Chapter 2
Queenstown
I was woken up by my stewardess in the morning. She told me that we would be stopping in Queenstown soon. It was during that time Mr. Andrews and I walked the ship. He first showed me The Bridge, which was the Captain's area. There I talked with Captain Smith himself! He seemed like a different man away from the dinner table I had seen him the night before. He was a kind man too and had hopes of retiring when we arrived in New York. I also got to chat with First Officer Murdoch again; he was a friend of the Captain's and talked greatly about his plans when in New York.
Walking on the boat deck I noticed the lifeboats, "How many life boats are there?" I asked.
"There are twenty Miss Lily."
Looking into one of them I noticed they weren't that big and I was shocked because it seemed there were not that many on the ship, "That's not enough for passengers let alone crew."
Mr. Andrews stopped walking and turned to me, "Trust me these boats will never be used, not with the compartments I've built."
I was still a little worried but I put it behind me because I knew I could trust him to know what he was talking about.
Mr. Andrews told me that he was meeting another passenger for tea, and wanted me to join. I told him I was planning to write a letter to my parents and would see him again sometime later.
I went to the Writing and Reading Room once again. I told my parents that I had become a good friend of Mr. Thomas Andrews, the shipbuilder, and also that I met the Captain of the ship twice. I tried to describe how spacious decks and stateroom were. There was so much more I wanted to say but ended with a thank you note.
I then went to the Marconi Room; it was a rather small room. There were many people there that wanted to send messages to family and friends. I gave my message to Phillips and told him it wasn't important, since he seemed rather stressed at the time.
While the ship was in Queenstown it had picked up a hundred or more passengers. I think everyone was happy that day because they knew that the next stop would be New York.
I had seen pictures of New York like the Statue of Liberty and some of the tall buildings. I admit that I didn't know what I was going to do when I got there. I had no family or friends in New York. I didn't really want think about it, but I had plenty of time to consider this while at sea.
Some passengers left the ship while docked in Queenstown. After writing my letter to my parents I went to the Café Parisian on the B Deck for lunch, and there I saw Captain Smith and First Officer Murdoch. They asked me to sit with them saying, "A lady should never eat alone." So I agreed and I ate listening to their conversation. They talked about arriving in New York one day early, saying it would surprise the press and the passengers. Mr. Murdoch said that that the Marconi Room had been getting a lot of reports of ice burgs from other liners ahead. Captain Smith said that the warnings were blocking the messages that needed to be sent by passengers. I left the table saying I needed some air, but really it was because I felt a bit uncomfortable hearing such information.
When I was outside the sea was a bit rough as I watched us leave port for the last time. I could see the watchman from the starboard side and hear Second Officer Charles Lightoller's boots hit the wood on the Portside. I sat on one of the deck chairs and rested. I thought about how lucky I was to be there and of all the people back home that I already missed dearly. Also I pondered as to whether they got my messages by now or not.
The passengers were talking about the Turkish baths on the F Deck so I decided to go. I didn't know much about them, but I decided to try something new. There I met Mrs. Bessie Allison, a First Class passenger too. Her husband was watching her two- year-old child.
"My husband told me to take a break, it's funny, I have never seen him so happy," she explained to me. She also told me that other passengers were talking about Andrews and me.
I laughed, "He has been so kind to me, which is great since before I knew not a soul on this ship. As for gossip, Mr. Andrews is a lovely married man, me thinks his wife wouldn't be fond of such claims. And I know quite well that he is just being a gentleman."
Afterwards Mrs. Bessie Allison and I went to the Cafe Parisian for tea. Outside I could see it was growing dark as the day was ending.
"Well I must retire Miss Lily." Mrs. Allison said.
I told her I would see her soon before she left I stayed for few more minutes to finish my tea. When I did finished I took a walk around the Boat Deck, this was a really peaceful place.