Sinking of the RMS Titanic believed that ice posed little risk; close calls were not uncommon, and even head-on collisions had not been disastrous. In 1907, , a German liner, had rammed an iceberg and suffered a crushed bow, but was still able to complete her voyage. That same year, "Titanic"s future captain, Edward Smith, declared in an interview that he could not "imagine any condition which would cause a ship to founder. Modern shipbuilding has gone beyond that." As "Titanic" approached her fatal collision, most passengers had gone to bed and command of the bridge had passed from Second Officer Charles Lightoller to First
Polar the Titanic Bear York. The family traveled frequently, and she kept detailed diaries of the trips. In April, 1912, the Speddens booked passage on the "Titanic". After the ship sank, Daisy was rescued by the RMS "Carpathia". All members of the Spedden entourage survived the disaster. The next year, Spedden wrote and illustrated a book which told the story of the trip, sinking, and rescue from the point of view of Douglas' toy bear. She gave the storybook to Douglas as a Christmas present. Two years later, Douglas was killed in an automobile accident. Daisy died February 10, 1950, and the storybook remained