Third Class Died First
Many of the passengers on the ship were third-class families, looking to start new lives in America. These passengers’ quarters were towards the bottom of the ship, and were among the first to be flooded. There were gates in the stairwells that were locked to keep third class separate from the others. Because the stewards didn’t have time to open all of the gates amidst the chaos, many of these passengers became trapped below decks and drowned.
