It’s too bad there weren’t a few Corner readers on hand when the Titanic hit that iceberg. I’m getting lots of constructive suggestions like this:

“John—Just saw your comment on tying deck chairs together on the Titanic. I too have thought such an attempt would have been promising. And wouldn’t there have been an abundance of wool on the ship, a fabric that insulates even when wet? I know I would have been collecting shoe laces, sweaters, and anything wooden.”

However, this reader throws a, er*, wet blanket over my deckchair plan:

“Mr. Derbyshire—Back in 1912, deck chair frames were made from teak, a very dense wood which floats somewhat like concrete.”

Oh. My chagrin at the deflating of my deck chair plan is lessened somewhat by my pleasure in learning that there are people out there in NRO-reader-land who know what deck chairs were made of in 1912.

* At a recent NR editorial meeting, one senior editor deplored the use of “er” as an interjection in writing. Said it has been done to death. Was not at all deflected by my observation that “to ‘er’ is human.” I await the next edition of the NR Style Book for guidance on the usage of “um” and “ah.”