Wednesday morning, The Washington Post’s Dennis Drabelle opened his mail to find a rather large letter informing him of an error in one of his stories. “Based on our research,” wrote Mrs. Reed’s fifth-grade class, “the Titanic hit the iceberg shortly before midnight on April 14, 1912.”

Drabelle, a contributing editor for the Post’s Book World, had written in an April roundup of Titanic books that the collision occurred on April 15, but that was the date that the ship sank. And these fifth-graders pay attention to details like that. (Future copy editors, if such jobs exist in 20 years?)

[If you read the logs of the Titanic's radio transmissions, you will find that Captain Smith had informed Jack Phillips - senior radio man - that the Titanic had hit an iceberg at around 11:40 PM on the 14th. Jack then began sending CDQ at 12:15 AM.]

11.15 p.m. (approx)
14 April 1912
R.M.S. Titanic to Cape Race, Newfoundland:
"Sorry, please repeat. Jammed".

Between 11.35 and 11.45 p.m. (most likely the latter) Captain Smith informed Phillips and Bride that the ship had hit an iceberg, and to prepare a distress call. The captain returned at 12.15 a.m. and told them to send it.

 

12.15 a.m.
15 April 1912
R.M.S. Titanic to Any Ship:
"CQD Titanic 41.44 N  50.24 W"
(CQD was the contemporary distress signal, though soon, the new distress signal would be put to use for the very first time).

12.17 a.m.
15 April 1912
R.M.S. Titanic to Any Ship:
"CQD CQD SOS Titanic Position 41.44 N  50.24 W. Require immediate assistance. Come at once. We struck an iceberg. Sinking".
(SOS was the first use of the new distress signal. So far, two ships had responded to the Titanic's distress call. They included the 'Frankfurt', nearly 170 miles away, and the 'Olympic', nearly 500 miles away.)