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Sandecker gestured about the rooot here," he said, "but why set up operations in the gye?"

"A break froe serves no useful function on a dead ship The gym, on the other hand, sits amidships and offers us equal access to either bow or stern It also adjoins our ie roof The closer to our supplies we are, the more efficiently we can operate"

"I had to ask," Sandecker said heavily "I should have known you didn't pick this museum of mechanical ram"

Soainst the forall of the gyht the adrimly for several moer or crew member of the Titanic

"I wonder who this poor devil was?"

"We'll probably never know," Pitt said "Any dental records froo"

Sandecker leaned down and examined the pelvic section of the bones "Good lord, it was a woman"

"Either one of the first-class passengers who elected to ree quarters who arrived on the Boat Deck after all the lifeboats had been launched"

"Have you found any other bodies?"

"We've been too busy to do any extensive exploring," Pitt said "But one of Spencer's ainst the fireplace in the lounge"

Sandecker nodded toward an open doorway "What's through there?"

"That opens onto the grand staircase"

"Let's take a look"

They walked onto the landing above the A Deck lobby and looked down Several rotting chairs and sofas were scattered haphazardly on the steps where they had fallen when the ship sank by the bow The graceful flowing lines of the bannisters were still sound and undaed, and the hands of the bronze clock could be seen frozen at 2:21 They made their way down the silt-coated stairs and entered one of the passageways leading to the staterooht, the scene was an eerie one Roo interspersed with overturned and jumbled furniture It was too dark to discern any detail, and after penetrating about thirty feet, they found their way blocked by a wall of debris, so they turned and head

ed back to the gymnasium