I would like to post up here, an excerpt from my forthcoming new Titanic book. I have, I believe, kept the story compelling, to the point, and as historically accurate as I can possibly get it, but with a modern day feel that will fit in with today's current society.
This excerpt comes from chapter 2, just after the ship has struck the iceberg. Tensions are running high on the bridge of the doomed liner as Captain Smith address's his bridge crew, ships owner and ships designer. The designer has inspected the vessel to see what damage has occurred, and now he delivers his findings to the ships Captain.
". . . . . after less than a minute, the liner comes to a stop. The only tell-tale sign of any collision up-top is the chunks of ice scattered about the forward well deck. Passengers from steerage take this opportunity to play a simple game of 'football' with the ice as first class passengers on A-Deck look upon them.
Upon the bridge, after hearing the emergency alarm bells ringing, Captains Smith rushes out from his Cabin.
"Yo bro, wot did we hit man?"
First officer Murdoch replied. . "It woz an izeburg, innit. I tryed man to port around it, but, I aye very gud at dat sort of fing man. We got too cloze, and we hit it. . . . . whollop!"
"Iz yo blind, man. WTF. Itz a bloody izeberg man. How yo not see it man?" said Smith
"I woz taking a drag of ma spliff man, when, whollop. Itz not mi fult man, so dow blame me bruv"
After feeling that the engines had stopped, Bruce Ismay, the ships owner, came onto the bridge to see what was happening.
"Yo, hommies, wot iz apnin man?. Why az we stopped?, picking up sum skirt I ope, yeeeeaaaaahhhh"
"Nah" said Smith while pointing towards Murdoch "this div az bumped my wheels, man. He az skracted da paintwork. I iz well pissed man, well pissed".
The ships carpenter, followed by Thomas Andrews, the ships builder, arrived on the bridge after a brief inspection of the ship below decks. The sight that met him was sheer devistation. He concluded, that the collsion with the iceberg had resulted in 6 of the ships 16 watertight compartments. As more water enterted, the weight would drag the head of the ship down and the water would flow over the tops of each bulkhead, into the next compartment. As this went along, the ship would sink by the bow.
Thomas Andrews followed the bridge crew into the ships chartroom to report his findings.
"I iz pissed beyond belief man. Ow can yo hommies smack into ice, man?. It woz big enuff, yeh?. I av bin down stairz, not looking gud. Big ole man, bigger than Smith's misses arse in da side of da ship. Sh*tloadz of water commin in, init, nuffing I can do, man. We iz, as they say, iz f*cked, yu bunch of blind mingers. I ay finished pay'in for dis boat man. How do ey explain it to da insuranze company. Afda this voyage, I woz gonna take my hunny out for ay spin, man. Nah thats up sh*t creek wiv out da paddle. Bunch of f*cking muppetz."
Blah Blah Cafe, the Jean-Michel Jarre forum
