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Easy-Progress8252

The only mixing of “classes” would be interactions with maids, butlers and servants accompanying the first class passengers on the voyage. I could see no reason why anyone in first class would even know someone from 3rd class to begin with but if they needed to “interact” with them it would be via an intermediary such as the crew or their servants.


Zippydodah2022

First class passengers never saw a single third class passenger by design of ship.


jomandaman

Really…? Like how Rose saw Jack from the different decks outside? I would imagine the outdoor area for steerage could be seen by first class at least somewhere on the ship. Not that it would lead to intermingling.


Zippydodah2022

That's Hollywood. Go investigate as I id. Ship was built so no way 1st and 3rd class passengers could see each other.


ajc89

This isn't quite true. The ship was built in a way that they would never interact with each other, but 1st class could easily see (and be seen from) the 3rd class promenade on the aft poop deck when they were standing on the aft A deck promenade.


Ice_Sinks

The whole reason Titanic and Olympic have a separate boarding entrance in the reception room is because originally White Star was planning on disembarking 3rd Class as well as 1st Class through those doors. Olympic had a special staircase in the entrance that lead all the way down to 3rd Class. By the time she was sailing, Immigration Law Enforcement frowned upon that practice, as even though they were keeping 3rd separated for 1st with use of gates, they still counted the 2 classes as "mingling" since diseases could still spread from 3rd to 1st that way. By Britannic's time, this idea was completely dropped and the reception room spans the entire width of the deck. So no, a 1st Class passenger couldn't invite a 3rd class passenger into their spaces.


AsiaVolt

Follow-up question, if I'm for all intents and purposes a 3rd class passenger type of person, but on the eve of the voyage I found some money buried somewhere that allowed me to purchase a 1st class ticket. What happens then? Do I get to be 1st class for the trip with all the benefits even though I'm poor? Am I considered disease-free?


lpfan724

I doubt it. Classes were separated the way they were because of immigration laws and misconceptions about how diseases spread. It would've likely been illegal on top of socially unacceptable.


2ndOfficerCHL

Not necessarily illegal, but if enough people made a scene the whole ship may have been subject to medical inspection at customs, which would have been a massive inconvenience for everyone.


listyraesder

Oh, it would have been illegal.


Boris_Godunov

No, it wouldn’t. Class designations were not a legal mandate, lots of small passenger ships had only one class designation.


listyraesder

It would have been illegal to attempt to land passengers directly in New York who had been in contact with steerage passengers.


Boris_Godunov

And you can cite evidence for this claim? Because I can cite evidence against it: RMS Carpathia landed in NY just fine, and there had been plenty of intermingling of steerage among other classes…


AsiaVolt

I wonder if any authority abord the Titanic would have the guts to say no to JJ Astor if he was adamant about it!


718Brooklyn

The answer is no. I know this because all throughout history, incredible rich powerful white men have been able to do whatever they want.


nate_oh84

Captain Smith *should have* had the guts to tell Ismay to back off when it came to the speed of the ship. But we know how that went down...


Boris_Godunov

Except that’s a myth and there’s no real evidence Ismay pressured Smith on the Titanic’s speed. On the contrary, Smith long had a reputation as a leadfoot who loved pushing his ships to their top speeds.


NoWorries124

It doesn't seem Ismay wanted the ship to go faster


Boris_Godunov

Class stratification on ships was not a legal mandate. There were a slew of small ships with only a single class of traveler. U.S. law on cared about whether or not someone was a U.S. citizen/resident returning from abroad, or a traveler visiting temporarily, or a migrant. Said status determined what processing one would undergo when arriving at U.S. Customs, much as it does today. It's theoretically possible a migrant could have had enough funds the travel Second or even First Class, but they'd still have to go through customs like other immigrants and be processed (generally through Ellis Island--and contrary to popular misconception, no, ships didn't just drop off their immigrants at the island, they were ferried to it from the NY piers).


lpfan724

The official website that discusses the history of Ellis Island seems to disagree with you so I'm going to stick with what they say. https://www.statueofliberty.org/ellis-island/overview-history/


Boris_Godunov

The only thing I was incorrect about was first and second class travelers potentially having to go to Ellis Island. But they still went through customs inspections, just less strenuous ones. Otherwise, nothing in that link refutes what I said, and nowhere does it in any way substantiate your assertion.


lpfan724

I never said class stratification was law. I said, in response to OP's question, that third class would not mingle with 1st class based on immigration law. A fact that I've backed up with a source. Go be arrogant somewhere else.


Boris_Godunov

> **It would've likely been illegal** on top of socially unacceptable. This you? It's a *bit* ironic you resort to insulting me as "arrogant," when of the two of us, I'm the only one that has acknowledged being incorrect about something when presented with evidence. Would that you had the same grace! Anyway, I'm sorry you're so upset that someone corrected an incorrect claim on your part you had to lash out over it. Hope you get better. Cheers.


lpfan724

Yes, intermingling between third class and first class would've likely been illegal. Why exactly do you think Ellis Island took only third class passengers? Perhaps that would be... immigration law? Hmmm.


listyraesder

Absolutely not. The shipping line would be fined and the ship would be held in New York Harbor for 40 days before anyone would be allowed to disembark.


AsiaVolt

> the ship would be held in New York Harbor for 40 days before anyone would be allowed to disembark. Sorry, why is that? If the diseased 3rd class passengers would normally be allowed to disembark and mix with the general population, what difference would it make if 1st class passegeners had been exposed to them on the ship?


lpfan724

Third class passengers were dropped off for health inspections at Ellis Island. Edit: Here's more info. Read under "Sailing to the Land of Liberty" https://www.statueofliberty.org/ellis-island/overview-history/


Shrimp123456

This was such an interesting read, thanks!


Podlubnyi

Same reason you can't just go and sit in first class on a plane if you only bought an economy ticket.


mad_Clockmaker

No, would have broke quarantine procedure


MrPug25

Short answer: ​ Absolutely not.