they both had revised their initial plans.
Both women had first considered embarking on the France, another ocean liner of the moment, which followed the same itinerary as the Titanic, with a decor just as magical. But when they had learned that children on board were not permitted to eat at the same table as their parents, Antonie and Juliette had changed their minds and finally opted for the Titanic.
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On April 19, 1996, as she stands at the commemoration on the dock in Cherbourg, Louise is once again thinking of this twist of fate. Since her father had already purchased the tickets for the France, he’d been deeply annoyed by the rule regarding meal times: in the dining room, children occupied an area away from their parents. Thankfully (or so he believed at the time), when he had requested the switch from one liner to the other, the employee at the counter had not given him a hard time.
Louise is overwhelmed by guilt. She’s possessed by this irrepressible and fleeting feeling every time she thinks of the Titanic, which is often. She is angry at her mother for having told her; she is angry at her father for having changed the reservations. She is angry at herself for being at the root of her family’s misfortune, and she is angry at Simone for the same reason.
Louise wishes quite simply that they had never taken the New York Express that day.
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As a cognac merchant, Albert Mallet had the gift of gab and knew how to connect with just about anybody. On the train headed toward Cherbourg, Mallet was happy to break the ice and exchange a few words with Joseph Laroche. He was intrigued by the tall, mustached man who shared his compartment on the New York Express. A black man among all these white people, that was not something one saw every day! As he listened carefully, he quickly understood that his singular fellow traveler was not an American, unlike the other wealthy passengers in first (and second) class. Mallet assumed Laroche to be either West Indian12 or African.
Portrait of Joseph Laroche
Joseph was not surprised by Mallet’s curiosity. He understood why his presence on this train aroused surprise and suspicion. Few black people traveled on liners as magnificent as the France and the Titanic. And when a West Indian or African did board these superb ships, no one expected him in a second-class car, his entire family in tow, all in their Sunday best.
If Laroche was indeed West Indian, Mallet decided he would talk about rum13. Simple. Rum would be a good introduction, as the Frenchman was well-versed in that department. Otherwise, the conversation might stall, as the expert in liquors did not know much about African drinks. In any case, Mallet had a secret weapon: humor.
Albert Mallet struck up most conversations with the same joke, which made him likable from the get-go. The joke itself was not really funny, and people didn’t always laugh, but his sense of humor cheered up others and never failed to put a smile on someone else’s face. Mallet took a serious tone to explain at once that his life was not worth more than “six cents.” The statement usually got a reaction, and his new friend would ask: “Why do you say that?” The reply came in a burst of laughter: “I am worth six cents because I was born on August 6.” The connection was established.
Joseph was not surprised by Mallet’s curiosity. He understood why his presence on this train aroused surprise and suspicion. Few black people traveled on liners as magnificent as the France and the Titanic. And when a West Indian or African did board these superb ships, no one expected him in a second-class car, his entire family in tow, all in their Sunday best. A black man would have been a third-class passenger on the 7:45 train, among the Syrian, Slovak, or Italian migrants in search of jobs in America, seeing the Titanic as a kind of Trojan horse giving them access to a new world. Joseph was used to people stopping in their tracks to stare at him, as if he were some strange creature. This time, however, he was not annoyed. The interest did not feel morbid, or inappropriate, especially after the very pleasant discussion he had just had with the charming Mallet.
Mallet quickly realized that he was dealing with a gentleman. Not only was Joseph handsome, he also had a stately demeanor that inspired respect. With his elegant, fitted coat and the wide white tie made of fine cloth and wrapped around his collar, the black man looked like a character straight out of an eighteenth-century novel. The effect produced by Joseph was made even more impressive by the contrast that existed between the old-world grandeur he emanated and the youth of his face. The father of two looked like a teenager. No matter what Joseph Laroche did to appear older than his twenty-five years, he could not fool anyone for long. The comments about his youthful looks were unavoidable and often offended him.
What also struck Albert on the train was the chemistry between Joseph and Juliette Laroche. He had noticed how well the two got along and how proud they appeared of each other, which was rather unusual for couples of this kind. Mixed couples, which were not commonplace at the time, were frowned upon. In fact, white women who dared marry black men were considered to have loose morals and were ostracized. Yet, far from hiding their relationship, Juliette Laroche showed her round belly as well as her happiness in sharing her husband’s life. The Laroches certainly had not been spared hardship, but nothing had deterred their devotion to each other. On the contrary, their two beautiful daughters were a testimony to the strength of their marriage.
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The locomotive covered the 350 kilometers between Paris and Cherbourg in less than six hours. Upon arrival, the Laroches had patiently followed the flow, trading their seats on the New York Express for those of the Nomadic14, one of two ferries that transported passengers from the pier to the Titanic. The White Star Line15, the company that owned the Titanic, used two shuttles because Cherbourg did not yet have a deep-sea port. The Nomadic carried first- and second-class passengers to the ocean liners, while the Traffic transported the third class. Passengers on the Traffic16 disembarked first, followed by the Nomadic passengers, including the Laroches, who were a good distance away from the rich people of independent means, the bankers and businessmen who constituted the upper crust in this voyage. There was the American Charles Hays17, president of a railway company, and the British Bruce Ismay18, president of the White Star Line. For these billionaires, days on the Titanic were expected to go by calmly, between luxurious salons and Turkish baths19, the squash court20 and the Parisian Café21, famous for its “lovely veranda bathing in sun, tastefully decorated with French ivy trellis and other climbing plants.”
The women would never wear the same outfit twice. The Titanic emulated life in high society, where appearance was everything.
In the evening, the Laroches would either use the elevators or a sumptuous staircase to access the reception room for dinner. Some of the wealthier passengers would be lucky enough to have the honor of sitting at the table of Captain Edward John Smith22. This English sexagenarian, affable and imposing, would move back and forth between his distinguished guests and the bridge, where he gave orders and followed the ship’s progress.
"You could actually walk miles along the decks and passages covering different ground all the time. I was thoroughly familiar with pretty well every type of ship afloat, but it took me 14 days before I could, with confidence, find my way from one part of that ship to another."
—Charles Lightoller, Second Officer aboard Titanic
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When they boarded the Titanic, the Laroches were impressed by the luxury and the immensity of the liner; both surpassed their expectations. Simone saw Joseph open his eyes wide, just like she had a few hours earlier at the Saint-Lazare
