Orphan Train Disaster Read online

  Orphan Train Disaster

  Rachel Wesson

  To all the victims of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire. Those who died in the disaster, those who were injured and those who lost loved ones.

  Many lost the sole means of support for their families which in turn led to orphaned children, both in America and abroad, having to find new homes and lives. May they never be forgotten.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Chapter 47

  Chapter 48

  Chapter 49

  Chapter 50

  Chapter 51

  Chapter 52

  Chapter 53

  Chapter 54

  Chapter 55

  Chapter 56

  Chapter 57

  Chapter 58

  Chapter 59

  Chapter 60

  Epilogue

  When’s Mummy Coming?

  Blurb

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Historical Note

  Also by Rachel Wesson

  About the Author

  Chapter 1

  Frieda Klunsberg walked through the hospital, rubbing her hands on the side of her skirt. Her heart fluttered as she grew closer to the office door. Was this about her application to the Obstetrics department? She had spent ages preparing the written document, even asking Lilian Wald, the nurse famous for setting up the Henry Street Settlement House, for a reference. Knocking, she waited for the command to enter. Nothing happened. She pushed the door open but Miss Waters, Dr. Guild’s secretary, wasn’t at her desk. The door to Dr. Guild’s office was closed.

  Frieda stood waiting, checking the clock as she did so. Dr. Guild didn’t tolerate lateness; he didn’t care if a patient seized just as you were about to leave for a meeting. She paced a little, wondering if she should knock on his office door. Where was Miss Waters?

  Frieda waited, watching the minute hand on the clock as it ticked past eleven. She was now officially late. She moved closer to the door and knocked, jumping back as if it would attack her.

  “Come.”

  Frieda opened the door.

  “At last, Miss Klunsberg.” Dr. Guild stared at the clock on his desk before looking back at his papers. He didn’t suggest she take a seat, so Frieda stood waiting.

  “Miss Waters, that’s all for now, thank you. Perhaps you would close the door on your way out?”

  “Yes, Doctor.” Miss Waters didn’t acknowledge Frieda as she walked past her and closed the door. The elderly secretary didn’t approve of female doctors and never missed a chance to show it.

  Dr. Guild shuffled some papers on his desk, leaving Frieda to stare at him for a few minutes. Had he forgotten she was here? She coughed, but he didn’t react. Dr. Guild had a reputation for good reason. He was rude, intimidating, but he was also the most powerful doctor in the hospital. She had to remain polite.

  “You asked to see me, Dr. Guild?”

  “I can imagine you know why. Your latest test results are, shall we say, less than impressive. When I gave you the chance to study at this hospital, I made it clear it was on condition you keep up with your peers.”

  Frieda bit her lip, trying to stay silent. She’d passed the exam but hadn’t attained as high a grade as on previous papers. She had done better than some male students. They hadn’t had a call to see Dr. Guild. He glanced up at her as if waiting for an explanation.

  “I passed the exam, Dr. Guild. I spent a lot of additional hours getting practical experience, and it may have impacted the marks I achieved. It won’t happen again.”

  “Excuses carry little weight with me, Miss Klunsberg. I believe the exam results prove that while you have some level of intelligence -- ”

  He ignored Frieda’s gasp of outrage.

  “You don’t have the level of intelligence required to become a doctor. If women and men were equal, they would both have the right to vote.”

  Frieda opened her mouth, but he kept talking.

  “I recommend you take some time off to reconsider your career choice, Miss Klunsberg. The field of medicine requires the highest standard, especially in Obstetrics. Women aren’t suitable to be doctors.”

  Women got pregnant and had babies, most would prefer a female doctor look after them, but she didn’t say this.

  “Perhaps you might train as a midwife?” he added as he picked up a piece of correspondence and read it. “I certainly cannot make a recommendation you join the Obstetrics team, even as a student.”

  Frieda stood, staring. How dare he dismiss her just like that? After all the extra hours she had put into the hospital, besides her home visits and extra duties.

  “Dr. Guild, excuse me, but may I say something?”

  “I doubt it has any relevance to my decision.”

  Frieda forged ahead. “You may not be aware, but I have spent a lot of time with Lillian Wald, working with her in her clinic. I believe this experience will help me in my chosen field. Miss Wald has given me a glowing reference.”

  She knew she was taking a risk. Not all doctors believed in the work Lillian Wald was doing, but the results spoke for themselves.

  “Wald is a good example for you, Miss Klunsberg.”

  For the first time since she’d walked into his domain, her hopes rose.

  “She made the correct decision to give up becoming a doctor. She quit medical school back before the turn of the century. I believe she serves some purpose as a nurse.”

  Frieda had to fight to keep her temper in check. To hear Lilian’s achievements dismissed so casually after everything the woman had done for the poor of New York. “Excuse me for saying so, Dr. Guild, but many believe Lilian has made significant progress. For example, the Metropolitan Life Insurance company now offers a nursing service to all its policyholders.”

  Dr. Guild held her gaze. “Perhaps she can find you a job as a nurse.”

  Frieda scrunched her hands into fists. This wasn’t fair.

  “With respect, Dr. Guild, I don’t wish to be a nurse or a midwife. I intend to qualify as a doctor. I may not have scored as high as some on the last test, but I was far from the bottom of my class.”

  He yawned as she spoke. She wasn’t getting anywhere. What did Lily say all the time, you catch more flies with honey than vinegar? She forced herself to act more demure, as she supposed he expected women to be.

  “Dr. Guild, may I please ask you something else?”

  At her request, his eyes widened. At least she had surprised him.
>
  “Will you stop me from qualifying as a doctor?”

  He stared at her. She returned his gaze, noticing the patch of red spreading up his neck. She wasn’t the only one struggling to contain her temper. At least she’d rattled him as much as he’d annoyed her.

  “Miss Klunsberg, are you suggesting I will interfere with your exam results?”

  “No, of course not.” As if I would put that accusation into words, you old goat. “I just wanted confirmation that I can continue working at this hospital until I qualify.”

  “As a doctor? I made that commitment to Dr. Green. But you won’t be joining the Obstetrics department. They have sufficient students at present.”

  Her nails hurt her palms. If she didn’t get experience in Obstetrics, how would she qualify, never mind get a job, in that department?

  She waited for him to finish.

  “After you qualify, we will review the matter. We don’t have any openings in a suitable department at the moment. That may change.”

  Not for her it wouldn’t, but she’d deal with that in time.

  “Thank you very much for being so direct, Dr. Guild, and for your time. Have a good day.”

  She turned and walked out the door, keeping her shoulders straight as she felt his gaze. Only once the door had closed did she let them slump. Why did it have to be so hard for a woman to become a doctor? Some of her male peers had scored lower than her in every exam, yet they had guaranteed positions once they qualified.

  “Are you feeling ill, Miss Klunsberg?” Miss Waters asked as Frieda, lost in thought, forgot she was standing in the office.

  “Not at all, Miss Waters. Just reviewing the excellent career recommendations Dr. Guild suggested. Thank you for your concern.” You old bat, she muttered under her breath, but the woman didn’t hear her.

  Chapter 2

  Frieda rushed to the closest ladies’ room. She didn’t want any of her colleagues to see her cry. She was used to struggling to achieve her dreams, but the unfairness of Dr. Guild’s attitude was too much. She realized no matter how hard she studied to get the highest grades possible, it would make no difference to her future. Not at this hospital, at least not while Dr. Guild was in charge. Why couldn’t more doctors be like Richard Green? She thought having a man of his caliber on her side would be enough.

  She stared at her reflection, a few drops of water wouldn’t cure her red swollen eyes. She couldn’t go back on the wards like this. She washed her face, thankful she’d planned for someone else to cover her afternoon shift. She hoped Dr. Guild had asked to see her to deliver the good news in person, that he’d approved her transfer. She wanted Lilian to be the first to know as she’d gone to so much trouble helping her find relevant experience. How stupid she’d been to think it would work out for her. She’d promised Lilian more help when she moved to Obstetrics, but now she’d have to go back on her word. Frieda wanted to kick or slap something in frustration. She needed to leave the hospital for fear of running into Dr. Guild or one of his cronies. She wasn’t sure she’d be able to keep her feelings to herself.

  She walked out the main door of the hospital meeting no one she knew. She kept walking, just as fast as her skirt would allow her. That was another thing. Why couldn’t she wear pants? Whoever had invented skirts wider at the waist than the ankle didn’t think women had to walk far.

  Frieda wandered around Fifth Avenue, gazing at the store windows. She watched the women going shopping, hobbling along in their high heels, their legs constricted by narrow ankle-length skirts. She wondered if she should get her hair cut short like these women wore, it would be practical for work, but she wasn’t buying a large hat no matter how fashionable they were.

  Were these women happy with their lives? They didn’t have the vote, couldn’t decide for themselves how their life would work out, but they had plenty of money to spend on clothes and food and they lived in the best houses. Was that enough? Could she be happy living a life like that? Patrick would be wealthy one day. What was she doing thinking of him? He’d made his feelings clear. What had he said? She was like a member of the family.

  She took a streetcar towards Henry Street, staring out the window at the streets and people. It was like stepping from one world into another. The almost carefree atmosphere on Fifth Avenue gave way to one with an underlying theme of desperation. Street hawkers did their best to outshout each other, highlighting the advantages of their stall.

  Skinny kids dodged in and out of the horse bound carts. She thought the streetcar would hit them but at the last minute; they jumped out of the way. They were used to them. As she neared her destination, she got out to walk. Few automobiles took this route. Crowded streets filled with decades old tenements, washing lines full of clothes slung between balconies. She admired the women who lived here. They tried to clean their dwellings but no matter how well you washed the sheets, hanging them in a dirty space would not let them dry clean.

  She was tempted to head home to the Sanctuary. There she could put her head on her pillow and wallow in her misery. But she’d promised to visit with Lilian. She owed her a report on her interview with Dr. Guild, especially after the glowing reference the lady had written for her.

  Arriving on the Henry Street steps, she heard different people calling out her name in greeting. Some children ran up to give her a cuddle. She greeted the mothers who’d come for lessons on nutrition and cleanliness. Lilian understood more than most just how difficult it was to keep a tenement home clean. She gave practical help to these women, providing them with soap and other items. But even Lilian couldn’t do anything about the dirty air.

  “Frieda, what are you doing here so early? Or am I late?” Lilian looked up. The baby she was measuring was squalling, his little arms and legs kicking out in protest.

  “He’s got a decent set of lungs.” Frieda commented as she took the baby in her arms. She never tired of holding babies. Lilian looked relieved. “Frieda, thank goodness. I can’t speak German, and this lady doesn’t understand English. Can you please tell her to stop feeding the baby sugared water?”

  Frieda turned to the weary young mother and translated what Lilian had said. She barely needed to translate the mother’s reply. The tone of her voice together with the movement of her arms and her facial expression told Lilian of her frustration.

  “I know finding money for food is difficult, but it’s imperative babies are breastfeed where possible or fed decent clean milk. Tell her to come back daily until he settles better. Otherwise, she will bury another child.”

  Frieda gaped at Lilian.

  “Go on, tell her. She’s buried two children already.”

  “But she only looks about fifteen.”

  “Married before she got on board the ship, brought two children with her on the boat. Both dead now. The one in her arms, she was pregnant with. Husband has disappeared.”

  Although Lillian rattled off the woman’s life story, Frieda knew the nurse cared deeply for those in her care. She worked tirelessly for the poor not just here in Henry Street, but through her work with the government and whatever agencies would listen to her. She repeated Lilian’s message to the mother who held her child to her breast, tears of rage and frustration flowing down her cheeks. Frieda wanted to offer the young woman hope, but she couldn’t. She felt ashamed of how envious she had felt earlier when watching the women on Fifth Avenue. Frieda knew compared to this poor, unfortunate soul she was rich in every way that mattered.

  The young mother left. Lilian gestured for Frieda to take a seat. “We’ve a few minutes before the next rush. So what’s with the glum face? You look like you lost a twenty and found a penny.”

  Frieda looked over Lilian’s head, squeezing her eyes shut to stop the tears. She had so much already. So what if she couldn’t stay at the hospital? If she qualified, she could find a job somewhere else.

  “Frieda, what’s wrong? I can’t help if you don’t tell me.”

  “I had my interview with Dr. Guild. Not o
nly is he not transferring me to Obstetrics, but he believes I should reconsider my chosen career. He suggested I become a nurse or a midwife.”

  “Because you are female?”

  “He believes Congress had the right idea in not allowing women the vote. We aren’t as intelligent as men.”

  Lilian shook her head. “Stubborn old fool. He hasn’t changed a bit in all these years.”

  “You know him?”

  “Yes, I know Guild. He was one of my peers in medical school. Didn’t tell you that, did he? He was just as stupid as he seems to be now. Had to retake several exams if memory serves me.”

  “How did he get to be in charge of the hospital then?”

  “Money, my dear Frieda. His family comes from money, made it rich during the War, producing cannons and ammunition for the North. Not that they would admit that now. His mother liked to pretend they’re descended from English royalty, her family having come from across the seas. The eldest brother inherited most of the family steel holdings, so Guild became a doctor. Married an only child from a rich banking family.”