Illustration by Samuel Ward Stanton of the excursion steamboat General Slocum (Wikipedia)
Though not well known, 109 years ago today the PS General Slocum caught fire and sank in the New York East River. At the time she on a chartered run carrying members of St. Matthews Evangelical Lutheran Church to a church picnic. The Slocum had over 1,400 passengers, many of them women and children.
It is believed the fire started in the Lamp Room, possibly by a discarded cigarette. Fueled by oily straw, rags, and lamp oil, the fire began to spread. By 10:00 a.m. the fire was noticed and Captain Van Schaick was notified of it. Rather then running the ship aground or stop at a landing, he continued on course. This likely fanned the flames and with flammable paint spread the fire out of control.
Worse though was that the safety equipment–fire hoses and life jackets– and been left to rot. The fire hoses came apart, the life jackets were in poor condition and some filled with weights, and the lifeboats were tied up making them inaccessible. Also the crew had never had a fire drill so they did not know what to do. People had to jump into the water. Most could not swim and were weighed down by woolen clothing. Worse the life preservers helped children sink rather than float (some of them simply came apart when touched). By the time the General Slocum sank in shallow water at North Brother Island, an estimated 1,021 had burned to death or drowned. Only 321 survived and five crew members died. Captain Van Schaick survived. There were many stories of heroism both on ship and from people ashore trying to help people by forming human chains to pull them out of the water.
Eight were indicted by a Federal grand jury but only Captain Van Schaick was convicted and served time for criminal negligence (though pardoned by President Taft in 1912). Despite evidence of fraudulent inspection records, the Knickerbocker Steamship Company paid a small fine. The incident led to state and federal regulations improving emergency equipment aboard ships.
General Slocum Memorial Tompkins Square Park, Manhattan, New York City
There are two memorials to the victims of the General Slocum. One is at Lutheran All Faiths Cemetery in Queens, New York where many of the unidentified victims are buried. It is also where the annual memorial service is held. The other is a memorial marble fountain erected in 1906 at Tompkins Square Park in Manhattan.
I will not recap this two hour episode, plenty of that at other sites around the web. Once again we had a two parter which means normally one person leaves at the end of each segment. Not this time. It took two episodes to finally determine who would leave. It opened with all our cheftestants cooking for 101 firefighters served banquet style and ended with Luca and Kathy competing to cook the best boiled lobster in butter sauce. Now here are some issues I had with these two episodes:
1. They gave Bime immunity despite the fact he poorly led his team. Actually both teams were poorly led. Gordon was totally frustrated at how each team were making very bad choices. Bime choose not to season the steaks and depend on the sauce. Bethy could not decide which sauce to serve and only at the end made up her mind. Lots of other problems materialized as well during service: components missing, undercooked food etc. So when Blue Team lost leaving Bimi, Jordan, Luca, Natasha, Bri, Krissi, Kathy, Beth to face the pressure test, I expected Bimi to have to wow them with his cooking skills.
Nope, they spared him and allowed him to choose one other (he choose Jordan). This inexplicable decision is probably because they feared he would be sent home. Considering the pressure test, I would sense he would not do well. Luca, Natasha, Bri, Krissi, Kathy and Beth had to cook the highly technical Eggs Benedict. It is not just slapping poached eggs on toast! The eggs must be poached perfectly, the muffin properly toasted and buttered, tasty and cooked properly Canadian bacon, and finally the hollandaise sauce must be perfection. Done right, it is heaven on a plate. Krissi and Bri got it right leaving the others with pretty awful dishes for the judges. Which leads to….
2. They could not agree who was the worst to be sent home. They have never had a problem in the past with figuring it out. The vote had to be split three ways for this to happen. All three judges have exceptional palates and I cannot believe they could not settle on one person. But it is possible that each one had only one person they believed ought to go and the other two had their own. So lack of at least two people means deadlock. When means another cooking challenge will be needed. With great dramatic flourish, Gordon leads the four out the MasterChef kitchen with the other cheftestants wondering what the heck was going on.
3. Next Stop, Las Vegas
Gordon Ramsay has a gourmet burger place in Las Vegas. These burgers are not your ordinary ones. These use the finest of beef with expensive toppings. I have no idea what Ramsay charges for his burgers, but such burgers are pricey. There is one famous one that costs several thousand dollars served on brioche and comes with champagne. Aside from free advertising for his place, the two teams must cook up burgers in a real kitchen with no one else to help them. A select group of people are coming in plus some VIP’s (which turn out to be the other cheftestants). Once again neither team seems to have what it takes to pull a win. Luca/Kathy struggle as does Natasha/Beth. Gordon acts as expediter which means he gets to be like his persona on Hell’s Kitchen in yelling at them to get the burgers done and sent out properly. One strangely comes back as underdone. Did Gordon notice it (he can certainly tell by squeezing it) or allow it purposefully to go out bad so he could shame the chefs?
In the end Natasha/Beth are safe leaving Luca/Kathy to face the final pressure test. Which then leads to…
4. Up on the Roof
I do not know who thought this one out. Did anyone find it odd they would need to cook their final meal on the roof? Where there no other places at all to film indoors? Then again when they pull out at the end to see the loser standing there all alone, I suppose that is what they were looking for, that long shot. It came across more staged and I got the feeling we have all been led down a path. That what happened back in MasterChef kitchen was more planned than we thought.
5. And now for Mr. Lobster
So they are tasked with cooking a very expensive lobster meal: poached lobster in butter and a salad. A classic Las Vegas meal for winners and those who aspire to be. Both Luca and Kathy put a lot of work preparing but Luca got his lobster first. After dispatching it, he began taking it apart. The judges were aghast when he left a major portion of the lobster behind which had a lot of meat in it. Kathy was running out of time but managed to get her lobster poached and into the butter in time to be presented. Kathy had a nicely colored lobster, excellent flavor, but to acidic on the salad. Luca’s lobster looked pale but tasted delicious as was his salad. Now remember he left a lot of meat behind? He served less lobster than Kathy and his was pale looking. Kathy’s only fault was that her salad was too acidic. Luca gets the win, and Kathy goes home. Gordon offers to mentor her in New York and I hope she takes it. Yet one cannot help thinking Luca did not quite deserve this win. Perhaps he won on the technical point of having his salad better than hers, but he is not destined to get that trophy.
Some other points:
1)Natasha is really a nasty person, probably an elite snob, who cannot handle criticism well. Despite her high opinion of herself, she really took a nosedive on the Eggs Benedict. She also was going to throw Beth under the bus if they lost the burger match.
2)Bri was the surprise here. She had never cooked Eggs Benedict before but really came through. She is someone to watch.
Next week: Lidia Bastianich is in the house and puts Joe in his place!
Frank Noble saw his home, a canal barge, suddenly plunge underwater in a canal lock. I have heard of homes being swallowed up by sinkholes but sunk in a canal is a first. According to Manchester Evening News, as the lock filled with water the back end got pulled under the surface. The whole boat was submerged very quickly. Fortunately Noble was not aboard but everything he had aboard is a loss. The lock was drained so he could pump water out of the boat and then refloated when the water was let back in. Other boats were stranded during this process.
As to how it happened, one posting at the news site suggested the bow got caught in the exit gates forcing the stern down till it flooded. Comparable to Titanic? No. And one commenter asked in jest “ where is the Ice?”
Deep Sea Challenger making its way through D.C. city streets to National Geographic Society building earlier this week. It will stay for two days before heading off to Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts.
You know it is summer when MasterChef returns with a new round of aspirants. As always, the initial stages are like American Idol where each person sings cooks for the judges. They get five minutes to finish the dish and make it look good. And like that other Fox show, you get a mixture of the good, the okay, the awful, and just plain weird. Showing up with a robot will get you noticed but little else if the food is no good. Likewise using breast milk as a twist is not going to win points with the judges either.
Like previous seasons, those who make the first cut are then put into the first group competition, which was to cook lamb and every part of that creature was made available for their use. They actually had real lambs come to drive home the point that you are lambs too, well you know how that ends right? So as they cook Joe Bastianich, Graham Elliot, and Gordon Ramsay (the Culinary Gods) observe how they cook and began making judgments (thumbs up, down, or a question mark). The twist this year was sending the Angel of Death (Joe Bastianich) to walk amongst them to tap those who had to turn in their apron and leave. As usual at the end, they were divided into three groups: those going to the MasterChef Kitchen, those going home, and those they were not sure about.
After sending the one group home, they spent time going over those they were not sure about. One of them was Luca, who tried out last season and did not make it beyond the initial round (Joe voted for him, the other two against). Fortunately his dish passed muster and was given the apron! So off we go now to the real competition where each meal you cook might be the last you do in MasterChef. This year, for programming reasons, they are putting two episodes together rather than splitting over two nights. So you get two doses of MasterChef in one sitting.
From what was shown thus far, this is going to be a good season to watch. There are some really strong competitors along with some strong personalities to match. In the most recent episode, Luca won the mystery box and choose everyone to cook cupcakes. As usual he got a free pass to watch from the gallery but then Gordon told him of another major bonus. He could take the stand mixer from one of the cheftestants! He choose Jordan, who pulled a “Frank” by saving himself from the pressure test his team faced for losing in the first field competition. That forced Jordan to work even harder to mix the ingredients the old fashioned way-by hand! He actually came out well in the end and Luca, after tasting his cupcake, said he was safe. But there were some hideous disasters. Jessie had “whack-a-mole” cupcakes, another decorated like they were in kindergarten, and Malcom (who was sent home) made cupcakes with a filling that totally disgusted the Culinary Trio.
This season looks very good thus far.
CBS has come up with its own cooking show that competes with MasterChef (at least for the first hour) called the American Baking Competition. At first I was not sure about this show. This is one time I am glad I have a dual tuner DVR so I can record both. The concept is simple. Amateur home cooks compete in a baking competition until one is left standing to be called America’s Best Home Baker with $250,000 prize. It is based upon the UK show The Great British Bake Off. Each episode has three challenges: a signature bake, technical bake, and showstopper bake. Jeff Foxworthy is the host offering some comical relief. Marcela Valladolid and Paul Hollywood are the judges.
While the show appears low key compared to MasterChef, it is just as stressful for the participants having to produce a winning dish each time. And the judges are just as picky as the Culinary Trio. Paul Hollywood does not have the patented Joe Bastianich stare but try to pass a bad pastry to him would be unfortunate. While Marcela will hold back from saying something bad (like that the swirls on a pastry remind her of something in the garden). Paul has no problems saying it looks like dog poop. However when they are quite pleased, they let you know.
The show lacks, I think, the pop of Food Network’s Chopped or MasterChef. On Chopped, it has appetizers, main course, and dessert. Each meal round mean some go forward while one goes away. Now that would not work on a hour show like this but two rather than three dishes would be better. The technical bake off is a good idea. You give the chefs the same recipe but with one key direction missing so they have to figure it out. Having something like a Mystery Box challenge to start off then ending with the technical challenge might do the trick.
Otherwise the show is somewhat predictable and a bit boring at points. You get some interesting personalities just like on other cooking shows. However if they ramp up the intensity and tweak the format, it would make a difference in the ratings. Worth watching later if you have something more important to watch (like MasterChef).
1. The Belfast Telegraph is reporting complaints people are making about paying a fee to visit Nomadic and another one for Titanic Belfast. Currently people wishing to board Nomadic pay £7.50 for adults,£5.00 for children 5-16. Family tickets are also available (£22-27 depending on family size). However if you want to visit Titanic Belfast, a separate fee is required for entry. Which has got some visitors angry at having to dig deeper into their pockets. The Telegraph reports that Nomadic Charitable Trust is in negotiations with Titanic Belfast to set up a joint ticketing scheme.
2. James Cameron, who recently gave his DeepSea Challenger to Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, believes that one day expeditions such as his would help scientists predict deep sea earthquakes and their tsunamis. In an interview to CNN, Cameron says “Building technology vehicles like the DeepSea Challenger to get down there, is a first step to planting large instruments which could allow us to survey seismic activity. Ultimately it could lead to some predictive modeling which tells us ‘look we’ve got pressure building up here, maybe this could be a tsunami in the Pacific rim, get ready, brace yourselves”
According to ABC News Online, a backbencher decided to throw out Titanic in reference to the Labor party. Here are the choice quotes from Yahoo 7 News:
“It’s like the Titanic – we’re in the final scenes”
“Third class has realised the doors are locked and they’re not getting out.”
“And first class are running around looking for a dress to put on.”
Wow. One hopes you do not find the lifeboats all gone when you get there! For misusing Titanic, you get our infamous Titanic Cliche Award with fractured finger.
This 18-foot-model of RMS Titanic will be on display this summer in St. Clair. (Photo:The Times Herald)
The world’s only full scale Titanic replica is going on display at Moore Boathouse in St. Clair. This replica, which weighs 1,500 pounds and 10,000 pounds in its case, was on display last year at the National Geographic Museum in Washington, D.C. For its builder, Gart Kohs, it is a work of love and exactitude. He worked on the model from 1999-2004 out of his own pocket and even traveled to Harland & Wolff in Belfast, N.I. to review the original drawings.
Just like the largest ocean liner of its time, the 18-foot long model has 3.3 million rivets and 8 miles of lighting that even makes the dials of the telegraph glow. The lifeboats were built plank by plank of the same kind of wood — Swiss pear — so the grain pattern matches. Each lifeboat took 1 ½ months to make. Inside, tables and chairs were fashioned after the originals as was the grand staircase and Tiffany fixtures. “Anything you could look inside and see is there,” Kohs said. “It is a replica in every sense of detail. There isn’t a finer ship model in the world. We know that.”
Koh will not allow it to be displayed in any exhibit that has artifacts retrieved from the wreck. “Our rule is we’ll never profit from the tragedy and we’ll never display the model with plunder,” he said. “We’ve turned down some big museums.”
The St. Clair exhibit is to benefit an agency that awards grants for elementary school programs, scholarships, and public park improvements.
For exhibit information, time and dates, and admission fees, go to stclairfoundation.org.
Back in 1987, the Titanic Historical Society commissioned Rollins Outdoor Advertising to create a mural for its 75th anniversary. The mural, a 10-by-15-foot mural of Titanic’s grand staircase, was long believed to be the work of Gilbert Perry Jr. However a recent examination of two signatures on the mural revealed the name James Wahwassuck. And according to The News Journal, it turns out that Wahwassuck was the actual painter who did it from Perry’s sketches. The revelation came about during a fundraising celebration where the Titanic mural had been loaned by Titanic Historical Society. Event coordinator Rick Pulling noticed the two signatures when he unrolled the mural. Pulling tracked down Wahwassuck and contacted him. Wahwassuck had also learned from recent news story that Perry had been considered the artist. While normally most commercial artists do not sign their names, he urged Perry to sign both their names near the bottom where it will not be easily seen. Wahwassuck did not see the mural after it was done. The Titanic Historical Society had no idea about the true history of the mural.
Changes in technology! When I was kid, to speak live to someone very far away meant a special phone connection. There was no visual connection at all. So when 20 first graders at Notre Dame Academy in Duluth, Georgia recently decided to discuss Titanic, they used Skype to have a discussion with Titanic experts at the Marine Museum in Fall River, Massachusetts. They fielded many interesting questions about Titanic and even some about Titanic II. From the news account, it looks like it was a lot of fun. Back in the day we had to hope one day such things like a Dick Tracy watch (a small television screen) or a Star Trek like communicator. Today we have flip phones that take pictures, make telephone calls, receive email, and view movies on. Just keep the tribbles away from the grain.
Long ago a serious row divided the Titanic community over salvage. It divided scholars,survivors, and many enthused amateurs. The result was a very nasty flame war conducted by hostile postings to Usenet and and Internet discussion lists. Threats, accusations, and demonization of those on other side of the argument were common. It resulted in ruined friendships, bitter recriminations, and some real world bad actors doing bad things. It has mostly faded now but when The Telegraph reported of a major row involving Titanic that included threats of violations and all kinds of malicious accusations, it brought back memories from long ago.
This issue is not about salvage but between two online groups: Olympic Class Liners (OCL) and Lovers of Ocean Liners(LOTOL). According to Telegraph, Jonathan Smith of OCL started watermarking his collection of Titanic photographs and postcards when he posts them online. He did this to prevent them from being used without his permission. This sparked an outcry from those in LOTOL. They claimed he did not own the photos and accused him of plagiarism regarding his research. From that point on, it began to heat up on Titanic websites and other sites that discussed ocean liners. It soon reached full boil with threats of breaking legs and accusations of child molestation. British police are investigating after a complaint was lodged with them.
My experience with the last Titanic flame war is that there are no winners. Once you go down this road of recriminations and demonization, nothing good comes of it. And there are those who thrive on these type of things. They love to say the most audacious of things not caring a bit whether true or not. In truth, they do not care. They just want to keep the pot boiling. Cooler heads must prevail here. Otherwise it will end up with everyone losing in the end.
1. Titanic Exhibition To Open At Cleveland’s Great Lakes Science Center In June
Photo courtesy George Behe
Titanic:The Artifact Exhibition opens at Cleveland’s Great Lakes Science Center on 1 June and will run until 5 Jan 2014. Ticket prices vary. Nonmembers: $24 adults, $22 youths 2-12. Members: $10 adults and youths 2-12. Further information at GreatScience.com.
2. DSV Alvin Completes Major Redesign And Refit
Deep Submergence Vehicle (DSV) Alvin, originally built in 1964, has completed $41 million redesign and refit. The revamped DSV is now aboard the R/V Atlantis for certification testing off California and Oregon. The refit has increased Alvin’s weight which includes a new titanium sphere allowing it dive deeper than before. The new sphere is wider making it more comfortable for personnel aboard. Enhanced science payload, lighting, high definition imaging systems along with a much improved command and control system. A new type of foam is being used, syntactic, that replaces the old air bubble system. Syntactic is made up of microspheres made of glass and other material allowing it to take more pressure.
3. Titanic II Update
Tillberg Design of Sweden has been selected to design several interior areas of Titanic II. Tillberg will help design first, second and third class accommodations. It also includes the smoking room, first class lounge, Cafe Parisian, the grand staircase and safety features.
Amy’s Baking Company (ABC) has become a teaching lesson for business schools–in how not to deal with the public. And thanks to social media, the lesson has spread far and wide. Samy and Amy Bouzaglo totally underestimated the negative response generated by the episode. Many people were suspicious, like a local food critic who was asked to report on ABC. That critic had not heard much about the restaurant except for the famous Amy blowout to a local food blogger in 2010. Crazy Amy, as she is now called, went national thanks to Kitchen Nightmares (KN). As that critic dug deeper she began to realize something was indeed amiss at ABC. And what was seen on the show has been confirmed by workers and customers interviewed later. And their crude attacks on the negative postings after the show confirmed that what they saw on the show was exactly who they–the Bouzaglo’s–really are.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_cbMcUpzto
One thing that food critic realized is that in all the time that ABC has been open, it never generated any buzz. In a sea of restaurants in Scottsdale, ABC never distinguished itself in any way. And that is telling. With mixed reviews on Yelp and elsewhere, there was nothing really that drew you to ABC unless you were just in the area and wanted to give it a try. Sometimes you might get lucky and get an okay meal. Or get an underdone pizza with a side of nasty attitude when complained to Samy. A recent trip by a local business writer found their drinks had bugs in it. And despite subsequent replacement drinks, the bugs were still in the glasses. Samy asked them to leave after that and they went down to a more popular restaurant to finish the meal they never had at ABC. They did give the server money to go up to ABC to get a pastry, which was delicious, but their treatment at ABC confirmed what was shown (except Crazy Amy never made an appearance).
A few seasons back Gordon went to a Philadelphia restaurant run by sisters who never ran a restaurant before. The speciality was potato (in fact that was in their name) but the food was terrible. The restaurant was empty and Gordon helped them revamp the menu. He also brought in a chef consultant to help the young chef, in fact a niece of one of the sisters, and things began to improve. A food critic that had given them a terrible review gave a glowing one after the relaunch. And for a while things were going good. Then that chef left and food quality declined. Restaurant hours changed and closing early, like 8pm on a Saturday night. By summer’s end in 2010, the restaurant closed. I bring this up because there are some similarities here. Neither Amy or Samy have any previous restaurant experience. They have mixed reviews on Yelp. While local restaurants are packing them in, many tables are empty at ABC.
Their over-the-top reaction to critics made things far worse and people looking for more dirt on the couple. Which they did find out. Crazy Amy was locked up for using another persons social security number to obtain a bank line of credit. She also has other prior legal issues as well. Samy is facing deportation. The exact reason is not known but possibly due to not disclosing criminal convictions in Europe in his residency application. Questions are raised about whether ABC actually cooks those wonderful pastries. Evidence suggests they are bought elsewhere and resold by ABC. There is also a disquieting rumor that ABC is a money laundering operation.
Amy and Samy wanted to let loose about Gordon Ramsay, KN and online critics with a press conference. Lawyers for the show sent a strongly worded letter reminding them of their contractual obligations, which meant they faced huge monetary damages if they violated. I suspect that guy in the funny toque and stripped pants down in Nashville got a similar letter after letting loose to the National Inquirer. I wish they had let Crazy Amy and Samy the Hammer have their press conference. It would have been memorable. They hired a public relations firm that handles such fires but they bowed out after a few days owing to a difference in strategies. The had a quiet reopening with a security guard to keep things civil. Attendance was thin and no one reports the restaurant is packing them in. Lots of gawkers wanting to see the now infamous ABC and perhaps get a glimpse of the pair as well.
The future does not look well for ABC. Restaurants that generate negative buzz rarely thrive. And profit margins are thin for restaurants. The restaurant did finally generate a buzz but not the one wanted by Crazy Amy and Samy the Hammer. And for business schools, ABC is a case study is how not to run a business or handle major public relations crisis.
Footnote:
Apparently Crazy Amy did give an interview after the warning letter to Radar Online. In the interview, she said some nasty things about Ramsay. That could result in Fox suing her for breach of contract.
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