Yes, Very observant, Mark!

This was one of the few scenes in the film which WAS historically accurate.

There really was a Susong listed on the crew roster of the original Titanic. He had been a riverboat gambler along the Mississippi River in America but had traveled to the docks of Liverpool in search of a music group he had heard was forming in the area. Unfortunately, he was about 35 years too early and decided to return back to the states on the unsinkable Titanic.

the scene depicted in this photo is known as the "Roulette Table scene". As the lobby of the Titanic casino started to fill with water, croupier Susong had several opportunities to abandon the ship when the announcement was made for "Women, Children, and Cowards" to report to the lifeboats.

However, he could not forget the message from his friend Ginsburg in America who had telegraphed earlier in the day about how the value of cruise ship casino chips often acceletated rapidly after the sinking of said ship.

Croupier Susong repeatedly dove to the submerged roulette tables, filling his pockets with chips on each trip. The weight of the waterlogged clay chips finally became too much, even for the former Olympic swimmer.

In the end, it was his passion (and greed) that was his downfall.

Thanks for helping keep alive the memory of this mediocre man.

See you in a few weeks,

Steve in Albuquerque