They were four brave young men. Two, Frederick Fleet and Reginald Lee, were high above the Titanic’s deck in the crow’s nest which was being assaulted by thirty-one-degree weather, at a speed of twenty-one and a half knots.
Lower in the ship, and located on the Boat Deck, were twenty-five-year-old Jack Phillips, the Senior Wireless Operator and his assistant, twenty-one-year-old Harold Bride. Before the night of April 14th had seen the dawn, these four brave young men would have justifiably placed their names in the Annals of Marine History.
The first of six wireless messages had been received by the Titanic stating a large ice field was present in that area of the North Atlantic. It was strange, however, that if danger was present there was no slackening of the vessel’s speed. Rather, as Fleet and Lee had taken their watch in the crow’s nest 50 feet above the deck, they had merely been informed that they were in the area of icebergs. In those pre-radar days, the young men who would take their turns scanning the sea for danger were the “eyes of the ship.”
Icebergs were difficult to detect at night on a calm sea—and the sea was calm on that cold, starry, but moonless night. During the night watches, the lookouts in the crow’s-nest would watch for ribbons of white water lapping at the base of the icebergs, but the sea was too calm to provide that visual alert. Fleet and Lee looked into the darkness without the aid of binoculars, for they were not available for that important task. An article date lined New York, April 16, 1912 and carried in the Kansas City Star recorded the ice conditions in that fateful year in this way: “The drift ice this spring has been farther south than for years. Vessels arriving here and abroad have reported ice fields extending far down into the southern track and skippers have told of being shut in by ice as far as they could see on every side of the horizon. The size of the bergs which have been encountered recently vary greatly, but according to reliable reports, bergs reaching from sixty to one hundred feet to the top of their walls, with pinnacles and spires extending to a height of two hundred and fifty feet or more have not been unusual. Below the water, some of these giant bergs extend to a depth of possibly eight hundred feet.”
Into such an ice field of 78 miles in length, and 400 miles from Newfoundland, the Titanic was now entering, and Fleet and Lee, in spite of the bitter cold, were on the alert. Occasionally, words were exchanged between the two, but when Fleet spotted a huge black object coming toward them, he sprang into action. Three times he hit the crow’s-nest bell sounding the emergency danger signal. Then, lifting the phone he called the bridge and the calm voice of an experienced officer merely asked, “What do you see?” “Iceberg right ahead,” was the reply. A curt “thank you” sounded in Fleet’s ear as did the click of the telephone receiver being replaced. An eternity of thirty-seven seconds followed as Fleet waited for the eight hundred- and eighty-two-foot giant to begin changing course. During those thirty-seven seconds the ship and the mountain of ice came closer and closer and Fleet watched as the towering iceberg, high and wet, moved closer with ever increasing speed. Coming nearer and nearer, it was estimated to be one hundred feet high. Thirty-seven seconds had elapsed since the warning bell had sounded and, finally, the bow began its slow move to port. A direct collision had been averted, thought Fleet, as the ship brushed the side of a great mountain of ice. A direct collision had been avoided, but not the catastrophe that followed.
One of the six warnings received and ignored by the Titanic had come from the Californian just ten miles away which had stopped for the night. Captain Smith had no such intentions of so directing the Titanic’s crew. It was known ice was in the area and that a collision and ultimate disaster were possible, yet safety precautions were not ordered. When sailing the North Atlantic, danger was always present and sailing the sea of life is no different, but the issues are of even greater importance. They are not for time, but for eternity. The Titanic never arrived within the safety of a harbor because of warnings it ignored. God is deeply concerned about your never-dying soul and He sounds a warning to you and me in the Bible’s John 3:3636He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. (John 3:36), which reads, “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” Isn’t that a solemn warning? God’s wrath abides on those who do not accept His Son as Savior. However, there is good news. In Romans 5:88But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8), we read, “God made known His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” If individuals will believe they are sinners, as the Bible clearly states, and that Jesus died as their substitute on Calvary’s cross, they will have everlasting life and be assured of a safe arrival in the heavenly port at the end of life; they need never perish. Jesus said in John 3:1616For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16), “For God so loved the world, that he gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” I am confident that all aboard the Titanic would like to have had that assurance.
Frederick Fleet had done his job well. As soon as he was aware of danger, he had sounded the alarm. Now, another brave young man was to enter the picture and announce to the world that a collision had taken place between the “unsinkable” Titanic and a huge iceberg. Jack Phillips and his assistant had had a busy and tiring day. Wireless was in its infancy and passengers had been anxious to use this latest technology to inform family and friends in America of their voyage on the world’s greatest liner and of their anticipated arrival time. Consequently, many messages had been sent and received. So absorbed was Phillips in the work he enjoyed that he failed to feel the unusual jarring and vibration which had gone through the ship at 11:40 p.m. Captain Smith had certainly felt it and soon after ordered several investigations to determine the damage. When he received his first report, he left the bridge for the wireless room to inform Phillips, “We’ve struck an iceberg. Send a message for assistance.” Having been handed a slip of paper on which was the ship’s position, Phillips began sending out the international distress code, “C.Q.D., C.Q.D.” The urgent call crackled across the cold Atlantic to be heard by ships at varying distances from the now sinking Titanic.
The Californian was the closest, but its wireless operator, Cyril Evans, was tired and ready for bed. Then, too, he had keenly felt the insult he received when he attempted to warn the Titanic it was sailing into heavy ice. Its reply had simply been, “Shut up.” His message of concern had been emphatically rejected.
Sadly, people reject the God-sent warning regarding the salvation His Son died to make possible. One of God’s many warnings is sounded in Ezekiel 18:44Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die. (Ezekiel 18:4), “The soul that sinneth, it shall die.” If God’s clear and direct warning is rejected, eternal death will result. Soon, however, the attitude aboard the Titanic would change. After tapping out, “Shut up,” some time ago to those warning of ice in the area, Phillip’s key would plead, “Come as quickly as you can.” The reason for the change was all too evident. The “unsinkable” ship with its precious human cargo was soon to begin its two-and-a-half-mile descent to the floor of the Atlantic.
Often when individuals who have ignored the Savior’s invitation realize they are in danger of eternal death, they, too, have a change of attitude as they near a Christless grave and a never-ending eternity. It is then they call to heaven asking for the forgiveness of their sins and for God’s free salvation. Could it be that you have rejected the Savior’s love and now wish to tell Him you, as a sinking sinner, need to be saved? He is anxious to save you. In the Bible, Romans 10:1313For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. (Romans 10:13), we learn, “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
On that memorable night, Frederick Fleet and Jack Phillips had taken the first steps to inform the world of the never-to-be-forgotten events which were unfolding on the vast North Atlantic and of more than 2,000 people who needed to be rescued.