Posted by Mike Pell on July 01, 1998 at 20:48:37 in james.hwcn.org:
In Reply to: Re: 1/350 Pipe conflict posted by Bob Read on July 01, 1998 at 18:21:13:
: Mike:
: The structures you are describing as "hydrants" I believe are something else. If we are both looking at the same thing, I believe what you are looking at are what are known as "belaying bitts".
: These short structures were used to secure the hoisting line of the lifeboats. On the Titanic they had a round vertical center column and both an inboard and an outboard projection. The inboard projection was also round and approximately the same diameter as the vertical column. The outboard projection went out horizontally the same distance as the inboard projection but it was capped by a projection that hooked downward. If you are looking at Ballard's "The Discovery of the Titanic", p.193 has the best photo. If you look at the group of three people walking on the boat deck, the belaying bitt is immediately to the outside of the girl's left elbow. The small gooseneck structures on the lower right of the photo are fairleads (pulleys).
: The belaying bitt is also shown in the photo on p. 189. However the part that projects downward in this picture is oriented forward (or aft). A much larger photo of this is found on p. 102 of "Titanic: An Illustrated History". There was a belaying bitt located fore and aft of each boat.
: CORRECTION!
: I said that there were two hydrants on the aft well deck. I was wrong. I can find none. There were two,however, just outboard and on either side of the "mushroom" vent located between the two cargo hatches on the forward well deck.
Hello Bob, okay I found two pictures for you to look at in Ballard's Discovery Of The Titanic. I am -not- referring to the belaying bitts as you call them, although at first glance they could be mistaken for hydrants. Page 162 in Ballard's Discovery book clearly shows the hydrant which is located right on the portside edge of the boatdeck deck near the stanchions where #2 boat was. It is red in colour. Now that you see the shape to look for, turn to page 16 of the same Ballard book. Look at the center picture of the people walking along the second class area of the Boat Deck next to the aft life boats. Look at the man closest to the camera and near -his- left foot you can clearly see the black shape of the bitt that you are mentioning. You can even see a rope wrapped around it. Now after having located the bitt near the edge of the davit, look immediately to the right of the bitt near the center of the davit where it almost touches the deck and you will see a small `teapot' shaped object about 1/2 the height
of the bitt. That is what I am referring to as the hydrants. There is a picture in Titanic At Two that shows the crew washing the boat deck while one member his holding a fire hose. The hose lays around on the deck but terminates near the side (in this picture it is the starboard side they are washing). The crew obscures the end of the hose but it is all but assured that there is a hydrant there behind the crew person. Have a look at the pictures suggested and see what you think. There is hydrants on the boat deck -FOR SURE- according to the photo by Ballard.
As for the two structures adjacent to the Mushroom vent. I am not certain they are hydrants though the shadow they create according to the painting on page 44 of Ballard's Exploring The Titanic (a Marschall painting of the bridge/well deck area) show it to have `stems' which could be for hoses. Why would they need two hydrants side by side though? Roy Mengot in his Guide refers to them as `vents'. Is it for absolute certain they are hydrants?