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Dead Wake


The enthralling story of the sinking of the Lusitania by #1 New York Times ...
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In Lauriat's position, which possessions would you have tried to save?

Created: 03/20/16

Replies: 9

Posted Mar. 20, 2016 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
davinamw

Join Date: 10/15/10

Posts: 3442

In Lauriat's position, which possessions would you have tried to save?

Charles Lauriat went to extraordinary measures to protect his Thackeray drawings and his rare edition of A Christmas Carol, but eventually both were lost. In Lauriat's position, which possessions would you have tried to save?


Posted Mar. 20, 2016 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
Maggie

Join Date: 01/01/16

Posts: 434

RE: In Lauriat's position, which possessions would you have tried to save?

I would not have tried to save any possessions. I would try to save myself and other passengers.


Posted Mar. 20, 2016 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
virginiap

Join Date: 03/01/12

Posts: 24

RE: In Lauriat's position, which possessions would you have tried to save?

Lauriat from the beginning was very cautious about the valuable book and drawings he was transporting and though it is easy to understand that he was desperate to save them, it was highly unlikely that he could. Therefore it seems to me he would have been most interested in saving himself.


Posted Mar. 21, 2016 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
meredithk

Join Date: 06/10/13

Posts: 27

RE: In Lauriat's position, which possessions would you have tried to save?

I would of tried to save the Thackeray drawings. He was most proud of that possession. He knew he had a valuable document that would bring him lots of money.

Like the others though I would of tried to save myself.


Posted Mar. 25, 2016 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
N*Starr

Join Date: 03/13/14

Posts: 51

RE: In Lauriat's position, which possessions would you have tried to save?

There is something so human and so sad about trying to save a "thing". But for him, that thing took on a value that was more important than other humans. I'd like to believe that I am not like that, but I often wonder if that's aspirational or true. In the moment, people do odd things-- it's easy to judge him as foolish, but you have to wonder what was he thinking that made him make that choice?


Posted Mar. 30, 2016 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
Sooz

Join Date: 07/29/14

Posts: 62

RE: In Lauriat's position, which possessions would you have tried to save?

No material possessions should have taken precedence over saving his own life and trying to help any other survivors save theirs. I would not have risked my life trying to save drawings or a rare book.


Posted Mar. 31, 2016 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
katherinep

Join Date: 07/16/14

Posts: 374

RE: In Lauriat's position, which possessions would you have tried to save?

Funny, you should ask. We travel for two months every year and sometimes there are tornado warnings in the area. Fortunately, they have come to naught. But, I often find myself before sleeping, thinking about where things are in our bedroom and what I would try to grab in an emergency. I also sometimes think what I'd try to grab if the house went afire, etc. And yet, if any emergency were to arise, I think that my concern would be for self-preservation, that of my husband and of our two cats. What would any of the rest matter were I to lose them?

It was touching to see that Lauriat saved his children's photos.


Posted Apr. 01, 2016 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
booksnob

Join Date: 11/12/11

Posts: 31

RE: In Lauriat's position, which possessions would you have tried to save?

I definitely would go back to my room for my life jacket and probably grab a coat or maybe my passport. I was surprised by the number of people who did not go get their life jackets. I would for sure go back for that.


Posted Apr. 02, 2016 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
mojogirl's Gravatar
mojogirl

Join Date: 02/20/16

Posts: 5

RE: In Lauriat's position, which possessions would you have tried to save?

At first I remember thinking, 'if you're going to attempt to save the Dickens, go for the drawings also!'. (lol) I just got caught up in the moment, though. Honestly, living through something so horrendous, I'm sure surviving is the only thing that fills your thoughts. He probably thought, albeit briefly, that he was going to get away safely in a lifeboat and the book would've had a chance. When he got back on deck he seemed to sprint right into action trying to cut that lifeboat loose and he did manage to retrieve a number of life jackets and helped get them to passengers before going back to his room. I feel he was instrumental in saving a good number of people. He was pretty heroic. I was touched in the end how he carried that man with the broken leg on his back when they got into Queenstown.

I guess what I'm trying to say in my ramble is that even though he did think about a material thing (& I'm glad he was able to save his children's pics) when faced with danger, he really did forget about the material object and just focused on helping as many people as he could.


Posted Apr. 04, 2016 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
ylhoff

Join Date: 10/23/12

Posts: 85

RE: In Lauriat's position, which possessions would you have tried to save?

If Lauriat had been afforded more time, I am sure he would have saved everything. He made a wise choice in saving himself ... I can't imagine that he didn't have regrets and that it was hard to leave those things behind. It would be very difficult to make certain choices when a ship is going down. It was interesting to read how different people reacted to the situation - some calmly and methodically, others completely losing it. How do we know how we'd react in just such a scenario?


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