And when the boat was on the water, do you know that eight men, in a panic, jumped into the water. Seven swam over and were taken in, Poor, cold devils. But the eighth one, you won’t believe me….” Stead cocked an eyebrow,
“I bet we will, Sir, as we’ve seen many impossibilities this night.”
Astor listened for a moment to the band that had moved to the upper deck to play gay ragtime tunes.
“Lovely. Oh, I saw these rope-like things appear only they were greenish and at the end of each appendage, there were seven or eight… they had a toothy mouth like that of some dog, all canines and biting force. It was terrible, and the poor bastard was pulled under as the boat was rowed away. From my vantage, I could see the pool of blood that rose in bubbles.”
“Oh,” John Morton said.
“Yes. Impossible and monstrous, and I hope not to meet the owners of such appendages, but it was very curious. I think now to forget such a thing; I shall go have the finest whiskey I can find.”
“But, Sir….” Howard began.
“Sir, I fear some of my writing long ago do indeed have a place in reality. I hope within your writing that you shall warn and educate, but do not let them cross over.”He tipped his hat and walked away calmly.
“I fear I should never meet another gentleman like John Astor,” John Morton declared.
“I agree,” Stead remarked.
The group hurried over to Murdoch who was shouting at a group of determined stewards and gritty third-class men who had decided to rush the boat and try to take it.
Seawater rushed over A deck.
Fifteen hundred people were still aboard. Two men, Howard, and his friends who did not know ran to help. With all of them working together, they held the men back so women could board the boat. The pair of unknown men pulled stewards and other men out who tried to crawl under the seats and punched them in their faces. “Let the ladies get aboard.”
One of the officers began firing his gun; he hit his targets a few times, and those wounded scuttled away. Most of the cowards ran away from the loading area. Murdoch thanked those who had helped him and asked them to stay in case it happened again.
Bruce Ismay, the owner of White Star Shipping, appeared again, still in his bedclothes, but he brought blanket-wrapped children in his arms, and more women and children followed him like a pied piper. He climbed aboard, holding the children, and sat down with the women. He looked to be in shock.
Howard and John wondered what the poor man had seen as he rescued the women and children.
“Any more women? Anyone?” Murdoch called out. No one responded, and he motioned the group to climb aboard, “You can row. I need rowers for this boat, and I have no Able Seaman to put into the boat.”
Howard, John, Jenny, and Peter, along with the other two men who could help, settled into the boat named C.Howard got in because he had to write about all he had seen; he had to tell the world.
John Morton went aboard because he had waded in the icy water, and he knew he would suffer being called a coward and live without respect, but he would not go into the horrible below-freezing water again.
Peter Cavendar went with his daughter, knowing that she would never go without him.
“Wait. What is this? Get in the boat,” John demanded of his other friends.
The Perry brothers, Edward and James declined with proud looks. “We have got to see if we can get any more women up here and make sure that when the ship goes down, we have something to float upon. We have a lot of work, yet.”
“It is not your job,” Howard said.
James shrugged, “We can do it well, though. We will get deck chairs and more life belts, and maybe we can help save more people. We are good at these things.”
“Stead, come on,” Peter Cavendar called out, “you have no call to stay. Come with us and be done.”
“I can’t. I have to see the rest from here; I am curious, and I may be of help. You go write stories, Howard. It is your turn to labor at writing, and I think you have quite a bit to tell, now. Go write, publish, and be great at it.”
“Don’t be silly, Stead.” Peter Cavendar clenched his jaw.
“We shall get tables and use them as little rafts, and you shall see us floating, and in a bit, the rescue ships will arrive. I shall see you then.” He waved and walked away before they could argue with him further. He paused and turned back with a wicked grin.
Jenny wept against her father’s shoulder.
Stead held his arms wide and said, “My destiny.”
Daniels shook his head. “I have a ship. I am a steward, and my job, I shall do. An hour ago, I was weak and simple, but my adventures with you have made me sure of myself and ready to do my job expertly. Thank you, Sirs, but I never expected to leave the ship.”
The boat was lowered.
Chapter Seven: Facts
The men, who stayed with the boilers to keep the lights on, drown in the bottom decks.
Five grand pianos, a marmalade machine, 3,500 bags of mail, a Renault automobile, thirty crates of Spaulding equipment, a copy of the Rubaiyat by Omar Khayym embedded with 1,500 precious stones set in gold, and four cases of opium, all were lost in the lower decks.
Those in third class and second class, who were unable to get to the boat deck because of creatures or locked gates, drown in their rooms, some curled up on the beds, holding one another. Some of crew did as well.
Thomas Andrews, the architect of the Titanic sat in the smoking room and stared into space as he met his end. He was sorely disappointed in the outcome of the voyage.
Captain Smith relieved the men in the Marconi room and told them, “It is every man for himself.” His eyes were far away. He stayed on the bridge.
John Astor and a few of his friends dressed in elegant eveningwear, some alone and some with their wives, enjoyed spirits, and many of the men smoked cigars. They sat in chairs on the deck and listened to the band play.
None of the orchestra survived.
Eight thousand cigars were lost.
As A deck flooded at the bow, everyone ran to the stern on A or to the stern on the boat decks.
There were 1,500 souls left on the ship, and hundreds were on the upper decks running, pushing, falling. Some were crushed under hundreds of feet. The bow dipped into the water. The band stopped playing.
Boats A and B slipped off the hooks and fell into the water as the forward funnel broke off, crushing all who were forward of it. Massive, it fell and sent A and B boats adrift, and it washed the lifeboats that had just been lowered, away from the ship. A few people who had fallen into the water or had not run to the stern, were mashed. Blood and flattened people were tossed about on the oil-slicked water.
The unusually calm and mild weather had caused the glaciers to break apart, and that was why there were ice fields. On the other hand, the calm water was better for those in the lifeboats as they were not tossed by rough waves.
Less than one-third of all who were aboard were survivors.
One of the most tragic events was that Bessie and Loraine Allison were on Boat Six and left when Bessie heard her husband, Hudson, was on another boat. As she searched, she found him. Together they searched all over for their son, Trevor, fearing he was lost in the crowd.
When the last boat was lowered, and just before the waters rushed over the deck, Hudson and Bessie came upon their chauffeur, George Swane who told them he had taken care of the maid and cook and then sent the nurse, Alice, in boat eleven. Trevor was safely in her arms.
“Oh my, we are not aboard a boat, and it is too late,” Bessie said softly.
“Oh, Bessie,” Hudson soaked her cheek with his tears. His wife and young daughter would die, along with him.