eat modern ships, these doors were held
in place above the openings by friction clutches. On the bridge was
a switch which connected with an electric magnet at the side of the
bulkhead opening. The turning of this switch caused the magnet to draw
down a heavy weight, which instantly released the friction clutch, and
allowed the door to fall or slide down over the opening in a second.
If, however, through accident the bridge switch was rendered useless the
doors would close automatically in a few seconds. This was arranged by
means of large metal floats at the side of the doorways, which rested
just above the level of the double bottom, and as the water entered
the compartments these floats would rise to it and directly release the
clutch holding the door open. These clutches could also be released by
hand.

It was said of the Titanic that liner compartments could be flooded
as far back or as far forward as the engine room and she would float,
though she might take on a heavy list, or settle considerably at one
end. To provide against just such an accident as she is said to have
encountered she had set back a good distance from the bows an extra
heavy cross partition known as the collision bulkhead, which would
prevent water getting in amidships, even though a good part of her bow
should be torn away. What a ship can stand and still float was shown a
few years ago when the Suevic of the White Star Line went on the rocks
on the British coast. The wreckers could not move the forward part of
her, so they separated her into two sections by the use of dynamite, and
after putting in a temporary bulkhead floated off the after half of
the ship, put it in dry dock and built a new forward part for her. More
recently the battleship Maine, or what was left of her, was floated out
to sea, and kept on top of the water by her water-tight compartments
only.

CHAPTER III. THE MAIDEN VOYAGE OF THE TITANIC

PREPARATIONS FOR THE VOYAGE--SCENES OF GAYETY--THE BOAT SAILS--INCIDENTS
OF THE VOYAGE---A COLLISION NARROWLY AVERTED--THE BOAT ON FIRE--WARNED
OF ICEBERGS.

EVER was ill-starred voyage more auspiciously begun than when the
Titanic, newly crowned empress of the seas, steamed majestically out of
the port of Southampton at noon on Wednesday, April 10th, bound for New
York.

Elaborate preparations had been made for the maiden voyage. Crowds
of eager watchers gathered to witness the departure, all the more
interested because of t