How dirty was Jack?

Yeah, if I were Cal and she still was going to marry me, she would have to bathe in boiling water and lye. Outside of std's he could have had body lice as he never did go through the health inspection requirement when he boarded. Whats worse is that 3rd class only had two baths for the entirety or the steerage passengers, yuck.

Patient Zero for the AIDS epidemic in America (Rose being the second). Wait for the sequel.




I couldn't believe when I read his filmography that he played a toilet (no joke) in According to Jim

Jack had no access to a shower, but neither did most passengers - showers were not in common use in 1912. Bathtubs were the norm for "bathing" which was typically a weekly, not daily, exercise. Except for the few first class suites with ensuite bathrooms (not WCs) there were only separate bath rooms with tub for each class - more for first and second, but two or four -depending on which account you read - for third class.

However, even third class berths had hot and cold running water in each roomette. This was unbelievably luxurious for the time. Since normally even upper-class people washed daily, with a bowl of water, soap and a washrag, they did not take a full bath every day. First class people were also unlikely to do this - it was deemed a health hazard! They were probably more scrupulous about washing than others, but no doubt had an aroma due to the fact no one used antiperspirants or deodorants in those days. Perfumes and powders took their place, making most public spaces a hefty mix of aromas.

Many passengers would have had their weekly bath in preparation for the trip, and the trip itself was to last less than a week, so there was no expectation a huge number of passengers would take tub baths on board. First class had access to a saltwater swimming pool and Turkish bath (more like a sauna) for a fee; it's not known how many actually used it though Col. Gracie mentions it.

Jack could easily have washed out his underwear and shirt daily (and maybe had a spare shirt and pants), and like others on board, he wasn't working or doing anything on board to get specially dirty, barring the engine room exploration. If he washed up a couple of times a day he would have been as clean as the bulk of the first class passengers, minus the perfumes.

Still, if we realized how dirty, by our standards, even the first class passengers were, we would be reluctant to mingle with any of them! Clothes weren't washed often, either. My grandmother told me in her day they collected clothes in a special silo-type outbuilding for weeks before doing a major wash. Spot cleaning yes, complete laundry, no.

Yuck!

According to James Cameron in the Audio Commentary, the sex was legendary. So I'll doubt Rose would've even notice.