The Titanic Plan
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Madeleine Astor gave birth to a son in August, 1912, four months after the sinking of the Titanic. The boy was christened John Jacob Astor VI. In his will, John Astor left Madeleine a 5 million dollar trust fund and the right to live at the Astor mansions in New York and Newport, but only on the condition that she remain unmarried. In 1916 Madeleine married her former fiancée, William Dick, annulling her inheritance. After a tumultuous life in which she married and divorced twice after Astor’s death, Madeleine died of a heart attack at the age of 45 and was buried at New York’s Trinity Church Cemetery near the Astor family vault and her first husband, John.
The bulk of John Astor’s $100 million estate went to his son Vincent, who became an accomplished businessman and, to the surprise of everyone, a passionate humanitarian – an Astor with a social conscience. He sold the Astor slum dwellings and tenements and contributed a good portion of his vast fortune to philanthropic causes. He died a venerated man in 1959. His widow, socialite Brooke Astor, carried on his philanthropic work until her death in 2007.
John Astor’s grand hotel, the original Waldorf-Astoria, was sold in 1931 and torn down to make way for a new building at 33rd Street and Madison Avenue. Its developers had such lofty aspirations for the planned skyscraper, they named the building after the entire state of New York – the Empire State.
Emma Goldman continued to be at the forefront of radical politics, joining forces with Margaret Sanger to advocate for a woman’s right to contraceptives and then agitating against conscription during World War I. A new, assertive young agent at the Justice Department named J. Edgar Hoover led an effort to arrest her for conspiracy under the Espionage Act of 1917. She was convicted and served two years at the Missouri State Penitentiary. Upon her release she was deported to her native Russia – even though she had lived in America for 30 years and was, by marriage, a U.S. citizen. Emma quickly became disappointed by the repressive Bolshevik style of socialism and spoke out against it, upsetting the new Soviet regime. Disillusioned, she left Russia and continued to travel the world, lecturing, writing and promoting her anarchist ideals. She died on May 14, 1940 after suffering a series of strokes.
Like Emma Goldman, Big Bill Haywood actively opposed the draft that conscripted young Americans to fight in World War I. And like Emma, Haywood was arrested under the Espionage Act with 100 other activists. Because of his celebrity, he remained out of jail on bail during his trial, in which he was found guilty and sentenced to 20 years in prison. After three years of appeals and facing the rest of his life behind bars, Haywood jumped bail and fled to the “workers paradise” of the Soviet Union. He initially became an advisor to Lenin, but with Lenin’s death and the ascension of Stalin, Haywood fell out of favor. He married a Russian woman, drank heavily and ended his days homesick and severely depressed. Bill Haywood died on May 18, 1928. Half of his ashes are buried in the cemetery at the Kremlin wall, the other half near the Haymarket Martyr’s Monument in Chicago, the most hallowed spot of the American workers movement.
Archie Butt was mourned and honored immediately after his death. Reports of his heroic efforts during the last hours of the Titanic, some accurate, some fictional, were featured in newspapers around the country. A memorial service took place in Augusta, Georgia on May 2. Over 1500 people attended. President Taft wept openly and had difficulty maintaining his composure. “If Archie could have selected a time to die he would have chosen the one God gave him,” Taft said, choking back tears. “Everybody who knew him called him Archie. He was loyal to my predecessor, Mr. Roosevelt, who selected him to be his military aide, and to me he had become as a son or a brother... Never did I know how much he was to me, until he was gone.”
A fountain honoring Archie and Frank Millet was installed near the White House grounds, on the Ellipse. There is a marker dedicated to him in Arlington National Cemetery, a bronze plaque in the National Cathedral, and a bridge, The Butt Memorial Bridge, in Augusta, that was dedicated by Taft in 1914.
The Roosevelt-Taft drama continued to play out through 1912. Roosevelt defeated Taft in 9 of the 12 state primaries the Republican Party held. But after a tremendous battle on the convention floor, the party bosses’ held sway and the nomination fell to Taft. Roosevelt was furious and, after much soul searching, bolted the Republicans to create a new party, The Progressive Party – nicknamed the “Bull Moose Party” after Roosevelt declared that he felt “as strong as a Bull Moose.”
The election of 1912, perhaps more than any other election in history, reflected the vast divisions in American society. There were four high profile candidates: the Republican incumbent, William Howard Taft; his predecessor, Theodore Roosevelt; the Democrat governor of New Jersey, Woodrow Wilson; and the perennial representative of the Socialist Party in America, Eugene Debs. Taft (23%) and Roosevelt (27%) split the vote that together would have given the Republicans another victory. Wilson emerged victorious with just 42% of the vote, and Debs polled the highest percentage a Socialist had ever received (6%).
Taft returned to his first love, the law, becoming a professor of constitutional law at Yale. In 1921, President Warren Harding nominated him to become Chief Justice of the Supreme Court – the position he had coveted his entire life. He happily served on the court until 1930, when he retired only months before his death.
There were two major hearings regarding the Titanic disaster. The U.S. Senate hearing began April 19, 1912 – only 5 days after the sinking – at the Waldorf-Astoria. Senator Smith questioned the first witness, Bruce Ismay, with the ferocity of a prosecutor cross-examining a murderer. Next to give testimony were the chief officers who escaped alive, including most of the men who were in the ship’s wheelhouse at the time of the collision, including Second Officer Lightoller, Fourth Officer Boxhall, and the man who was at the wheel and steered the ship into the iceberg, Helmsman Robert Hichens.
The reports from both the American and British hearings cited “reckless and unnecessary speed through the iceberg region” as the primary cause of the disaster. The insurance settlement to the White Star Line for the Titanic was approximately $5 million, two-thirds of the ship’s construction cost.
Legends, stories, theories and mysteries about the Titanic and its sinking continued to grow with the passing decades. On September 1, 1985, after years of unsuccessful attempts, a joint American-French team, led by Dr. Robert Ballard and Jean-Louis Michel, located the wreckage of the Titanic more than two miles below the ocean’s surface. While the discovery of the Titanic was hailed as a spectacular event and gave rise to a new interest and lucrative merchandising industry (including a hit film), the physical presence of the ship did little to answer the puzzle of exactly how and why the Titanic came to lie in its watery grave.
There is no one left to tell the story first hand. Milvinna Dean, the last survivor of the Titanic, died at age 97 on May 31, 2009. It was the 98th anniversary of the launching of the Titanic’s hull from the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast, where Bruce Ismay and J. Pierpont Morgan, along with thousands of other celebrants, watched two rockets filled with fireworks explode over the Titanic’s bow as the ship slipped into the water for the first time.
End
FINAL NOTE
Just a reminder: If you did enjoy this book and appreciated the hard work, research, and craft that went into this book’s creation, do consider making a donation that would be very appreciated. It goes directly to the writer to help feed, clothe, and (most importantly) keep him writing! Donations can be made at: http://www.thetitanicplan.com/Purchase.html THANK YOU!
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I met Ron Freeman for the first time in July of 2005. A robust, energetic man, the first thing he said was that he had a “great idea” for a book that he had been researching and developing for almost a decade. His “great idea” turned out to be the focus of my life since that first meeting. Ron made insightful contributions and offered enthusiastic support as I delved deeper into the facts of the story and began shaping a narrative. Unfortun
ately, Ron never lived to see his vision fully realized. Cancer took his life in late 2006. THE TITANIC PLAN is dedicated to Ron, without whose passion, enthusiasm and “great idea,” this book would not exist. I would also like to thank the Freeman family for their understanding, support and patience throughout the writing process.
An endeavor such as writing a historical novel should only be undertaken by those whose sanity can legitimately be questioned, as it is a long, grueling, and often thankless process. I was fortunate to have wonderful people in my life who would reel me back to sanity when I strayed a little too far and who provided much needed support in body and soul. To those people I offer my deepest gratitude.
To my mother Anita Mendelson and step-father Bubby Mendelson, a big, heartfelt thank you for being constant in your love and support. To my father, Carl Bockman, wherever in the heavens his spirit might reside, I send out a deep appreciation for passing along the invaluable (though not always profitable) trait of chasing your dreams. And to my brother Gary and his family, I offer my thanks for the love and good cheer they provided.
There have been numerous colleagues and friends who have read the many manuscript drafts and offered up their suggestions, ideas, and continuous encouragement. That honor roll includes Ann Parker, Michael Bourne, Ed Panacek, Helene Zuckerman, Jo Cobbett, Linnea Duvall, Lynne Franks, Leanna Wolfe, and many, many others.
A special note of appreciation goes out to Evelyn Bernhard who perfectly captured the book’s mood in her elegant cover design. Finally, I’d like to thank the light in my life, my wife Alexa Brogli, for her unwavering love, partnership, support and providing the sparkling effervescence in our champagne.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Writer and filmmaker Michael Bockman has four produced screenplays to his credits. His feature screenplay, Starving Hysterical Naked, is the basis for the short film he directed which can be seen on YouTube. Between screenwriting assignments he has written numerous articles that have been published in newspapers and magazines. He has collaborated with English author Lynne Franks on three best-selling self-help books. THE TITANIC PLAN is his first novel. He divides his time between Santa Monica, California and Zurich, Switzerland.
Ron Freeman was born in Chicago in 1935 but spent most of his life in Los Angeles, where he attended UCLA, met and married Judy, raised a family and enjoyed a very successful business career. One of his interests was the early American titans of business. He was fascinated with the larger than life characters, how they acquired and maintained power and wealth, and the surreal lifestyles they lived. Ron died before seeing the final version of THE TITANIC PLAN published.
Table of Contents
Title Page
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 22
CHAPTER 23
CHAPTER 24
CHAPTER 25
CHAPTER 26
CHAPTER 27
CHAPTER 28
CHAPTER 29
CHAPTER 30
CHAPTER 31
CHAPTER 32
CHAPTER 33
CHAPTER 34
CHAPTER 35
CHAPTER 36
CHAPTER 37
CHAPTER 38
CHAPTER 39
CHAPTER 40
CHAPTER 4 1
CHAPTER 42
CHAPTER 43
CHAPTER 44
CHAPTER 45
CHAPTER 46
CHAPTER 47
CHAPTER 48
CHAPTER 49
CHAPTER 50
CHAPTER 51
CHAPTER 52
CHAPTER 53
CHAPTER 54
CHAPTER 55
CHAPTER 56
CHAPTER 57
CHAPTER 58
CHAPTER 59
CHAPTER 60
CHAPTER 61
CHAPTER 62
CHAPTER 63
CHAPTER 64
CHAPTER 65
EPILOGUE