How The Glasgow Herald covered the story of the Titanic

The Glasgow Herald, the newspaper that became The Herald, reported the catastrophe at length. Its coverage (at the links above and images below) reflected both the enormity of the disaster and the confusion that reigned for several days in the aftermath.

While very early reports suggested that all on board had been rescued, by the morning of April 16th, when the Glasgow Herald brought out a 6am special edition, it was clear that the situation was bleak: "An appalling disaster has occurred," it reported. "The White Star officials admit that it is very probable that only 675 out of the 2250 passengers and crew on board the Titanic were saved."

In the hours after the disaster, the first newspaper reports relied on telegraph communication, and correspondents complained that it was difficult to determine details from the "scrappy messages" available. (There were just over 700 survivors, though there are still conflicting reports of the exact number today.)

By April 17th, the situation was become clearer, as the newspaper confirmed: "There is unfortunately no doubt whatever that the White Star liner Titanic, the largest ship in the world, sank after collision with an iceberg while on her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York."

It was on this date that a list was published of the Scottish crew-members who had served on the ship. It featured mostly men in their twenties and thirties, including engineers, greasers and a boilermaker – trades that may have been learned in the ship-building industry at home.

There are some high profile names missing from the staff list, including William Murdoch, the ship’s first officer, who was from Dalbeattie (Murdoch had been living in Southampton, which may explain why he was not included) and John Law Hume, a violinist with the ship’s band (a profession that may have been recorded separately from other crew).

Scottish members of the crew

J. McGregor, 30, Edinburgh, greaser
J. Fraser, 30, Inverness, greaser
J, Smalin, 29, Glasgow, steward*
E. Skinner, 33, Glasgow*
W. D. Mackie, 30, Glasgow, engineer
R.  Millar, 26, Alloa, engineer*
W. Moyes, 23, Stirling, engineer
D Matheson, 30, Thurso
J. Fraser, 29, engineer
G. Chiswell, 32, boilermaker*
T. Bradley, Glasgow, fireman
A. Cunningham, 33, Edinburgh, steward
J. Monks, 26, Glasgow, steward
T. Mullen, 30, Dumfried, steward
J. Orr, 40, Leith, cook
T. W Cowless, 34, Aberdeen*
J. Stewart, 27, Edinburgh
W. Anderson, 48, Glasgow
S. Gill, 34, Paisley
James Tosuch, 31, Edinburgh*

(* denotes possible misspelling)

Excerpts

April 16 1912 (6am special edition)

Telegraphs received this morning from Reuter confirm the messages to the effect that an appalling disaster has occurred. The White Star officials admit that it is very probable that only 675 out of the 2250 passengers and crew on board the Titanic were saved. The 675 are understood to include all the first class passengers, and reports indicate that the majority of those saved were women and children.

So far as can be judged from the scrappy messages which are available the Allan liner Virginian seems to have been the first vessel to arrive on the scene of the disaster. The passengers who were saved evidently went on board the Virginian in the first instance and shortly after were transferred to the Cunard liner Carpathia.

April 17 2012
There is unfortunately no doubt whatever that the White Star liner Titanic, the largest ship in the world, sank after collision with an iceberg while on her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York. She carried 1455 passengers and 903 of a crew, a total of 2388, and there is every reason to fear that the death toll reaches the awful number of 1490.

The terrible calamity has created consternation not only in this country and in the United States but also on the Continent, and on all hands great sympathy is expressed for the bereaved. In view of the first statements that no lives had been lost and that the passengers had been transferred to other steamers, a feeling of easiness prevailed, but unhappily this was dispelled as the day advanced.

In the early morning a message from St John’s Newfoundland gave rise to the hope that the Allen liner Virginian had some of the survivors on board, and another straw eagerly clutched at was a statement made by the operator at Sable Island on Monday night, who, when asked as to the possibility of delivering messages to the Titanic passengers replied that it would be difficult to do so as the passengers were believed to be dispersed among several vessel.

Yesterday’s reassuring advices left the country unprepared to face a maritime disaster such as this, the proportions of which have only been made possible by that supreme triumph of construction and engineering.

April 18 2012

Many conflicting and speculative stories of the disaster have emanated from New York during the past few days, and the most detailed of all was circulated yesterday. There were many obvious discrepancies in the narrative and it was not surprising when later in the day it was denied and described as an invention.

The fact remains that nothing of an authentic character will be known until the arrival of the Carpathia with the survivors at New York. At 11 o’clock (American time) on Tuesday night the vessel was reported to be 596 miles east of that city and it is expected she will arrive at eight o’clock (American time) tonight, which means that the first news to reach Great Britain will not come out until between 2 and 3am tomorrow morning. In these circumstances the news in the interval as to the wreck or what followed must necessarily be fragmentary and incomplete.

There has never been a catastrophe of this kind in which the hope of the safety of all concerned was at first so highly raised and then so rudely shattered. First assurances were to the effect that no lives had been sacrificed and the reasonableness of the hope was sustained by the remembrances of the loss of the Republic, and other disasters narrowly averted by means of wireless telegraphy.

Whether the early reports were due to the confusion of the wireless service, or were deliberately calculated for the purpose of gradually leading up to the magnitude of the tragedy it is impossible to say, and may never be known.

The Glasgow Herald archives are stored at the Mitchell Library in Glasgow and are available for public viewing on request.