Christine Jamesson

The Legend of Rigel: Hero Dog of the Titanic Christine Jamesson

THE LEGEND AND MYSTERY OF RIGEL On a frigid night in 1912 the great unsinkable Titanic sank 2 miles down to a watery grave. Many stories of heroes and villains have been passed down since that fateful night. Yet there is one hero in particular whose story has remained a mystery. Meet Rigel- the Titanic's Newfoundland dog mascot. His incredible story of courage and survival was originally published as an alleged factual account in 1912 just days after the sinking. Come along and enjoy this fictionalized story of Rigel's tragedy and triumph in spite of challenges no human could have survived! * * * Yes Virginia, there may have been a Rigel. The story of Rigel was first reported in the "New York Herald" the day the Carpathia docked with Titanic's survivors. It also appeared in a well-known book: " The Sinking of Titanic and Great Sea Disasters" which was first published in 1912 a few short months after the disaster. After that there was no mention of him at all, no disclaimers, no retractions, nothing to my knowledge. Although there has been some recent mention of him in dog books all subsequent books and movies about Titanic by historians, crew and survivors don't mention him either. Why? Was he a figment of the reporter's imagination? That seems unlikely. If Rigel and new owner didn't exist then who was interviewed? Someone playing a cruel joke while wearing a uniform and holding onto a 150-pound dog? Unlikely again, but I suppose that could have happened. The only two well-known dogs that survived the sinking were toy breeds lovingly smuggled on board the lifeboats in their owner's coats. All of the other dogs on board lost their lives including a champion English Bulldog who was last seen trying to swim in the frigid water. Comparing a bulldog's swimming ability to a Newfoundland's is like expecting your Shetland Pony to win the Kentucky Derby. Bulldogs are among the worst swimmers in dog-dom and Newfoundlands are the absolute best. Many people are skeptical as to