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How a baker survived the Titanic by getting drunk (2022)

nationalpost.com

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Re: How a baker survived the Titanic by getting drunk (2022)

#51

Post by Ekaros »

sva_ wrote: post #16
brabel wrote: post #6

So the secret is to remain calm and keep hope (both of which are helped by drunkness) besides the obvious "be last to get into the water" and "put on more layers of clothing" (though I didn't know that more clothes help even when wet).

I think any clothes can help building an insulating layer around your body. I've been doing some cold plunges recently and the difference between still and moving water is staggering, as you quickly get a thermal layer around you. Surely clothes would help with that.

Wet suites work on principal of after they get wet they don't convect heat. I think certain clothing combination might reach same effect, just not as well.

Re: How a baker survived the Titanic by getting drunk (2022)

#52

Post by wnevets »

nightowl_games wrote: post #17

> cannot seem to kill I live in a cold Canadian city that has a substantial population with drug addictions. I was talking to a cop one night (he was off duty) and he was telling me about how you eventually learn some of the regular offenders names and stories. He told me how tough some of these guys are. How he'd pick one up for stealing and he's out in -30C with ganggreen on his leg. "Cockroach energy" he called it…

Real nice to see that it's not just America that dehumanizes the homeless.

Re: How a baker survived the Titanic by getting drunk (2022)

#53

Post by cbsmith »

speedgoose wrote: post #11

Could the many calories of the alcohol help in such situations? Eating fat during a ship sinking accident is probably better, but alcohol has more calories than sugar and having enough energy to survive in the cold is important.

Fat is going to take a while to metabolize...

Re: How a baker survived the Titanic by getting drunk (2022)

#54

Post by bloomingeek »

When I was about eight years old, I went to look for something I left near a motel swimming pool. I slipped into the deep end of the pool, I didn't know how to swim. At first I flailed as fast as I could, instinctively I suppose. This didn't help and I realized two things, I was still sinking and was getting tired. So I stopped and just stared ahead. I can't say I knew I was going to die, I just knew I was in trouble. Then my feet slowing hit the bottom of the pool, this startled me and it occurred to me I could jump and maybe catch the edge of the pool. For the first time I looked up and saw sky and leaped.

I was very lucky and made it the first time. When I got my head above the water, I was so exhausted I stayed there for a few minutes before climbing out of the water. Over the years, I've thought about this many times and, after a many years, came to the conclusion that calming myself after the initial terror probably saved my life. The calming came, I believe, because I was tired and stopped moving.

Re: How a baker survived the Titanic by getting drunk (2022)

#55

Post by rayiner »

wnevets wrote: post #52
nightowl_games wrote: post #17

> cannot seem to kill I live in a cold Canadian city that has a substantial population with drug addictions. I was talking to a cop one night (he was off duty) and he was telling me about how you eventually learn some of the regular offenders names and stories. He told me how tough some of these guys are. How he'd pick one up for stealing and he's out in -30C with ganggreen on his leg. "Cockroach energy" he called it…

Real nice to see that it's not just America that dehumanizes the homeless.

Interesting that’s what you jump to when OP didn’t say homeless, and instead mentioned things that are deliberate choices (stealing and drug use).

Re: How a baker survived the Titanic by getting drunk (2022)

#56

Post by Gud »

kjqgqkejbfefn wrote: post #48
xeromal wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I remember a video from long ago describing exactly what you mention. A tweaker riding a bike with a full sized fridge on his shoulder. Wild thing is that it wasn't even a full sized bike. lol. I think it was a BMX one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nA40QqNn-1U&t=3s

Faith in humanity, restored?

Re: How a baker survived the Titanic by getting drunk (2022)

#57

Post by rightbyte »

bloomingeek wrote: post #54

When I was about eight years old, I went to look for something I left near a motel swimming pool. I slipped into the deep end of the pool, I didn't know how to swim. At first I flailed as fast as I could, instinctively I suppose. This didn't help and I realized two things, I was still sinking and was getting tired. So I stopped and just stared ahead. I can't say I knew I was going to die, I just knew I was in trouble…

> Then my feet slowing hit the bottom of the pool, this startled me and it occurred to me I could jump and maybe catch the edge of the pool.

A really startling story. That is one of my nightmares as a parent. I really need to learn my kids to swim soon.

I wonder if you could actually stand on the bottom with your head over water if you tried? Like it is really hard to "jump" under water. And you don't really sink until your lungs are filled with water (I believe?).

Re: How a baker survived the Titanic by getting drunk (2022)

#58

Post by Kerbonut »

rayiner wrote: post #55
wnevets wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Real nice to see that it's not just America that dehumanizes the homeless.

Interesting that’s what you jump to when OP didn’t say homeless, and instead mentioned things that are deliberate choices (stealing and drug use).

Buying a house and eating are choices, too, I suppose…

Re: How a baker survived the Titanic by getting drunk (2022)

#59

Post by DougN7 »

rightbyte wrote: post #57
bloomingeek wrote: post #54

When I was about eight years old, I went to look for something I left near a motel swimming pool. I slipped into the deep end of the pool, I didn't know how to swim. At first I flailed as fast as I could, instinctively I suppose. This didn't help and I realized two things, I was still sinking and was getting tired. So I stopped and just stared ahead. I can't say I knew I was going to die, I just knew I was in trouble…

> Then my feet slowing hit the bottom of the pool, this startled me and it occurred to me I could jump and maybe catch the edge of the pool. A really startling story. That is one of my nightmares as a parent. I really need to learn my kids to swim soon. I wonder if you could actually stand on the bottom with your head over water if you tried? Like it is really hard to "jump" under water. And you don't really sink unt…

If you exhale you’ll probably find you sink quite well. And ‘jumping’, even just using your feet/ankles will be enough to move you up 5-8 feet. Give it a try (assuming you can swim!)

Re: How a baker survived the Titanic by getting drunk (2022)

#60

Post by bhickey »

nerdponx wrote: post #22
hartator wrote: post #7

Come on. Getting drunk will lower your survival chances for sure. It counterintuitively doesn't warm you up, waste precious energy while the body fights intoxication, and you are more likely to injure yourself in anything requiring body coordination.

The article addresses this. One hypothesis is that the cold shock counteracted the vasodilation, and being drunk allowed him to make it through the cold shock without drowning. How he managed to not go hypothermic is unclear, but maybe paddling around without noticing the fatigue or pain was enough to keep him going until he found the overturned boat.

> being drunk allowed him to make it through the cold shock without drowning.

He had a life belt on, so he wouldn't have drowned. Being drunk might've prevented a heart attack brought on by cold water shock.

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