The Twillingate Light House situated on Notre Dame Bay faces the Atlantic Ocean. This photo was taken April 1st, 2012 and has a similar , easterly view(yet north) that Cape Race’s Light House would have had 2 weeks later, on APRIL 15TH 1912.
Actually the RMS TITANIC’S FIRST WIRELESS COMMUNICATION WAS WITH THE MARCONI STATION IN CAPE RACE , NFLD & IT OCCURED UNDER A NIGHT SKY.
@ 1045 pm on April 14th, 1912. IT WAS A CLEAR, CALM STARRY SKY @ 50.4 degrees W Longitude. ” when the RMS Titanic struck an iceberg”.
2 DISPATCHES CAME FROM THE TITANIC 150 km away.
One hour later(11:45pm)RMS TItanic sent a WIRELESS TO THE MARCONI STATION: WOMEN AND CHILDREN ARE BEING PUT ON LIFE BOATS.
The Cape Race Lighthouse contacted THE VIRGINIAN, a ship that was 170km from the Titanic Site…and the Virginian would not arrive until 10 am…April 15th….THE VIRGINIAN cites that these signals were blurred and abruptly ended, shortly after the 11:45 NOTIFICATION.
OVER THE NEXT 2 1/2 HOURS THE SHIP GRADUALLY FILLED WITH WATER.
JUST BEFORE 2:30 AM APRIL 15TH, 1912 THE SHIP BROKE UP AND THE BOW SUNK FIRST.
1000 PEOPLE STILL WERE ON BOARD.
RMS CARPATHIA , ONLY 4 HOURS STEAM AWAY ARRIVED TO SAVE 710 LIVES(THOSE WHO DID NOT PARISH OF HYPOTHERMIA in the freezing waters).
So, this vessel that had been built in BELFAST had left from SOUTHHAMPTON navigating towards NEW YORK CITY, only to meet it’s demise off the shores of Newfoundland.
NUMBERS ARE FACTUAL…AND THE NUMBERS IN THE SINKING OF THE RMS TITANIC ARE:
$7,500,000 COST TO BUILD THE TITANIC
3,000,000 RIVETS USED TO HOLD THE HULL TOGETHER
160 MINUTES IT TOOK THE TITANIC TO SINK, AFTER STRIKING THE ICEBERG
13 NEWLEYWED COUPLES ON BOARD
710 SURVIVORS
2 DOGS SURVIVED
-2 DEGREES CELSIUS WAS THE TEMPERATURE OF THE SEAS WATER WHEN THE TITANIC SANK.
74 YEARS ..IT TOOK TO FIND THE WRECK ON THE OCEAN FLOOR.
CAPE RACE LIGHT HOUSE: The existing light house was built in 1907; it is a concrete cylindrical shape with a massive lens and was the highest structure in Canada ( until the CN Tower was built).
Cape Race( the name is of Portuguese origin …Raso ..meaning barren), in Portugal cove
is situated on the most southeasterly part of the Avalon Peninsula & is usually shrouded in fog; the rocky masses & prevalent icebergs contribute to a history of ship wrecks in this area.
So, unfortunately I do not have a night photo, that would express the feeling tone of such a significant event.
The night sky in Newfoundland has been of particular interest to me while I have been here. Here, one truly feels that they are on a rock in the Atlantic Ocean and the SKY IS ALL; CLEAR AND BRIGHT AND EVER—-EXTENDING OUTWARD…..I have a friend who was telling me about the first hand PERSEIDS METEOR SHOWER that he’d experienced in the summer of 2009, just 10 minutes outside of St. John’s. He was saying that this sky is not polluted with urban light; that one can actually witness the sky(an astronomers paradise).
Enough said….
tomorrow to Deer Lake(westward bound on the Trans Canada Highway), DRL BUS) and to fly out to Halifax….and begin the VIA RAIL trip across Canada.
Do you ever wonder about the fact that EASTER and Passover go hand -in -hand….?
Best Wishes for a wonderful Spring.
Susan
2012thislandisyourlandseatosea 