Shipwreck!

by Frieda Wishinksy

  For my friend Roselyne Kraft

  Table of Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Author’s Note

  Facts About the Empress of Ireland

  About the Author

  Also Available

  Copyright

  CHAPTER ONE

  May 29, 1914

  As Albert peered over the ship’s railing at the St. Lawrence River below, he heard someone coming. He turned around. It was Grace! What was she doing on deck so late?

  Grace’s long hair flew in the breeze. She looked like she’d jumped out of bed without even combing her hair.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked Albert.

  “I could ask you the same question,” he replied.

  “My father was snoring so loudly I couldn’t sleep. What about you?”

  “I couldn’t sleep either. So I came out to see the stars.”

  Albert and Grace leaned against the railing and stared at the night sky and the river, calm as a bathtub. Then they heard a clang.

  “Hey! Did you hear that?” Grace whispered. “Listen. There it goes again!”

  “Look! There’s a ship!” said Albert, pointing to a large black ship down the river. “I wonder what kind it is.”

  Soon a fog rolled in. It was so thick it was hard to see anything. They waited a few minutes for the fog to lift.

  “This fog isn’t letting up,” said Albert, yawning. “And I’m getting really tired. I’m ready to head in.”

  Grace nodded. “Me, too.”

  As Grace and Albert made their way to their cabins, a blast from the ship’s horn made them jump.

  “What was that?” asked Grace.

  “I don’t know.”

  Suddenly the ship lurched sharply to the side and cold water seeped in. Albert grabbed Grace’s hand and began to run.

  The Empress of Ireland was sinking!

  CHAPTER TWO

  May 28, 1914

  “Ouch! Get off my foot.” A skinny girl with long auburn hair and dark green eyes glared at Albert. A short navy blue jacket covered her white blouse. Her black shoes peeked through the hem of her long navy blue skirt.

  “Sorry. I didn’t see your foot.” Albert tried moving forward, but the dock was packed and there was little room to manoeuvre.

  “You’re not a Mountie, are you?” The girl pointed to Albert’s wide Stetson hat and the brass buttons sparkling on his stiff red jacket.

  “No. I’m with the Salvation Army. I’m in the Youth Band.” Albert lifted up his cornet case to show her.

  “I’ve seen the Salvation Army on the street, collecting money to help the poor. My friends call your army the Sally Ann. Is it true that everyone from the Salvation Army smiles all the time?”

  “You mean like this?” Albert grinned so widely his mouth hurt.

  The girl laughed. “Are you going to London?”

  “Yes. I’m going to the Salvation Army’s International Congress with my father, my uncle Thomas, my aunt Betsy and my cousin Lewis.” Albert gestured toward his family.

  Albert’s father, uncle and cousin wore identical uniforms, but unlike Albert’s, their hats fit perfectly.

  “My name’s Albert McBride,” he told the girl, pushing his hat back on his head. He extended his hand, and his hat tipped over his eyebrows. Dark brown curls poked out underneath the sides.

  The girl shook his hand firmly. “I’m Grace O’Riley,” she said. She looked Albert up and down as if inspecting him for a parade. “Your hat is too big.”

  “I know. It always falls off. Father said he’d get me another one, but in the rush to organize the trip, he forgot.”

  Grace laughed. Her eyes twinkled like emeralds. “Is the band going to give a concert on the ship?”

  “Yes, the Staff Band will. I wish I could play with them, but I’m only in the Youth Band. You should come and hear them.”

  “I will. I like music.” Grace looked up at the ship. “Isn’t she beautiful?” she asked.

  Albert peered up. The giant ship loomed over the dock like a floating castle. Large, white lifeboats hung off the top deck. A red-and-white-checkered flag flew in the breeze. Steam winches hauled boxes, trunks and suitcases for storage in the hold deep below.

  The first-class passengers were already boarding. Many of them had attendants to carry their belongings. Their luggage, marked WANTED, accompanied them aboard.

  “I can’t wait to sail on the ocean. I’ve never sailed before,” said Albert.

  “I’ve sailed with my father back in Toronto. But that was on Lake Ontario. This is my first time on a giant ship on the Atlantic. This is going to be a wonderful adventure,” said Grace.

  The ship’s whistle blew. The engines hummed, and smoke curled up to the sky. People gathered below the ocean liner, ready to wave goodbye to friends and relatives.

  “We’ll be boarding at any moment!” said Grace, clapping her hands.

  Albert tucked his cornet close to his chest. As he did, his hat fell forward and hit his nose. He straightened his hat and stood taller to keep it from falling again.

  “Come on!” said Grace. “The line is moving.”

  Albert picked up his battered black leather suitcase and began to move forward with the crowd.

  “Ouch! There you go again, mashing my toes,” groaned Grace.

  “I’m sorry. It’s just …”

  “I know. It’s crowded here. But if we’re going to be friends, Albert McBride, you have to promise to watch where you’re stepping.”

  “I promise,” said Albert, as the new friends headed toward the gangplank of the Empress of Ireland.

  CHAPTER THREE

  “Can you take over for Lewis?” asked Albert’s father as soon as Albert entered the cabin.

  Albert stared at his father. “Me?”

  “Lewis isn’t feeling well. The bandmaster wants you to play in Lewis’s place. It’s a great honour, son.”

  Albert had always wanted to play with the Staff Band, but he never thought he’d have a chance so soon. Could he do it? He knew all the songs they played, so why was his heart pounding? Albert took a deep breath. “Okay,” he told his father.

  “Good. Make me proud, son.” His father shook his hand.

  “I’ll try my best, Father.”

  “Let’s go.”

  Albert followed his father out of the cabin, down the hall and up to the Promenade deck. His stomach knotted as he stood beside his father and uncle. He wanted to play well.

  A large group of passengers had gathered to hear them. Albert looked out at the crowd. Grace was in the front row, smiling at him. She waved as the bandmaster gave the signal to begin.

  Albert lifted his cornet to his mouth. The crowd broke into loud applause as soon as the first notes rang out. Many knew the song — “O Canada.” Some, including Grace, sang along. To Albert’s relief, he hit all the right notes.

  After “O Canada,” the band played another familiar song: “Auld Lang Syne.” The audience burst into applause again. It wasn’t New Year’s, of course — the traditional time to sing it — and they weren’t saying goodbye to the old year, but they were saying goodbye to Canada.

  Albert had always liked the melody of “Auld Lang
Syne,” but he thought the words were strange. Why should anyone forget old friends and acquaintances just because it was a new year, or like now, because they were taking a trip? He didn’t want to forget his friends, and he didn’t want them to forget him. He already missed his best friend from school.

  The Empress was ready to pull away from the Quebec City dock. The bandmaster signalled to begin the last song, a hymn. Albert lifted his cornet again. Grace waved to him. Then she drew her lips up and made a funny face. Albert looked away so he wouldn’t laugh. As he did, his hat slid down all the way to his nose. His face turned as red as his uniform. His fingers slipped off the keys and his cornet squeaked. His father shot him a look. Albert quickly shoved his hat back into position. His hand shook as he picked up the song.

  He didn’t look at Grace this time. He didn’t look at anyone. He’d been so excited to play with the band, and now he’d made a mistake. What would his father say to him? Would the bandmaster ever let him play with them again?

  The audience sang along to the hymn. They sang his mother’s favourite line: “God be with you till we meet again.” His mother had said those words when he hugged her goodbye a week earlier. “I’ll miss you, Albert,” she’d said, wiping away tears. “Promise me you’ll be careful. Promise you’ll take care of yourself.”

  “I will,” promised Albert. “Don’t worry, Mother. I’ll be fine.”

  A loud whistle sounded from the ship, and everyone on the deck and waiting on the pier below cheered. The ship was sailing.

  Albert and the band played the last notes of the hymn. The audience applauded loudly and warmly again. Albert wiped his cornet as the ship made its way onto the St. Lawrence River. People on the pier waved handkerchiefs, flags and hats, bidding their friends and relatives goodbye.

  They were on their way now.

  As Albert straightened his hat again, someone tapped him on the shoulder.

  It was Grace. “You are a good cornet player, Albert McBride,” she said, grinning at him. “I didn’t mean to mess you up. But you got back to your song just like that!” Grace snapped her fingers.

  “Thanks!” Albert smiled. He wished he hadn’t made a mistake in front of all those people, but Grace was right — he’d kept playing.

  Albert liked Grace, even if she did like to tease. He was happy to meet someone his age to share the six-day trip across the Atlantic.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  “Could you tell me which way to Cabin 7 in second class?” Albert asked a steward. Everyone in the band had returned to their cabins while he was speaking to Grace. Then Grace had dashed back to her cabin to meet her parents. Albert had wanted to look out at the river before heading back. Only now he was lost! The ship was huge, and he had no idea which way to go.

  The steward smiled. “The Empress is confusing. I’ve been directing people to their cabins for the last hour.”

  “I wish I had a map of the ship,” said Albert.

  The steward pulled a piece of paper and a pencil from his pocket. “Here. I’ll draw you a map and show you your cabin. That should help you find your way around.”

  “How many passengers are on board?” asked Albert as the steward drew the map.

  “There are 1057 passengers aboard — 253 in second class. And there’s our captain now — Captain Kendall.”

  Captain Kendall nodded to Albert and the steward as he surveyed the deck. Albert nodded back. Then he thanked the steward and headed to his cabin.

  Albert’s cabin was on the port side of the ship. He found his father there unpacking. Mr. McBride looked up when Albert walked in. “Oh, there you are! I saw you speaking to that young lady after the concert. I hope she enjoyed the music.”

  “She did. But I felt terrible when I hit that wrong note.”

  “That was unfortunate, son.”

  “Next time I won’t make any mistakes. You’ll see, Father.”

  Albert’s father patted him on the back. “I hope so. Not everyone your age is given the opportunity to play with the regular band.”

  Albert sighed. He wanted to tell his father that it wasn’t his fault he’d made a mistake, but his father hated excuses. “Just get the job done” was his motto. So Albert said nothing.

  “Why don’t you take the two bottom drawers of the dresser for your clothes,” said his father.

  Albert opened his suitcase and began to remove his belongings. Once he’d found a place for everything, he pulled a postcard from his suitcase. “I promised Mother and Eddie that I’d write them as soon as I boarded the Empress,” he said.

  “They’ll be glad to hear from you. Your mother worried about you joining me on this trip.”

  “I know,” said Albert, remembering the conversation he had the night before he and his father left King City to catch the train in Toronto to Quebec City.

  “Have a wonderful time, but don’t wander off on your own. A big city like London can be dangerous,” his mother had said.

  “I’ll be fine, Mother. Really, I will. Don’t worry,” Albert reassured her for the third time that day.

  “Don’t forget to walk across London Bridge,” said Eddie. “And don’t forget to visit the tower where all those prisoners were held before …” Eddie made a chopping motion with his hand. Swords, cannons, guns and gallows fascinated him.

  Albert smiled, remembering the look on Eddie’s face. Then he signed his name to the postcard and checked the watch his grandparents had given him for his twelfth birthday in March. There was still time before dinner to explore.

  “I’m going out to mail this, Father. Then I want to look around the ship.”

  “Be careful. You don’t know your way around yet, Albert. The Empress is big. It’s easy to get lost.”

  Albert sighed. If only his parents didn’t treat him like a little kid. He wasn’t going to get lost. He showed his father the map the steward had drawn for him. “I’ll use this to find my way around,” he said.

  “Good. Don’t forget dinner is promptly at seven.” His father always reminded him to be punctual.

  “I’ll be back in time for dinner. I promise.”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  “Hello again!”

  Albert looked up. He was checking the address on his postcard when the door to a nearby cabin popped open. It was Grace!

  “Hello,” said Albert, grinning at her. “We keep bumping into each other. My father and I are in a cabin just down the hall from here.”

  “That makes us almost neighbours. Where are you going?”

  “I want to mail this postcard to my mother and brother — and to look around the ship. How about you?”

  “I was about to explore the ship, too. Do you want to explore together?”

  “Sure, but I have to be back in time for dinner.”

  “Me, too. Come on. If we hurry we can see all of second class before then.”

  “Let’s go this way,” said Albert, pointing left.

  As Albert and Grace raced down the hall they almost bumped into a steward holding a tray of tea, biscuits and cups.

  “Sorry,” said Albert.

  “No harm done,” said the steward. “You’re the young man I drew the map for, aren’t you?”

  “Yes. I didn’t get lost this time.” Albert showed him the postcard. “Do you know where I can post this card?”

  The steward took a look at the address. “King City. That’s a little north of Toronto, isn’t it? I have a cousin living on a farm there. Why don’t you give me the postcard, and I’ll deliver it to the mailroom for you. The Lady Evelyn will pick it up after midnight.”

  “Thanks. My mother and brother will be excited to receive this from the ship.”

  “Well, they should get your card even before we arrive in England.” The steward tipped his hat to Grace and Albert.

  Albert and Grace waved to the steward and headed for their first stop — the second-class smoking room. When they peeked in, Grace made a face and pinched her nose. “Ugh. I don’t want to get any closer to
that room. Those cigars stink.”

  Albert laughed. “Look! There’s the music room. I bet it smells better in there and there’s no one inside. Let’s go in.”

  The music room had lots of plush chairs, polished wood tables and a grand piano.

  “Can you play?” asked Grace.

  “No. Can you?”

  “I took a few lessons, but I’m not very good.”

  “Oh, come on. Don’t be modest. Play something.”

  Grace ran her fingers along the keys. “The only piece I sort of remember is ‘Für Elise.’”

  “I know that one. It’s by Beethoven.”

  Albert pulled the bench from under the piano with a flourish. “For you, madam!”

  Grace rolled her eyes as she sat down. “Thanks, but I warned you.” She placed her hands on the keys, took a deep breath and began. She hit a jarring wrong note immediately. “See. I told you.”

  “I hit a wrong note today, too. Don’t worry. Just start again,” said Albert.

  Grace placed her hands on the keys again. This time she played a few bars before she hit another wrong note. She threw her hands up. “I thought I’d remember the piece better. It’s the only one I was good at, but I haven’t played ‘Für Elise’ in two years.”

  “Why did you stop playing?”

  “I’m not musical. Even my teacher agreed. She said I didn’t have a musical ‘ear’ and I didn’t practise my scales enough. You’re good at music.”

  “I wasn’t very good today. You should have seen my father’s face when I made that mistake.”

  “That wasn’t your fault. I wish I could play like you. But I’m good at other things, like running and swimming.”

  Albert grinned. “Well, then, I’ll race you to the second-class dining room.” He showed Grace where it was located on his map. “One. Two. Three. Go!” he said.

  They ran through the corridors of the Empress. Huffing and puffing, they reached the second-class dining room at the same time. “Tie!” gasped Albert.

  The waiters were starting to set up for dinner. Albert and Grace stared at the cozy booths along the walls, the fancy wood panelling and the long tables in the middle.