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Having done all the he could--all that anyone could
expect--Thomas Andrews retired to the first class smoking room shortly
before the sinking. He was last seen before the fireplace, gazing at the
painting that graced the mantle, Approach to the New World. It was a new
world he would never again truly see. What his thoughts and feelings were
during those last minutes, no one can guess with any certainty. Great
sorrow, perhaps regret, or a sense of futility? Could he possibly have
foreseen--as depicted in the musical--that Titanic would signal the
figurative approach of a new world, one that would see more and more
over the next few decades the darker side of the technology that was
continuing to change the world, that had contributed to the creation of
Titanic herself?
Far more likely that Mr. Andrews would have continued to
the end of his life as he had throughout it: thinking of others. His
engineering crew, as dedicated as he was, were working to the last moments
and would sacrifice themselves so that there might be power and light as long as
possible. The guarantee group, accompanying him from Harland & Wolff on the
maiden voyage, would also be unlikely to survive. Further away, his thoughts
would likely wander to his wife and young daughter, whom he had not seen since
he boarded the ship nearly two weeks ago, April 2, for her trials. That
farewell had been his last.
Mr. Andrews' body was never found. The smoking room was
near the spot where Titanic was broken in two and it is likely that he
was pulled with her to a grave at the bottom of the ocean. Finally, on April
19, his father received a telegram from his mother's cousin, James Montgomery,
who had spoken with survivors in New York, searching for news of Thomas. The
telegram was read aloud by Mr. Andrews Sr. to the staff of the home in Comber:
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INTERVIEW TITANIC'S OFFICERS. ALL UNANIMOUS THAT
ANDREWS HEROIC UNTO DEATH, THINKING ONLY SAFETY OTHERS. EXTEND HEARTFELT
SYMPATHY TO ALL.
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Several articles following the disaster lauded his
heroism and bravery and a short biography was produced within the year by
Shan Bullock at the commission of Sir Horace Plunkett, a member of parliament
from the area who felt that Andrews's life was worthy of being memorialized.
In addition, the Thomas Andrews Jr. Memorial Hall was built in Comber, where
it stands this day as an annex to the town school, also named for him.
Though mention of him in histories of the Titanic
are unaccountably few and meager, those who take care to notice the
unassuming Mr. Andrews continue to be fascinated by this gentle, warm-hearted,
and ultimately tragic man--the Builder of the Ship of Dreams.
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