TITANIC – ENDLESS LOVE

More than one hundred years have sailed by since the world’s most luxurious steamship – RMS Titanic – met its disastrous end in the North Atlantic Sea. After crashing into an iceberg during its maiden voyage from London to New York, a deep-sea grave became the pinnacle of human achievement’s final destination in the early hours of April 15, 1912.

Carrying 2,223 people, among whom were some of the world’s wealthiest and most famous individuals, only 706 would survive. The other 1517 passengers would perish. 

Many brave things occurred that tragic night. Band members continued to play as the gigantic ship sank lower and lower into the sea; clergymen prayed over passengers and crew seeking refuge and comfort; while other passengers gave up their seats on lifeboats for others.

One of these passengers was Ida Straus, a first class female who, by all societal laws, was most entitled to a lifeboat position. Offered a chance to survive, Ida Straus refused to go without her husband Isidor, choosing instead to make the ultimate sacrifice for love.

The love and devotion of Ida and Isidor, captured in their final moments together, lives on well beyond their lifetime, serving as a symbol of eternal love. This is their story!

ISIDOR STRAUS 

Isidor Straus was born in Otterberg, Rhenish Bavaria, Germany on the 6th of February 1845. He was the first of five children born to Lazarus and Sara Straus. In 1854, he and his mother and siblings emigrated to Talbotten, Georgia USA, to join his father, a dry goods shopkeeper, who had emigrated two years previously.

They moved to Columbus in 1863 and Straus became a successful merchant there. At the end of the Civil War, Columbus was burned and the Strauses decided it was time to head north, and hence relocated to New York City – the city where dreams are made. And for the Strauses this was certainly true.

Lazarus opened L. Straus & Son with Isidor. They began importing fine goods such as china, glassware and crockery. By 1874 Isidor’s younger brother, Nathan convinced Rowland H. Macy to allow them to open a concession in the basement of Macy’s store. This was the first time in history that a store sold more than one category of merchandise – hence Macy’s became the first department store.

By 1888 the Strauses were part owners and by 1896 they were sole owners of Macy’s – one of the world’s largest and most famous stores! In 1902, they built and moved into the iconic building at Herald Square. During this time, Isidor also served as a US congressman, from 1894-1895.

ROSALIE IDA BLUN STRAUS

Meanwhile, Rosalie Ida Blun was born in 1849 in Worms, Germany. She was the 6th of 8 children, and immigrated to New York with her family when she was two years old. 

In New York, Isidor’s family became acquainted with Ida’s family. Drawn together by common bonds of Jewish heritage, German origin, similar interests and, would you believe, even a common birthday – February 6 – Isidor and Ida were married on July 12, 1871. 

Considered by most as extremely close and an image of love, the couple was inseparable, and would write letters to each other daily whenever they were apart. They made their home in New York and had seven children together.  

In January of 1912, the beloved couple travelled to Europe. Now, it was normally their custom to only travel on German ships, but there was a coal strike in England, and all the available coal was being diverted to the Titanic because of its size, and all the publicity about it being the largest and grandest ship. 

And so the Strauses had little choice but to return to New York on the Titanic. 

FIRST CLASS OPULENCE

As first class passengers, they would have enjoyed all the luxuries the Titanic had to offer. Gourmet food consisting of ten course meals, world-class entertainment and even a salt water swimming pool – the first ever built aboard a ship! 

They would have been part of the select passengers who would have been able to use the Titanic’s grand staircase. The grand staircase was the centerpiece of the ship and is still one of the Titanic’s most recognizable features. Spanning through seven decks, from the Boat Deck at the top, all the way down to F-Deck, where the Turkish baths were located. 

The foyers were elegantly paneled in oak, and at the uppermost deck, the staircase was crowned by a wrought iron and glass dome, with a magnificent 50-light crystal chandelier in the centre. This was the place to be seen, and to see fellow passengers dressed in the latest fashions newly purchased from Paris or London.

The First Class dining saloon was the largest room on any ship at the time. Nearly 35 meters long, and spanning the entire width of the ship, the room was decorated in Jacobean style, but instead of the heavily carved rich wooden paneling, the room was almost entirely paneled in white. 

Leaded glass windows with light diffusion screens covered the portholes to eliminate any hint that one was aboard a ship. Placed about the room were dozens of tables that allowed either more intimate dining for two, or could accommodate large parties of up to 12 passengers.

Here the service was exceptional. Passengers ate off fine bone china with silver cutlery, and drank from crystal glasses. Food and wine was served by stewards that were allocated at a ratio of one steward for every two or three passengers. This ensured flawless service, and that every passenger’s wish was swiftly met. 

Meal times were announced by bugle approximately 45 minutes before doors opened, and the dress code was relaxed for breakfast and lunch, however dinner attire was always formal, except on sailing day, and dinner was followed by a concert in the adjoining reception room.

Other amenities found on the first class deck included a library, squash court, barbershop, Turkish bath, reading and writing rooms, and enclosed promenade decks to walk and sit on.

The Straus suite was one of the most opulent suites on the ship. It was one of 4 parlour suites which included one bedroom, a sitting room, two wardrobes, one bathroom and a fireplace. The cabins were C-55 – the sitting room, and C-57 – the bedroom.

The sitting room was one [with] the Regency decor, and had the fireplace. The panels were deep and rich in colour, with 24-carat gold gilt all around. It certainly would have been one of the most beautiful rooms on the ship. 

This sitting room is a replica of the suite occupied by Mr. & Mrs. Straus. On the day of the Titanic’s sailing from Southampton, Ida took a moment to write a letter to a friend in which she marveled at the luxury of their accommodations, and wrote,

“What a ship! So huge and so magnificently appointed. Our rooms are furnished in the best of taste and most luxuriously; they are really rooms, not cabins.” 

ICEBERG, ICEBERG!

However these luxuries were short-lived. It was day four into the ship’s maiden voyage that disaster struck. At 11:40pm on April 14, 1912 lookout Frederick Fleet spotted the gigantic iceberg, whose above-water ice alone would have rivalled the Colosseum in size.

“Iceberg, iceberg – right ahead!” 

“Iceberg, right ahead!” [second voice; ship’s bell sounding] 

A towering iceberg had suddenly appeared straight ahead in the dark. The lookout rang the warning bell and telephoned the bridge. The helmsman swerved to miss it. Engines were put in reverse!

He had less than a minute in which to avoid a head-on collision: just 37 seconds elapsed between the sighting of the iceberg and the collision.  Officer, William McMaster Murdoch, ordered the ship to turn, but it was too large to completely make it in time. Instead of making direct impact, the iceberg seemed to graze along the right side of the ship, sprinkling ice fragments on the forward deck. Sensing no collision, the lookouts were relieved. 

They had no idea that the iceberg’s jagged underwater spur had slashed a 100m gash well below the ship’s waterline, and that the Titanic was doomed.

By the time the captain toured the damaged area with the ship’s chief naval architect, Thomas Andrews, five of the sixteen compartments were already filling with seawater, and the bow of the ship was alarmingly down. The Titanic had been designed to stay afloat with four of her forward compartments flooded, but no more.

Andrews did a quick calculation and estimated that Titanic might remain afloat for an hour and a half, perhaps slightly more. 400 tons of water was filling the Titanic each minute.  

ABANDON SHIP

At that point the captain, who had already instructed his wireless operator to call for help, ordered the lifeboats to be loaded.

Little more than an hour after contact with the iceberg, a largely disorganized and haphazard evacuation process began, with the lowering of the first lifeboat. 

The people aboard the Titanic had 160 minutes, before the ship would finally sink. I can only imagine the frantic atmosphere that consequently engulfed the boat. 

The Titanic was 640 kilometres from Newfoundland, Canada [and] surrounded by water that was -2 degrees Celsius, a temperature one can only survive in for 15-30 minutes. And probably the scariest fact of all was that there were only 20 lifeboats – a number that could, at best, only carry 53% of the passengers.

In an event unbelievable to most, the impossible had happened, the unsinkable ship was sinking. 60 precious minutes passed, before the first lifeboat entered the water. 

FATEFUL DECISIONS

As was the general maritime rule, coupled with the chivalry of the day, the order of “women and children first” was given.

As first class passengers, Ida and Isidor were ushered to the upper deck where they waited on the port side of the ship. Their decision to wait on the port side played a crucial role in determining their fate. 

On the port side, Second officer Charles Lightoller was adhering strictly to the captain’s order, “women and children first.” However, on the starboard side, William Murdoch, the First officer in charge, was allowing men to board the lifeboats if there was any space after woman and children had entered. 

Back on the port side, Lifeboat 8 was being loaded. When it came the Straus’ turn to board, Ida started to climb in, assuming Isidor would follow. However as she put her foot into the boat, Isidor stepped back.  

“Aren’t you coming, Isidor?” – she asked.

“No” he replied, “I can’t, It is impossible”.

The thought of going without Isidor, her beloved husband, was unimaginable for Ida. Despite the continual urging by Isidor, other passengers and staff, Ida likewise refused to board the lifeboat without Isidor, saying, 

“We have lived together for many years. Where you go, I go. Where you are Papa, I shall be.” 

Her loving words were witnessed by those already in Lifeboat No. 8, as well as many others who were on the boat deck at the time. Instead of boarding the boat, she graciously handed her fur coat to her maid Ellen, saying, 

“I won’t need this anymore…you take it”. 

Lifeboat 8 was lowered at approximately 1:10am with a total of 39 passengers – it had the capacity to hold 65.

According to survivor’s accounts, when it became apparent that there was no hope of the Titanic staying afloat, Isidor insisted that Ida enter the second to last lifeboat that was being launched. She still refused to go without him. 

AS WE HAVE LIVED…

The officer in charge attempted with force to make her enter the boat, but she refused. 

“I will not be separated from my husband; as we have lived so we will die – together”. 

Given the fatal state of the Titanic, the officer in charge was willing to make an exception and let Isidor enter the lifeboat, however he responded with quiet dignity, 

“As long as there is a woman on this vessel I will not leave.”

[The Strauses were last seen] sitting side by side in chairs as a giant wave crashed over them. Others say they were standing arm in arm.

FINAL REST

At 2:00am on April 15, 1912 the famous RMS Titanic tilted its stern towards the heavens and sank to its final resting place.

With a temperature of −2 °C or 28 °F , the water was lethally cold. Second Officer Lightoller described the feeling of “a thousand knives” being driven into his body as he entered the sea. 

Jack Thayer compared it to the sound of “locusts on a summer night”, while George Rheims, who jumped moments before the Titanic sank, described it as,

 “a dismal moaning sound which I won’t ever forget.”

Those in the lifeboats were horrified to hear the sound from those poor people who were floating around, calling for help.

“From the lifeboats we could hear the sound of every possible emotion of human fear, despair, agony, fierce resentment and blind anger mingled with notes of infinite surprise, as though each one were saying, 

“How is it possible that this awful thing is happening to me, that I should be caught in this death trap?”

STRAUS MEMORIAL

Isidor’s body was recovered and he was buried in the Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, where he is interred in a stone replica of an Egyptian funeral ship in the courtyard of the Straus family mausoleum.

But Ida’s body was never found.

Isidor and Ida are memorialized on a cenotaph at the mausoleum. An inscription from the Bible book of Song of Solomon chapter 8:7, is dedicated to them. It’s a reminder of their courage, self-sacrifice and devotion to each other,

“Many waters cannot quench love – neither can the floods drown it.”

The story of their self-sacrifice and love struck a chord in the hearts of people all around the world and with many New York residents, where the Strauses were well-known and well-liked philanthropists. 

Thousands attended their memorial service, synagogues honoured them, and Mayor William Jay Gaynor praised them as heroes.

CONTEMPORARY RECOLLECTIONS

“ Shortly after the Titanic sank, the citizens of New York decided it was proper and appropriate to erect a memorial of some sort, and a contest was held to select a site and then to have an architect and a sculptor.

And Augustus Lukeman was the sculptor who did a really lovely statue; an allegorical statue of a reclining woman, not anyone in particular. She’s called ‘Memory’. And she is looking down upon a reflecting pool. And so the visitors to the park can reflect upon what happened, and in their own lives they can bring whatever it is that they want, to this.  

And of course it was built just one block away from where the Straus’ home was, so it’s a perfect place for this lovely memorial to Isidor and Ida Straus.

They were a remarkable couple, and they were philanthropic, they were merchants, they were everything. But I think that the most important is their amazing love for each other, their devotion for each other, and the way they conducted themselves in such a moral and ethical life. ”

(Joan Adler, Executive Director, Straus Historical Society)

“My great-grandparents’ love for each other, their commitment to one another, was indeed quite special. Isidor had to travel a great deal for business, and to go to Europe and abroad.He would write Ida every day, and she would write him every day. There couldn’t be an exception. 

And I remember my grandmother saying that she [had] as her fondest memory – and I wouldn’t expect this of my grandmother – was how much they liked to hold each other, and when they would walk, would want to walk holding hands. And [they] would just spontaneously put their arms over each other and embrace.

We’re fortunate that we have good reason to know what the last view of my great grandparents was, and there were many different versions, but we have a testimony from eyewitnesses in two of the lifeboats, and we have reason to believe that that is the authentic knowledge of what they were doing and where they were. 

They were on board the deck and they were in their life-jackets, as they were told to be, with coats, holding hands. Then, at a point where the waves became quite fierce, prior to the ship actually sinking into the sea, they embraced. So they became one. 

And then one eyewitness said a great wave came over the top of the ship and swept all those who were standing there, including the Strauses, into the sea. And that was their last moment – embraced, being thrown into the ocean, to die with the affection and the love with which they had lived.

Really, Isidor and Ida’s story is a love story. It is a love story between two very special people, and I’m simply fortunate to be their great-grandson.”

(Paul Kurzman, great-grandson of Isidor and Ida Straus)

UNBROKEN CIRCLE

Isidor’s wedding ring was recovered along with his body, after the Titanic tragedy. This gold ring with their wedding date inscribed, is a perfect and simple symbol of Isidor and Ida’s love. This ring is an unbroken circle. It’s unending. Just like their love. Endless love.

The love of Ida and Isidor gives us a glimpse of the very highest form of love: God’s love for us, endless love. It reminds us of the sacrifice He made and his desire to never be separated from us. As Romans 8:38-39 states:

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

SPECIAL OFFER AND CLOSING PRAYER

If you would like to experience that kind of unconditional and endless love, if you would like to find out more about God’s love for us, then I’d like to recommend one of the greatest books on the life of Jesus.

It’s the classic book, The Desire of Ages. This beautiful biography of the events of Jesus’ life on Earth paints a portrait of the love that Jesus wants to share with each one of us.

This book is our gift to you and is absolutely free. I guarantee there are no costs or obligations. So make sure you take this wonderful opportunity to have your very own copy of this timeless book. 

Contact details

If you’ve enjoyed this amazing story from the first and last voyage of the Titanic and our reflections on the endless and perfect love that only God can give us, then be sure to join us again next week, when we will share another of life’s journeys together. Until then, let’s pray to the God of unconditional love.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for this wonderful example of endless love. It is something we all want to experience in our own lives. We thank you for offering it to each one of us. We now reach out and accept it and thank you for your love and goodness to us. Make your face shine upon us and grant us your peace, heavenly peace. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.