If you were lucky
enough to travel in first or second class, taking
a cruise aboard the Titanic was a luxury of
the highest order. First class was treated to
fine dining, luxurious baths, and amazing
recreational facilities. Before an iceberg brought
it to a tragic end, the Titanic represented the
pinnacle of a luxurious ocean cruise even if hygienic
practices and resources were determined by class. Today, we're exploring hygiene
on the world's most famous ocean liner, the RMS Titanic. But before we get started,
be sure to subscribe to the Weird History Channel. Oh, and if you don't
mind, leave a comment and let us know what topics
you would like to hear about. OK, let's clean things up
before this ship goes down. [MUSIC PLAYING] In first and second
class, Titanic passengers had access to public
and private spaces with plenty of amenities. There was a gym, a
massive swimming pool, and a grand squash court. But one of the finer amenities
was the Victorian Turkish Bath. Although using it required
an additional fee, it remained popular as
an overpriced massage parlor for the wealthy. The Turkish bath had
rooms for massages, a steam room, and an electric
bath resembling an iron lung in size and appearance. The electric bath was
actually an early version of the modern tanning bed
meant to keep the body warm. It was a hot destination
to say the least. Men and women were
not able to access the bath at the same time. Instead, three male and
two female attendants were on standby to help
out during business hours. When the ship sank
on April 15, 1912, the three male attendants,
John Borthwick Crosbie, Walter Ennis, and Leonard
Taylor, did not make it. But both women, Ann
Caron and Maude Slocombe, survived to tell their tales. While the Turkish bath
was a popular amenity, regular baths were
a bit more scarce. [MUSIC PLAYING] Singing in the bathtub
sure can be fun. But most Titanic
passengers didn't have that particular luxury. Only a scant few cabins
throughout the ship featured a private
porcelain tub at all. A fresh, relaxing dip in
the tub could be yours, assuming you had enough
wealth and status. Captain Edward Smith
enjoyed his own tub from the comfort of
his personal cabin. So did many of the
first-class passengers occupying the B decks'
multi-bedroom parlor suites. White Star Line Chairman
J. Bruce Ismay famously occupied one of
the fancy suites. But the most expensive suite
went to Charlotte Cardeza who brought along 14
trunks and three packing crates worth of stuff
for the ocean cruise. But for those without
access to fancy bathtubs, using public bathing facilities
was a big part of the trip. [MUSIC PLAYING] What do you do when
your massive ocean liner doesn't offer
private bathing facilities for everyone? Offer public baths. And that's precisely
what the Titanic did. Each deck had a communal
lavatory for the passengers' bathing needs. But they had to make
an appointment first. Making an appointment required
speaking with the bedroom steward who would then have the
bath steward prepare a relaxing bath for the passenger. Of course, the
availability of bathtubs decreased by passenger class. To the surprise of
absolutely no one, the third class bore the
brunt of these tub shortages. So much for luxurious baths. Oh, and did we mention, third
class composed 709 of the ships over 1,300 passengers
on its maiden voyage? Every one of them
had to share one of two bathtubs for
their bathing needs. Of the two, one was exclusively
for men and the other for women. Luckily, attendants cleaned
and sanitized the facilities between each use. Speaking of facilities-- [MUSIC PLAYING] Sometimes it's hard to
find a public restroom that isn't disgusting or
completely unsanitary. But if nature called during your
luxury cruise on the Titanic, you were in luck. The ship had plenty of restrooms
complete with stalls, commodes, and sinks, but only if you
were riding in first class. First-class cabins had the
finest soap and toiletries one could find on a big boat
in the middle of the ocean. The fancy restrooms were stocked
with high-end Vinolia Toilet Soap. Vinolia Toilet Soap was
marketed as Vinolia Otto and made special
mention of its status as the Titanic soap of choice. It had some choice
advertisement copy too, telling buyers it's
perfect for sensitive skin and delicate complexions
and represents a higher standard of toilet
luxury and comfort at sea. Hmm, it's not as
catchy as you're not fully clean until your zestfully
clean, but we'll take it. While the first class
got to scrub themselves with fancy soaps, the restrooms
for the third-class passengers were a little bit different. It wasn't uncommon to
find a water closet and sink at a cabin
aboard the Titanic. But finding an automatic toilet
was a bit more difficult. In a bizarre twist, the
first and second-class cabins didn't have automatic
flushing toilets. They were forced to flush them
manually just like at home. The third class, however,
did have automatic toilets. But it wasn't done out
of an altruistic reason. The Titanic provided them
to steerage passengers out of concern they wouldn't
know how to use a toilet. Since they mostly used outhouses
and chamber pots in the past, they may not have
realized the toilet should be flushed after use. The real question is
did the water swirl clockwise or counterclockwise? We may never know. Third class had even a toilet
instructor, Matron Catherine Wallis, who helped
teach them how to properly use the facilities. Sadly, she went down with the
ship on that fateful night. [MUSIC PLAYING] Normally, procedures
for boarding a ship are pretty straightforward. But on the Titanic,
third-class passengers had to submit to a
medical inspection prior to boarding the ship. The idea was to
prevent lice, disease, or any possible infections
from spreading among the ship. And infectious eye
disease trachoma was also a major concern. But the health inspections
didn't apply to everybody. First and second
class were exempt from the medical screenings. They only had to stop
at the purser's office to have their tickets
checked prior to boarding. Men, women, and children
with steerage tickets were met by a group of
physicians outside the ship. They were then
examined one by one and only allowed to board
if declared healthy. If they were clean
and healthy, they received an inspection
card allowing them to board the ship. The Titanic had a knowledgeable
and a dedicated medical team with a hospital and medication
available to all passengers on the ship. Speaking of that hospital-- [MUSIC PLAYING] British regulations at the
time required the Titanic to hold a certain quantity
of medical supplies before leaving port. But what did the ship's medicine
cabinet look like exactly? There was bicarbonate of soda
for indigestion and heartburn. Castor oil and Epsom salts were
used to relieve constipation. And, of course, they had
plenty of the heart medication, digitalis, and aspirin. But the ship also
carried laudanum to be used as a
sleeping aid, chloroform for easing flatulence,
and everyone's favorite hemorrhoid
treatment, Sulfur. Over on D deck, the
hospital was far removed from the
passenger cabins. Even so, it was accessible to
the passengers and the crew. It was state of the
art at the time. Four wards contained
three beds apiece. And a qualified medical
staff was always on hand. The hospital also had an
infectious disease area complete with a
ventilation system for preventing germs from
having a cruise of their own. It was truly ahead of its time. But first-class
passengers still insisted on bringing their own health. [MUSIC PLAYING] The Titanic, its
stewards and stewardesses to take care of passenger needs. But that wasn't always enough
for first and second-class travelers. They often brought her own
secretaries and servants along for the ride. Instead of relying
on ship personnel to dress and groom them, they
relied on personal servants. Their status elevated them
above Titanic crew members too. Each received a
silver-plated napkin ring with the word servant
etched into it. Some of them perished
when the ship sank. But others managed to get into
lifeboats with their employers as the ship plunged into the
icy waters of the Atlantic. Hired help weren't the
only additional passengers in first class either. Several wealthy
people also brought along their best friends. [MUSIC PLAYING] Amid all the luxuries
first-class passengers received on the
Titanic, bringing pets along is probably
the most unexpected. The ship had a luxury kennel on
F Deck run by John Hutchinson and a group of stewards. There were at least
12 dogs on board. Smaller pooches were
allowed to run free in their owner's cabins. But the big dogs
required daily exercise. The stewards walked
them along the poop deck daily and cleaned up after them. Dogs weren't the only passengers
from the animal kingdom. Several roosters and hens
roosted on the Titanic owned by Ella Holmes White. White was importing the
chickens to the US from France. She survived the
sinking of the ship, later testifying the ship
broke into two as it sank. But a cat named Jenny was the
most adorable pet on board. Well, as adorable
as cat can get. Jenny was the ship's
cat who gave birth to a litter of kittens before
the Titanic left Southampton. She and her family lived in the
corner of the galley attended by the ship's staff. Sadly, many of the pets did
not survive the disaster. But three dogs did. A Pomeranian named Lady, who
belonged to Ms. Margaret Hay, managed to get into the
lifeboat with her owner. Hay wrapped her in a blanket
as she boarded the lifeboat. Another Pomeranian, owned by
Elizabeth Jane Rothschild, was brought aboard a lifeboat
in a very similar way. A pekingese named Sun Yat Sen
also survived the disaster. She belonged to the famous
publisher, Henry S. Harper, the director of
Harper && Brothers. Today, many know the company
by a totally different name-- HarperCollins. But on that night, he took
his dog aboard the lifeboat to the objection
of almost no one. Apparently, there was
plenty of room on the boat. For Historian J. Joseph Edgette,
Harper was heard to remark, there seemed to be lots of room,
and nobody made any objection. [MUSIC PLAYING] One of the side effects
of having fancy cutlery and cookware is the crazy
amount of care they needed. The silverware was fancy. Silver plating adorned napkin
rings, plates, and bowls. Even the cookware
had gold-lead lining. The Titanic deployed an
entire team of stewards to act as busboys
and dishwashers. They had assistants who
washed plates and glasses. Even their assistants
had assistance to handle the cleaning duties. The ship also provided
meals on less elegant dishes to third class. This was unusual for the
time as most ocean liners required steerage passengers
to bring their own food. There was also a ton of laundry. Third-class passengers and
crew washed their clothes in iron tubs themselves. But first and second class
paid to have their garments laundered. There weren't any large
scale laundry services aboard the ship. It was a specialty
job held by stewards, like Thomas Baxter, Sidney
Holloway, and Ernest Olive. In addition to
laundry, they kept linen closets fully stocked
and changed first-class bedding daily. Soiled linens and towels
were steam cleaned and bagged so they could be cleaned
once the ship reached its destination. It was standard
practice at the time keeping things clean for a large
number of passengers on board. So what do you think? Would you have wanted to share a
bathroom with 700 other people? Let us know in the
comments below. And while you're at it, check
out some of these other videos from our Weird History.
