“Sir, you are under oath. Anything you say will be marked down for official reasons. You are here for the Inquiry of the sinking of the RMS Eclipse. You are to tell us your story with the full truth, and nothing but the full truth. Now, state your name.” The courtroom full of people waited expectedly. Some had lost relatives in the disaster, some were curiosity seekers, some had official reasons. Princess Celestia herself was in the audience. The earth pony sucked in a breath.
“My name is Steam Pressure. I am 22 years old and served as a stoker in Boiler Room 6 on the RMS. I was born in Baltimare, into a rich family. My father owned a shipping company and was a majority owner of the Canterlot and Vanhoofer Railroad.
4 years ago, we went on holiday. They died. Having no kin to stay within the area, or anywhere else in, I decided to become independent. I received a job in a steel mill, shoveling coal into the furnace.
For a rich colt, it was startling and back breaking work. After a year, I got used to it and bought a shack by the docks. One day in, I noticed that the White Star Line was hiring. I took the job. What was the job? Wouldn't you know it? Shoveling coal.
Instead of on a luxurious steamer, like a Celestial class vessel this one was small. The vessel was a tender, SS Magnetic. She served as a tender for the RMS Empire, ferrying passengers, mail, and whatnot, to the bigger ship. I hated it.
Rumors started floating around about a new Celestial class ship, Eclipse.Once word reached that the ship was outfitted, I requested a transfer to Eclipse. White Star graciously agreed. But with one condition. I was a stoker, again.
On April 9th, I arrived at the ship. It was going to be my new home. I tried to familiarize myself with the interior of the ship, but it was so damn massive, all I learned was where my station was, where my cabin was, and how to get between the two.
I was uncomfortable, to say the least, by my quarters. Being used to having a great, large room, having a flat to myself wasn't that bad. Sharing a tiny room with four other stallions, that, was an experience. My shift was from 10 pm to 2 am. I was going to be up late.
Anyway, April 10th dawned, and it was departure day. Our shift was woken up at midnight, the boilers were going to be lit, and we needed to maintain heat for the morning so the ship could make steam faster. Mine was second from the starboard hull.
The boiler was lit, and one shovel load of coal sustained it until the next shift. I awaited for the departure, and fell asleep. The only real concern for the next 4 days was the fire in no.6’s coal bunker. They had that out by the 14th. Coming down that night for my shift, everything was normal.
That was, until 11:39. The light changed, from ‘full ahead’ to ‘all stop.’ Leading stoker, Mr Black Lung called out ‘shut all dampers! Put out the fires!’ Shutting the dampers prevented air from reaching the fires, so they would flame out.
Then, there came a grinding, thundering sound, like a train passing by. Suddenly, water was everywhere. Mr Lung and one of the engineers, Mr Gearhead, were directly hit by the blast of water, I got hit by a stream, nothing huge but the water was freezing. I noticed that the watertights were closing, I tried to make a dash for it, but I was stopped by a unicorn named Cinder.
‘You have a duty!’ he shouted over the gushing sound. ‘Finish with the dampers, then go!’ I nodded and went back to my boiler. Finally, I got the three closed, but by that time, we were waist deep in freezing water.
It felt like 1,000 knifes stabbing my lower half. The watertight door connecting boiler room 6 and hold 3 was shut, but hold 3 had the easiest passage to the crew quarters. I climbed up the hatch up to G deck, when I saw a comical sight. Crewponies, dragging their beds down the hallway, keeping them dry. I laughed and we exchanged a few words.
Navigating my way up and around the door, I dropped down into hold three. It was filled up to the neck with water. Walking through it, I found the fireman's passageway, and it was slowly. The passageway was cramped, low and dark. Stumbling my way out of it, I found myself on F Deck. Walking down the hall to my cabin, the floor was ankle deep with water. I grabbed my wallet, my pocket watch, my pocket knife, and headed out the door.
As I learned in Southampton, the ship was a bloody rat maze. I soon got lost in the fore third class section. A little colt came to me, eyes wide as the moon. ‘Are we going to die?’ I remember him asking. The foal couldn't have been more than 6 years old, and he had terror in his innocent voice.
‘Of course not,’ I replied to him. ‘Eclipse is the best ship in the world. Still, find your parents and get to the Boat Deck.’ He headed off. Still trying to navigate the maze, I found three other stallions from down below, trying to get up as well. We formed a little band of ponies.
Finally, I found myself on the forward Well Deck, the Boat Deck still three layers above. Checking my watch, the time read 12:20. Some steerage passengers were playing football with the ice chunks. It blew my mind. Of course, I didn't know by that point that the ship was doomed, but surely, there should have been some urgency!
Breaking down the barrier to enter the first class area, I tried to usher some of the steerage passengers up to the Boat Deck. To no avail, for whatever reason, they would not go.
Arriving on the starboard side, I saw First Officer Astrolabe controlling the loading of the boats. I presented us four to Astrolabe, saying ‘your servants, sir. In case you are out of seamen.’ He nodded and told us to report to the aft boats. There, we helped with the loading and lowering of the boats. I saw many a tragic scene, men ushering their wives and children to the boats, and awaiting their own end. It nearly made me, a grown stallion, cry with pity.
We assisted with Boats 9 and 11. The time reached 1:39. Astrolabe lowered Boats 13 and 15, the last aft boats to leave. I realized at this point, how few boats were left, how many ponies were on board, and how cold the water was. It was at that point I realized, many ponies were going to die.
I told my ponies to either go aft, go fore, or do anything else to help. I personally grabbed a stack of lifebelts from a steward and passed them out. Putting one on myself, I gradually made my way to the stern.
Waiting for me was a mass of ponies, standing 10 thick near the guard rails. Some began to jump off the ship in desperation. It was all fruitless.
Despite the call of ‘mares and foals first’,’ I saw plenty. Mothers comforting their foals, doing anything to keep them warm, husbands taking their wife’s hooves and waiting for death together. Ponies shouting, swearing, crying, doing all sorts of things.
He From the bow section of the Boat Deck, the ship's band, who until then had been playing merry tunes, started in a hymn. A very sad, melancholy, yet pretty song called ‘Nearer My Gods to Thee.’ It began to calm ponies down, almost like the song was urging them to accept the end.
Suddenly, the rate of sinking increased. The first funnel collapsed into the water, probably crushing the bridge. The ship lurched, until it was at a near 45 degree angle. Ponies not holding onto things began slipping down the deck into the ocean below. The lights flickered one last time, and then went out all together. I was by the railing, holding on for dear life, when the stern fell level again. My only conclusion is that Eclipse broke in two.
The stern floated level for a little bit, then went up at a 90 degree angle, like a steel cork. About this time, I decided that it was time to go. I climb up on the rail, took a breath and jumped.
I'll never feel pain like that again. If my experience in the boiler room was bad, this one was all over my entire body. I nearly gasped from shock, but I remembered that I was underwater and that would drown me. The suction was dragging me under, but at the last second I escaped from it. Surfacing found the ship still visible. I began swimming in the direction I thought the lifeboats were. The cold began to set in, slowing my movements, urgency renewed. Suddenly, I found a couple of wicker deck chairs strapped together to serve as a raft. Struggling aboard, I turned to look at the ship. With one final burst, she disappeared.
Then wailing started. Hundreds of ponies were in the freezing water, and they were dying. Every equine emotion cried out in a loud voice. Emotionally, it was scaring. I dare say I will take those cries to my grave. After a seeming eternity, the screams died out, the ponies that they belonged to succumbed to the water. Another eternity passed before a lifeboat came back to the sea of bodies to look for survivors. I was one of them.
They pulled 8 ponies from the water.
Two hours passed before a rescue ship arrived.
That is my official take on the sinking of the RMS Eclipse. A ship that was designed to conquer Nature, yet died to one of her most simple creations. The ship of dreams became a ship of nightmares. Thank you for listening to my testimony. I wish you the best of success in the inquiry.”
Steam Pressure stood up, gave a short bow, and walked out of the courtroom. The press were waiting outside, circling like sharks. The vultures that were disguised as reporters flashed their cameras and asked questions. But he ignored all of that. The Eclipse was gone, and so was that part of his life.