About White Star

Run, Spot, Run

About "White Star"

"White Star" is about a fictional Irish Setter who joins the dozen very real dogs aboard the Titanic when the ship sailed on it's maiden or first -- and last -- voyage in April 1912. Above (from left), see photos of an actual Titanic life vest; a 1912 vintage photo of a boy with his dog that I used as the model for Sam (but not for Star, who was a different kind of dog!); a photo of the Titanic's skipper, Captain Smith, with his own Irish wolfhound, on the deck of the Titanic shortly before it sailed (Captain Smith didn't take his dog); and a poster advertising the trip.

Cunard eventually bought the White Star line.

Location of the dog kennels on the boat deck.

Since the James Cameron movie, "Titanic," interest has soared worldwide. Above (l) is a postcard from an exhibit in Orlando, Florida called "Titanic, Ship of Dreams." The exhibit tries to give the "feel" of the Titanic by recreating different areas of the ship. It also displays artifacts brought from more than two miles down, on the ocean floor where the Titanic sank. Traveling exhibits of such artifacts are on display all over the U.S. and in other countries as well. The middle image is a Cunard poster of a seagull and ship. Cunard eventually bought the White Star line, which owned Titanic. White Star never completely recovered from its association with the greatest sea disaster of all time. The drawing on the far right is an artist's rendering of the boat deck, just in back of the fourth funnel. Many experts feel this is where the dog kennels were, and that's where I put them in "White Star." Other experts feel the kennels were down in the galley area of the ship, many decks below. Since dogs were seen on deck and in the water, it's hard to imagine them finding their way up to the boat deck, with its too-few lifeboats, from someplace far below in the sinking ship. Surprisingly, although the Titanic sank close to 100 years ago, people are still arguing about what went where and who did what.

The Astors

Shown at left are J.J. and Madeline Astor with their Airedale, Kitty, one of the dogs seen on the decks of the sinking ship by a passenger (Madeline) in the lifeboats. Below is a table, created by me, to try and figure out what dogs were on board, who owned them, and who got saved. I felt I needed to know as much as I could about the real dogs before putting a fictional dog in their midst.

At right, I dig into Titanic research at the Los Angeles Maritime Museum, where they have a detailed scale model of the ship (showing the dog kennels on the boat deck) and on the Queen Mary, permanently moored in Long Beach, Calif., where I learned about lifeboat drills.

For more information about the Titanic, check out:

George Behe's Titanic Tidbits http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Carpathia

Encyclopedia Titanica http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org

Thar she blows!

THINK ABOUT IT: What's different about traveling with animals today from traveling with them in 1912? What is "the rule of the sea" when it comes to the captain and crew of a sinking ship? Why? Should J. Bruce Ismay, the president of the White Star Line, have been considered part of the Titanic's crew? Should he have gone down with the ship? Why do you think so many people were angry with him? What major changes in shipping came about because of the Titanic disaster?

At the 35th Anniversary of the Titanic Historical Society, Inc., I had the privilege of meeting Miss Elizabeth Gladys (Millvina) Dean (r), who was a nine-month-old baby heading from Devon, England to Wichita, Kansas when she survived the sinking of the Titanic. She is still alive today. (I am costumed for the convention as a third class passenger.) Millvina Dean was in third class.

Click here for a table showing all the (known) dogs on the Titanic

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