Notes: The adventure begins aboard a ship named the Paleta but the descriptions and illustrations make it plain that it's the Titanic in all but name. You can't mistake those four famous funnels. Blake and Tinker are travelling to America to give evidence in a trial. Also aboard are a young naval officer named Richard Champney and, unknown to him and in disguise, his disreputable cousin, Hildred Nairne. These two have been rivals for the love of the beautiful Dulcie Romanis but it was Champney who won her hand. When the Paleta strikes an iceberg and begins to list in the water, very few of its passengers or crew believe that the problem is serious. However, soon it's a case of "Abandon ship!" As the women and children crowd into the lifeboats, Blake catches Hildred Nairne stealing a pearl necklace from a cabin. They engage in a fierce fight but Nairne makes his escape. Later, he sneaks up behind Richard Champney and pitches him overboard and into a lifeboat. After the sinking, the story heads off into what often feels like an Arthur Conan Doyle yarn (the writing style is surprisingly similar). Richard Champney, seen 'jumping' into the lifeboat, is accused of cowardice. His father disowns him and Dulcie Romanis sends him a white feather and calls off their wedding. Humiliated and unable to shake off the stigma, he disappears. Blake discovers that the young man has joined the army under an assumed name and is serving in India. The detective, Tinker and Pedro set off in pursuit and are soon fighting alongside Richard against rebels led by his cousin. Of course, the villain is eventually defeated and the lovers reunited.
Trivia: The cover of this issue is an outstanding illustration of the sinking vessel.
This was anthologised in THE CASEBOOK OF SEXTON BLAKE (2009).
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Just four months after the sinking of the Titanic, THE UNION JACK responded to the huge public interest with this well-plotted and beautifully written Sexton Blake story. For the 21st century reader, it is a genuine slice of history; a masterly portrayal of the shock, horror and sheer disbelief that greeted the sinking of the huge liner. There are some wonderfully evocative scenes: hundreds of the passengers and crew go down with the ship, leaving just a few clinging to flotsam. Desperately, Blake searches for Tinker. He finds him but, when the piece of wreckage the lad is holding onto fails to support the additional weight, Blake swims away. Itβs a heart-rending moment. Undoubtedly, this is one of the highlights of the whole Sexton Blake canon.