The Titanic and SCI

The ceremony proceeded as planned, with speakers making last minute edits to their speeches to address the tragedy. Mayor William Jay Gaynor spoke first before sealing the cornerstone shut with a bible, SCI’s annual reports, and copies of New York daily papers displaying headlines of the Titanic’s sinking on their covers. Collections were taken up to be donated to the victims’ families, and two of the new building’s bedrooms were dedicated in honor of the Titainc’s crew. Building Committee President Edmund L. Baylies ended his speech with some reflections on the recent tragedy, still so fresh that he could only speculate as to the true nature of the accident: “When we learn the full details of the overwhelming disaster which has just taken place, I feel sure that the minds and hearts of each one of my hearers will be thrilled with deeds of heroism on the part of sailors. The history of the sea is full of such examples, and in attempting to establish here a home for some of the five hundred thousand men who annually come to our port, we landsmen are paying but a very small portion of the debt which we owe to those who follow the sea with so faithful and watchful care over those who travel on the great deep.”