We were discussing random things over morning tea at work and somehow got onto the topic of the Titanic. I believe the conversation went something like
Is the whether going to stay warm like this? > I heard some women yesterday saying it was too hot, if they though yesterday was too hot they’d better get out of here before summer. > New Year’s Day was sooo hot > something about keeping cool > Siew can’t swim at Sydney beaches because she thinks the water is too cold > in Russia they get tanked up on Vodka and swim in ice water > that would be cold > would’ve been cold to be in the water after the titanic sunk > apparently some guy survived in the water because his blood alcohol was so high (because alcohol has a lower freezing point than water and blood)
I just looked this story up and it turns out that it could possibly be true. There are a lot of references to Chief Baker Charles Joughin, whether any of these are reliable or not and whether they have gotten information from one place and spread it, I don’t know. The way this site puts it is
After the collision Joughin fortified himself with a quantity of alcohol before throwing deckchairs into the ocean for people to hold on to. As the ship neared its final moments Joughin climbed over the stern rails and ‘rode’ the ship into the ocean. He managed to reach collapsible B and because there was no more room to climb on, spent several hours in the freezing water. Joughin survived and was rescued by the Carpathia.
Interesting, no? Moral of the story is: if your ship is sinking in freezing water you should get tanked up on grog. Make sure you have a personal floatation device or life jacket or something because if you’re drunk enough you might not be able to swim. 😛
