There came a terrible jerk and jolt.
“Lower away,” Bruce Ismay called.
Lowe lost his temper, “Would you get the hell out of my way, and stop shouting? If I lower them fast, I will tip the boat and drown the lot of them. Let me do my job, will you?”
Ismay walked away, his head down.
The boat was quite a ways below when Henry and Isaac Fraunthal ran towards Murdoch,
“Wait for us.”
Isaac had dreamed, not two nights before, that the ship hit something and sank. He told his brother, Henry, and the two men spoke of the awful nightmare, not worried, but in passing. However, as soon as they heard the ship had hit something, they felt the dream was coming true. Neither man had any doubt that the Titanic was going down.
“They’ve already gone….” Murdoch reached for the men, but they jumped madly, crushing one of the female passengers and almost tossing everyone into the sea.
Murdoch walked slowly after Lowe to look down, fearing the boat had turned over, and found everyone, in the lifeboat, huddled about one of the women. One of the men called up that the woman was unconscious, and before she had fainted, she clasped her ribs, crying out that they were broken.
“But it is okay,” the man called again, “we have a doctor aboard. Mr. Fraunthal is here.”Murdoch and Howard traded glances and sighed.
Chapter Six: Going on 1:00 and No Help in Sight…
The water reached the bow where the name of the ship was painted; D Deck, where everyone had gathered, was flooded towards the bow, and C Deck began to flood.
In some places, water fell in streams into rooms and halls from above even as water rose from below.
Howard walked over to see what happened with Lightoller and those boats. Lightoller and Officer Wilde took the Captain’s orders to mean women and children only, so he motioned for only the women to climb aboard and to be quick about it.
“Hitchens and Fleet will be in charge. Mr. Leenie will help. Please help, Mr. Leenie, if you will.” Lightoller pushed the coal stoker to the boat.
“Row and watch out for the ladies.”
“Now stop arguing and go, Maggie, Dear,” William Stead urged.
“I cannot leave you all behind. We’ve work to do,” Maggie Brown protested. You need my help… to… well… we are a team.”
Stead nodded, “And we will get the job done. You have work here on this boat. Keep everyone safe; you know what I mean. Watch for signs.”
“The yellowy mist,” Howard mouthed to her.
She nodded back at them but was ready to protest again when Stead motioned for a crewman to help him. The crewman picked Maggie Brown up off her feet and put her into the boat.
She took a second to smile at the men who had become her friends, before comforting the other women, making sure they were bundled up and calm; she realized that she did have a job to do aboard the lifeboat.
Hudson Allison was immediately concerned when he found out the ship had hit an iceberg and escorted his family up to the boat deck. His wife, Bessie, fretted because they could not find the nurse or their youngest child, Trevor, who was less than a year old.
“I will find them and take them aboard a lifeboat myself. Do not worry, Bessie. You and Loraine stay here bundled up, and we’ll meet up soon.” Loraine was not quite three.”
Maggie Brown patted Bessie’s arm and tickled the little girl.
Quigg Baxter brought his mother up in his arms as she had a nerve affliction and put her into a seat next to his sister and Mrs. Brown, who tucked blankets around everyone. He blew kisses to them and backed away from the boat. His mother and sister protested, crying and saying they could not go without him.
“Women and children first. The rest of us will be along soon,” Quigg said.
His mother said they would wait and made a move to get out of the boat. Quigg shook his head, “Now follow the rules. I will not be but a few minutes behind you. I have one other passenger to bring to the lifeboat. Let me get her now.” He left, returning in a second with his secret girlfriend, Antonia, who was in a nightgown and fur coat.
“Who is this?” Quigg’s mother asked.
“You can meet properly in the boat. I fear you will have the time.”
He had her sit with his family, quickly introducing them. At least the shock of meeting her kept his mother and sister from trying to leave the ship again. The shock that she was a cabernet singer he had met and that he had sneaked aboard might keep them lively until rescued.
“Take my brandy,” he told his mother.
“I have told you before about that drinking.”
“Etes vous bien, Ma’am? Au revoir, bon espoir vous autres,” he said. He might love the liquor and drink a little too much, but he wasn’t a fool and knew he was doomed and wouldn’t make it off the ship alive. He could get a drink below and thought he might get good and drunk. Mr. Lightoller’s eyes were too fierce and too sad for him to believe anything else except that they were doomed.
Bessie Allison asked again what the man next to her said.
“I said I saw your husband on the other side of the ship getting aboard a lifeboat. They are still loading.”
“Hold up, Sir,” said Bessie as she stood, holding her daughter, “I want to join my husband and son.” Mr. Lightoller helped her out of the boat.
“I need another man to row. Who has experience with boats?” Lightoller asked. He looked at Quigg, but Quigg shook his head.
It was really too late since the boat was gone, already lowered down the side. Murphy cut his eyes to Howard and Stead, but they stepped back, shaking their heads.
“I do,” said Mr. Peuchen. He was part of the Royal Canadian Yacht Club. As the boat was lowered, he proved himself sea-worthy by sliding down a rope into the boat. He was more than fifty years old and had to lower himself hand over hand for twenty-five feet. Many clapped and cheered as he made his way to a set of oars.
“He is loading just women and children? Does he not realize we’re going down and that the men left behind will surely drown?” Howard asked Stead as they walked back to the other side.
“Ahhh, there are two sides about it. Mr. Lightoller is following strict orders and thinks he will save all the women and children, at least of first class, and many of second. No one is concerned about the poor third class but a few of us.”
“Those poor men and women.”
“Mr. Murdoch saw few women lining up; they aren’t scared yet, so he is loading all he can. Did you see he let ten of the firemen board? Good man. And look there, more crewmen than passengers. He is trying to load them full, but there’s no one waiting….”
“It is good the firemen made it up here and were not attacked.”
“Maybe they were and only the ten made it,” Stead pointed out. “If the passengers only knew the terrible creatures we have seen and that there are not enough boats….”
“They would rush the boats, over-fill them, and all would end up in the ice water. I cannot tell you what is best, my boy,” Stead sighed, “but let us find our other friends and see if we can help get more people up here. If the first class refuses to come, then let us bring the second and third to the boats, eh?”
The Strauses walked away from the boat deck, prompting Howard to ask why they had not boarded a lifeboat after having come up.
Ida Straus smiled gently, “I refused to board without my husband; we have lived a long life together, and if we go, it shall be together.”
“Come to this side. Mr. Murdoch will allow you both to board,” Howard said. He knew Murdoch would not deny Mr. Strauss.