A Night to Remember: Chapters 1–2

by Walter Lord
In this non-fiction book, Walter Lord provides a detailed account of the Titanic's fatal collision with an iceberg and the behavior of the passengers and crew in the aftermath.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Chapters 1–2, Chapters 3–4, Chapters 5–6, Chapters 7–8, Chapters 9–10
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. stern
    the rear part of a ship
    At the last second the stern shot into the clear, and the ice glided swiftly by along the starboard side.
  2. starboard
    located on the right side of a ship or aircraft
    At the last second the stern shot into the clear, and the ice glided swiftly by along the starboard side.
  3. ominous
    threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments
    Mrs. Walter B. Stephenson recalled the first ominous jolt when she was in the San Francisco earthquake — then decided this wasn’t that bad.
  4. porthole
    a window in a ship or airplane
    Mr. Harder hopped out of bed and ran to the porthole. As he looked through the glass, he saw a wall of ice glide by.
  5. aft
    situated at or toward the stern or tail
    In an instant the smoking-room steward and Mr. Silverthorne were on their feet...through the aft door...past the Palm Court...and out onto the deck.
  6. wheelhouse
    an enclosed compartment from which a vessel can be navigated
    As the grinding noise died away, Captain Smith rushed onto the bridge from his cabin next to the wheelhouse.
  7. incongruous
    lacking in harmony or compatibility or appropriateness
    The setting was equally incongruous — the huge glass dome overhead...the dignified oak paneling...the magnificent balustrades with their wrought-iron scrollwork...and, looking down on them all, an incredible wall clock adorned with two bronze nymphs, somehow symbolizing Honor and Glory crowning Time.
  8. unperturbed
    free from emotional agitation or nervous tension
    John Jacob Astor seemed equally unperturbed. Returning to his suite after going up to investigate, he explained to Mrs. Astor that the ship had struck ice, but it didn’t look serious.
  9. steerage
    the cheapest accommodations on a passenger ship
    This was Third Class recreation space, and the ice was soon discovered by steerage passengers coming up to investigate.
  10. promenade
    a public area set aside as a pedestrian walk
    Mr. and Mrs. Norman Campbell Chambers of New York had been attracted by the noise, while returning to their cabin after a fruitless trip to the Promenade Deck.
  11. placidly
    in a quiet and tranquil manner
    “Oh, I don’t know,” Mr. Hays replied placidly, “you cannot sink this boat.”
  12. tactless
    lacking what is considerate in dealing with others
    Others also felt the downward slant, but it seemed tactless to mention the matter.
  13. keel
    one of the main longitudinal beams of the hull of a vessel
    Water 14 feet above keel level in the first ten minutes, everywhere except boiler room No. 5.
  14. bulkhead
    a partition that divides a ship or plane into compartments
    The bulkhead between the fifth and sixth compartments went only as high as E Deck.
  15. founder
    sink below the surface
    “I cannot imagine any condition which would cause a ship to founder. I cannot conceive of any vital disaster happening to this vessel. Modern shipbuilding has gone beyond that.”
Created on Thu Mar 03 12:34:48 EST 2022 (updated Mon Jun 23 12:00:45 EDT 2025)

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