Local doctor goes down with mighty ship
Dr. Alfred Pain, 24, was one of 1,523 to die when the Titanic sank
In the days following the North Atlantic Ocean sinking of the so-called “unsinkable” Titanic, word was received in Hamilton that a young local doctor was among its more than 1,500 victims.
Dr. Alfred Pain, 24, was a second-class passenger returning after a year at King’s College Hospital in London. He originally tried to sign on as ship’s doctor on a freighter in exchange for a free trip home. When that didn’t work out, he bought a ticket on a tramp steamer.
But then he switched his ticket for passage on the maiden voyage of the luxury ship Titanic.
The horrendous loss of life in a disaster involving the world’s largest liner shocked the world and raised flags about lapses in maritime safety. The death of Dr. Pain, a promising young doctor, served to put a local face on a catastrophe that is recalled to this day.
The Spectator published a special edition and reported it had been eagerly purchased. It also said the paper was “besieged” and its phones were kept buzzing all night by people seeking more information.
The Titanic
Maiden voyage begins: April 10, 1912
Ship sinks: April 14-15, 1912.
Size: At 50,000 tonnes and 250 metres long, the Titanic is the world’s largest ocean liner in 1912.
Builder: Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast.
Owner: White Star Line.
Location: 600 kilometres southeast of St. John’s, N.L., under 3.8 kilometres of water.
Sinking: Hits iceberg on the night of April 14, 1912, while on maiden voyage to New York from Britain.
Passengers and crew: More than 2,200.
Fatalities: 1,523.
Discovery of wreckage: 1985.
Salvage: Thousands of artifacts have been recovered from the ship’s debris field since 1987.
Cost to build: $7.5 million (U.S.) more than $175 million today.