Josephine's Journey

          Josephine’s eyes widened in wonder at the floating mansion before her. It was as big as several London houses stacked on top of each other. The top crystal white and the bottom dark blue. Steam puffed out of the smoke stacks into a clear blue sky. The newspapers had been raving for weeks about this ship: unsinkable and the biggest object ever created by man. She could not have ever imagined such a thing without seeing it for herself. She raised her Brownie camera and took a picture of the R.M.S. Titanic.

          All around her stood groups of people. All were dressed in their best, but the best of some would not be good enough to clean mud off a dog’s paws by others. She took a few pictures of the crowds waiting to board: a blond woman in an elegant blue dress, a young man in a black suit, a woman in a brown dress holding a baby. She then took another picture of the magnificent ship. She was very grateful to her father for giving her this shilling camera for her voyage to America. Her parents were unable to travel to Southampton to see her off so she was documenting the trip for them.

         } “Hey lassie,” a boy called to her in an Irish brogue, “will you take my picture in front of the ship? I want my ma and pa to see me in front the unsinkable ship.” Josephine did not respond. She took a picture of a woman nearby. The woman was tall and dressed impeccably in a white dress with a navy blue hat on her head.

         “What’s the matter with ya, girl?” the boy yelled. He grabbed her arm. “I asked ya a question!” He then called her a very rude word.

         }Josephine shook him off and looked at the woman beside her. The woman pulled her away.

         “Now young man, there is no need for language like that!” she reprimanded the boy. “She didn’t hear you. She is deaf.”

         The boy turned as red as his hair. “I’m sorry, ma’am. Tell her I’m sorry, if you can, please.” He slouched off, looking mortified.

          Josephine giggled. The woman, named Victoria, was her traveling companion and chaperone for her journey to America. She was also her teacher.

         Josephine was traveling to America to get hearing aids. These were the very newest type-electric hearing aids with a body pack the size of a deck of cards that she could keep in her pocket. She had hearing aids but they were not as good as the new ones. Queen Alexandra of Denmark herself had them and raved about them. When her parents heard this, they decided that Josephine should get them too. Her father, a successful attorney in Belfast, arranged passage for Josephine and Victoria on the next available ship to New York City: the R.M.S. Titanic.

         Josephine lost most of her hearing when she was eight years old, due to mumps. Her parents noticed her speech sounded strange and that unless she was facing a person, she never responded. They took her to the best doctors in England who confirmed their fears: Josephine was nearly completely deaf. The right ear was in slightly better shape than the left but she could hear nothing quieter than a train whistle at ten feet away.

         At first, they were all devastated. They communicated by writing, but Josephine was only eight and could neither read nor write very well. She could no longer go to regular school. Her father wanted to throw all his money into the sea, for what good was money when it could not buy hearing for his little girl.

         Then they began to recover. A friend of her mother’s, whose rubella during pregnancy resulted in her son being born deaf, suggested both hearing aids and learning sign language. Victoria was hired to teach them all sign language. Soon she moved in with them and become Josephine’s governess and translator. Josephine could still talk but she was self-conscious about her voice now that she could not hear it.

          Seven years passed since she lost her hearing. Josephine followed Victoria on board to their cabin. She was itching to explore and take pictures, especially for her father. He had a keen interest in ships.

         They walked to their cabin in the second class area of the ship. It was very nice: bunk beds bolted to the wall on one side and a couch on the other. A dressing table with a basin stood against the wall between the beds and couch. There was also a large wardrobe.

         Josephine gazed around. It was nothing like her fine home in Belfast but she knew that first class accommodations on Titanic were in the millionaire range. Her hearing aids were going to be expensive enough. She wasn’t going to complain about sailing second class on such a ship.

         They began unpacking. Josephine set a small picture of St. Brendan of Clonfert on the dressing table.

         Victoria signed, “Who’s that?”

         Josephine signed back, “St. Brendan of Clonfert. Patron Saint of sea travelers. My mother got scared when they said God himself couldn’t sink this ship. I promised to put it by my bed.”

          Victoria shrugged. The Catholics were entitled to their beliefs, though she did not agree with them all. Victoria’s mother was Catholic, her father Protestant and she was nothing.

          “Let’s go!” Josephine signed excitedly. “I want to take pictures for Papa!”

          Victoria smiled at her enthusiasm. They went up to the deck where everyone was waving goodbye. Even Josephine could hear the roar of the crowd slightly. She took a picture of the cheering crowds both on dock and on ship.

         Soon they were off, out on the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Josephine took a picture of England shrinking in the distance behind her, the blue-grey-green-water, the same color as her eyes, sparkling in the sun. Josephine wanted to explore the ship immediately but Victoria insisted they finish unpacking and then have lessons.

          “Explore tomorrow?” Josephine pleaded.

          Victoria laughed. “Yes, tomorrow morning.”

          After lessons it was time for dinner. Josephine felt quite self-conscious as she entered the dining room. Rows of long rectangular tables with swiveling chairs awaited them. Waiters taking orders, people talking and laughing. Of which she could hear almost nothing.

         They sat at their assigned table. Victoria did most of the talking while Josephine read the menu silently. A waiter came and Josephine signed her order for onion soup and baked haddock, which Victoria translated. The boy across the table stared.

          “You can’t talk?” he exclaimed. “What’s wrong with you?”

          His father smacked him.

          “Nothing is wrong with her!” Victoria snapped. “She’s deaf. And I will thank you not to stare!”

         “I’m terribly sorry, ma’am,” the father apologized. “My son is only ten. I will speak to him about this later.”

         Victoria fixed him with a cold gaze. “When you do, tell him that Beethoven was also deaf.”

         Josephine heard none of this, of course. But she could see how Victoria went white with rage, how the boy blushed and his father’s embarrassment. Even though it happened a lot, it never got easier.

         “Don’t worry about those idiots,” Victoria signed to her after they were in their cabin for the night. Josephine sighed and signed she wouldn’t.

         The next day, Josephine left a note for Victoria and went up on deck with her camera, a pad of paper and a box of colored pencils first thing in the morning. Pink and orange clouds glowed near the horizon as the sun slowly rose. The sky turned from indigo to bright blue as she drew the sunrise reflecting in the ocean. She wished she had color film.

         She wandered around taking pictures. She couldn’t believe the library, full of hundreds of books. She signed one out for Victoria to sign to her. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. She took pictures of as much as she could. She was nearly out of film when Victoria found her. She wanted her last picture to be of the Statue of Liberty.

          “Having fun?” she signed. “I about had a heart attack when you weren’t there.”

         “Sorry,” Josephine signed back. “I left you a note.”

         Victoria glared at her. “Don’t wander around without me. This is a big ship. What would you do if there was trouble?”

          Josephine held up her pad of paper. “I would write my information!”


          April 14, 1912 passed as every other day had since they came on board. They passed the time with lessons, reading Frankenstein and drawing. Josephine relaxed on the promenade and drew the sunset before dinner.
          That evening they finished Frankenstein. “Do you think hearing aids are like what Dr. Frankenstein did?” Josephine signed. “Am I going to be a monster made of corpse bits?”

         “Don’t be ridiculous! Hearing aids are machines, not body parts,” Victoria replied. “It’s nothing like what Dr. Frankenstein did.”

         Josephine took her hearing aids out for the night and went to sleep. A few hours later, Victoria was awakened by a series of sharp jolts, as if the ship had gone over a million marbles. Soon afterwards a steward knocked on the door.

          “Lifebelts on! Come up to the deck!” he called.

         Victoria pulled her lifebelt out of the chest and put it on. She woke up Josephine and tried to sign what was going on but it was too dark and Josephine too tired to comprehend. Victoria grabbed her hearing aids and stuffed them into her purse. Josephine blearily got dressed and followed Victoria up to the deck.

         The deck was in chaos. Several lifeboats were already launched and floating away from the ship. Steam vented from the high pressure boilers was deafening. Several passengers covered their ears. Josephine could even hear it slightly, it was so loud. The crew used hand signals to beckon them forward.

          “Women and children only!” they bellowed.

         Victoria signed to Josephine what they said and grabbed her hand. The boat listed slightly but Josephine thought to what everyone said: God himself couldn’t sink the Titanic. She thought with a jolt of her prayer card beside her bed. Her heart sank when she remembered her camera was also left behind.

         She tried to sign that she wanted to go back and get them but it was too late. A man yanked her forward and shoved her into a lifeboat. Victoria got in next to her. She said something to the man. Josephine couldn’t not hear what but she could tell Victoria was annoyed. She guessed Victoria was telling them she was deaf.

         Victoria took her hand again and smiled reassuringly. They were lowered into the freezing water smoothly. The crewmen rowed away as Josephine watched the mighty Titanic in horror.

         Half the ship was under the water. People fell in, but she couldn’t hear their screams. Rockets were shot into the sky. Soon all the lights went out and half the Titanic stuck up in the water. The smokestacks collapsed and then she sank. A few explosions came from beneath the icy waves. Josephine couldn’t hear the people in the water but she could feel them. Some frantically swam towards the lifeboats but they were too far away and the water too frigid. Josephine closed her eyes and said a silent prayer.

          The Carpathia rescued them at daybreak. A beautiful sunrise painted the sky pink and orange. Josephine thought of her wish for color film the day before. It seemed so childish now. Her hearing aids were gone too. The fell from Victoria’s pocket during the chaotic evacuation. They steamed towards New York. Josephine thought about how excited she had been just a few days earlier to be getting new hearing aids and a new camera. How trivial those seemed now.
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