The Other Side of the Night by Daniel Allen Butler

the Titanic , quickly receiving a curt “Go ahead.”
    “Good morning, old man [GM OM]. Do you know there are messages for you at Cape Race?”
    What Cottam heard next made his blood run cold. Instead of the expected jaunty reply came the dreaded “CQD…CQD…SOS…SOS…CQD…MGY. Come at once. We have struck a berg. It’s a CQD, old man [CQD OM]. Position 41.46 N, 50.14 W.”
    Stunned, Cottam did nothing for a moment, then asked Phillips if he should tell his captain. The reply was immediate: “Yes, quick.” Cottam raced to the bridge and breathlessly told First Officer Dean. Dean didn’t hesitate—he bolted down the ladder, through the chartroom and into the captain’s cabin, Cottam hard on his heels.
    For Captain Rostron, such indecorous behavior was a bit much. People were expected to at least knock before barging in on the captain, especially when he was asleep. But the reprimand died on his lips when a clearly anxious Dean told him about the Titanic . Rostron swung his legs out of bed and then seemed lost in thought for a few seconds as he digested the news.
    “Mr. Dean, turn the ship around—steer northwest. I’ll work out the course for you in a minute.” As Dean sped back to the bridge, Rostron turned his attention to Cottam. “Are you sure it’s the Titanic and she requires immediate assistance?” he asked.
    “Yes, sir.”
    “You are absolutely certain?”
    “Quite certain, sir.”
    “All right, tell him we are coming along as fast as we can.” Cottam dashed back to his wireless set, and quickly began tapping out a message to the Titanic .
    At 12:25 Phillips got his first piece of good news. While Cottam had missed the Titanic ’s first CQD, he reacted quickly when Phillips brushed aside his question about the traffic waiting for the Titanic at Cape Race with a staccato “Come at once. We have struck a berg…” After a few moment’s pause as the Carpathia ’s operator rushed up to the bridge to inform his captain, he was back at his key with the welcome news that the Carpathia was only fifty-eight miles away and “coming hard.” Phillips sent Bride to find Captain Smith and relay the news to him.
    As soon as Cottam and Dean left his cabin, Arthur Rostron began donning his uniform, and as he dressed his mind was racing. This would be his first real test as a captain, as he had never faced this sort of emergency before. It isn’t difficult to imagine his thoughts in those moments: exactly how should he prepare his ship for a rescue? And did the Carpathia even have room for as many as possibly three thousand extra people? The routine of putting on his uniform gave Rostron a valuable few minutes to organize his thoughts for the potentially daunting task ahead, and as he made his way to the Carpathia ’s bridge, his mind was clear. There was no hesitation, no second guessing. Perhaps without even realizing it, he had gone into action the moment he heard the news from First Officer Dean. The first words out of his mouth had been the order to turn the ship around — then he had asked Cottam for confirmation. There had been no prevarication on Rostron’s part, no instructions to Cottam to find out if there were any ships closer to the Titanic or better suited than the Carpathia to handle such an emergency. To Rostron, the Titanic ’s CQD was a clear call to duty—he had no choice but to answer.
    As he straightened his tie and set his cap square on his head, Rostron settled the last few details in his mind. Standing over the chart table before him, he began working out the Carpathia ’s new course. Then he stepped out of the chartroom, climbed the ladder to the bridge, and strode over to the quartermaster. It seemed as though he gained confidence from each step he took, each act he performed. He gave the helmsman the new course—North 52 West—then called down to the engine room to order “Full Speed Ahead.” At the Carpathia ’s top speed of 14 knots she would cover the distance