“A Voyage Interrupted”
A Tragic Trilogy – Part III
Written by
Apollos Rivoire, jr.
Copyright © 2015 Apollos Rivoire, jr.
All rights reserved.
First Edition
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(A note from the author: This short story is the third and last addition to this trilogy of stories. The previous two contributions set the background for the contents of the current edition.
It is highly recommended to read them prior to engaging in this story.)
“A Night at the Opera”
“The Good Parents”
“A Voyage Interrupted”
A Tragic Trilogy – Part III
Caitlin and Robert were thrilled that their daughter and her new husband were to make their way back to the United States on an enjoyable and relaxing cruise. They were so excited that they had to be there when they arrived in New York to be the first greet them home. Combining their love of their daughter with their love of the opera they decided to make the arduous trip to New York City to satisfy both loves.
The New York Metropolitan Opera House
39th Street – demolished in 1967
They arrived in New York at the same time Cassidy and Dillon were boarding the RMS Titanic in Southampton, England. They were granted three enjoyable days of performances, sight-seeing, and fine dining when their joy was shattered as the terrible news spread through the city and the world like a tornado. Something devastating had happened to the ship, their ship, on its maiden voyage.
The Titanic – April 1912
It had only been two short weeks since the “shakedown cruise” gave the lady the stamp of approval and resulted in rave reviews. The world waited for her adoring subjects to meet their unsinkable queen. She was set to sail with only half the compliment of passengers until a coal strike canceled two other cruises. The seemingly fortunate passengers who were unaware of their fate were transferred to the Titanic just before sailing, oh, life’s fortunes, or misfortunes.
The calm but deadly night
All the joy of their trip and the anticipation of the arrival of their daughter and husband were replaced with anxiety and sadness. After the sinking of the “unsinkable ship” there was naturally great confusion, conflicting stories, rumors and most certainly grave concern of the families of the passengers. Caitlin and Robert were assuredly ensconced in that group. Their terror was heightened by the thought that it was they who had placed their beloved daughter and her husband on the ship in such danger with their generous, but fateful wedding gift. As one would imagine, their guilt was crushing.
Communications during this era was primitive. Even if some specific information did filter its way to America, it was unreliable, hard to verify, confused, and usually inaccurate, with a sprinkle of truth mixed in among the conjecture and hearsay to further add to the confusion. It was a painful wait for an accurate and complete rendition of what had transpired and the aftermath.
If we give it some serious thought, maybe journalism has not changed so much after all in the past one hundred years. There is a slight but profound difference, however. In 1912, accuracy in communications was hindered by the lack of technology. In 2015, accuracy in communications is hindered by the prostitution of technology. – Ah, so much progress.
An early news report stated that
“Titanic’s Passengers All Rescued”
“Gigantic new liner limping in to Halifax, Badly Damaged”
The early rumors were rampant. The ship met its demise at 11:40 p.m., April 14, 1912. A day and a half later there were stories that spanned the spectrum of possibilities. They ranged from there was no catastrophe and the ship and passengers were safe, the ship sank with all on board, to there were many survivors. Finally, there was a rumor and report that everyone survived.
Most of the early stories were “cover your butt” fiction by the owners of the line to over zealous, dishonest, and incompetent reporters and news outlets desperate to sell papers and get a jump on their competition.
“Passengers safely moved and Steamer titanic taken in tow”
The public’s appetite for information was voracious and insatiable and the media accommodated to zealously feed that beast. When there was no news, they made it up. Sort of like today. There was a report that the RMS Titanic was being towed to New York and another that the ship was not even in trouble.
“Ship safe; no one in danger on lucky ship”
Little was known of what the nature of the accident was. Another rumor that the rescue ship would land in Nova Scotia prompted the White Star Line to send family members by ship to that port. When the rumor was found to be false, the ship had to return. The only certainty was that there was no certainty.
Amid the confusion, Caitlin and Robert did not know what to believe. They did know something had happened and it happened not far from the United States coast near Nova Scotia. They hoped for the best and decided to be most optimistic and believe the story that there were many survivors from the disaster on a rescue ship on its way to New York.
Amid their anguish and dismay was relief that they had traveled to New York well in advance of the tragedy. It was a difficult voyage from Philadelphia to New York City under the best of circumstances, but now amid the news of a disaster, almost certainly an impossible one. A further blessing was they were well accommodated at a time when even the most spartan of accommodations were non-existent.
Some good fortune managed to shine in the darkest days. In planning their trip to New York they naturally organized their trip around the opera performances at the Metropolitan Opera.
But, they also, uncharacteristically, decided to venture out of their “comfort zone” and become acquainted with the character, art, and music of Greenwich Village. They considered staying in Greenwich Village at the Hotel Albert as well as the Jane because of their cultural history and ties of the village to seamen.
When those prospects did not materialize, they compromised and decided to stay at the Strand Hotel which was directly across the street from the pier where the RMS Titanic was to moor at the end of the maiden voyage from England. The hotel was spartan but its location was superb. How fortuitous this decision was. The hotel was within walking distance of pier 54 on the Hudson River, where they were told the rescue ship would land the survivors of the tragedy. God had been with them in timing and structuring their itinerary.
When the news of the tragedy arrived, Caitlin and Robert had already secured two rooms for themselves and Dillon and Cassidy. Obtaining the rooms was an easy task before the news was heard but impossible after the news was released. They were in the perfect place at the perfect time by a stroke of good fortune. At least they had one thing for which to be thankful.
After the definitive news had arrived that the Titanic had indeed met its demise and survivors were on their way to pier 54, even the New York Times descended upon the hotel reserving the entire top floor for their reporters and photographers. Available lodging had become a non-existent commodity including the Albert and the Jane also prime locations for the arrival of the rescue ship.
Left: The Liberty Inn, 10th Ave. today – (rent by the hour, really) (formerly the Strand Hotel)
Center: The Jane Hotel
, built for seamen, as it appears today
Right: The Hotel Albert, East 11th Street, c. 1912 – photo: Museum of the City of New York
What promised to be a trip of a lifetime may have become a trip to end a lifetime. If there were a terrible accident with survivors, in which group would their daughter and her husband be?
The anticipation and the wait for reliable news that just didn’t exist were most distressful.
The next day, their wait was over. All of the reports were indicating that the ship was indeed lost with as many as many as 1,500 on board perishing in the cold North Atlantic Ocean and about 600 passengers were saved. Those saved were believed to be on the Carpathia, another much smaller passenger ship that had been in the vicinity when the distress call was received. The hopeful reports of no one being lost and the ship being towed to Nova Scotia had all disappeared. It was indeed a tragedy of monumental proportions and their daughter was in the middle of it all.
The height of their ordeal began on a cold and rainy night at about 7:00 p.m., on April 18, 1912 at pier 54 of the Cunard Line on the Hudson River in New York harbor. Caitlin and Robert were huddled under an umbrella waiting for the Carpathia to arrive. They would finally learn the fate of their dear daughter and her husband. But, all they could do was wait . . . and hope. They had no power to do otherwise.
The normally deserted meat packing district on a Thursday night was in a frenzy of confusion from the news of the tragedy. Even with all the confusion, it was apparent that something terrible had happened. It seemed everyone had some reason for being there. The dock and the surrounding streets were pregnant with a sea of anxious humanity. The city, the country, the world was fixated on the event.
The Carpathia was owned by the Cunard Cruise Line. The public was told that the rescue ship would disembark survivors at the Cunard pier 54 at about 9:30 p.m. that evening.
While they remained calm and composed, their faces revealed the anticipation of horrible news. Behind that pale façade, as if in a trance, Caitlin’s mind wandered back to better times.
She recalled how she and Robert had walked along a tranquil beach and looked out over the same ocean from three thousand miles away, marveling at the vastness, the beauty, and the serenity. The imagined scene created the visions of the two of them raising their yet-to-be-born children with love, skill and devotion. Was their vision of that mystical moment and an Empyrean Ocean now to be transformed into an image of a watery grave?
That awful thought clouded her mind and sent it into a fantasy. But, how could it be? She seemed to be standing upright on the dock but asleep and struggling to awaken. Robert, standing next to her was unaware of her condition. She seemed to be in limbo and not sure where she was.
She was seated, cold, and unsteady. Everything around her was unsteady. There was silence immediately around her but loud noises and muffled cries in the distance. It was frightening as her awareness diminished until it was gone.
When her awareness returned, she was still very cold but the unsteadiness had changed to a smooth rocking and then to a vigorous shaking. Her awareness seemed to fully return with a loud noise that resembled the blare of a ship’s horn. As she looked in the darkness, she saw a woman bathed in light with her arm raised. She had something in her hand. She was initially frightened until she realized it was the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor.
The horn and the vision brought her out of her nightmare. She had a vision of Cassidy first in a lifeboat and then on the deck of the Carpathia. Could it be it was not a vision but the horn in the apparition had been the same horn that brought her out of her illusion on the dock? Is it possible that the entire episode was not an illusion but an apparition, a premonition that Cassidy was on the ship that was approaching the dock? Could she have survived the sinking? And, did Dillon survive?
The ship’s horn instigated an almost simultaneous mixed response among the anxious crowd.
Indeed, the horn had heralded the anticipated arrival of the rescue ship Carpathia. While Robert had no idea of Caitlin’s apparent out-of-body experience and was thinking his own thoughts, the arrival instigated the pounding of their hearts in unison.
But, now what was happening? As the horn continued, the ship was not slowing or maneuvering for docking. It continued past the pier up river amid moans of desperation and confused talk among the family members on the dock. What was wrong? Were they in the wrong place? Was it the wrong ship? Maybe the news of survivors was just a rumor? Maybe there were no survivors. Was Caitlin’s apparition just a terrible nightmare? Quiet, somber talk continued among the grieving families around them feeding the already rampant dismay.
The tugboats moored at the dock remained motionless. There was no movement of dock hands or gangways. Their anticipation and that of those around them deflated. How much more anguish would they have to endure?
It seemed that the confusion of the past days would continue. Instead of the expected arrival, they were again immersed in the torment of uncertainty and rumor. Why was God torturing them so?
The Carpathia – The morning of April 19, 1912 at pier 54
But, wait, the ship was slowing, but preparing to moor at another pier. Indeed, they were at the wrong place. Everyone around them was in the same state of bewilderment and disappointment. Should they remain in the location they fought so hard to get or battle the crowd and attempt to get to pier 59? The pier was the original location where the RMS Titanic was to dock at the end of its maiden voyage. The specter of the vacant dock haunted the crowds waiting for a ship that would never arrive and a joyous reunion that would never happen. How could such anticipated happiness so easily transform into certain sadness?
The ship did indeed dock amid a flurry of activity and noise. It appeared they were unloading life boats from the RMS Titanic. There was hope yet. They deduced, if there were life boats there must be survivors who were in those life boats. Getting to the other pier would not be easy. Robert was fearful that the waves of humanity would push bystanders into the icy water. One catastrophe was enough. They decided to patiently maintain their present location on pier 54.
But, why on earth would they torment the families and unload the lifeboats before the survivors? Their anticipated joy that they would soon be united with Cassidy and Dillon turned to anger that the owners of the shipping line would not have considered the anguish that this would cause. This only increased the guilt they already had in placing their faith in the management of White Star. The feeling of helplessness increased in them as well as the gathered crowd.
After an agonizing hour that seemed like two, the activity stopped, the ship’s horn shouted once again and movement could be seen. The ship stirred, but this time maneuvered toward pier 52 where they were. It moved excruciatingly slowly but this time the armada of tugs came alive and bellowed black smoke that vanished into the night sky. The shore hands scurried about like insects descending on their prey. Magnesium flares that lit the night sky appeared to becoming from everywhere. The ship was docking at pier 52. Progress was being made.
Finally, the gangways were in place, the dock was prepared for passengers to descend and there was human movement along the deck rail and off the ship. Flares continued to soar upward, lights blinded, and crass reporters were barking questions to passengers from the dock to reveal details of their experiences. It appeared the survivors were destined to suffer still another ordeal as they disembarked – this one a human gauntlet of rude and shouting reporters.
The first passengers to appear were elegantly dressed and appeared animated and in good health. There were couples and some children. This was a marvelous sight to Caitlin and Robert and the crowds that had gathered. It was not what they had expected at all.
The first grouping continued disembarking in what seemed to be remarkably good condition. This was a boost to everyone’s morale. They appeared as if nothing had happened. In fact, nothing had happened,
to them. These first passengers were the travelers who had arranged passage on the Carpathia from New York to Fiume, Austria-Hungary (now Croatia) before rescuing survivors of the RMS Titanic. They were not the survivors of the disaster.
Soon, there was a change in demeanor among those disembarking. Some of the next group were not entirely stable and needed some assistance. Survival with serious injury was not even given a thought. What if Cassidy and Dillon were among the survivors? What would be their condition? And, what about the conventions followed by the crew for a sinking ship – women and children first? Most of those in the second group were women and some children, but few men. What were the prospects of both Dillon and Cassidy being rescued?
The various possibilities of their reunion had not entered their minds. The prospect of being united with both Cassidy and Dillon in good health together was becoming a dim prospect – possibly an impossible prospect. They thought, “Why would they not allow the survivors of the RMS Titanic off the ship first, considering their ordeal?” Their confidence in the management of the cruise line slipped even further if that could be imagined. Maybe they were being overly critical. After all they had saved hundreds, hadn’t they?
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