A reconstruction of one of the 19th century's most notorious maritime disasters: a ship carrying Irish immigrants struck an iceberg, crew divided into lifeboats and an overloaded boat's crew resorted to throwing passengers overboard. The book pieces together the sinking, the human drama and the deaths that followed.

Using courtroom records, contemporary reporting and social context, the narrative follows the sensational press coverage and the subsequent trial that introduced public debate about survival, responsibility and what came to be called "lifeboat ethics." It also sketches the legal maneuvering and public reaction of the era.

Recommended for readers of maritime history, legal and social history, and true-crime narrative. Hardcover, 213 pages, published 2003.

• Reconstruction of the sinking and trial
• Context of 19th-century press and public opinion
• Explores moral and legal questions of survival at sea

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