Ice, Hubris, and the Tragedy of Errors that Sunk the World’s Largest Cruise Ship

Today, April 15th, marks the 107th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic; a tragedy made all the more horrific by the lofty expectations placed upon its maiden voyage by doomed passengers and crew alike. Thanks to the New Jersey Digital Newspaper Project, we can look back on the coverage of the Titanic’s sinking as information was made available to the public in real time. As you will see in the headline below, initial reporting of the event makes the claim of the ship being “Nearly Sunk.”

Picture of the Titanic from the April 15, 1912 issue of thePerth Amboy Evening News.

Issues published in the proceeding days were updated with more accurate information. While the Perth Amboy Evening News was published on a daily basis, the weekly published Bridgeton Pioneer had reporting on the sinking that was more accurate however grim it may have been.

A list of souls lost from the Sinking of the Titanic from the April 19, 1912 issue of the Bridgeton Pioneer.

Below are a collection of interesting headlines and images from the coverage of the Sinking of the Titanic in our historical New Jersey Newspapers. Leave a comment below with your Titanic facts and finds. If you haven’t already, subscribe to the blog!

Headline and Pictures from the April 16, 1912 issue of the Perth Amboy Evening News.
Picture of the Titanic’s Lifeboats from the April 25, 1912 issue of the Bridgeton Pioneer.
Images of the RMS Carpathia, one of the ships that rescued survivors of the Titanic Disaster. Also pictured are the Carpathia’s Captain and two children who survived the sinking. Taken from the May 2, 1912 issue of the Bridgeton Pioneer.


(Contributed by Giovanna Ligato-Pugliese and Jacob Paul)

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