 7 pounds, 5 shillings).
Mr. Coxon lost his life in the disaster and his body, if recovered, was never identified.
--Cooter
From the Encyclopedia Titanica.
He was born in St. Prancas, Middlesex, England, on 27 August 1853 and married twice, with his first wife dying and had eight children with his second one. His family was listed as living at Kentish Town in Middlesex from 1871 to 1891, but he did not live with them, having moved to Canada sometime in the early 1870s before finally ending up in Merrill, Wisconsin (according to family sources).
Mr. Coxon never married in his new home and was listed as a laborer in the 1900 census. By the time of the 1910 census, he was listed as a street popcorn vendor.
Contemporary news sources listed him as a "cripple" and was well-known in his community as "Popcorn Dan."
--Cooter
Veronica Hinke also pays tribute to "Popcorn Dan" (aka Daniel Coxon) of her hometown of Merrill, Wisconsin.
"The Gage (restaurant) contributed a caramel corn recipe in honor of Daniel," Hinke said. "It's also a special nod to Chicago because Cracker Jack was introduced here during the World Columbian Exposition of 1893, and you can imagine that caramel corn had become so popular by the time the Titanic sailed that it might well have been on board as a special treat."
Pop That Corn. --CootDan
Adolphe Saalfeld had boarded in Southampton and his letter was mailed before the Titanic headed across the Atlantic Ocean, "It was pure joy for me to stitch together the tales told in letters home, to tell the story of these amazing people through the lens of drinking and dining," Veronica Hinke said.
Hinke's culinary narrative tells the stories behind the dishes, desserts and drinks that appeared, or likely appeared on Titanic menus, based on contemporary Edwardian dining trends no doubt embraced on board. She also includes recipes, many of which were adapted to modern tastes by Chicago-area chefs.
Hinke now lives in the Chicago area, notes that there were many Chicago connections to the Titanic. One of them was Anne Isham, one of only five female first-class passengers who did not survive. She refused to leave without her Great Dane.
First-class passengers Ida Hippach and her daughter Jean, of Evanston were survivors of both the 1903 Iroquois Theatre fire in Chicago (at least 602 deaths) and the Titanic sinking.
--Cooter
"Popcorn Dan" proved to be a real man. His name was Dan Coxon and he was a one-armed popcorn vendor who had traveled to his native Britain to visit, but then delayed his return home so he could return aboard "a highly touted new steamer, the Titanic," according to Veronica Hinke.
Traveling in steerage, Coxon boarded the Titanic in Southampton only to be lost forever in the disaster. His body was never recovered.
"I was in awe of how this man was able to travel such a great distance from northern Wisconsin, and on board such a magnificent ship," said Hinke. "Coxon's story led me to delve further into the story of the Titanic. to discover more about the on-board experiences of others like Cowon.
"What did they eat? What did they drink?" Hinke wanted to know. "I found every piece of information I could about people who had tucked away menus or written letters home, like the splendid letter that passenger Adolphe Saalfeld wrote home to his wife, Gertrude telling in incredible detail, of the fabulous lunch that he ate on his first day aboard the Titanic."
--Cooter
On the evening before roughly 1,500 people would lose their lives in one of the worst maritime disasters of the 20th century, the first-class passengers aboard the Titanic sat down for an elaborate meal that included oysters, consomme Olga (a veal stock soup flavored with sturgeon marrow), filet mignon, poached salmon, chicken Lyonnaise, roast squab with cress, foie gras, roasted pigeon, lamb with mint sauce and punch romaine, a palate-cleansing granita flavored with oranges and drenched in Champagne.
If you've been wondering what they ate on the ship, author Veronica Hinke recreates the decadent meals, cocktails and dining protocol of history's most tragic voyage in "The Last Night on the Titanic: Unsinkable Drinking, Dining & Style."
Hinke's passion for the Titanic began back when she was a little girl growing up in the central Wisconsin town of Merrill.
She says she was haunted by the local legend behind what turned out to be a real-life man, the so-called "Popcorn Dan."
--CooterDan
From the October 16, 2019, Chicago Tribune by Amy Bizzarri.
Before it sank to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean on April 15, 1912, the "Floating Mansion" that was the Titanic set the bar for luxurious dining.
Four city blocks long and as tall as an 11-story building, this mega ship spoiled its first-class passengers with exquisite 10-plus course meals prepared by top chefs using state-of-the-art cooking equipment, including the toaster and the electric sorbet maker, served in airy cafes and lavish dining halls that rivaled the finest restaurants in Paris.
More than 1,000 bottles of wine, 850 bottles of spirits and 20,000 bottles of beer were stocked in its hold, and the bartenders were well-versed in the hottest cocktails of the era-- the stirred, strained, bracing Manhattan and the gin and sparkling lemonade Tom Collins.
Enough Alcohol? --Cooter
From the April 15, 2022 Buzz "These 8 Titanic secrets surfaced 110 years after the wreck."
The Titanic sank on April 15, 1912, 110 years ago. It wasn't until 36 years ago that the wreck was discovered.
** The 700+ third class passengers had to share just two bathtubs.
** One of the ship's musicians wasn't officially declared dead until 2000. As a matter of fact, the French Army declared him a deserter when he failed up to serve during World War I.
** The ship's lookouts relied on their eyesight alone as the ship's second officer was replaced at the last minute and forgot to hand over the key to unlock the locker where the binoculars were stored. In 2010, that key was auctioned for $130,000.
** One of the richest men in the world, if not the richest, died in the wreck. John Jacob Astor's worth was $3.5 billion in today's dollars. His body was one of the ones recovered and had $60,000 on his pocket.
** One of the ship's cooks survived at least two hours in the frigid North Atlantic waters thanks to copious amounts of whiskey he had drunk.
** Most people died of hypothermia within 15 minutes.
** The 1997 movie cost more to produce than what it cost to build the Titanic.
** Despite what eyewitnesses said, it wasn't until the wreck was found that it was officially confirmed that the ship had split in two pieces.
** The wreck could vanish by 2030. Scientists believe bacteria will eat it away by then.
And, Who Says Drinking Is Bad for You? --Cooter
** Harry Caray had his duels with Milo Hamilton, his sometimes broadcast partner. Harry had his "Holy Cow!" and Milo his "Holy Toledo." Beyond this, they really didn't like each other.
** "DISCO DEMOLITION"
There was plenty of blame to go around for the White Sox's infamous "Disco Demolition" promotion on July 12, 1979, which turned into an on-field riot and ended with the Sox forfeiting the second game of a double header against the Tigers at Comiskey Park.
Howard Cosell was not fond of Caray's style and placed some of the blame on him, saying: "There's just too much of a carnival atmosphere, from the very on-air presentation of the White Sox to the front office itself."
Harry Caray himself had tried to calm the masses by singing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" but nothing helped. Sox owner Bill Veeck later said: "He was the dance band on the Titanic playing through the disaster."
Of course, Chicago deejay Steve Dahl might have had something to do with it as well as many rock and rollers fed up with the whole disco lifestyle.
--CootDemo
