Sixty passengers waited recently in the Mauch Chunk Museum Ballroom in Jim Thorpe to sail on the RMS Titanic, while experiencing a tea fit for royals.

The sparkling crystal chandeliers, the linen napkins and the tables set with silver made it easy to believe you were really sailing on the majestic Titanic.

To add to the authenticity, quite a few passengers were adorned with hats of the early 1900s.

While the passengers waited for their ship to sail, they enjoyed assorted teas, nibbled on delicious finger sandwiches, scones, éclairs, assorted pastries and cookies, and fresh fruit.

Alisa Dupuy dressed in period clothing, posing as a fictional character Eliza Blackwell Dupree, a survivor from the sinking Titanic, and led her passengers on the journey of the maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to America.

“Unfortunately on the way to New York City, a few days into the trip, the largest ship ever built hit an iceberg and sank, within hours,” she said.

One of the reasons so many people died when the ship started to sink is there were only 20 lifeboats on the Titanic. The existing Board of Trade required a passenger ship to provide lifeboat capacity for 1,060 people. Titanic’s lifeboats were situated on the top deck. The boat was designed to carry 32 lifeboats but this number was reduced to 20 because it was felt that the deck would be too cluttered.

First-class passage was $4,350 for a first-class parlor suite to a maximum $40 for a third-class passage, according to The Washington Times. A century later, in 2012, those ticket prices equaled a range of $50,000 to $460.

First-class and second-class passengers had their own decks as well as restaurants, smoking rooms and libraries.

Class was very important in those days and only the first class had access to a gym with stationary bikes, rowing machines, and hairdresser with hair dryers and curlers, according to Dupree.

There was a 7-foot-deep saltwater pool that was also restricted for first class. Third class was basically relegated to one end of the ship or the other.

Unfortunately, life boats were not as important as all the luxury, and on April 10, 1912, the Titanic set sail on its maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York. Four days later, it took just under three hours to totally be submerged.

Titanic facts

• White Star Line operated the Titanic.

• It took over 15,000 men to build the Titanic.

• The ship was 882 feet and 9 inches long.

• There were approximately 2,000 portholes and windows in the ship.

• The cost of building the ship was $7.5 million. Today the cost would be well over $123 million.

• The sinking resulted in the deaths of 1,517 of the 2,223 people on board, making it the deadliest peace time maritime disaster in history.

• The list of notable people on the ship: John Jacob Astor IV, head of the Astor family, whose fortune was estimated at $150 million, who died in the tragedy; Isidor Straus, businessman, politician and co-owner of Macy’s department store, estimated wealth at $50 million, died with his wife Ida when the ship sank; J. Bruce Ismay, served as chairman and managing director of the White Star Line, estimated wealth $40 million, who survived the tragedy; and Benjamin Guggenheim, head of the Guggenheim family, estimated wealth $95 million, who died on the ship at age 46.

About Alisa Dupuy

Alisa Dupuy founded and owns The Ladies of History Historical Productions, in which she dons period dress and vividly portrays a whole host of historical and literary figures ranging from Marie Antoinette and World War II Female Spies to Witchy Woman (her Halloween presentation with a feminist flair) and Catherine the Great of Russia. She embodies this captivating cast of characters with their variety of voices and personalities and brings their stories to life.