The Titanic Plan (51 page)

Whether he wanted to or not, Archie knew that he had to be at the meetings, if only because the President requested he find out the details of the project. “Yes. I believe that would be fine with me, Mr. Vanderbilt.”

“
I’ll make sure your passage is booked,” Vanderbilt said. “And, of course, all your expenses will be covered.”

“
I will be traveling with one other person. My valet, Henry Kosinski.”

“
I’ll book his passage as well. The ship departs April 10. It’s the liner’s maiden voyage. The Titanic. Should be an absolutely divine cruise.”

CHAPTER 55

It started as a bright and blustery spring day along the docks in Southampton, England, a day where the whole world seemed to shine. The great ship stood ten stories high and nearly a sixth of a mile long, a monument in steel to the shipbuilding technology of the era. There was a celebration for her send off, though it was not excessive – that occurred at her Belfast launch the previous year. While the
Titanic
was the biggest (46,328 tons) and most luxurious liner ever to sail, she was only a smidgen larger and a tad more elegant than her celebrated twin sister, the
Olympic
. Although there were no bands playing or fireworks being shot into the air, there was excitement – harried porters rushing to and fro hauling stacks of luggage; curious locals crowding the dock to catch a glimpse of the majestic ship; eager passengers waiting restlessly in long, snaking lines that led to a boarding agent who stood at the bottom of the gangways. Archie and Henry waited patiently in the first-class line. When they finally stepped to the gangway, the boarding agent greeted them with a sharp “Good morning.”

“
Good morning,” Archie answered. “Archibald Butt, First Class, with my manservant, Henry Kosinski.”

The agent peered at his boarding list and flipped through several pages. His brow furrowed. “I have you, Major Butt, but I do not see Mister Kosinski listed.”

“
I’m his valet,” Henry piped up. The agent acted as if he didn’t hear Henry, lowering his eyes again and examining the boarding list. “He was booked into second class,” Archie added.

“
I am sorry, sir,” the agent said, sounding not very sorry at all. “But there is no record of that booking.”

“
George Vanderbilt took care of the reservation,” Archie stated firmly. “It was done at the behest of Mr. J. P. Morgan. Surely you will let my valet board.”

“
If he doesn’t have a ticket or verified reservation, I certainly cannot let him board.”

The crowd in line behind Archie began getting restless. There were a few shouts to get on with it. “Well, where can we get a ticket?” Archie asked, trying hard to maintain his civility. The agent pointed through the thicket of people that packed the dock to a building some distance away. “Tickets are sold at White Star ticket office.”

“
And how much would his fare be?” Archie inquired. The crowd behind them was growing even more unsettled.

“
Twenty-seven pounds for second class. But all those tickets have sold out. So sorry,” the agent said, still not sounding very sorry.

Archie opened his wallet and pushed close to the agent. “Thirty pounds. The boy boards now and stays in my berth. No one knows but me and you...” Archie pressed several bills into the agent’s palm. “Unless you want me to bother Mr. Morgan about this problem?”

The agent huffed indignantly then flicked his hand, waving the two onto the gangplank.

Stateroom B-38 was on an upper deck, only a few steps from the entrance to the centerpiece of the
Titanic
, the Grand Staircase. With its patterned silk wallpaper and gilded lamp fixtures, the stateroom oozed elegance. There was one large bed in the corner of the room with a thick red satin spread over the mattress. “I need a nap, Henry,” Archie said as he stepped into the room.

“
You can’t sleep now, Captain. We gotta get to the deck for the send off.”

“
You go. I’m going to get a little shut-eye. You can wake me when we get to Cherbourg.” Archie plopped onto the mattress.

Henry grabbed Archie’s hand and tugged. “Com’on Captain. You and me, we ain’t never gonna see somethin’ like this again.”

“
Of course we will, Henry.”

“
No, not somethin’ this big. Let’s go, Captain,” Henry insisted. Archie grumbled as the boy kept pestering him until he finally gave in.

The
Titanic
’s engines were already churning when the two reached the first class promenade. Plumes of black smoke blasted from the ship’s four massive smokestacks and a swell of cheers rose from the dockside crowd. Whistles blew and the ship began floating away from its berth. Henry waved to the crowd below who flapped their handkerchiefs back. As the
Titanic
started through the harbor, its massive bulk created an enormous wake. A smaller liner, the
New York
, was caught in the mammoth turbulence. Its rope moorings drew taut, then snapped, popping like gunshots. The frayed ropes arced into the air, scattering people along the dock. The wake then sucked the
New York
right toward the
Titanic
.

At the helm of the
Titanic
, Captain Edward Smith – a venerated sailor making his retiring voyage for
White Star
– frantically ordered his port propeller surged to create a backwash that would push the
New York
away. But the ships continued to drift closer like magnets inescapably attracted to each other. It appeared certain that their hulls would smash together. A similar harbor accident happened seven months earlier and sent the
Olympic
– also piloted by Captain Smith – to the repair docks. A crash would have ended the
Titanic’s
maiden voyage before it even left Southampton. There was a frantic whistle, then, with less than 10 feet separating the ships, the stern of the
New York
glided to the
Titanic’s
port side and began inching away. The
New York
just missed hitting the
Titanic’s
steel hull. Disaster was averted – barely.

“
Wow!” shouted Henry, his eyes as wide as saucers, “That was close!” Archie couldn’t believe what he just witnessed. The dark premonitions that had been suppressed once again bubbled to the surface. The passengers who were festively celebrating the departure on the deck became eerily quiet. A few onboard were so shaken they decided to disembark the ship in Cherbourg. But most passengers quickly forgot the incident – if they were aware of it at all – and the
Titanic
steamed away into the English Channel, sailing past the Isle of Wight toward Cherbourg for its second boarding of the day.

Because of the delay in Southampton, it was already dark when the
Titanic
anchored outside the harbor at Cherbourg. The liner was too large for the French port so a smaller tender, the
Nomadic
, loaded the new boarding passengers on the Cherbourg docks to ferry them to the boat. A squall was blowing in and the
Nomadic
was bobbing at its mooring, occasionally smashing into the wood dock with unsettling thuds. The gangplanks that led to the tender swayed from side to side, turning the simple boarding into something of an amusement park adventure.

There were only 274 people coming aboard, among them were John Astor and Madeleine, the Wideners, John Thayer, and Frank Millet, who decided to join Archie, having finished his business at the Academy. Darkness had already descended when the
Titanic
departed Cherbourg. The port sparkled like a crescent jewel box with the crown jewel steaming out of the harbor and into the night.

Archie had left Henry in the stateroom and met Millet for dinner. The first class dining room was buzzing. Men were in tuxedoes, women in evening gowns. The dinner conversation that night was mostly about the ship. While almost all of the first class passengers were Transatlantic veterans, few had experienced the supreme luxury the
Titanic
offered – a full gymnasium, a Squash Court, Turkish baths, a large swimming pool, opulent sitting rooms, a smoking parlor, a veranda and palm court, three dining rooms along with a French
a la carte
restaurant, and grand promenades for each class. Millet was in his usual high-spirited form, relating who was sleeping with whom among European royalty. When Archie stuffed a bit of his steak and some rolls in a napkin to take to Henry, Millet teased him on becoming a parent late in life. “Don’t misunderstand me, Archie, I like the boy,” Millet said. “He brings a bit of street spunk with him. Something us jaded elders can use.”

The two old friends made their way to the upstairs smoking salon and talked, drank brandy and smoked cigars until nearly eleven when both decided to call it an evening. As Archie walked along the first class promenade he could hear the ship’s band playing a medley of waltzes from two decks down. He felt light again. Easy. The
Titanic’s
elegant refinement made the whole world seem properly ordered and civilized.

All the lights in the stateroom were on when Archie entered. Henry lay atop the mattress, fully dressed and lightly snoring. Archie didn’t want to wake him from what seemed to be deep sleep. But he noticed that Henry’s face was contorted and he was emitting small, tortured yelps. Archie bent over the bed to touch the boy’s shoulder.

“
Henry…you’re having a bad dream…” Archie said softly.

But Henry only moaned. Archie shook the boy a little harder. “It’s only a dream…wake up now…” Still asleep, Henry began angrily babbling then struck an arm out, smacking Archie in the chest. Archie grabbed Henry’s tight fist. “Henry!…” Archie’s tone was no longer gentle. “You have to wake up! It’s only a dream!”

But Henry was now barking his unconscious rage. His face was red, his mouth bent. Archie grabbed Henry by both shoulders and pushed him hard to the bed. Henry’s head snapped back and bounced on the mattress. His eyes shot open. Archie smiled reassuringly, seeing Henry come back into this world. “It’s only a bad dream,” Archie said gently. But Henry erupted with a bloodcurdling shriek. His hands shot up and latched around Archie’s neck. The boy’s eyes were vacant; he was grunting hot animal breaths, squeezing Archie’s neck with a primal aggression that funneled unnatural strength to his hands. Archie could barely get out a croak. Henry drove his thumbs into Archie’s carotid artery. Archie felt a white haze pulsate around him. His eyes grew unfocused. In that foggy moment, a strange sort of admiration flashed: that this small boy that Archie was growing so fond of, possessed the fierceness of a warrior. But that was only a lightning thought before his own self-defense mechanism clicked in and he struck his fist into the boy’s chest. His knuckles plunged into Henry’s body. The bones were thin and delicate. Bird bones. Archie thought he had completely shattered Henry’s breast. Henry released his grip, fell back on the bed and blinked his eyes, appearing to emerge out of his rabid spell.

“
Henry…” Archie said sharply.

“
No…no…no…” Henry murmured, then looked directly at Archie. “I tried to kill you, Captain, but I didn’t know…” The boy couldn’t finish his sentence, dissolving into racking sobs.

“
It’s alright, son,” Archie said, trying to understand what just happened. “I must have surprised you and you thought I was attacking you.” Henry just kept wailing and crying, “No…no…no…” Archie wrapped his arms around the boy.

“
I’m a bad seed,” Henry whispered hoarsely.

“
What are you talking about?”