April is a big month for history, we have everything from the beginning and ending of the Civil War and the sinking of the R.M.S. Titanic, one of the most famous maritime disasters.
Today, I sat down with Mark Chaffee, who is the grandson of Herbert, more commonly known as HF, and Carrie Chaffee who were both First Class Passengers on the Titanic. Mark talks about the history of his family and their settlement in the Red River Valley prior to North Dakota statehood and he goes into further detail about how his grandparents came to be on one of the most luxurious ocean liners at the time. Mark also adds an interesting aspect to this tragedy that I haven't heard before, he gives his thoughts about the ship given his naval service as an officer on a minesweeper. This episode is as unedited and unscripted as it comes, just two guys having a beer and talking history.
A big thank you once again to Granite City Food & Brewery and Mark Chaffee for sharing his family's story.
Some Sources that were mentioned in this episode: "The Day of the Bonanza" by Hiram Drache Encyclopedia Titanica– https://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/ Titanic Historical Society–https://titanichistoricalsociety.org
NOTE: The coal bunker fire was in Coal Bunker 5, not 6, that is where water quickly began to rush in after the impact with the iceberg. The Titanic’s wireless operators were employees of Marconi. Also, it's disputed on various sites and records if Carrie Chaffee was on Lifeboat 4 or 11, in this case we went with Mark's account from his grandmother based on the manifest of Lifeboat 11.
