Their Last Song

Most of us have heard about the orchestra that continued to play aboard the Titanic as she sank on April 15, 1912. Rather than abandon their instruments and try to save themselves, each member of the 8-piece orchestra chose to stay and play for the passengers as long as they were able. The youngest, a Frenchman named Roger Bricoux, was 20 years old. The oldest, 33-year-old Wallace Hartley, served as the leader of the group.

Titanic’s White Star Line did not employ the orchestra directly. They worked for a firm from Liverpool called C.W. and F.N. Black, which placed orchestras on all the British ocean liners. During the Titanic’s voyage, the eight musicians were usually divided into a quintet and a trio, playing for first and second class passengers in various rooms of the ship. After the ship hit the iceberg and the order came for the lifeboats to be filled, the orchestra members joined together. They hoped to calm the passengers by playing popular dance tunes.

As the last lifeboat was lowered to the water and the ship continued to sink, the orchestra played on. Many survivors recalled hearing the music, even from the lifeboats. Some were certain the orchestra’s last song was Nearer My God to Thee. Others recalled hearing the song Autumn before the ship’s stern rose out of the water and plunged beneath the Atlantic. Regardless, the fact remains that all eight members of the orchestra died at their posts. Only two of their bodies were recovered, including Wallace Hartley’s. He is buried in Colne, Lancashire, England, where he was born.

Ruth Becker, the main character in my yet-to-be-published novel, is a budding violinist who happens to meet Wallace Hartley and the rest of the orchestra during the voyage. Their friendship and courage in the end have a profound affect on Ruth. I hope to be able to share her story soon.

"My Writing Process" Blog Tour

My post today is part of the My Writing Process Blog Tour, in which bloggers answer four questions about their writing and introduce three other bloggers who will do the same on their own blogs the next week. I was invited by author Stephanie Landsem, and you can read about her and her captivating novels at http://StephanieLandsem.com/blog. If you like biblical fiction, DO NOT MISS her books!

1. What am I working on? Two goals are currently consuming most of my writing time: find a “home” for my novel, The Stars in April, and build an online platform. Both are interesting, somewhat frustrating, and time consuming, but I’m learning a great deal in the process.
2. How does my work differ from others of its genre? My novel is historical fiction, but it’s based on a true story about a real person. There are no other books about Ruth Becker, other than a picture book, and I happen to think her story is pretty amazing and needs to be told. In future novels, I hope to write about more real people in history that perhaps aren’t well-known but have incredible stories.
3. Why do I write what I do? I used to write articles for kids’ magazines on many topics. It was challenging to take a subject (like the history of animation, for example) and explain it in a fun way that would get kids excited to know more and even try making their own cartoons. I found that I loved the research and learning about people who did it first. Then, researching for a lengthy article about Michelangelo made me realize how much I enjoyed discovering obscure, interesting facts about people in the past. So, why write about a twelve-year-old on the Titanic? Because she experienced one of the biggest maritime disasters in history and lived to tell about it. I had to know how she got there and what it was like. What was she like? And on the most terrifying night of her life, what made her help others, even when separated from her mother and siblings?
4. How does your writing process work? For The Stars in April, I read all the books available about the Titanic, researched the ship’s diagrams, the menus, the carpet colors. I read firsthand accounts from dozens of survivors, studied photographs, and visited the Titanic Exhibit when it traveled here to Michigan. I took pages and pages of notes, then gradually developed an outline, but I changed the outline several times as I wrote the story, even with the first draft. With the next draft and the next, I stopped frequently to look up things. Once, I called my friend who’d lived in England to ask about English slang words. It’s so much fun to get it right, and I wouldn’t want to give readers anything less than the most authentic, real story possible. But by far, the most important part of my writing process is prayer. I continually ask God to direct my thoughts as I write and to help me tell the truth.

I’d like to introduce three lovely and talented writers, who will continue the My Writing Process Blog Tour next Monday, May 12^th. Be sure to check out their blogs and their books!

Karin Beery is a freelance writer/editor/coach, wife, care giver, and homemaker. She has had more than 400 articles published in various periodicals, in addition to writing her novels. She is an active member of the American Christian Fiction Writers Association, Evangelical Press Association, and Christian Proofreaders and Editors Network. You can connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, or at her website, www.karinbeery.com. Her blog address is: www.karinbeery.com/blog

Dawn Crandall is the author of The Hesitant Heiress. A graduate from Taylor University with a degree in Christian Education, Dawn didn’t begin writing until after she was married, and her husband found out about her long-buried dream of writing a book. Without a second thought about her someday becoming published, he let her quit her job to focus on writing. When Dawn signed with Joyce Hart of Hartline Literary Agency less than two years later (in 2011), it didn't take her long to realize that writing books was what she was made to do. Dawn is also a first-time-mom to a precious little boy [as of March 2014] and also serves with her husband in a pre-marriage mentor program at their local church in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Dawn is a member of ACFW, Secretary for the Indiana ACFW Chapter (Hoosier Ink), and associate member of The Great Lakes ACFW Chapter. The Hesitant Heiress releases on August 1, 2014 from Whitaker House. Dawn’s Book Review Blog: APassionforPages.blogspot.com. You can also find Dawn at facebook.com/DawnCrandallWritesFirst and on Twitter @dawnwritesfirst.

Mary L. Hamilton is the author of the Rustic Knoll Bible Camp series for tweens. (Adults are really enjoying it, too!) Hear No Evil, the first book, is already out and Speak No Evil, the second book, will be out in August. Mary grew up at a camp much like the setting for her book. She's written articles and a Christmas play, Homespun Angel. When not writing, Mary enjoys knitting, reading and being outdoors, though not necessarily all at the same time. She and her husband are owned by a spoiled Golden Retriever and live near Houston, TX within range of their three grown children. http://www.maryhamiltonbooks.com/blog/

The Boatswains on Titanic

The boatswain (pronounced bosun) has played a vital role aboard ships since at least the eleventh century. Many boatswains have left their mark throughout history, including two US Navy boatswains who received the Medal of Honor for heroism. A boatswain played a central character in the opening scene of William Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and if you’ve read Peter Pan or have seen the movie, you will remember Captain Hook’s boatswain, Mr. Smee.

The boatswain is a senior crewman, responsible for all the unlicensed crew members aboard. He plans the deck crew’s work, assigns tasks, and checks that they comply with operating procedures. He oversees all parts of the ship not under the responsibility of the engineering department, including maintenance of the ship’s hull and deck equipment.

On Titanic, the boatswain and boatswain’s mate worked to help save others following the collision with the iceberg. One lived, one perished.

Thirty-two-year-old Alfred “Big Neck” Nichols of London became Titanic’s boatswain following a long history of employment with the White Star Line. On the night of April 14, 1912, Alfred led a team of six seamen to open some of the gangway doors in order to load the lifeboats. The seven men were believed to have been trapped, and their bodies were not recovered.

Boatswain Alfred Nichols

Thirty-year-old Southampton resident Albert Haines, Titanic’s boatswain’s mate, had worked several years at sea as well. When Titanic hit the iceberg, Albert was working below and heard air escaping. He reported what he heard to Chief Officer Henry Wilde, who ordered him to “get the men up and get the boats out.”

Chief Officer Harold Wilde

Albert then went to wake some of the crewmen, saying, “Turn out, fellows, you’ve not half an hour to live.” He then helped with loading of the lifeboats, and was put in charge of Lifeboat 9. Following rescue, Albert returned to the sea. He married in 1914 and had a son. The family lived in Southampton, where Albert was struck by a car and died as a result of his injuries at the age of 53. (Titanic photo credits: Encyclopedia Titanica)

Boatswain's Mate Albert Haines