Many have heard rumors about the Titanic’s cargo hold and many questions are asked about it. Was the ship carrying a mummy? Did it set sail with the Hope Diamond? Was there really a car in the cargo hold? In this section we will answer all this and more about what the Titanic carried on it’s doomed voyage.
Myth: The Titanic set sail with the infamous Hope Diamond in the cargo hold.
Verdict: False
Some people believe that the Titanic left with the infamous cursed Hope Diamond in the cargo hold. This rumor is false because at the time the Hope Diamond was in the possession of Washington socialite Mrs Evelyn McLean who was not on the ship.
Myth: The Titanic set sail with an Egyptian mummy in the hold.
Verdict: False
The most famous myth of the Titanic is probably the Egyptian mummy supposedly on board. The mummy is supposed to be the Princess of Amen-Ra who lived over 1,500 years before Christ. This rumor is false and was made up by William Stead and Douglas Murray who took it to the press. It was not proven false however until 1985 when Charles Haas was given access to the Titanic’s manifest (which is a list of the cargo the ship carried). The manifest had no mention of a mummy which proves it was never on board. However since it was not proven false until 1985 the legend had over 70 years to grow in size.
Legend: The Titanic had a car in the cargo hold.
Verdict: True
Lying in the forward hold of the Titanic, and listed on the cargo manifest, was William Carter's 25 horsepower automobile. On the manifest it is listed as a case so the car may not have been fully assembled.
Legend: The Titanic did not have any binoculars on board for the lookouts and crew.
Verdict: False
The second class officer (David Blair) did have a pair of binoculars in his locker but he was switched out for a more experienced man from another ship. The binoculars remained in Blair’s locker and no one knew about them. Experts however believe it would not have mattered because of the conditions the night the ship hit the iceberg.
Legend: The Titanic carried a jeweled copy of the book Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam.
Verdict: True
The Titanic did indeed carry a jeweled copy of the book. The book is said to have 1,500 precious jewels on it set in gold.
Legend: The Titanic was carrying Tjipetir tables in its cargo hold.
Verdict: True
All over England mysterious tablets have been washing up on the shore with the word Tjipetir on it. After doing some research a women concluded that some might have come from the Titanic. However the actual culprit was the ship Miyazaki Maru. The Titanic did indeed carry the mysterious blocks but there were only about a hundred on the cargo manifest.