Hens and Roosters and Icebergs, Oh My!
- By Crewmember Cheri
You’ve probably heard stories about the ten, dear dogs that
were on Titanic, but I’ll bet you
didn’t know there were chickens on board, too. They weren’t your ordinary, barnyard birds of course, not on
Titanic! These were rare and exotic
French roosters and hens, the very symbol of French national pride.
This elegant brood belonged to widow Ella White, 55, and her
traveling companion Marie Grice Young, 36. The two women purchased
the birds while touring the continent with a maid and man servant. They were
returning to Ella’s family home, Briarcliff Manor and Farm in New York, where
they planned to raise the colorful foul.
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| Left to right Marie Young, Ella White and Ella's niece Mrs Harry S. Durand© Michael A. Findlay / Harry Durand Jr., USA |
Personality wise, these two women were as different as night
and day. Ella was brash and
aggressive, while Marie was soft-spoken and artistic - she was once music
instructor to President Theodore Roosevelt’s daughter Ethel. When Ella injured her ankle, it fell to
kind-hearted Marie to look after her and to mind the chickens nesting in the
ship’s kennel.
It became a happy, daily routine for Marie to visit the birds in their
“D” deck coop, always accompanied by Titanic’s
26-year-old carpenter, John Hutchinson, who, by the way, also looked after the welfare
of Titanic’s ten dogs. Checking on
the chicks gave Marie a chance to explore the work-a-day world aboard ship and
to report her findings to Ella.
On the night before Titanic
struck the iceberg, 2nd Class passenger Nellie Hocking was shocked
to hear a cock crowing between sunset and midnight and that, according to
folklore, signaled impending disaster.
Well, you know what happened next, but before the sinking Marie had tipped
the young Mr. Hutchinson with some gold coins, to which he exclaimed, “It’s such good luck to receive gold on a
first voyage.” Sadly, his luck,
along with that of his feathered and furry wards, ran out when Titanic went down.
Marie and Ella, however survived, maintaining their
relationship for 30 more years.
When Ella died, Marie inherited the majority of her estate.
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