Alfred Henry Self was a Greaser on the Titanic.
Background[]
Alfred had his genisis in Southampton, where he was brought forth by Alfred Self and Maria Whyman. Their son came into existance July 31, 1872. Alfred senior was also given life in Hampshire and Southampton would be the place where he and his Norfolk girl pledged their vows to one another. Maria’s first day in life had started in Lynn. Through Alfred, she and her partner became elders. Mister Self would not always see his boy as he was drawn to the shipping lanes to eke out a living for his family of three, acting as a matlow.
The young boy wouldn’t be alone for long. He would have to share the space with another fellow in 1877: William. In 1882, a daughter had revealed herself. She was named Alice Maria. They were still living in Southampton the year before, but in another street. The year 1890 would be less positive for the Selfs. With just 48 summers of expierence, Alfred senior was taken into the eternal.
By 1891, the remainder of the family had again moved to another part of the large town. That year, Alfread was busy with his own line of work, on land.Alfred found romance and was coupled to Caroline Frances Callaway, who promised him faith till death in 1894, with Alfred doing the same while their ceremony took place in Southampton, also the town of birth to Caroline.
In 1901, Caroline had to miss her man as he was often away on ships, toiling away to get the steam ovens of the vessels satisfied.
With Caroline not giving Alfred any children in the 10-year period, they had made room for her old man, James Callaway by 1911. They had their domicile in the Shirley district of Southampon in that year. Alfred was often away from home.
Titanic[]
In 1912, Alfred had a obtained an employ at the White Star Line, a large and very important merchant shipping company. The White Star Line had just launched an entire new ship into business. She was fresh from her delivery in Southampton on the 4th of April, the day that Alfred put down his signature for the first ever passage that this ship would make.
By a play of fate, the positions of Greaser were all filled when a brother of Caroline tried to also get a billett for the faculty of a Greaser, but he would have to walk off empty-handed. What must have been a bummer to him at that very moment, would perhaps pan out to be a blessing moment decideing the difference between life and death.
A Greaser would be of higher ranking than a Fireman, something Alfred had done at least once before. His duties now would consist of maintaining the components of Titanic’s steam mechanisms and their unguent. A mix of oil and soap would be applied into the cylinders, generators, pumps and other metal gear, like the piston’s crankshaft in the Reciprocating Engines.
Titanic’s steam whistles blared over Southampton to make her departure known to the town that had just got to know her for a few days. It was April 10, when she was set in motion, to be escorted into the river Test. The Test would then debouch into the river Itchen. In the narrow and undeep Test, that could just about contain Titanic, she went on her own quite early.
Quayside, the Oceanic, Alfred’s preceding, floating workplace, was tightened next to the SS New York. When Titanic came by, she made the moorings of the with her discharge. The New York was attracted by the Titanic and nearly gave her a kiss, as she was naturally not under steam. In the end, her backside came mere within feet of Titanic’s port, until tugboat Vulcan assisted and Titanic’s port propellor was fired up to drive her away again. This close encounter was a bad omen according to some. We would probably never find out if Alfred had noticed it, but there would’ve have been several sudden orders getting to the Engine Rooms and Boiler Rooms. As his working hours are not stated, we can’t say for sure.
Titanic had escaped one hazard but was doomed to come a cropper in another. On the night of April 14, she was bearing down on an iceberg speeding through a field of ice, at 22,5 knots. The iceberg was cloaked in darkness and had become one with the horizon. Until her top point had risen above the horizon, in the perspective of the Look Out Men in the crow's nest, the peal of the ship’s bell was heard three times by First Officer Murdoch near the bridge, where they received a telephone call from Fred Fleet, one of the watchmen. The Sixth Officer, Moody, picked up and established the spotting while Murdoch sped to the bridge to seize command, edicting Quartermaster Hichens to redirect Titanic’s prow to full-on port. While Hichens whirled the wheel around, Murdoch stipulated the Engineers to cut back by changing the position of the lever on telegraph’s switchboard to ‘Full Astern.
Swinging Titanic to one side was a long process. Too long, as she rumbled across the iceberg with her starboard flank, which jarred against the ice underneath the surface. A stream of water burst through more than a handful of insterstices, which had been left on the skin of 6 half-devided brackets. The flurry of ocean ascended into the ship at a good rate.
Titanic’s captain was not certain what to think of this, as the upset had prompted him out of bed to the bridge. He set up an appraisal to get a read on the bearing that the iceberg had caused. Although the ship had watertight doors to secure areas and keep the water locked in, the bulkheads would still allow for the stem to be dragged down. They could all be overcome by the sheir weight of the water.
On April 15, midnight, the anatomy of the disaster was unfolded by Titanic’s biggest expert, her shipbuilder Thomas Andrews. Both Andrews and the captain had regarded the perplexity on the decks beneath the sea level. The water could be seen rising from a catwalk on a slightly higher deck.Titanic had no chance, Andrews expressed. All would be gone in mere hours. It was too much for Titanic to take on, even the pumps would only gain small time. Captain Smith then devised a calm evacuation. The deck crew had one important task. Make as many people as they could to abondon the ship in the lifeboats. Smith knew there was only room for half of everyone onboard. Therefore, Women and children were given priority.
With the boats not filled as they were intended to, many were left behind. Not all boats were even launched, with the two last collapsibles not being easy to get removed from their place. It was well past two when the sea came to get the poor people that were waiting for a last opportunity to get in a boat. They were thrown off-guard by a torrent when the ship's dipping motion got more severe and the water crept further aft over the Boat Deck. The people could hardly walk as the ventral tendency grew by the seconds.
It was minutes later when the water had become more violent and raged through the wheelhouse, destroying the dome over the First Class Lounge and disconnected the most forward funnel, which came down and crushed a few swimmers. It caused a wave that swept the two boats further away from the ship, which showed its propellors whilst her bridge and bows had been hidden from view. In some minutes, her blades were hoved up further and soon was pointing at the stars. Titanic's lights burned no longer when suddenly, she was dissevered as her back part abruptly fell back to the surface and her keel was the only thing that hung on. It pulled the stern back into the diagonal pose moments later before disintegrating, meaning Titanic was segregated in two large hulls, with the first part slumping and freefalling to the bottom of the Atlantic. The other part was almost straight up and followed two minutes later. One Officer looked on his watch and knew it was 2:20 A.M, when Titanic was longer visible.
What had befallen Self can only be speculated, but there is not a clue of what he was involved in during the last hours. The man departed from life that night, as Titanic’s own death was followed by the demise of 1503 that had boarded her. Alfred was one of them. With no body, there was nothing to suggest how Alfred had come to pass.
The majority of them were subjected to stingingly alcid waters, that could kill a man in 20 minutes.
After his death[]
Alfred’s wife would at least on paper be exclusive to him. No other man could make the ceremonial promise to her, for all her life.
Caroline was still in the Hampshire area when she went to the eternal in 1954.