2:42 AM
Monday, April 15th, 1912
Latitude 41* 46' N, Longitude 50* 17'W
Not many of the people swimming in the water were afraid of drowning. The good majority of them were wearing lifejackets. So they were not screaming from fear of drowning.
Instead, they were screaming because of the bitter cold that the water was.
During this year, a lot more ice has broken off from Greenland, floating down the Labrador Current in the Atlantic Ocean. This has created more icebergs floating around, making the waters especially cold.
In other words, a swimmer would barely last half an hour before succumbing to hypothermia.
!
Bahorel struggled to hoist himself on top of a floating cargo crate. The buoyancy of the box was just not strong enough, and Bahorel's days in the intense heat of his Boiler Room were not strong enough to make him immune to the bitter cold, especially since he only has his coal smeared undershirt on.
!
Gavroche struggled to keep his head above the water. When the wave from the collapsing funnel washed him overboard, he became separated from the others. And now his chances of finding them again were gone, now that it was pitch black.
"Gavroche! Is…is that you?" a voice called out.
"Y..yes…who's that..?" Gavroche shivered.
"It's me…Henri." Courfeyrac stuttered as he swam over to Gavroche. "It's…kay…I've got you…." He grabbed a hold of Gavroche.
The two swam towards a deck chair.
"Here!" Henri said, struggling to take his lifejacket off. "Take it!"
"I…I don't need it!" Gavroche shivered.
"It's alright…you can make it…you can make it, kid…" Courfeyrac stuttered as the cold was consuming his body.
!
Joly and Lesgles held onto each other while they were swimming together, trying to find something to float on.
"Can…somebody…help us…please?" Joly cried out...his voice very weak.
"J-Joly? Joly? Where are you?"
The two swimmers looked around, and realized it was Prouvaire calling out to them.
"Over here!" Julien called out.
Prouvaire took out an oar from the Collapsible and reached it out to them. "Here! Reach for the oar!"
Julien went for it first, and Prouvaire helped him climb in. He collapsed inside the boat from exhaustion.
Joly was a little weaker from the swimming, and the cold.
"Julien…I can't pull him up…can you help me?" Prouvaire struggled.
Lesgles tried to sit up and go over to help Prouvaire, but he was nearly just as weak as Joly was…
!
Eponine tried to muster up enough strength to pull Combeferre along in the right direction. He could swim well, but without his glasses he felt useless.
She was rotating her one arm as much as she could, trying to move forward, when her hand struck something hard.
It was Collapsible B again.
"Frank…Over here…" she called out.
She grabbed his hand and placed it on the boat, so he could get a feel for the surface enough to climb aboard.
They were shortly followed by Officer Lightoller, Radiomen Phillips and Bride, Jack Thayer, and the alcoholic chef.
They were soon joined by Enjolras.
"Frank!" Enjolras shivered. "Are you alright?!"
"Enjolras! Thank God!" Frank cried out. "I can't see you! I lost my glasses!"
"Just hold on…" Enjolras struggled. "The boats will come back! We'll be alright!"
Eponine held onto Frank tight to keep their body heat stable.
Enjolras struggled to hoist himself up, but there was hardly enough room for him to be more out of the water.
The group and at least 15 others huddled together on the upturned boat, struggling to keep balance.
!
"Those people are either drowning or freezing to death out there!" Cosette pleaded. "We can't just sit here idly as they die!"
"As soon as we row over to them, they'll swamp the boat or capsize us trying to climb in here. You want us to die with them?!" Hitchens asked rhetorically.
"Well it beats the hell out of being sitting ducks. Come on, girls. Let's start rowing!" Maggie Brown demanded.
Hitchens stood up from the helm. "Hey!" he shouted. "I give the orders around here!"
"Aren't you aware that you're speaking to a lady?" Peuchen objected.
"I'm damn well aware of who I'm speaking to. That don't change the fact that I'm in command of this boat!"
Lookout Fleet rolled his eyes.
"Come on, start rowing!" Maggie ordered.
"Didn't you hear me?! I'll have no more of this!" Hitchens threatened.
Maggie stood up and faced him. "One more word out of you, and I'm tossing you overboard!" Got it?!"
Hitchens sat back down…defeated.
!
"It ain't right, I tell you!" Grantaire protested as he held onto an oar. "We can't leave them out there to die!"
"We'll only get swamped." A passenger said.
"We shouldn't." Lady Duff Gordon said. "It's crowded enough in here as we speak. I'm most upset about it."
Grantaire looked at her disgusted. "You won't hear the last of this, lady! There'll be inquires, and mark my words! You'll regret your bloody decisions."
Lord Duff Gordon stood up, and handed Grantaire a small piece of paper.
"What the feck is this?" He said, before opening it up and revealing it to be a 5-pound note.
"The decision stands, stoker. We are not going to budge."
Grantaire glared up at him, and realized he was being bribed for his silence.
!
Lifeboat #14 linked up with Boats 10, 12, and 4.
Officer Lowe addressed all of the crew in the boats. "I want to transfer our passengers over to these other boats. We're going back to pick up survivors."
The transfer took a good 10-15 minutes.
!
Valjean pulled an unconscious Marius through the freezing cold. He was beginning to grow weary as he approached Collapsible B.
"There's no more room!" somebody said, ready to shove Valjean away.
"Wait! This boy here…" Valjean said, motioning to Marius. "He's hurt…I don't care about myself."
"There's no room, old man!" the man repeated.
Eponine wrapped her arms around Combeferre tight, to keep him warm. She was wearing his overcoat, so he was dressed lighter than she was.
"There's one here dead, sir!" Jack Thayer said, holding somebody in his arms.
"Are you sure?" Lightoller asked as he sat at the bow of the boat.
"Yes, sir. Died from the exposure I think!"
"Can you see who it is?"
Thayer looked carefully at the dead body. "I think it's one of the men from the Wireless Room…"
Bride looked up in shock. He knew who Thayer was talking about. "It's Phillips…sir."
Lightoller motioned for Thayer to lower the body of Phillips into the water gently. Valjean took this moment to hoist Marius up onto the boat.
"You said you're from the Wireless?" Lightoller asked. Bride nodded. "How long before the Carpathia arrives?"
Bride shrugged his shoulders. "An hour or so, sir. Maybe less."
There was a slump followed by a splash.
"What was that?!" Colonel Gracie asked.
"Someone else must've dropped dead…" someone muttered.
The chef motioned to the unconscious boy. "Is he alive?" he asked Valjean who was still in the water.
"Yes…but I don't know if he'll make it unless he wakes up."
The chef pulled out his flask. "I know just the thing."
"Are you a cook?" Combeferre asked, shivering.
"Baker, actually…been drinking this all night. That's how I'm still alive!"
He lifted Marius's head, and poured some of the whiskey into his mouth. After a moment or two, Marius choked and spat out some of the drink.
"Thank god…" Valjean said, before swimming away.
"Wait…come back!" Lightoller said.
"If I die…" Valjean's voice cracked in the cold. "Let me die. But let him live. He is young…he's afraid. He's only a boy. Let him rest…heaven blessed."
And with that, Valjean swam away into the darkness.
!
Bahorel began shaking uncontrollably…
He looked up and he saw a speck of light coming towards him. He could've sworn he heard a whistle.
"They're coming…they've finally come…" Bahorel thought to himself.
Then, in an instant, his foggy breath stopped emanating from his mouth.
!
For the past several minutes, Prouvaire was struggling aimlessly to pull Joly out of the water.
Lesgles couldn't find the strength anymore.
Prouvaire looked down at Joly, and realized why he wasn't helping himself up.
"Julien…" Prouvaire whispered. "I don't think…Joly…he's…"
"Don't…don't say it." Lesgles muttered in a very quiet voice…it was almost hard for Prouvaire to hear him. "Just let him go…"
Tears began to form in Prouvaire's eyes. He then turned to the lifeless body of Joly and whispered. "I'm sorry…."
He then let go of Joly's wrist, and gave out a whimpered cry as he saw Joly slip beneath the waves.
"I'm sorry…Julien…I tried to save him…I wasn't strong enough…" Prouvaire said, looking at the icy cold water. "I'm sorry Joly…"
Prouvaire was so overcome with emotion he didn't notice that Julien hasn't spoken up.
"Julien?" he asked. No response.
Prouvaire slowly turned around to see Julien staring aimlessly…motionless, expressionless. His eyes were half open…
"Julien?!" Prouvaire asked once more. "JULIEN!" He cried out.
He suddenly wept uncontrollably…He was all alone.
!
"HELLO!" Officer Lowe called out, shining his flashlight all around. "IS THERE ANYONE ALIVE OUT THERE?!"
He listened for any sort of noise. Nothing happened. "IF ANYONE CAN HEAR ME, MAKE NOISE!"
Just then, he heard a splash up ahead.
"Straight ahead, men! Watch for their heads!" Lowe ordered, as the oarsmen were rowing past the frozen bodies of the dead.
It was a ghastly sight to say the least. Everywhere Lowe looked, he saw hundreds of frozen men, women…and children floating around in the water.
One of the oars had brushed past the lifeless bodies of Mrs. Allison and her child Lorraine.
The boat gently pulled its way toward the sound of the splash.
Lowe shined his light up ahead, and saw a little boy clinging onto a life preserver.
"Over there! Come on!" Lowe shouted.
They got close enough so that Lowe could reach down to the boy.
"Come on, son. Reach up for my hand. It's alright…I won't hurt you."
The boy shivered so badly he could barely even speak. "m…my…my…friend…he's…I…"
Lowe reached down to pull the boy out of the water. Once he was safely aboard, he passed the boy down to another crewmember.
"Get him warm!" Lowe ordered.
While the crew had wrapped blankets around the boy, Lowe shined a light to where he was floating.
The light spotted a young man…not moving an inch, face down in the water.
Lowe looked over at the boy. He had a second lifejacket on.
The friend must've sacrificed himself so that the boy may live…even if only for a little while longer.
Gavroche couldn't get another word out…he was too cold.
!
Combeferre fell asleep in Eponine's arms. As did almost everyone else. Only Lightoller and Colonel Archibald Gracie were fully awake.
"Look, Mr. Lightoller…there's a boat over there!" Gracie said.
Lightoller struggled to pull out his whistle, and blow as hard as he could.
Combeferre awoke with a start. Eponine held his face.
"Are you alright, love?" She asked him.
His hands were shaking when he tried to nod.
Within the next few minutes, the inhabitants of Collapsible B were safely transferred to another Lifeboat, as were the survivors of Collapsible A.
!
3:25 AM
RMS Carpathia, Atlantic Ocean
Titanic's last known location
"I don't understand it…" Officer Dean said. "We should be there by now."
Rostron strained through his binoculars. He looked up from them, stared out into the horizon, then looked through them again. "I saw something." He said.
Dean picked up his binoculars too. "There's a flare!"
"Fire a rocket or two!" Rostron ordered.
!
Officer Boxhall was waving a green flare around. In the distance, he could see a light flickering up in the air.
"They have to see us now…" he said to himself.
In Lifeboat #10, Eponine nudged to Combeferre, who was still in her arms. "Darling…there's a ship coming! You can't see well from here, but she is on her way! We're safe."
Combeferre smiled weakly...
"Wait…where's James?!" He realized.
"Just rest, love." Eponine whispered. "Maybe he's in another lifeboat?" She suggested.
Frank sighed. "I hope so…"
!
Soon, the Carpathia was well in sight of all of the lifeboats. The exhausted survivors slowly but surely rowed towards their safe haven.
!
Cpt. Rostron was greeted by Officer Boxhall who had stepped aboard the bridge, blanket wrapped around him.
"4th Officer Boxhall, sir." He said. "To whom do we all owe our thanks?"
"Captain Arthur Rostron, RMS Carpathia." The Captain said, offering his hand.
"Titanic foundered at or around 2:20 this morning. We've struck an iceberg at 11:40pm…"
"Any idea as to how many people were still aboard before she went down?" Rostron asked.
Boxhall looked grave. "Our boats…if filled to capacity…would've left about a thousand people behind…" he started.
Rostron could see the hesitation in his eyes. "But…?" Rostron prodded.
"…but the chances are, perhaps a thousand…and hundreds more on top of that…have perished in the waters."
"I'm having my pursers conduct a head count now. I'll have my answer for you later this afternoon. In the meantime, please go down below…get yourself warm." Rostron said, putting his hand on the Survivor's shoulder.
"Yes sir…thank you, sir." Boxhall said softly, before being escorted out of the bridge.
!
As soon as they stepped onto the deck, Eponine helped Combeferre stand up. "Please…he needs help…He lost his glasses and now he can't see very well." She explained to an officer who was holding a clipboard.
"Well, if you'll kindly give your names please? And if you'll step this way, there's hot food and drink and blankets provided for you. I'll pass this note along, and we'll see if we can find a spare set for the lad."
"Franklin…Frank…Combeferre…" he muttered.
"Very well…And your name, Miss?"
"Eponine Th…Eponine…Combeferre."
Frank looked at her. She kept her arm around him as she helped him through the hallway.
"Has anyone by the name of Thenardier come aboard?"
The man looked at his clipboard, and shook his head. "No one as of yet."
Eponine's heart dropped as she continued walking with Combeferre.
!
12:30 PM
RMS Carpathia
The process of picking up the survivors took the better part of four hours. Most of the lifeboats were scattered about.
By midday, seeing as there were no other survivors to be seen in the water, Captain Rostron gave the order to make a course for New York.
Down below, in the makeshift hospital, walking past hundreds of survivors wrapped in blankets, Clara had searched frantically for Julien.
She couldn't find him anywhere, and was beginning to fear the worst when she saw Jean Prouvaire sitting on a deck chair with his blankets wrapped around him.
"Mr. Prouvaire!" Clara rushed to him. "Thank god you are alright. Have you seen Julien?!" she pleaded.
Prouvaire slowly raised his head up to look at her. He remained silent.
"Mr. Prouvaire?" Clara asked again.
It wasn't until she could see the tear roll down his cheek that she knew his answer before he could even say anything.
"And…Joly?" she asked.
Jean finally responded by slowly shaking his head. "…sorry…" he whispered.
Clara nodded, then walked out of the room. When she stepped outside, she let the tears she had been building up out. She put a hand over her mouth leaned back against a wall and slid down to the deck, sobbing hysterically.
!
By 1:00 in the afternoon, Carpathia was underway. Cosette was walking around the deck, looking for a familiar face. She almost screamed when she found Marius asleep on a deck chair, looking white as a ghost.
"Oh God, Marius! What are you doing outside! You'll freeze to death!"
Marius slowly opened his eyes. "Cosette…?"
Cosette wept into Marius's chest. "I'm here, darling! I'm here!"
"Thank…God…" Marius said, raising an arm up to hold Cosette closely.
"My grandfather?" Marius asked.
Cosette looked at him and shook her head. "He wasn't on the list…" her face saddened as she continued. "And neither was my father."
Marius looked at her. "Mabeuf promised me he was safe on a boat…"
And then his thoughts turned to those of the fate of Mabeuf. It was highly unlikely at this point that he would've survived either.
"Your valet, Mabeuf…he gave me something." Cosette said, as she pulled out an envelope. "He told me not to open it until I was safely aboard another ship."
She opened up the envelope, to reveal two letters. She looked at them both, then handed one to Marius. "This one's addressed to you…" she said.
Marius took the letter in his hands and read carefully.
My dear grandson,
If you are reading this, then I am already dead, and you are still alive. Thank god for that. I've given this letter to Cosette, with the blessing of her father. Before the collision, I've sent out a wireless to the Kerringtons.
Cosette's father and I had a very long talk…he saw how infatuated you were with each other. And he seemed to agree that you were a good match for her, as she is for you.
I've wired the Kerringtons, asking for their forgiveness that I call off the arrangement. They responded saying that they understood.
Mr. Fauchelevant…if he should survive this ordeal, has told me that he gives you permission and that you have his blessing, if you should choose to marry this girl.
All I ask, is that you forgive me…for all of the years I have failed you as a Grandfather. I am not worthy to be called that, and I ask for your forgiveness. I know full well the situation on board, and I am prepared to go down with the ship. Nothing Mabeuf can do will let me change my mind. I hope you live to see this letter.
Please forgive me,
Grandfather.
Cosette silently let the tears flow from her eyes as she read her father's letter.
My dearest Cosette,
If you read this, and I am nowhere to be found, it is most likely that I am already gone. I've spoken with Mr. Andrews before I came to collect you…I know the ship is sinking, and I know the sea is freezing.
I've enclosed in this envelope my will...witnessed by a few passengers. I do not know if they had survived, but if not, it doesn't matter.
The will entitles you to my inheritance as soon as you marry. I'm quite certain you love the boy. Lord Gillenormand spoke with me yesterday, the 14th of April. He told me that he has released Marius from any obligations to an arranged marriage.
We both realized how deeply the two of you cared for each other…and we've had a long talk, and felt it best, for the sake of both of your happiness.
I will do my best, and ensure that Marius survives no matter what. You two deserve each other. But if he does not survive…I pray to God that whatever happens, you will still find happiness.
I love you, daughter. You were the best thing to ever happen to me in my life after I've met your mother. I will make no attempt to save my own life. Fantine has waited long enough.
Watching over you, always,
Father.
Cosette covered her mouth to keep herself quiet while sobbing.
Marius leaned over to comfort her, and she wept into his arms.
!
Grantaire hustled around deck, frantically searching for Bahorel. He searched below decks, where the crew were being looked after.
Along the way, he passed by Officers Lightoller, Pitman, Boxhall and Lowe;
Wireless Operator Harold Bride, whose feet were being bandaged from frost bite.
Lookout Frederick Fleet…who kept his face in his hands as he silently blamed himself for spotting the iceberg too late.
Quartermaster Robert Hitchens who steered the Titanic into the path of eternity.
Leading Fireman Fred Barrett, and Stoker Sam Collins.
"Did either of you see Bahorel O'Malley?" Grantaire asked. The two of them slowly looked at him and shook their heads.
Grantaire sighed, before taking a seat with them. "I've only been sober for the better part of two weeks…and yet I still feel sick to my stomach."
"I'd consider you a damn fool if you weren't." Sam replied. "This sort of thing just doesn't happen…"
"No I mean…I was in a lifeboat that only had eleven others in it." Grantaire said.
Barrett looked up at him. "Why didn't your boat go back to pick up more?"
Grantaire pulled out the check he was given. "I was paid well to do nothing, and to say nothing. But let me tell you, if I had the strength of ten men, that boat would've picked up dozens of the people in the water."
"So…that passenger bribed you to do nothing?!" Sam asked, appalled.
"Check made out by a Mr. …Cosmo Duff Gordon" Grantaire read from the check.
"Grantaire…" Barrett said. "There'll be inquires when we arrive. There's no doubt about that. But you need to give a statement. That kind of behavior is just downright bastard-like."
"Oh I intend to. I'll see to it that he is ruined." Grantaire promised.
!
Combeferre was sitting on a deck chair, wrapped in a blanket, with a cup of tea in hand.
He never touched the tea.
He was staring out into the deep blue sea as it slowly moved past him. At least he thought it was the deep blue sea. His vision was terrible right now. The lack of sleep made it worse.
"Mr. Combeferre?" a voice called out.
He turned his head to the direction of the voice. He couldn't tell who it was.
"My name is Johnny Ashford from Maryland. I'm from the Carpathia. I was told that you were in need of a pair of glasses?"
Combeferre slowly nodded. "I do…but I can wait until we reach New York…"
"Nonsense! These are my old reading glasses, and I rarely use them. Please! At least try them and see if they work." Ashford insisted.
Frank sighed and extended his hand so Ashford placed the glasses in his hands.
"Better?" Ashford asked.
To Frank's surprise, it felt much better to be able to see again. It felt like ages. "Yes…much better. Thank you."
"Not at all. When I heard what happened, my brother and I were up and about all morning trying to do our parts to help you all in any way possible."
Combeferre nodded again. "At some point, I would wish to speak to your captain, and thank him personally."
"I'm sure he's already being overwhelmed by the dozens of survivors showering him with thanks for rescuing them. But I'm sure you're more than welcome to. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go back and start passing out the soups to everyone."
And with that, Ashford got up and walked away.
A steward had approached Combeferre. "Has your tea grown cold? Would you like me to fetch another?" he asked, eyeing the unconsumed tea in Combeferre's cup.
"Actually…I was wondering if you can help me." Frank said, sitting up. "I was wondering if the final list of survivors has been completed?"
The steward nodded and took out his notepad. "Are you looking for any names in particular?"
"James Enjolras, of Second Class. And anyone of the Thenadier family of Third Class?"
"Certainly, sir. I'll return as soon as I have more information." The steward said before hustling off.
Frank returned his gaze back to the sea. As soon as he began to study the clear texture of the dark blue ocean…his mind began to race.
When Eponine had returned, she could see the panic in Frank's eyes, and she understood why.
"Frank? Frank! It's me!" Eponine said, rushing to him and holding his face in her hands.
"Ponine…" He said after taking a deep breath. "I thought…I thought I fell overboard…"
"You're safe! Don't worry! We're not letting you anywhere near the water. Let's get you inside though. It's too cold." Eponine said.
As she helped Combeferre up out of the chair, neither of them noticed the cup in Combeferre's lap, which fell off the lap and fell down on the deck and shattered into a hundred pieces.
Combeferre felt a jolt in the back of his mind. The crashing sound of the cup triggered a particular moment in his mind.
It was the last sight he saw before his glasses were lost in the wash.
"Oh My God!" Combeferre yelped. Eponine grabbed a hold of his arm. "What?!" she asked, worried.
"Feuilly and Azelma!" He panicked. "They're…it…it was the…first funnel! Eponine…I think they've been crushed!"
Eponine's eyes widened. "WHAT?!"
"I saw the funnel collapse…they weren't too far from it…and I couldn't hear their voices after that…"
Eponine nearly lost a grip of Frank's arm. It was painful enough to believe that her own little young sister was dead…but to have it happened right in front of her. "No…NO!" she whimpered.
!
The two were sitting on a couch inside the lounge area, which was now converted into a dormitory.
The steward had found them as he approached with a clipboard.
"Excuse me, sir? You've asked for a Mr. James Enjolras and the Thenadier family?"
Combeferre looked up. "Yes!" he said.
The steward looked through his clipboard. "Well…unfortunately, I do not see a Mr. Enjolras in the list…"
Frank's heart sank. Eponine rubbed his back for emotional support.
The time he spent with James flashed before his eyes…he couldn't believe it now. It seemed so surreal…he was hoping he would just wake up from it all…
…but that would've also meant waking up in a world without Eponine. He gripped onto her, needing her embrace now more than ever.
But it still couldn't phase him that James Enjolras is dead.
What on Earth would Mr. Lamarque say? If the shock of Titanic sinking wouldn't kill the old man, the death of one of his best tenants certainly would…
"And as for the Thenadiers…"
Eponine leaned forward. "There's only one survivor under that name…I am sorry."
At first, Eponine could feel her heart drop, but then remembered;
She gave her last name as Frank's. "Who is it? The survivor?" Eponine asked.
The steward looked again. "A little kid by the name of Gavroche."
Eponine and Combeferre both sighed with relief. "Where is he?"
"In the hospital. He's contracted hypothermia during the night, but he is appearing to recover."
Combeferre kept a firm grip on Eponine's hand. "May we go to him?"
"I'm afraid not right now. He's resting from the experience, but I will have someone send for you when he is awake." The steward said.
"Thank you…" Eponine said.
When the steward walked away, Frank turned to Eponine, hands still locked together.
"Eponine?" he asked. She turned to him, with tears in her eyes. "You told the purser your last name was mine as well…"
Eponine looked down at her hands. "I did…"
"Why? I'm not to say that I regret it, because I don't. But I just wanted to know…why did you do that?"
She shrugged her shoulders. "I felt…if I gave my original name, they would've had us separated by class again…I couldn't bear to lose you again…" she admitted.
Frank took her chin in his hand. "I'm glad you did." Her eyes met his…sparkling with the reflection of tears dripping down her cheeks. "Saved me the trouble of finding out…"
"Finding out what?" she asked.
"If when I was going to ask you…if you would've said yes or no…" Combeferre looked down.
Eponine's heart began racing. "Ask me what?"
"Eponine…after we made love last night…" Combeferre began. "I decided then and there…that I was going to ask you to marry me…"
She put her hand over her mouth.
"I was hoping to meet you whenever we would've arrived in New York…I decided I would ask you when we past the Statue of Liberty…"
She took his face in her hands and kissed him softly. As they continued kissing, she rubbed his forehead as gently as she could.
He thought she must know what she's doing, because when she placed her hands on his forehead, the pain he felt from wanting to cry, disappeared.
"You can still ask me, Franklin…but I'm sure we both know the answer."
Combeferre smiled, and leaned in to kiss her again.
!
Captain Rostron had called in a meeting with all of his officers to debrief them, as the Carpathia maintained its course for New York into the sunset.
He had asked for the final head count from his purser.
The Purser had checked his clipboard.
"In First Class, there were three hundred and twenty-five passengers. Two hundred and two of them survived.
"Second Class held two hundred and eighty-five. One hundred and eighteen survived.
"Third Class had at the very most, seven hundred and six passengers. They've been dealt a hard blow by far…as the survivors from this class alone, only add up to one hundred and seventy-eight."
"And the crew?" Rostron asked.
"Nine hundred and eight men and women served aboard the ship. Two hundred and seventy-two came aboard this ship.
Rostron leaned over the chart table, and put his face in his hands. "That makes a total of two-thousand, two hundred and twenty-four passengers and crew. Take away seven hundred and ten survivors…and that leaves us with…"
"Fifteen hundred and fourteen perished souls…" An officer had finished.
"Dearest God…" Rostron muttered. "The lifeboats could've carried more people…" he thought to himself.
!
*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*
J. Bruce Ismay was sitting inside a room, asking to be confined, having undergone a severe shock.
This was only after Cosette came across him and slapped him good and hard across the face.