"Captain… will we be able to survive this?" he turned his face toward the captain. But no answer came.
By then, one of the men standing beside him took the knife in his hand and ended his own life. He no longer had the courage to face what was coming.
Four others followed him, taking their own lives as well.
The ships swayed violently in the raging waves. Watching this, the rest understood one thing clearly.,their death was near.
Daniel's eyes began to ache. A strange shiver ran through his whole body. An unbearable pain spread across his flesh. The scene before his eyes was something he could hardly believe.
He realized his own death was close. Slowly, he closed his eyes…
.....
Twelve Hours Earlier
An unfamiliar ship sailed forward, cutting through the waves of the Western Ocean. The ship's destination was from London to New York.
It was a newly constructed Steam Ship. It was the ship's first voyage. Normally, a Steam Ship could accommodate only around 200 to 250 passengers. But this newly built Steam Ship could carry approximately over a thousand people. The hostility with Russia was the reason the Englishers spent their entire wealth and built the largest Steam Ship in the world. That news spread to many countries. At that time, England pushed back Russia which had the ships with the most travel facilities and came to the forefront. The ship had about 12 decks. (Deck indicates how many levels the ship has.)
A passenger on the ship ran his eyes over his ticket.
ATLANTIC PASSAGE LINES
Passenger Ticket
Ship: SS OCEAN CREST
Voyage No: 045
Passenger: Charles Dickens
Cabin/Berth: Second Class 12-B
Port of Departure: London, 31 Dec 1925
Port of Arrival: New York, 8 Jan 1926
Ticket No: 874321
Conditions of Carriage apply. See reverse side.
( SS indicates which system the ship uses for propulsion. In other words, SS stands for steam ship. A steam ship operates using systems like Coal, Fuel Oil.)
He made sure that the deck he was standing on was correct. Then he went off in search of his room. His ticket had indicated the fourth deck.
On the fourth deck, two or three passengers had to share a single room together. Only on the first and second decks were single rooms available. Those who traveled at the very bottom of the ship lived in a large hall. In that hall, more than thirty people had to stay together.
The food there was just as poor. Tasteless and stale bread was all they received. But for the people on the upper decks, good meals were served. Accordingly, the ticket prices of the ship were different. For the people staying in the lowest quarters, it cost about twelve pounds, while for those at the very top decks, the price went as high as one hundred and ten pounds.
The ship surged forward toward its destination.
9:00 p.m.
That night, the moonlight was bright and clear. Its glow streamed into the ship, filling the interior with silver light. Upon the sea, the waves glittered even more beautifully beneath it. At midnight, the New Year would begin. Because of that, the passengers were preparing for a small celebration.
The people on the first and second decks gathered together to make their preparations for the New Year's celebration. On top of that, it also happened to be the birthday of a businessman's daughter on the first deck.
Meanwhile, those in the lowest quarters made their own humble preparations in their own way. By the time all the arrangements throughout the ship were complete, it was already past eleven o'clock.
The ones on the very top deck had chosen a grand, luxurious hall for their celebration. It was filled with food of many varieties. The dishes were spread out across three separate tables.
The Dishes on the First Table.
Oysters on the half shell - (The half of the seashell is opened and the plant (oyster) inside it is placed and served in this style).
Lobster cocktail (Chilled lobster meat finely chopped, mixed with a special cocktail sauce (tomato sauce, mayonnaise, spices), and served in a glass or a small dish. It is a luxurious dish).
Smoked salmon (Salmon fish smoked, finely sliced, and served chilled or lightly salted. It is an expensive delicacy).
Turtle soup (Made by cooking turtle meat together with chorizo [a spicy sausage of Spanish and Portuguese origin] for long hours. In 1925, turtle soup was considered the very symbol of luxury, an expensive soup).
On the Second Table there were more roasted dishes.
Prime rib beef with truffle sauce (The prime rib of beef, well-cooked, topped with a sauce made of rare and expensive truffles, served as a luxurious dish).
Roast lamb with mint jelly (Roasted lamb pieces served with mint jelly as a luxury dish. Mint jelly was one of the most famous food accompaniments of that time. It was made by boiling mint leaves, sugar, and water, then cooling it to form a jelly-like sauce that, when paired with meat, gave a cooling and flavorful taste).
On the second table, apart from roasted dishes, desserts were also served. Charlotte Russe (a dessert made of cream and cake), chocolate mousse, and crème caramel were among the famous sweet delicacies of that era.
On the Third Table there were drinks. At that time, the most expensive champagne (brands like Moët, Chandon, and Veuve Clicquot),
Bordeaux wine (the finest red wine from France),
Cognac (a strong brandy usually consumed after meals),
and Port wine (a sweet fortified wine) these four types of beverages were present on the table.
In addition, since it was the birthday of a businessman's daughter from the First Deck, the businessman had arranged one of the most expensive desserts of that era .a cake known as the chocolate gateau.
However, the passengers on the lower decks had not prepared their celebrations in a luxurious manner. All they had were simple foods like bread, rolls, and boiled potatoes. The beverages available to them were the filthiest wine and beer. Everyone waited for midnight. After the long wait, the New Year began. The people on the ship celebrated the New Year joyfully. Everyone forgot themselves and started dancing.
The businessman had gifted his daughter a Fine Leather diary. The reason for giving such a gift was that he had realized his daughter loved writing in her diary the most. The specialty of the Fine Leather diary was that it was a luxurious keepsake with a soft leather cover, gold-edged pages, and the customer's name personalized in it.
After all the celebrations concluded, the passengers returned to their respective cabins.
After about an hour, a notice came from the captain's cabin to the vicinity of the passengers.
"Everyone must reach the main hall within five minutes." Following the captain's instructions, the passengers from all twelve decks made their way to the halls assigned to them. However, the captain had still not arrived there. To summon the captain, one of the ship officers went to the bridge. Upon reaching there, the ship officer called out to the captain.
"Captain Daniel."
At the same time, he was focusing on the compass in his hand. He turned his gaze toward the place where the call came from. Even though he was the captain, he did not like wearing a uniform. He was wearing a coat instead. He was a person with a well-built physique. The captain was approximately six feet tall. He immediately pocketed the compass in his hand and ran to the first deck. By that time, the other ship officers had already received instructions from the captain. As a result, each officer had reached their respective decks. Within a short time, Captain Daniel arrived at the first deck. At the same time, one of the passengers asked the captain,
"How long have we been standing here, Captain? Where has the captain been all this time after telling us to come here? Forget that, why did you ask everyone to come so quickly? Is there any problem?"
"There is a problem. We are supposed to go from London to New York, right? And that's by looking west. But the compass is not showing the direction." The captain explained the current problem to them. The same instruction had also been delivered to the passengers on the other decks.
"What is this? This is the first time I've ever heard of such a problem," a businessman among the group raised his voice.
"You have a compass with you as well, don't you? Take it out and check," the captain told him.
The man pulled the compass from his pocket. The needle was spinning wildly, refusing to point in any clear direction. Fear and panic spread across his face.
"We don't understand why the compass needle is spinning like this. But there's an even bigger problem. The radio we use to communicate with others isn't receiving any signal. Passengers, please do not be afraid. I only gathered you here to let you know about this issue. Everyone, return to your cabins. By morning, we will have found a solution to this problem. That is my promise to you," the captain said firmly.
The passengers trusted his words. Before long, they all returned to their rooms. The captain and the other officers went back to the bridge, working to find a solution to the strange situation.
Just then, one of the ship's officers noticed a sudden change in the weather. Dark clouds quickly gathered, swallowing the sky. The sea itself began to shift, growing restless. Soon, heavy rain poured down, followed by a violent storm. Massive waves rose and crashed, tossing the ship uncontrollably. Captain Daniel struggled at the helm, unable to steady the vessel.
By then, the passengers had already begun to panic. Picking up the radio, Captain Daniel sent out a message to reassure them.
"None of you should leave your cabins. This is just a sudden change in weather. It will calm down after a short while,"
the captain reassured the passengers.
But by then, their trust in the captain had already been lost.
Following his instructions, no one stepped out of their cabins. Yet, the condition of those on the lowest deck was the worst. Down there, people had already lost control of themselves. Just two hours ago, they had gathered together to celebrate the New Year. Now, they were fighting each other for survival.
Amid the chaos, a child trapped with his mother asked her a question:
"Why are people like this, Mother? Weren't they the same ones who just danced with us? The same ones who shared their joy? Then why are they fighting each other to death now?"
Holding her son close, the mother said,
"That's how people are, my boy. We humans are the filthiest creatures in this world. If we want to survive on this ship now, we need strength. But we don't have it."
She clutched her son tightly. In the desperate stampede for survival, they were crushed between the madness of the crowd. Those who managed to escape ran straight to the upper decks. Slowly, the ship's atmosphere changed. The passengers had gone mad driven into a frenzy by their fight to stay alive. They could no longer place their faith in the captain's words.
Yet, the passengers on the first three decks remained calm, staying quietly inside their cabins. None of them knew of the chaos raging below.
Captain Daniel still held onto hope.,that if enough time passed, the weather would settle. But even after half an hour, the wind did not weaken. Instead, it only grew stronger. Still, the captain refused to give up. He tried his best to keep control of the ship.
At that moment, one of the ship's officers on the bridge turned to the captain and said.
"Captain, look in that direction." When he said this, the ship officer's voice was trembling. Hearing this, the captain immediately turned to look that way. The sight was beyond what his eyes could believe. Fear and wonder appeared together on their faces.
A little distance away from the ship, a white light was seen, stretching all the way to the sky in front of them. It was waiting to swallow the vessel. The courage of the ship's officers drained away at once. Two or three of them ran from the bridge toward the deck. Only a few remained there, still holding on to the captain's words.
But as the ship drew closer and closer to the white light, their courage kept draining away. Every moment felt as if their very lives were slipping away. Daniel was watching with his own eyes something that existed only in stories.
At the same time, one of the officers who had been helping the captain slowly turned his face toward him.
"Captain, will we be able to survive?"
But the captain gave no reply.
Right beside him, another man pulled a small knife from his pocket. Noticing this, the captain spoke to him.
"George… don't do that. We must never let go of our courage. The passengers on this ship are alive because they believe in us."
"I can't, Captain. I don't have the strength to face what's coming anymore."
Saying this, he plunged the knife into his own throat. His blood sprayed across the captain's face. The others who watched were struck with terror. Three more followed him, ending their own lives as well.
The captain realized there was nothing more he could do. Death was standing right in front of him.
He reached into his pocket and took out a locket. Daniel opened it and stared inside. The picture within was of a men. The captain looked at the photo for a few moments, then placed it back into his pocket.
Slowly, Daniel turned his face toward the remaining ship officers on the bridge.
"Forgive me, all of you. Thank you for believing my words and standing with me here. But I can no longer save any of you."
As soon as he finished speaking, Daniel turned his eyes toward the terrifying white light that had appeared in front of the ship. With his hands, he made the sign of the cross. Then, slowly, he closed his eyes.
In those final moments, what filled his heart was not fear it was regret.
Regret that his promise had become a lie.
The captain stood watching as the waves hurled the ship straight into the white light.
To be continued.....