A LIFE SO CHANGED
Chapter Twenty-One
Thomas Andrews looks around in amazement. The
deck is empty except for the crew fumbling with the davits. He yells over the
roar of the stream to Officer Wilde. "Mr. Wilde! Mr. Wilde, where are all
the passengers?"
"They’ve all gone back inside. Too damn
cold and noisy for them." He whistles for more crew. "You there! Get
down here and help me!"
Andrews feels like he is in a bad dream. He
looks at his pocket watch and heads for the foyer entrance.
A large number of first class passengers have
gathered near the staircase and the smoking room. In the smoking room, the band
is playing "Alexander’s Ragtime Band." Andrews walks in.
"Care for a drink, sir?" a waiter
asked Andrews. Andrews just passed him without saying a word.
In the Grand Staircase, the entire group is
there, after receiving word from Pastor Walker to move there. Molly is getting
indignant about the confusion. She snags a passing young steward. "Hey,
sonny. What’s doing? You got us all trussed up and now we’re cooling our
heels."
The young steward backs away, actually
stumbling on the stairs. "Sorry, ma’am. Let me go and find out."
"I don’t think anyone knows what is
going on," said Molly to Rob.
Cal and Rose comes up to them, he has a hold
of her arm, so she won’t be out of his sight. She is like a sleepwalker. She is
wearing her coat. Lea is next to her, fixing her gloves. Cal is blabbing on
about nothing. "It just the crew doing everything by the book."
"There’s no need for to fuss about it,
Cal," said Ruth.
Thomas Andrews enters, looking around the
magnificent room, which he knows is doomed. Rose, standing nearby, sees his
heartbroken statement. She notices that Cal is not holding on to her, so she
walks over to Andrews. Cal sees her and goes after her.
"Mr. Andrews? I saw the iceberg and I
see it in your eyes. Please tell me the truth," she whispers.
Andrews leads her to the side, so no one can
hear.
"The ship will sink." Looking
straight into her eyes.
"You’re sure?"
"Yes. In an hour or so...all this."
Andrews looking all around him. "Will be at the bottom of the
Atlantic."
"What?" asked Cal, when he came up
to them, and heard about Titanic’s sinking.
Cal is confused. Titanic? Sinking?
"Please tell only who you must. I don’t
want to be responsible for a panic. And get to a boat quickly. Don’t wait. You
remember what I told you about the boats?"
"Yes. I understand." Remembering
their conversation earlier that afternoon, about that there are not enough
boats for everyone onboard.
Andrews puts his hand on her cheek and pats
softly, and goes off, moving among the passengers and urging them to put their
life belts and get to the boats.
Lewis and the Master-at-Arms are handcuffing
Jack to a four-inch water pipe as a crewman rushes in anxiously and almost
blurts to the Master-at-Arms, "Sir, you better get up there. It's a big
mob."
"Go on. I’ll keep an eye on him,"
said Lewis.
"Aye. Great." The Master-at-Arms
nods and tosses the handcuff key to him, then exits with the crewman. Lewis
flips the key in the air, catches it, and sits down, and stares at Jack.
Junior Wireless Operator Bride is relaying a
message to Captain from the CARPATHIA.
"Sir, Carpathia says they’re making
seventeen knots. Full steam for them."
"And she’s the only one who’s
responding?"
"The only one close, sir. She says they
can be here in four hours."
"Four hours!" The enormity of it
hits him like a sledgehammer blow. "Thank you, Bride." He turns as
Bride exits, and looks out onto the blackness. "My God." To himself.
Lightoller has his boats swung out. He is
standing amidst a crowd of uncertain passengers in all states of dress and
undress. One first class woman is barefoot. Others are in stockings or socks.
The maitre of the restaurant is in top hat and overcoat. Others are still in
evening dress or pant, while some are in bathrobes and kimonos. Women are
wearing life belts over their clothes, and topping it with sable stoles. Some
brought jewels, others with books, and even with small dogs.
Lightoller sees Captain Smith walking stiffly
toward him and quickly goes to him. He yells into the Captain’s ear, through
cupped hands, over the roar of the steam. "We are whenever ready, sir!
Hadn’t we better get the women and children into the boats, sir?"
Captain Smith just nods, a bit abstractly.
The fire has gone out of him. Lightoller sees the awesome truth in Captain
Smith’s face. "Sir?"
"Women and Children first. Yes."
"Yes, sir." Lightoller depart from
him and goes to the passengers. "Ladies and Gentlemen! Your attention, please!
Step this way, please! That’s right! Come towards me! Thank you!"
The appalling din of escaping steam abruptly
cuts off, leaving a sudden unearthly silence in which Lightoller’s voice
echoes. "Good. For the time being, I should require only women and
children."
The band has reassembled just outside the
First Class Entrance, port side, near where Lightoller is calling for the boats
to be loaded.
"Right here. All right, boys. Like the
Captain said, nice and cheery, so there’s no panic. Wedding Dance," said
Hartley. They strike up a waltz, lively and elegant. The music wafts all over
the ship.
"Ladies, please. Step into the
boat," said Lightoller.
Finally one woman steps across the gap, into
the boat, terrified of the drop to the water far below.
"You watch. They'll put us off in these
silly little boats to freeze, and we'll all be back on board by
breakfast," said a woman in the crowd.
Cal, Rose, Ruth, and the rest of the group
come out of the doors near the band.
"My bracelet, I left my bracelet. I must
have it!" said Ruth. She turns back to go to her room but Cal takes her by
the arm, refusing to let her go. The firmness of his hold surprises her.
"Stay here, Ruth."
Ruth sees his statement, and knows fear for
the first time.
In the Steerage, it is chaos, with stewards
pushing their way through narrow corridors clogged with people carrying
suitcases, duffel bags, and children. Some have life belts on, others don't.
"I told the stupid sods no luggage. Aw,
bloody hell!" said Steward number two to Steward number three.
He throws up his hand at the sight of a
family, loaded down with cases and bags, completely blocking the corridor.
"Life belts. Put your life belts on. Put
your life belts on. Here. Put your life belt on," said a Steward. Tommy is
handed a life belt. He is followed by Fabrizio.
They push past the stewards, going the other
way. They reach a huge crowd gathered at the bottom of the main third class
stairwell. Fabrizio spots Helga with the rest of the Dahl family, standing
patiently with suitcases in hand. He reaches her and she grins, hugging him.
Tommy pushes to where he can see what's
holding up the group. There is a steel gate across the top of the stairs, with
several stewards and seamen on the other side.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, there’s no need
to panic. It’s not time to go up to the boats yet. Please make sure everybody
has their life belts on," said a Steward.
Tommy is looking up and decides to go up. An
Irishwoman stands stoically with two small children and their battered luggage.
"What are we doing, Mummy?" asked
the little boy.
"We're just waiting, dear. When they
finish putting First Class people in the boats, they'll be starting with us,
and we'll want to be all ready, won't we?" She looks over at her daughter
and she nods. Then the Mother looks at the Stewards, knowing that they will
never start with them anytime soon.
"Go and get some help," said a
Steward to another Steward.
Boat seven is less than half full, with
twenty-eight aboard a boat made for sixty-five.
"Lower away! Left and right together,
steady Lads! Both sides. Steady, steady, steady," said Murdoch.
The boat lurches as the falls start to pay
out through the pulley blocks. The women gasp. The boat descends, swaying and
jerking, toward the water, sixty feet below. The passengers are terrified.
"Hold the left side! Right side only.
Right side only. Hold the left side. Hold the left side. Lower away together.
Steady Lads," said Murdoch.
At that moment the fireworks were sent off.
The crowd looked up amazed. They glowed in the light.
Tracking along the rows of portholes angling
down into the water. Under the surface, they glow green. In one porthole, which
have submerged. Jack is looking apprehensively at the water rising up the
glass.
The Master-at-Arms’ office. Jack stands
handcuffs to the water pipe, next to the porthole. Lewis sits on the edge of
the desk. He puts a pen on the desk and it rolls off. He does it once more,
then puts it in his pocket.
"You know, I do believe this ship may
sink." He crosses to Jack. "I’ve been asked to give you this small
token of our appreciation..." He punches Jack hard in the stomach,
knocking the wind out of him. "Compliments of Mr. Cal Black."
Lewis flips the handcuff key in the air,
catches it and puts it in his pocket. He leaves. Jack is left gasping,
handcuffed to the pipe.