Thomas Andrews, the ship's designer, was called to survey the damage. Upon his findings, he gave the Titanic and hour to an hour and a half, until she would founder. As people beacame more aware that there was trouble, a seat in a lifeboat became what everyone was after. The rule was still "woman and children first" though, so the men were out of luck, although some boats were allowing men if no woman were in sight. As boats, and time ran out, may officers were given guns, to keep down any raiding of boats.

There were obviously not enough boats for everyone, so help was needed. Wireless operators Phillips and Bride tryed to contact any near by ships, but all were too far. The nearest ship contacted, was the Carpathia, but she would take four hours to reach the Titanic. That would be too late. Although the Carpathia was the nearest ship contacted, there was a ship nearer. This ship was the Californian. The Californian, had tried to reach the Titanic earlier, before the collision, to warn her about ice. The Californian, though, was told to shut up and get off the line. The Californian decided to turn in for the night, and turned off their wireless. The California was so close, her officers could see the Titanic and wondered why she looked "so queer?"

When they saw the Titanic disappear, they thought she had just steamed away. The officers on the Titanic saw the Californian also, and contact was tried, but failed. The time remaining for the Titanic was running short. As the last of the lifeboats left, over a thousand people stood on the decks, with no where to go. Some jumped, and some tried to reach higher ground. The Titanic's stern rose higher and higher. As she rose, the lights flickered and then went off for good. The only light left was the light from the moon. As the Titanic's bow continued to sink, the weight of the stern in the air became to great. The stern broke off between the third and fourth funnels, as the bow sank to the bottom of the ocean. The stern settled in the water at normal position for a minute. Then, it too, was taken over by water and sank. More than a thousand people floated hopelessly in the water, trying to find something to grab on to. The lifeboats didn't return back, for fear of being swamped. The screams and cries of the people in the water slowly stopped as they died, in the freezing water.

Sinking Stages

Stage 1
After the iceberg hit, the Titanic began to take on water in her first five compartments.

Stage 2
As the five compartments filled, the next compartment began to fill also. As the compartments filled, the Titanic's bow began to sink.

Stage 3
After the first compartments filled, the next ones did. Then the next, and the next. The stern of the ship began to rise and the bow started to sink more.

Stage 4
As the stern rose, the angle became so steep, that all moving objects on the ship began to crash towards the bow.

Stage 5
Pretty soon, the lights flickered, and then totally went off. Leaving everyone on the ship, and in the lifeboats, with total darkness.

Stage 6
As the stern rose, it stood almost to a 90 degree angle. People on the ship grabbed for anything to hang on to.

Stage 7
With the stern in the air, a weak spot developed between the third and fourth smoke stack, which caused the stern of the ship to break off.

Stage 8
After breaking off, the stern rested in the water in the normal position.

Stage 9
After about a minute, the stern was over taken by water, and slipped into the sea.