Forget Me Not (16 page)

He shook his head and turned to face me. There were tears in his eyes. “But I didn’t save Thomas.”

I stepped closer to him, my heart hammering. That’s what I needed to know. We assumed Father and Mr Worthington had drowned when the
Titanic
sunk, but none of us had asked, especially about Thomas, for fear of upsetting either Hugh or ourselves. But so close to America, I needed to know.

Hugh looked back down at the water lapping against the
Carpathia
’s hull.

When he spoke his voice was flat. “Our fathers made Thomas and I go for the last lifeboats, but waves swamped the
Titanic
before the boats could be launched. The last two lifeboats floated off. Thomas and I were knocked into the sea. One lifeboat capsized and we tried to swim to the other. The water was freezing, colder than anything I’ve ever felt. I hadn’t gone far when I realised Thomas wasn’t with me.”

Hugh tugged at his hair and screwed up his face. “I swam back for him. He was so cold, Eve. He couldn’t move and the water kept pulling him under. I tried hard to drag him to the lifeboat, but I kept losing my grip. It was so cold.”

He placed his hand on the rail. I covered it with mine.

“We’d left our fathers at the first funnel. When it fell, I knew they were dead and I panicked. I lost Thomas, and when I found him, he’d been submerged again. I don’t know how many times he went under. I dragged him to the lifeboat and men helped us aboard. Thomas just curled up in the bottom of the boat. I helped pull others into the boat.”

Hugh squeezed my hand and looked straight into my eyes. “When I turned my attention back to Thomas … I thought he was asleep, Eve. If I’d known, I’d have stayed with him.”

I fought the sob threatening to lurch from me.

“Forgive me, Eve? Please?”

I wiped the tears from my face. “There’s nothing to forgive, Hugh.”

“But, Eve, if I–”

“Hugh, you couldn’t have done more.” I rested my head upon his shoulder. “I’m glad Thomas will be arriving in New York with us and that he’ll have a proper grave, not like Father and Mr Worthington and all those hundreds of others.”

The wind lifted my hair and tugged at my coat. We stood for the longest time without speaking. I straightened up and wiped my face.

“Are you ready to continue?” I asked.

Hugh nodded. “As long as you help me.”

aft:
towards the back of a ship.

berth:
place for a ship at the wharf. Also single beds in a shared cabin.

boat-deck:
deck where lifeboats are stored. The
Titanic
’s boat-deck was the top deck.

boiler:
furnace where coal is burned to produce steam which powers the ship.

bow:
the front of a ship.

bridge:
area at the front of the ship with a clear view of the ocean ahead, from where the ship is navigated and steered.

capstan:
an upright, revolving barrel at the stern of the ship to which ropes are tied.

collapsible:
a type of lifeboat with canvas sides to allow for easy storage.

crow’s nest:
a lookout platform on the ship’s mast.

forecastle deck:
short, raised deck at the bow of a ship.

forestays:
Metal or rope braces that control the motion of the mast.

forward:
the front sections of a ship.

founder:
sink.

funnel:
chimney or smokestack.

hull:
ship’s frame or skin.

maiden voyage:
first voyage of a vessel.

orlop:
the lowest deck of a ship that has three or more decks in total.

poop deck:
raised deck at the stern of the ship.

port:
the left side of a ship.

promenade:
deck, sometimes enclosed, where passengers can stretch their legs and walk around.

rivets:
steel bolts that hold the hull plates together.

RMS:
Royal Mail Steamer.

rockets:
firework-like flares fired to signal distress.

starboard:
the right side of a ship.

steerage:
cheapest fare on a ship. On the
Titanic
steerage was third class.

stern:
rear of a ship.

steward:
the title of a crew member who cares for passengers.

stoker:
crew member employed to keep the ship’s boilers full of coal.

tenders:
boats that ferried passengers from the dock to ships too large to dock in harbours.

victualling:
ship staff employed to prepare food for passengers and crew.

well deck:
an open space on the main deck of a ship.

Eve’s autograph book entries have been taken from an actual autograph book from the time and feature popular quotes and sentiments that were common in the early 1900s. Some quotes however, were based on specific writings or sayings. These include:

Chapter 4
: This quote is commonly attributed to Frank Langbridge (1849–1923).

Chapter 16
: Australian Poet Adam Lindsay Gordon (1833–1870) wrote this in his poem “Ye Wearie Wayfarer” which was published in parts in a sporting magazine from 1865–1866.

Chapter 34
: These lines can be attributed to the American politician Edward Wallis Hoch (1849–1925).

Chapter 38
: These lines are most commonly attributed to William Shakespeare.

Chapter 44
: The Roman philosopher Lucius Annaeus Seneca is quoted as saying this in the first century.

The Gilmore and the Worthington families are a product of my imagination, however like them, many families aboard the
Titanic
were immigrating to America, or returning from holidays.

I have sprinkled actual people throughout the story and have taken creative licence with their personality. The following is a list of the people mentioned who were on board the
Titanic
.

Evelyn Marsden:
first-class stewardess and nurse. Survived
.

Miss Marsden was originally from Australia, but had been living in Southampton, England, before she boarded the
Titanic
. She was born in a small town, Stockyard Creek, about 80 kilometres north of Adelaide, South Australia.

As a child, Miss Marsden holidayed on a farm at Murray Bridge, where family friends taught her to row a boat on the Murray River. The story goes that after the
Titanic
sank, Miss Marsden returned to Murray Bridge to thank the family for teaching her.

Miss Marsden married Dr William James not long after the
Titanic
disaster and moved back to Adelaide before settling in Sydney, where she lived until her death in 1938.

Thomas Andrews:
shipbuilder and designer, Belfast. Died
.

During the
Titanic
’s journey, Mr Andrews continued to work, making notes and sorting out minor issues. He was in his room working when the
Titanic
hit the iceberg, unaware of any problem until Captain Smith requested he go to the bridge.

Andrews and Smith inspected the ship immediately, with Andrews assessing the ship would sink in just over two hours.

Passengers and crew reported that Andrews spent the last few hours encouraging passengers to put on lifejackets and go to the boat deck. He was last seen in the first-class smoking room.

Lawrence Beesley:
teacher from London. Second-class passenger. Survived
.

Percy Taylor:
musician from London. Died. Body not found
.

Nina Harper:
aged 6, second-class passenger from London. Recorded as having boarded Lifeboat 11. Her father, Reverend John Harper died
.

Jessica Leitch:
(Nina’s aunt Jessie) second-class passenger from London. Rescued in the same lifeboat as Nina
.

Winifred Vera Quick:
(Winnie) aged 8, second-class passenger. Survived, as did her mother, Jane Quick
.

William Dunford:
hospital steward, Southampton. Died. His body was found and buried at sea
.

Dr John Simpson:
assistant surgeon, Belfast. Died. Body not found
.

Dr Alfred Pain:
second-class passenger, Hamilton, Ontario. Died. Body not found
.

Dr William O’Loughlin:
Titanic’s surgeon, Southampton. Died. Body not found
.

Father Thomas Byles:
priest, second-class passenger, London. Died. Body not found. Last seen praying with passengers on the Titanic’s deck
.

Thomas McCawley:
gymnasium steward, Southampton, died. Body not found
.

Mr Charles Herbert Lightoller:
second officer, Hampshire England
.

Second Officer Lightoller was on duty the evening the
Titanic
hit the iceberg, observing the weather was clear, the sea calm and the temperature dropping. Captain Smith retired after 9 pm, leaving instructions for Lightoller to rouse him if there were any problems. Lightoller and Captain Smith were unaware of the most recent ice warnings.

Lightoller was relieved by First Officer Murdoch after 10 pm and was in his bunk when he felt the iceberg hit. Later he took charge of the even-numbered boats on the
Titanic
’s port side.

Lightoller managed to board Collapsible Lifeboat B.

Violet Jessop:
stewardess, London. Survived
.

Miss Jessop was handed a baby, though there are conflicting reports as to who asked her to care for it. When Lifeboat 16 reached the
Carpathia
, the baby and mother were reunited.

Mary Sloan:
stewardess, Belfast. Survived
.

James Moody:
Sixth Officer, Grimsby Lincolnshire. Died. Body not found
.

Henry Bailey:
master-at-arms, Southampton. Survived. Shimmied down the ropes and took control of Lifeboat 16
.

Miss Evelyn Marsden:
survived
.

Arthur Gordon McCrae:
second-class passenger going to visit friends in Canada. He died in the-sinking. His body was recovered and buried with other Titanic victims at the Halifax, Nova Scotia
.

Donald Campbell:
Melbourne born Campbell signed up as a third-class victualling crew. His body wasn’t recovered
.

Leonard White:
While from Sydney, White signed onto the Titanic’s crew in Southampton. He worked as a saloon steward and a member of the ship’s victualling crew. Like Campbell his body wasn’t recovered
.

First-Class Passengers

Children: 6 aboard, 5 saved, 1 lost

Women: 144 aboard, 140 saved, 4 lost

Men: 175 aboard, 57 saved, 118 lost

Second-Class Passengers

Children: 24 aboard, all saved.

Women: 93 aboard, 80 saved, 13 lost

Men: 168 aboard, 14 saved, 154 lost

Third-Class Passengers

Children: 79 aboard, 27 saved, 52 lost

Women: 165 aboard, 76 saved, 89 lost

Men: 462 aboard, 75 saved, 387 lost

Crew

Women: 23 aboard, 20 saved, 3 lost.

Men: 885 aboard, 192 saved, 693 lost

Total People aboard: 2224

Total rescued: 710

Total lost: 1514

Wednesday, 10 April, 1912

7.30 am: Captain Smith and the crew board
RMS Titanic
.

9.30 - 11.30 am: Passengers board the
Titanic
.

12.00 pm: RMS
Titanic
sets sail for New York.

6.30 pm: RMS
Titanic
arrives at Cherbourg, France. White Star Line tenders,
Traffic
and
Nomadic
, ferry passengers to the ship as the Cherbourg harbour is to shallow for the massive
Titanic
.

8.00 pm: The
Titanic
leaves Cherbourg bound for Queenstown, (Now called Cobh) Ireland.

Thursday, 11 April, 1912

11.30 am: The
Titanic
drops anchor at Queenstown, Ireland. Two more White Star Line tenders,
Ireland
and
America
, deliver mail and passengers to the
Titanic
and take cargo and mail back to the harbour.

1.30 pm: The
Titanic
leaves Queenstown.

Friday, 12 April and Saturday, 13 April, 1912

RMS
Titanic
sails without incident on a calm ocean.

Sunday, 14 April, 1912

9.00 am: The
Titanic
receives the first of seven reports of pack ice and icebergs from other vessels.

7.00 pm: The temperature drops to 43° F (6º Celsius).

7.15 pm: The
Titanic
’s bridge receives an iceberg warning from the Baltic.

10.00 pm: The temperature drops to 32° F (0º C), the
Titanic
continues to sail at 20.5 knots.

11.30 pm: The
Californian
sends a message to the
Titanic
advising it had stopped due to pack ice. The message isn’t fully received.