The great ship sailed along peacefully as Fredrick Fleet and his lookout partner stared into the waters, their naked eyes straining to spot what was ahead- but they saw nothing. It was late at night- almost midnight in fact- and and all seemed to be quiet on the Titanic. They seemed to have left behind the binoculars in Southampton, restricting them to just their normal sight. It didn't help that the ocean was calm so waves wouldn't splash against rocks or icebergs making them easier to see. In fact, the circumstances of the night were circumstances of foul luck, and perhaps that would soon be proved.
The past evening would be one to enjoy-there was a first class dinner party in one of the restaurants held by wealthy Philadelphia passengers. Many important passengers attended it including Marian and John Thayer as well as Captain Smith himself. Another guest was Major Archibald Butt and many more of the Titanic's more wealthy passengers. After dinner, card games began as usual on the ship:gambling was a popular hobby among rich passengers of the Titanic.
Neither of the two lookouts would have enjoyed such activities even if they weren't on shift. There were 4 different groups on the Titanic- first class being the highest and crew being the lowest. Although the officers and captain recieved much respect for their jobs- there were levels in society no matter were you were from or were you went.
At 11:39 Fredrick Fleet saw something,dead ahead. He rang the warning bell three times, and telephoned the bridge not seconds later telling them what he saw. He hung up and waited. Slowly, the great ship began to turn starboard. 36 seconds passed and then there was a slight shudder.
The Titanic had struck on iceberg, dead ahead.
