Timeline Article: The Grand Staircase Is Flooded

Water bursts through the dome and floods the staircase.
Painting By: Ken Marschall

Monday, April 15, 1912

At around 2:15am, the elegant First Class Grand Staircase succumbs to the sea. Not only is water quickly rising up the stairs from the decks below, but also water bursts through the glass dome from above.




The dome was located atop of the First Class Entrance deck house on the boat deck. The dome was surrounded by an enclosure with a skylight.

Staircase Dome Enclosure with Skylight.

It was around this point during the sinking that the water would have submerged the skylight, forcing it's way into the ship through the skylight and the dome.

What Happened To The Grand Staircase?

It has been a subject of debate as to what exactly happened to the staircase after the sinking.

It is worth noting that the staircase that was created for James Cameron's film "Titanic", was almost a perfect replica of the original. When the movie set was purposely flooded, the staircase became dislodged unexpectedly. 

Although a movie set is not the original, it is logical to assume that with the staircase being made of oak, some of the more fragile pieces could have come lose from their fastenings and floated out.

Whatever the case may be, survivor testimonies claim pieces of stairs, balustrades, and other debris were floating on the surface just after Titanic went down. 

There is evidence of debris from the staircase located forward and aft of its original location within the wreck of the bow section. This plus other evidence solidly supports an event of violent circulating hydraulic forces taking place within the bow section during its decent and impact with the ocean bottom.

However, most of the staircase was built into the structure of the ship, and even though it may have damaged, the majority of it would have remained with the ship until the wood and steel framing gradually disappeared. 

Timeline Article: Third Class Passengers Try To Reach the Lifeboats

Monday, April 15, 1912
1:48am


As Titanic takes on water, the Third class passengers struggle to find their way to the lifeboats. Racing the water through a maze of corridors and other obstacles deck by deck. To make things even more difficult, many of the Third class passengers didn't speak English, and therefore could not read the navigation signs posted throughout the ship.

"One myth that still persists to this day is that of locked gates extending from floor-to-ceiling between the Third class areas and the rest of the ship. It must be noted that there is no evidence, either documented or from the wreck, that any such barriers existed. Bostwick gates and other physical forms of separation were in place at various locations throughout the vessel, but their primary purpose was to clearly mark points through which Third class passengers could not pass, as many could not read. Gates were not intended, nor were they constructed, as a means of forcible confinement or physical restriction."

Excerpt from: Titanic: The Ship Magnificent Volume Two

By: Bruce Beveridge, Scott Andrews, Steve Hall, and Daniel Klistorner

Eventually, some of the Third class passengers make it up to the boat deck using the First class staircase or the Second class staircase, but only to find that just 6 out of the 20 lifeboats are all that remain.

Featured Article: The Grand Staircase

The Grand Staircase aboard Olympic.
No photographs of Titanic's staircase
are known to exist.

Titanic is a wonder of marine engineering, but the public was amazed by something else... Luxury! 

The centerpiece of Titanic was the First Class Forward Grand Staircase with its graceful sweep of paneled and carved oak surfaces, accented with wrought iron and bronze foliage. Behind it were three elevators for the passengers that would rather not use the stairs. The staircase spanned six decks and was topped with a dome of white glass and wrought iron. The dome let in natural sunlight during the day, and was lit up at night by a large gilt metal framed chandelier with glass-bead panels and cut glass. On the wall at the top of the stairs, was a carved oak clock depicting two figures known as "Honor and Glory Crowning Time". The stairs were slender at the top, but fanned out wider at the landing of each deck. The landings and corridors were lit by beaded crystal ceiling fixtures and had white and black patterned tile floors. The staircase started at the boat deck and descended through A, B, and C decks, down to the First Class Reception Room on D deck, and then ended at E deck. A smaller and less elegant version of the staircase was located further aft of the ship. All together it was a wondrous achievement. 

A contemporary drawing of the Grand Staircase
for the White Star Line publicity brochure
"Olympic & Titanic Largest Steamers in the World"

The Grand Staircase is described as follows in the "Olympic" & "Titanic" Largest Steamers in the World (1911), White Star Line publicity brochure with colored illustrations:

We leave the deck and pass through one of the doors which admit us to the interior of the vessel, and, as if by magic, we at once lose feeling that we are on board a ship, and seem instead to be entering the hall of some great house on shore. Dignified and simple oak paneling covers the walls, enriched in a few places by a bit of elaborate carved work, reminiscent of the days when Grinling Gibbons collaborated with his great contemporary, Wren.

In the middle of the hall rises a gracefully curving staircase, its balustrade supported by light scrollwork of iron with occasional touches of bronze, in the form of flowers and foliage. Above all a great dome of iron and glass throws a flood of light down the stairway, and on the landing beneath it a great carved panel gives its note of richness to the otherwise plain and massive construction of the wall. The panel contains a clock, on either side of which is a female figure, the whole symbolizing Honour and Glory crowning Time. Looking over the balustrade, we see the stairs descending to many floors below, and on turning aside we find we may be spared the labour of mounting or descending by entering one of the smoothly-gliding elevators which bear us quickly to any other of the numerous floors of the ship we may wish to visit.

The staircase is one of the principal features of the ship, and will be greatly admired as being, without doubt, the finest piece of workmanship of its kind afloat.

A detailed view of the Grand Staircase.
(Painting By: Ken Marschall)

 Pictured below are views of the Grand Staircase from James Cameron's film "Titanic".

A Deck Landing

Boat Deck View - Starboard

Boat Deck View - Starboard Aft

Half Landing View

D Deck Landing - Reception Room

Featured Article: The Most Awesome Ships Afloat

White Star encourages the designers at Harland and Wolff to pursue their vision of grandeur with no expense spared. The designers will have to propose huge liners with passenger amenities that will make them the most awesome vessels afloat. First class passengers will make their entrances and exits on a sweeping grand staircase. It will be topped with a huge dome made of glass and wrought iron. Behind the staircase there will be three elevators for those who choose to ride. Also, an elaborate reception room, smoking room and writing room, several restaurants, and below the decks a swimming pool and a Turkish Bath.

The extravagance must be obvious to all. Designer Alexander Carlisle will oversee this project. When he retires the following year, it will be Thomas Andrews that will bring these designs to life.

Harland and Wolff Designers
Thomas Andrews (left) and Alexander Carlisle (right)