Comments by "Andrew Brendan" (@andrewbrendan1579) on "Fascinating Horror" channel.

I saw "The Towering Inferno" on Christmas Day, 1974, and I read the two novels that inspired the move: "The Tower" and "The Glass Inferno". I was around 13 and was starting to read more in the newspapers than just the comics and the advice column. I wish I had a more precise recollection but one article was about how people in the movie were affected by it. If my memory is correct, Faye Dunaway moved from a 20th floor apartment to a 3rd floor apartment -- that or something close. Many lives, knowingly or unknowingly, have been saved because of this movie that teaches people about fire safety and because of improved fire safety codes. -- Something I learned elsewhere is familiarize yourself with your surroundings so you know how to get out in an emergnecy. This isn't about living in fear but about having practical and sensible about possible trouble. Also: the Glass Tower, though it never really existed, is one of the most beautiful buildings I've ever seen.
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Maybe lifejackets had changed in the time between 1934 and 1965 but I've read that when the liner Morro Castle burned in 1934, some of the people who jumped overboard while wearing life jackets died of broken necks caused by the life jackets and the impact of hitting the water. I'm not sure but maybe the life jackets got pushed upward and caused people's necks to snap. At least it was a quick death and better than being trapped in the fire.
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@MarcMcKenzie-qb6or Absolutely. It's remarkable how Stirling Siliphant combined the two novels. (I preferred "The Glass Inferno" of the two.) Not only that, but Stirling Silliphant was involved with turning Paul Gallico's novel "The Poseidon Adventure" into a movie and there's quite a comparison between book and movie. There are almost two separate Posiedon stories. Had the movie precisely followed the book it would have taken place around 1963. Too there are main characters in the book who are not even in the movie.
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@Cramblit Horrifying but useful information---which I hope I never experience for myself
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I second the motion. I used to work in a former fraternity house built in 1911. There was a center staircase/chimney from the ground floor up into the fourth floor attic/former sleeping area. The wood was heavily varnished. Along with that the house originally had gas lights so that the electrical wiring was STAPLED onto walls and woodwork. There was even an emergency door (the sign had fallen off) and the door opened INWARD but that didn't matter much because a conference table had been placed against the door. Never in my life have I worked in such a dangerous environment. I submitted a letter to my supervisor about this and nothing was done. Eventually improvements were made, around six years later.
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@freyathewanderer6359 I can believe that. I've even read that the cruise business was adversely affected by "The Poseidon Adventure".
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Some years back I read the book "Fourteen Minutes -- The Last Voyage of the Empress of Ireland" by James Croall. In 1914 the Canadian Pacific liner Empress of Ireland was struck at night be another ship, tilted to starboard, the lights went out, and the liner sank in 14 minutes with a thousand fatalities. After the loss of the Titanic two years earlier Canadian Pacific adopted a policy that crew members had to know the layout of their ships, or at least the parts they worked and lived in, so well that the crew members could get out onto an open deck even in the dark. Many of the survivors were crew members who knew how to get outside rather than passengers who had boarded the ship only hours before. The crew and officers did what they could for the passengers. Since reading that book I've been encouraging people to familiarize with their surroundings and to have a plan of escape if needed and not because of fear and paranoia but as reasonable, practical precaution that's just a normal part of life.
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Quite a few years ago now I read a book called "Fourteen Minutes" about the sinking of the Canadian-Pacific Line's ocean liner Empress of Ireland in 1914. Canadian-Pacific, after the Titanic disaster two years earlier, had a rule that crew members were to become so familiarized with the layout of their part of the ship or maybe with the whole ship itself that they could get out onto an open deck even in complete darkness. When the Empress was in a collision with another ship and at night she went over on her side and sank inf 14 minutes with around 1,000 fatalities. Many of the survivors were members of the crew and not because they looked out for themselves and left passengers but because the crew members were familiar with the deck plan and knew where to go while the passengers had boarded only hours before. Crew membes of the Empress of Ireland did what they could for the passengers but there was very little; it was mostly everyone for themselves. Ever since reading that I've encouraged people to become familiar with their surroundings: home, work, school, mall. office building where they have an appointment and to know how to get out. This isn't being paranoid but preventive. There could be a disaster situation or someone committing an act of violence and we need to know how to get to safety.
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I've been saying for years that "The Poseidon Adventure" must be partially based on the loss of the Heraklion in 1966, three years before the novel was published that was made into a movie. The Heraklion was a British passenger ship that was sold to a Greek company and given a name from mythology. The ship carried passengers and was made into a ferry as well. The company was poorly managed (I'm not sure about the ship's safety situation) and the Heraklion was lost in a storm in the Mediterranean. The R.M.S. Atlantis was a British liner sold to an international consortium and given a name from mythology: Poseidon. Much of the Poseidon's original Second and Third Class accommodations were turned into cargo space. The ship was badly managed (no ballast) and was lost because of a tsunami, another nature-related situation. The similarities are too many for coincidence. Paul Gallico who wrote the novel had been aboard the Queen Mary in 1937 when she took a heavy list to one side and he was against a dining room window with only glass between himself and the ocean. This was re-created in the first chapter of the novel. The author had wondered what would have happened had the Queen Mary not righted herself and eventually "The Poseidon Adventure" came from this. Mr. Gallico consulted with engineers about a scenario in which a liner could remain afloat, for a while anyway, upside-down. Going by the history of ocean liners and what is mentioned in the novel, had the Poseidon disaster been real, it would have taken place in the early 1960's.
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I grew up watching diaster movies in the 1970's and was interested in real-life disasters also yet I've never heard of this incident. I want to encourage people reading this comments that it's VITAL to familiarize yourself with your surroundings so you know how to get out quickly and safely in an emergency. This applies to your home; school; workplace; house of worship; places you go for shopping or entertainment. A lot can be learned just by looking around for exits signs and doors; for windows; having an idea of what's outside those points. I'm not talking about living in fear and parnoia but about being realistic and practical. This can simply be a part of everyday life; knowing your surroundings and how to get out of them.
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