DISTRIBUTION

Dorman & Smith also supplied the feeder switchboard, the main distribution panel routing electricity to all parts of the ship as required. It had twenty-five panels on each of which two circuits were controlled, and each circuit had a capacity of 600 amps. From here, forty-eight cables ran to master fuse-boxes distributed throughout the ship, and from these ran the individual circuit cables. In turn, these ran along the principal passages of each deck to distribution boxes, from which the individual cables carrying current to the lighting, motors, heaters and so on led off. Three main circuits governed the forward, midships and after sections of the liner, the first covering crew accommodation and mess rooms, as well as various stores and the chain lockers, the second-class passenger accommodation and also galleys, the restaurant, the saloons and other public rooms. The after circuit governed more passenger accommodation, stewards’ and stewardesses’ quarters and saloons, and so forth. But this is only a glimpse of the complexity of the entire rig.

While impressive, none of this was new. White Star’s first Majestic of 1890 already had a very complex electrical system, but nothing before had ever been undertaken on quite the scale of the Olympic-class liners. There were 200 miles of electrical cable running throughout Titanic, and she was illuminated by 10,000 light bulbs.

Circuits could be split to serve quite separate areas—staterooms, public rooms, crew’s quarters, engine rooms—and even individual motors were designed to be independent, and could be switched off

There were 200 miles of electrical cable running throughout Titanic, and she was illuminated by 10,000 light bulbs.

Or shut down as the need arose. One very important individual circuit was that governing the navigational lamps, each fitted with a 32-candle-power double-filament bulb, specially made by W. H. Allen. These were the forward masthead light, and the port and starboard sidelights, one on either side of the extremes of the bridge wings. They were colored red and green respectively.

This crucial circuit also served the engine and docking telegraph lights, steering and standard compasses, and the Morse lamps. The fuse-box for this circuit was located in the chart room. If any of the navigating lights should fail, a bell rang automatically to alert the officer of the watch, and an indicator board showed which light had gone.

Many of the specialist lamps and indicators would have been supplied by William McGeoch & Company of Glasgow and Birmingham. These would have included bulkhead lights, deck lights, and lights illuminating such areas as the boiler and engine rooms, as well as the crew’s quarters. For the passengers, even those in third class, more decorative lighting was installed by such companies as Perry’s of Grafton Street and Burt’s of Wardour Street. Each stateroom had at least one lamp, either in the ceiling or over the mirror, with switches placed in the most convenient location for the occupant to reach from the berth (or, in the case of the grandest staterooms, the bed). The grander cabins and suites had sockets for extra lighting or electric fans; there was a call-button to summon the steward, several switches with which to control the lighting from various points, and, in addition to an overhead light, there were wall brackets, and a reading light over the berth with its own switch. Individual cabin lighting had to be available on a twenty-four-hour basis, and several lights were required to be kept burning all night in public rooms, along corridors and on deck. Corridors were lit by pendant lamps set at roughly 9-foot intervals along the ceilings.