1 00:00:16,960 --> 00:00:20,960 Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome to my favorite murder. Today, we're starting 2 00:00:21,000 --> 00:00:23,159 Speaker 1: the new year with a look back on two of 3 00:00:23,160 --> 00:00:25,479 Speaker 1: our favorite stories from twenty twenty five. 4 00:00:25,640 --> 00:00:28,120 Speaker 2: That's right, we're taking two of our listener favorite stories 5 00:00:28,120 --> 00:00:31,160 Speaker 2: and combining them into a best of the Year quilt episode. 6 00:00:31,200 --> 00:00:32,960 Speaker 1: So Karen's going to kick things off with the story 7 00:00:33,000 --> 00:00:36,280 Speaker 1: of Violet Jessup, the Queen of Sinking Ships. 8 00:00:36,000 --> 00:00:39,120 Speaker 2: And Georgia is going to take us through the unforgettable 9 00:00:39,159 --> 00:00:43,319 Speaker 2: tale of Australia's Great Emu War. That's right right here 10 00:00:43,320 --> 00:00:46,000 Speaker 2: on this true crime podcast. You're gonna love it, that's right. 11 00:00:46,159 --> 00:00:48,720 Speaker 1: So enjoy this best of the Year quilt episode and 12 00:00:48,760 --> 00:00:49,480 Speaker 1: happy New Year. 13 00:00:49,600 --> 00:00:52,960 Speaker 2: Yeah, let's make twenty twenty six a real one. Oh God, goodbye. 14 00:00:56,800 --> 00:00:58,520 Speaker 2: We're going to go to a place we've been to 15 00:00:58,640 --> 00:01:02,720 Speaker 2: before that I've actually forced you to come to twice before. 16 00:01:02,960 --> 00:01:05,080 Speaker 2: But I need to go back and you'll see why. Okay. 17 00:01:05,520 --> 00:01:09,480 Speaker 2: So it's two am on April fifteenth, nineteen twelve. Okay, 18 00:01:10,319 --> 00:01:12,400 Speaker 2: get a sense of what we're about to do. Nope, 19 00:01:13,240 --> 00:01:15,440 Speaker 2: we're in the middle of the North Atlantic where the 20 00:01:15,480 --> 00:01:19,520 Speaker 2: Titanic is sinking. Motherfucker. Yeah, Titanic. We're going back to 21 00:01:19,560 --> 00:01:23,000 Speaker 2: the Titanic. I love that guy. I love the titan 22 00:01:23,120 --> 00:01:26,120 Speaker 2: You love that vessel. A lot of stuff happen on 23 00:01:26,160 --> 00:01:27,960 Speaker 2: that vessel that I want to tell you about. 24 00:01:28,040 --> 00:01:29,640 Speaker 1: It's funny that you say twenty twelve and I'm in 25 00:01:29,680 --> 00:01:30,480 Speaker 1: the middle of the night, and. 26 00:01:30,480 --> 00:01:33,760 Speaker 2: I'm like, eh, I don't know nineteen twelve. But did 27 00:01:33,760 --> 00:01:35,760 Speaker 2: I say twenty twelve. That was a bad year too, 28 00:01:35,920 --> 00:01:40,560 Speaker 2: So twenty twelve was rough. I fully agree. I love 29 00:01:40,560 --> 00:01:44,800 Speaker 2: your Titanic stories. It's just so funny. Yeah, here's the 30 00:01:44,800 --> 00:01:47,480 Speaker 2: thing about me and the Titanic. I love to talk 31 00:01:47,520 --> 00:01:50,520 Speaker 2: about the people that made it off of the Titanic. Yeah, 32 00:01:50,560 --> 00:01:53,480 Speaker 2: it's pretty an amazing topic. I have no interest to 33 00:01:53,520 --> 00:01:56,360 Speaker 2: go down and look at the Titanic. No, a lot 34 00:01:56,400 --> 00:01:58,960 Speaker 2: of people want to. I think photos are cool, but 35 00:01:59,000 --> 00:02:01,680 Speaker 2: they never Ah, they never get it what you want. 36 00:02:01,880 --> 00:02:03,840 Speaker 2: You know, they don't put you there. They don't put 37 00:02:03,840 --> 00:02:04,240 Speaker 2: you there. 38 00:02:04,480 --> 00:02:08,120 Speaker 1: Maybe like a dish is so exciting, but like that's 39 00:02:08,120 --> 00:02:08,480 Speaker 1: about it. 40 00:02:08,680 --> 00:02:11,440 Speaker 2: Yeah, and it's got all the weird algae on it 41 00:02:11,480 --> 00:02:14,720 Speaker 2: that dish. So much algae in a couple snails. Yeah, okay, 42 00:02:15,360 --> 00:02:19,280 Speaker 2: here we're going to nineteen twelve. Everything is snail free. 43 00:02:19,960 --> 00:02:22,600 Speaker 2: That Titanic is sinking, and when it finally disappears under 44 00:02:22,600 --> 00:02:24,799 Speaker 2: the water, it will take the lives of more than 45 00:02:24,880 --> 00:02:28,880 Speaker 2: fifteen hundred people with it. There will be around seven 46 00:02:28,960 --> 00:02:32,720 Speaker 2: hundred survivors. The survivors we've talked about on this show, 47 00:02:32,880 --> 00:02:36,360 Speaker 2: episode four to eleven, which was entitled eight Years one episode, 48 00:02:36,600 --> 00:02:39,560 Speaker 2: that's when I talked about the Unsinkable Molly Brown. They 49 00:02:39,600 --> 00:02:42,200 Speaker 2: actually called her Margaret Brown, but everyone knows her as 50 00:02:42,200 --> 00:02:45,920 Speaker 2: the Unsinkable Molly Brown. She makes it onto lifeboat six, 51 00:02:46,400 --> 00:02:49,519 Speaker 2: and she spends her time on that lifeboat rallying the 52 00:02:49,639 --> 00:02:53,880 Speaker 2: terrified passengers and urging them to keep rowing. When the 53 00:02:53,960 --> 00:02:56,960 Speaker 2: officer in charge starts to spiral in the midst of 54 00:02:56,960 --> 00:02:59,320 Speaker 2: all the terror of what's going on around them, Molly 55 00:02:59,360 --> 00:03:02,600 Speaker 2: threatens to throw them overboard. It's great for morale. Everybody 56 00:03:02,680 --> 00:03:05,960 Speaker 2: keeps going. They survive, got it girl. At this same 57 00:03:06,040 --> 00:03:08,960 Speaker 2: moment that she's doing that over on lifeboat six, the 58 00:03:09,040 --> 00:03:12,480 Speaker 2: Titanic's baker Charles Jockin. You might remember he was the 59 00:03:12,560 --> 00:03:14,120 Speaker 2: drunk one. Oh yes, we. 60 00:03:14,120 --> 00:03:16,880 Speaker 1: Learned about that drunk one. Everyone was shit faced. 61 00:03:16,919 --> 00:03:20,200 Speaker 2: I need that you know that band was barely able 62 00:03:20,240 --> 00:03:22,520 Speaker 2: to like keep the bow to the strings. Oh my God, 63 00:03:22,560 --> 00:03:24,560 Speaker 2: so much good champagne. If you want to hear me 64 00:03:24,639 --> 00:03:28,040 Speaker 2: talk about Charles Jockin, it's episode three forty eight. It's 65 00:03:28,040 --> 00:03:31,960 Speaker 2: called Old Biscuit, and we learn on that one that 66 00:03:32,080 --> 00:03:35,160 Speaker 2: basically the thing that saved Charles Jawkins's life. They think 67 00:03:35,320 --> 00:03:39,880 Speaker 2: is that he got super shit faced as the ship sank, 68 00:03:40,480 --> 00:03:43,760 Speaker 2: he jumped up onto the railing and rowed it down 69 00:03:43,880 --> 00:03:47,200 Speaker 2: as the ship was going into the water. Then he 70 00:03:47,920 --> 00:03:54,120 Speaker 2: tread water in twenty eight degree waves for several hours 71 00:03:54,240 --> 00:03:57,360 Speaker 2: and lived. And it's like defy science. And they think 72 00:03:57,360 --> 00:04:00,640 Speaker 2: it's because the liquor that was in assist just kept 73 00:04:00,640 --> 00:04:03,680 Speaker 2: his body warm, almost like tricked him into being warm. 74 00:04:03,720 --> 00:04:06,800 Speaker 2: That's why I drinks just to stay warm. Same, don't 75 00:04:06,800 --> 00:04:11,120 Speaker 2: tell anybody. We gotta stay warm guys on this fucking 76 00:04:11,200 --> 00:04:15,280 Speaker 2: Titanic that we're on. Yeah. So, when Charles Jackin is 77 00:04:15,320 --> 00:04:17,920 Speaker 2: finally rescued, and we talked about this on that episode, 78 00:04:17,960 --> 00:04:20,919 Speaker 2: but I still love this. He has two swollen feet 79 00:04:20,960 --> 00:04:23,240 Speaker 2: and that's it. That's the only thing wrong with that 80 00:04:23,320 --> 00:04:27,279 Speaker 2: man who treadwater in twenty eight degree ocean for hours 81 00:04:27,400 --> 00:04:29,240 Speaker 2: until he got resk. I mean, I wake up in 82 00:04:29,279 --> 00:04:32,000 Speaker 2: my bed and were shape too swollen feet. I wish 83 00:04:32,120 --> 00:04:36,479 Speaker 2: that's why. Okay, so see what character is that? So 84 00:04:37,040 --> 00:04:39,040 Speaker 2: some of our favorites, But today I'm going to tell 85 00:04:39,040 --> 00:04:42,760 Speaker 2: you about your new favorite Titanic survivor. She's a third 86 00:04:43,000 --> 00:04:47,160 Speaker 2: Titanic survivor whose story is more unbelievable than the first 87 00:04:47,160 --> 00:04:50,800 Speaker 2: two put together. Throughout this woman's life, she'll be involved 88 00:04:50,839 --> 00:04:54,880 Speaker 2: in not one, not two, but three historic maritime disasters. 89 00:04:55,440 --> 00:04:59,000 Speaker 2: The sinking of the Titanic arguably is not even the 90 00:04:59,080 --> 00:05:02,200 Speaker 2: worst one. For some people call her the Queen of 91 00:05:02,200 --> 00:05:06,320 Speaker 2: the Sinking Ships. This is the story of Stewardess Violet Jessup. 92 00:05:06,720 --> 00:05:06,960 Speaker 1: Yes. 93 00:05:07,400 --> 00:05:10,560 Speaker 2: So main sources that Maren used for the story are 94 00:05:10,640 --> 00:05:15,080 Speaker 2: Violet's memoir entitled Titanic Survivor The Memoirs of Violet Jessop 95 00:05:15,520 --> 00:05:20,040 Speaker 2: Comma Stewardess she fucking worked on the Titanic Incredible, and 96 00:05:20,080 --> 00:05:25,120 Speaker 2: also a National geographic article by journalist David Kindy entitled 97 00:05:25,440 --> 00:05:28,360 Speaker 2: she Survived the Titanic But it wasn't the only time 98 00:05:28,440 --> 00:05:31,200 Speaker 2: she faced death at sea. And the rest of the 99 00:05:31,240 --> 00:05:34,640 Speaker 2: sources are in our show notes. Okay, we start the 100 00:05:34,640 --> 00:05:37,960 Speaker 2: story twenty five years before the Titanic sinks with an 101 00:05:37,960 --> 00:05:41,880 Speaker 2: Irish Catholic couple from Dublin named William and Kelly Jessop. 102 00:05:42,440 --> 00:05:45,080 Speaker 2: They have immigrated to South America and now they have 103 00:05:45,120 --> 00:05:49,200 Speaker 2: a sheep farm in Argentina. And in eighteen eighty seven 104 00:05:49,279 --> 00:05:54,360 Speaker 2: they welcome their first child, Violet. They will have eight 105 00:05:54,440 --> 00:05:58,800 Speaker 2: more children in the coming years, only six will survive childhood. 106 00:05:58,839 --> 00:06:03,200 Speaker 2: So this was the horror infant mortality situation of the 107 00:06:03,360 --> 00:06:08,760 Speaker 2: turn of the nineteenth twentieth century. So Violet herself nearly 108 00:06:08,800 --> 00:06:12,279 Speaker 2: dies of tuberculosis when she's little, she is six four weeks, 109 00:06:12,400 --> 00:06:15,039 Speaker 2: and later she'll describe this time as quote a dim 110 00:06:15,080 --> 00:06:18,440 Speaker 2: awareness of being plunged into a very hot bath, then 111 00:06:18,520 --> 00:06:24,080 Speaker 2: wrapped in cold, wet sheets, followed by long periods of nothingness. Yikes. 112 00:06:24,120 --> 00:06:28,160 Speaker 2: So scary and sad for a child, and speaking of 113 00:06:28,400 --> 00:06:31,599 Speaker 2: her coughing fits are so intense at this time that quote, 114 00:06:31,839 --> 00:06:36,240 Speaker 2: blood seem to be on everything, and her eventual recovery 115 00:06:36,279 --> 00:06:40,760 Speaker 2: from this is said to be miraculous. So normally Violet's 116 00:06:40,839 --> 00:06:43,880 Speaker 2: day to day involves helping her family. She's the oldest 117 00:06:43,880 --> 00:06:47,280 Speaker 2: sister in a big family, which means she's doing cooking, cleaning, 118 00:06:47,720 --> 00:06:51,280 Speaker 2: taking care of her younger siblings. The whole nine Then 119 00:06:51,320 --> 00:06:53,800 Speaker 2: in nineteen oh three, when Violet is sixteen years old, 120 00:06:53,839 --> 00:06:58,040 Speaker 2: her father William dies while undergoing some kind of a surgery. 121 00:06:58,640 --> 00:07:02,440 Speaker 2: It's sudden, it's shocking. The loss hits Violet especially hard. 122 00:07:03,040 --> 00:07:05,839 Speaker 2: She was her father's favorite child, and she will later 123 00:07:05,880 --> 00:07:09,279 Speaker 2: write quote in my grief, I was tongue tied and stunned. 124 00:07:09,600 --> 00:07:12,600 Speaker 2: Whenever I tried to speak, I discovered I had lost 125 00:07:12,640 --> 00:07:16,600 Speaker 2: my voice completely. So sad, But of course the family 126 00:07:16,680 --> 00:07:20,200 Speaker 2: has no time to mourn because now Violet's mother, Kelly, 127 00:07:20,360 --> 00:07:23,040 Speaker 2: is a widow with six kids who has to find 128 00:07:23,080 --> 00:07:26,160 Speaker 2: a way to support the family, so she moves the 129 00:07:26,200 --> 00:07:29,160 Speaker 2: family back to Europe, where they settle in England, and 130 00:07:29,280 --> 00:07:32,440 Speaker 2: Kelly gets to work on ocean liners sailing between the 131 00:07:32,520 --> 00:07:36,000 Speaker 2: UK and America. She's hired as a stewardess, and that 132 00:07:36,040 --> 00:07:39,800 Speaker 2: means she's doing things like cleaning cabins, serving meals, and 133 00:07:39,880 --> 00:07:43,200 Speaker 2: even some light nursing duties. And while she's at sea, 134 00:07:43,400 --> 00:07:47,040 Speaker 2: Violet is left to raise her siblings by herself. Wait, 135 00:07:47,080 --> 00:07:50,600 Speaker 2: her mom left to do that yep, okay, And she's 136 00:07:50,680 --> 00:07:54,440 Speaker 2: home with the five other kids and the youngest is 137 00:07:54,440 --> 00:07:57,600 Speaker 2: an infant. Oh no, so they were just making do 138 00:07:58,600 --> 00:08:01,480 Speaker 2: for the next several years, Violet's basically a stay at 139 00:08:01,520 --> 00:08:04,400 Speaker 2: home mom, dreaming about the day her mother will come 140 00:08:04,440 --> 00:08:08,400 Speaker 2: home for good, and when she does, violent plans that 141 00:08:08,520 --> 00:08:12,560 Speaker 2: she will join the convent, but that dream never pans out, 142 00:08:12,640 --> 00:08:15,440 Speaker 2: because instead, in nineteen oh eight, when Violet is around 143 00:08:15,480 --> 00:08:18,400 Speaker 2: twenty one years old, her mother gets very sick and 144 00:08:18,480 --> 00:08:21,520 Speaker 2: it's serious enough that she has to stop working so 145 00:08:21,920 --> 00:08:25,160 Speaker 2: to keep food on the family table. Violet again steps 146 00:08:25,240 --> 00:08:27,520 Speaker 2: up for the family, and even though she does not 147 00:08:27,800 --> 00:08:30,080 Speaker 2: like the ocean, she does not know how to swim, 148 00:08:30,520 --> 00:08:33,599 Speaker 2: and she's kind of freaked out by the vast openness 149 00:08:33,640 --> 00:08:37,280 Speaker 2: of the sea, she starts looking for stewardess work. She 150 00:08:37,440 --> 00:08:40,240 Speaker 2: knows it's a good job if she can get paid well, 151 00:08:40,520 --> 00:08:42,920 Speaker 2: her mom can tell her how to do it, and 152 00:08:43,000 --> 00:08:45,840 Speaker 2: she not only has years of caregiving experience raising her 153 00:08:45,880 --> 00:08:49,199 Speaker 2: brothers and sisters, she's fluent in Spanish from having been 154 00:08:49,280 --> 00:08:52,679 Speaker 2: raised in Argentina. But at the time she struggles to 155 00:08:52,679 --> 00:08:55,600 Speaker 2: get work as a stewardess, partly because she's so young, 156 00:08:56,240 --> 00:08:58,840 Speaker 2: much younger than most of the stewardesses who are working 157 00:08:58,880 --> 00:09:02,800 Speaker 2: at the time, but also Violet is very beautiful, which 158 00:09:02,960 --> 00:09:05,600 Speaker 2: works against her because in a job like that, you're 159 00:09:05,600 --> 00:09:07,960 Speaker 2: supposed to blend in and just be part of the 160 00:09:08,000 --> 00:09:11,160 Speaker 2: wallpaper rate, and whether she wants to or not, Violet 161 00:09:11,240 --> 00:09:17,079 Speaker 2: does not blend in. I get it nice, I've been 162 00:09:17,080 --> 00:09:19,640 Speaker 2: through it. I fail that. I've never been a stewardus 163 00:09:19,640 --> 00:09:23,240 Speaker 2: for that very reason on the Titanic. So after she 164 00:09:23,600 --> 00:09:26,360 Speaker 2: gets interviewed a couple times and gets rejected, she starts 165 00:09:26,440 --> 00:09:30,400 Speaker 2: dressing down for the interviews. She stops wearing makeup all together, 166 00:09:30,800 --> 00:09:33,880 Speaker 2: and it works. She ends up landing one job after another, 167 00:09:34,280 --> 00:09:36,839 Speaker 2: and by nineteen eleven, twenty four year old Violet is 168 00:09:36,920 --> 00:09:39,760 Speaker 2: hired by the White Star Line to work aboard the 169 00:09:39,960 --> 00:09:43,840 Speaker 2: RMS Olympic. So at the time, the RMS Olympic is 170 00:09:43,880 --> 00:09:47,200 Speaker 2: the largest passenger ship in the world. It's completely state 171 00:09:47,240 --> 00:09:51,000 Speaker 2: of the art. It has electric elevators, turkish baths, a 172 00:09:51,080 --> 00:09:55,200 Speaker 2: swimming pool, and ornate features like crystal chandeliers and marble 173 00:09:55,320 --> 00:09:59,520 Speaker 2: statues and plush velvet furniture. Amazing. They really went all out. 174 00:09:59,559 --> 00:10:03,240 Speaker 2: It's like the Empire State Building on the sea. Not 175 00:10:03,400 --> 00:10:07,760 Speaker 2: that tall. But anyhow, Violet isn't all that impressed. She's 176 00:10:07,880 --> 00:10:11,440 Speaker 2: just there for the money and that's what keeps her going. 177 00:10:11,559 --> 00:10:14,360 Speaker 2: When she has the experience that she really doesn't like, 178 00:10:14,400 --> 00:10:18,960 Speaker 2: which is the passengers treating her like their servant, which 179 00:10:19,000 --> 00:10:22,800 Speaker 2: happens often. And rich male passengers leer at her, they 180 00:10:22,800 --> 00:10:26,960 Speaker 2: proposition her, some even propose like the second they meet her, 181 00:10:27,520 --> 00:10:31,520 Speaker 2: while the women passengers can be extremely cutting, very condescending. 182 00:10:32,120 --> 00:10:35,520 Speaker 2: Later on, Violet will write quote, I often reflected that 183 00:10:35,559 --> 00:10:38,160 Speaker 2: there must be some quality in a sea trip that 184 00:10:38,200 --> 00:10:44,120 Speaker 2: affects character, or maybe it's enforced. Propinquity emphasizes how awful 185 00:10:44,160 --> 00:10:47,760 Speaker 2: normal vote can become mean, paltry, and selfish to a 186 00:10:47,840 --> 00:10:51,520 Speaker 2: degree when they are in the position of indiscriminate power. 187 00:10:52,120 --> 00:10:55,720 Speaker 2: It's like what happens on the Titanic stays on the Titanic. Yeah. 188 00:10:55,760 --> 00:10:57,640 Speaker 2: And also it's like, just because we're stuck on this 189 00:10:57,679 --> 00:11:00,640 Speaker 2: boat together doesn't mean I got to do everything you say. 190 00:11:01,200 --> 00:11:05,000 Speaker 2: Maren made a note to me propinquity means physical closeness 191 00:11:05,040 --> 00:11:07,560 Speaker 2: or nearness, and then she was like, I've never heard 192 00:11:07,559 --> 00:11:12,200 Speaker 2: this word before. Thank you again. Pro pinquityquity. It's your 193 00:11:12,559 --> 00:11:17,520 Speaker 2: continual propinquity that causes the problem. Say, if you have 194 00:11:17,600 --> 00:11:22,800 Speaker 2: a tendency to or propinquity tapping your nails on stuff 195 00:11:22,840 --> 00:11:27,160 Speaker 2: and its misused. Okay, So now it's September nineteen eleven. 196 00:11:27,679 --> 00:11:30,040 Speaker 2: Violet's been working as a crew member on the Olympic 197 00:11:30,080 --> 00:11:33,680 Speaker 2: for months, and then one night the boat she's on 198 00:11:33,800 --> 00:11:37,400 Speaker 2: the Olympic collides with a British warship called the Hawk 199 00:11:37,679 --> 00:11:40,320 Speaker 2: off the coast of the Isle of Wight. So the 200 00:11:40,400 --> 00:11:42,720 Speaker 2: Hawk is this little it's like a sixth of the 201 00:11:42,840 --> 00:11:48,000 Speaker 2: size of the Olympic, and it's actually specifically built to 202 00:11:48,200 --> 00:11:52,600 Speaker 2: ram and sink enemy vessels, so it's very strong. The 203 00:11:52,640 --> 00:11:56,360 Speaker 2: two boats collide and the Hawk nearly capsizes, but it 204 00:11:56,440 --> 00:11:59,800 Speaker 2: still manages to leave a forty foot gash along the 205 00:11:59,840 --> 00:12:02,760 Speaker 2: side of the Olympic. Water rushes into the bottom of 206 00:12:02,800 --> 00:12:06,440 Speaker 2: the ship, and it actually downs a propeller, and of course, 207 00:12:06,679 --> 00:12:10,240 Speaker 2: from her room, Violet hears and feels this horrible impact. 208 00:12:10,679 --> 00:12:15,240 Speaker 2: Although no one's injured or killed from this crash, and 209 00:12:15,280 --> 00:12:18,240 Speaker 2: the ships aren't very far from land, and even with 210 00:12:18,320 --> 00:12:21,560 Speaker 2: that propeller down, the Olympic is able to just hobble 211 00:12:21,600 --> 00:12:25,360 Speaker 2: back to port, so no one has to evacuate on lifeboats. 212 00:12:25,880 --> 00:12:29,120 Speaker 2: So comparatively, this is probably the tamest of all the 213 00:12:29,240 --> 00:12:33,400 Speaker 2: horrible ship accidents the Violet is involved in she gets 214 00:12:33,440 --> 00:12:36,480 Speaker 2: reassigned to another White Star Line ship, and it is 215 00:12:36,559 --> 00:12:40,200 Speaker 2: the company's brand new luxury ocean liner that's gearing up 216 00:12:40,200 --> 00:12:44,800 Speaker 2: for its maiden voyage. It is the Titanic. So we're 217 00:12:44,840 --> 00:12:49,680 Speaker 2: back on the North Atlantic just before midnight on April fourteenth. 218 00:12:49,880 --> 00:12:52,320 Speaker 2: Violet is in her quarter. She is getting ready for 219 00:12:52,400 --> 00:12:55,320 Speaker 2: bed after being a stewardess all day on the Titanic. 220 00:12:55,880 --> 00:12:59,040 Speaker 2: The feet, the feet pain, just the feet, the work 221 00:12:59,160 --> 00:13:03,960 Speaker 2: the over here. Can you get me a roll? Yeah? Snap, snap, 222 00:13:04,920 --> 00:13:07,800 Speaker 2: So Violet's back in her quarters. She's holding a piece 223 00:13:07,800 --> 00:13:11,360 Speaker 2: of paper that has a handwritten prayer on it, and 224 00:13:11,400 --> 00:13:14,600 Speaker 2: it's one that's supposed to protect her from fire and water, 225 00:13:15,920 --> 00:13:19,520 Speaker 2: which is very Catholic. We have saints. They do very 226 00:13:19,559 --> 00:13:23,040 Speaker 2: specific things for very specific people. I guess there's a 227 00:13:23,080 --> 00:13:25,600 Speaker 2: fire and water saying I'll look up who it is later. 228 00:13:26,360 --> 00:13:29,480 Speaker 2: And as all of that is going on, Violet here 229 00:13:29,559 --> 00:13:34,520 Speaker 2: is a huge crash followed by a quote low rending, crunching, 230 00:13:34,800 --> 00:13:38,360 Speaker 2: ripping sound. So of course it's a scary thing for 231 00:13:38,440 --> 00:13:41,400 Speaker 2: her to experience. But like everyone else on board, they've 232 00:13:41,480 --> 00:13:44,599 Speaker 2: been told time and again that the Titanic is unsinkable, 233 00:13:45,160 --> 00:13:49,319 Speaker 2: so no one's panicking. She certainly is not, but eventually, 234 00:13:49,400 --> 00:13:52,040 Speaker 2: a shell shocked Violet is called up to the deck. 235 00:13:52,640 --> 00:13:55,319 Speaker 2: This will be her very last assignment on the Titanic. 236 00:13:55,400 --> 00:13:59,760 Speaker 2: She's told to translate evacuation instructions for the Spanish speaking 237 00:13:59,760 --> 00:14:03,080 Speaker 2: power messengers and then to assist women and children getting 238 00:14:03,120 --> 00:14:06,360 Speaker 2: on the lifeboats. So that's what she does until she 239 00:14:06,440 --> 00:14:11,559 Speaker 2: herself is loaded onto lifeboats. Sixteen moments before her group 240 00:14:11,640 --> 00:14:15,280 Speaker 2: is lowered into the ocean, an officer rushes over and 241 00:14:15,480 --> 00:14:18,920 Speaker 2: says to Violet, quote here, miss jessup, look after this, 242 00:14:19,240 --> 00:14:22,600 Speaker 2: and then basically hands her a baby girl. The baby 243 00:14:22,960 --> 00:14:26,440 Speaker 2: had been left alone on deck, and so the officer 244 00:14:26,600 --> 00:14:29,240 Speaker 2: just basically made the hasty decision to grab this baby 245 00:14:29,280 --> 00:14:32,960 Speaker 2: and throw it to Violet for safe keeping. So as 246 00:14:33,000 --> 00:14:36,520 Speaker 2: their boat is lowered some sixty feet in the dark 247 00:14:37,360 --> 00:14:41,000 Speaker 2: to the freezing cold ocean below, with icy wind whipping 248 00:14:41,000 --> 00:14:45,800 Speaker 2: at their faces like quote a knife in its penetrating coldness, 249 00:14:46,360 --> 00:14:49,640 Speaker 2: Violet is trying to soothe this baby girl. But the 250 00:14:49,680 --> 00:14:52,480 Speaker 2: lifeboat hits the water hard. You don't think about that 251 00:14:52,720 --> 00:14:55,080 Speaker 2: part of it, where it's like, yes, you're being saved 252 00:14:55,120 --> 00:14:58,400 Speaker 2: in a way, but off of a sinking ship right 253 00:14:59,040 --> 00:15:03,200 Speaker 2: into her the North Sea. Yeah that we've all seen 254 00:15:03,240 --> 00:15:07,800 Speaker 2: tiktoks about is the North Seat? Yeah, well the North Atlantic? Yeah. 255 00:15:08,000 --> 00:15:12,120 Speaker 2: So the baby starts crying when the lifeboat hits the water. Again, 256 00:15:12,240 --> 00:15:14,960 Speaker 2: just quick reminder, Violet does not know how to swim, 257 00:15:15,280 --> 00:15:18,280 Speaker 2: and she's of course terrified herself, but she focuses on 258 00:15:18,320 --> 00:15:20,960 Speaker 2: the baby. She pulls the baby to her chest, hoping 259 00:15:21,000 --> 00:15:23,680 Speaker 2: to keep her warm, and she just watches us the 260 00:15:23,760 --> 00:15:28,520 Speaker 2: Titanic sinks into blackness. And here's how Violet will later 261 00:15:28,680 --> 00:15:32,240 Speaker 2: describe this moment. She says, quote, I watched the Titanic 262 00:15:32,280 --> 00:15:35,800 Speaker 2: give a lurch forward. One of the huge funnels toppled off, 263 00:15:35,880 --> 00:15:38,960 Speaker 2: like a cardboard model, falling into the sea with a 264 00:15:38,960 --> 00:15:42,800 Speaker 2: fearful roar. A few cries came to us across the water, 265 00:15:43,320 --> 00:15:46,480 Speaker 2: then silence, as the ship seemed to right itself, like 266 00:15:46,520 --> 00:15:49,600 Speaker 2: a hurt animal with a broken back. She settled for 267 00:15:49,680 --> 00:15:53,440 Speaker 2: a few minutes, but one more deck of lighted ports disappeared. 268 00:15:54,120 --> 00:15:57,000 Speaker 2: Then she went down by the head and a thundering 269 00:15:57,080 --> 00:16:01,760 Speaker 2: roar of underwater explosions. Our proud ship, our beautiful Titanic, 270 00:16:02,240 --> 00:16:07,440 Speaker 2: gone to her doom. God, what a sight. And you're like, however, 271 00:16:07,480 --> 00:16:10,440 Speaker 2: many feet away, you could get away totally looking at that. 272 00:16:10,720 --> 00:16:14,720 Speaker 2: I don't like it. It's too big and it's too vast. 273 00:16:14,880 --> 00:16:18,440 Speaker 2: I'm on violet side. I don't like it. That's why 274 00:16:18,440 --> 00:16:20,880 Speaker 2: I need to keep talking about Okay, I get it. 275 00:16:21,200 --> 00:16:24,560 Speaker 2: So for the next several hours, as traumatized Titanic survivors 276 00:16:24,640 --> 00:16:28,040 Speaker 2: wait to be rescued, Violet clings to this baby as 277 00:16:28,160 --> 00:16:31,160 Speaker 2: you would. At one point, she worries that both she 278 00:16:31,360 --> 00:16:33,120 Speaker 2: and the infant are going to freeze to death in 279 00:16:33,200 --> 00:16:37,720 Speaker 2: life boat sixteen. And then the rescue ship, the SS Carpathia, 280 00:16:37,800 --> 00:16:41,360 Speaker 2: shows up around four am, so it's like about two hours. 281 00:16:41,440 --> 00:16:45,240 Speaker 2: Did we ever have the discussion about, like the magnets, 282 00:16:45,720 --> 00:16:48,120 Speaker 2: how do they work? How do they work? How do 283 00:16:48,200 --> 00:16:53,040 Speaker 2: they maybe affect the Titanic's scouting system? Yeah? Do we 284 00:16:53,080 --> 00:16:55,240 Speaker 2: talk about that in any of these I don't think so. Okay, 285 00:16:55,280 --> 00:16:57,040 Speaker 2: do you want to throw some theories out, I'll do 286 00:16:57,040 --> 00:17:00,720 Speaker 2: it another. Have you been listening to rfk's podcast What's Happening? 287 00:17:01,240 --> 00:17:05,119 Speaker 2: It's all magnets, It's all magnet You think something interfered 288 00:17:05,160 --> 00:17:07,760 Speaker 2: and that's how it it dove into the ice, But. 289 00:17:07,760 --> 00:17:11,320 Speaker 1: A natural phenomenon interfered, and that Yeah, that's why some 290 00:17:11,520 --> 00:17:14,320 Speaker 1: like Bermuda triangles exactly. So if you know what I'm 291 00:17:14,359 --> 00:17:17,480 Speaker 1: talking about, send me the article that I read about, please, 292 00:17:17,520 --> 00:17:18,399 Speaker 1: because I don't remember. 293 00:17:18,560 --> 00:17:19,919 Speaker 2: If you know what we're talking about, and you're in 294 00:17:19,960 --> 00:17:22,879 Speaker 2: the North Atlantic right now, tell me, tell me what 295 00:17:22,960 --> 00:17:24,600 Speaker 2: I'm talking Tell me. 296 00:17:24,840 --> 00:17:26,720 Speaker 1: Was this just an episode of Below Deck and I'm 297 00:17:26,720 --> 00:17:28,440 Speaker 1: totally fucking wrong. 298 00:17:28,800 --> 00:17:31,360 Speaker 2: It could be I slept with him because of the magnets. 299 00:17:31,400 --> 00:17:33,760 Speaker 2: They drew me toward his cabin. His dick is the 300 00:17:33,760 --> 00:17:38,239 Speaker 2: Permuta triangle. It's not my fault that the draw is 301 00:17:38,320 --> 00:17:43,200 Speaker 2: so strong. It's like two cartoon magnets pulling coyote off. 302 00:17:43,560 --> 00:17:47,480 Speaker 2: That was the lifeboat. Okay, stop it, stop it serious podcast. 303 00:17:47,640 --> 00:17:50,200 Speaker 2: I was just talking about a baby. Ok you're playing 304 00:17:50,200 --> 00:17:52,600 Speaker 2: this for your mom, and now she's horrified. Okay, we're 305 00:17:52,600 --> 00:17:56,240 Speaker 2: going to do a quote from Violet about the moment 306 00:17:56,320 --> 00:17:59,800 Speaker 2: that she and the baby are saved. Okay, ready. Quote. 307 00:18:00,200 --> 00:18:03,280 Speaker 2: I was still clutching the baby against my hardcorek life 308 00:18:03,280 --> 00:18:05,840 Speaker 2: belt when a woman leaped at me and grabbed the 309 00:18:05,880 --> 00:18:09,359 Speaker 2: baby and rushed off with it. Hey, it appeared that 310 00:18:09,480 --> 00:18:11,639 Speaker 2: she put it down on the deck of the Titanic 311 00:18:11,880 --> 00:18:14,439 Speaker 2: while she went off to fetch something, and when she 312 00:18:14,560 --> 00:18:17,560 Speaker 2: came back, the baby had gone. I was too frozen 313 00:18:17,600 --> 00:18:19,920 Speaker 2: and numb to think it's strange that this woman had 314 00:18:19,960 --> 00:18:23,320 Speaker 2: not stopped to say thank you end quotes. Oh, so 315 00:18:23,440 --> 00:18:26,639 Speaker 2: the mom came. The mom was like, you have my baby. 316 00:18:26,680 --> 00:18:30,080 Speaker 2: That's my baby. Well everyone's panicking, so and nobody would blame. 317 00:18:30,200 --> 00:18:33,560 Speaker 2: She thought she lost the baby totally entirely. And there's 318 00:18:33,560 --> 00:18:35,080 Speaker 2: a lady that has the baby. 319 00:18:35,119 --> 00:18:37,199 Speaker 1: But also, like babies, they'll look the same to me, Like, 320 00:18:37,280 --> 00:18:38,439 Speaker 1: how do you not get her baby? 321 00:18:38,800 --> 00:18:44,040 Speaker 2: Same like such babies the attitudes. Years later, Violet will 322 00:18:44,040 --> 00:18:46,960 Speaker 2: receive a very short phone call from a woman claiming 323 00:18:47,040 --> 00:18:52,600 Speaker 2: to be that baby. Oh the baby a baby collar. Fuck, hell, 324 00:18:52,880 --> 00:18:58,560 Speaker 2: it's a baby call. It's the baby, that that baby baby, 325 00:18:58,760 --> 00:19:02,639 Speaker 2: your favorite bait. I can from the North Atlantic. Some 326 00:19:02,680 --> 00:19:05,639 Speaker 2: people say that that call was either a hoax or 327 00:19:05,880 --> 00:19:09,639 Speaker 2: wasn't really. Violet seemed to believe she really was the caller. Sure, 328 00:19:09,680 --> 00:19:14,000 Speaker 2: why not? So The Carpathia spends four hours pulling Titanic 329 00:19:14,040 --> 00:19:18,399 Speaker 2: survivors from their lifeboats. Ultimately, they deliver around seven hundred 330 00:19:18,400 --> 00:19:21,920 Speaker 2: people to safety in the New York Harbor. I thought 331 00:19:21,920 --> 00:19:24,320 Speaker 2: they went to Canada. I think they took the dead 332 00:19:24,359 --> 00:19:27,800 Speaker 2: bodies to Canada. Oh that's where the big mark was. Okay, 333 00:19:27,800 --> 00:19:30,399 Speaker 2: but sorry, that's just what it said here, so you 334 00:19:30,400 --> 00:19:33,840 Speaker 2: could be right. That's probably below deck. Okay, it's more 335 00:19:33,960 --> 00:19:38,040 Speaker 2: below deck Newfoundland. From there, Violet catches a ship back 336 00:19:38,040 --> 00:19:41,280 Speaker 2: to England, and not two weeks later, she signs back 337 00:19:41,359 --> 00:19:43,000 Speaker 2: up to go out to See to work as the 338 00:19:43,040 --> 00:19:46,080 Speaker 2: stewardess once again, because like, what are the chances, right, 339 00:19:46,800 --> 00:19:50,000 Speaker 2: I'm sure, and she's kind of like, this is a 340 00:19:50,000 --> 00:19:53,879 Speaker 2: real skill. She probably can make good money comparatively, and 341 00:19:53,920 --> 00:19:56,800 Speaker 2: she needs the money. She has to take time off 342 00:19:56,920 --> 00:19:59,840 Speaker 2: now she can't go find herself and do a year abroad. 343 00:20:00,000 --> 00:20:02,760 Speaker 2: I think there was a Titanic survivor fund or something. No, 344 00:20:02,880 --> 00:20:05,920 Speaker 2: they didn't do that, then, I mean you would think something. 345 00:20:07,160 --> 00:20:10,119 Speaker 2: But anyway, she's kind of like all business, which sorry, 346 00:20:10,119 --> 00:20:13,280 Speaker 2: I do love that. We're just like, hey, looks Irish man. 347 00:20:13,760 --> 00:20:16,920 Speaker 2: It really it's Irish Catholic, because it's like, I'll get 348 00:20:16,960 --> 00:20:20,320 Speaker 2: my reward later. I'll go back on to the thing 349 00:20:20,320 --> 00:20:23,960 Speaker 2: that tried to kill me last two times. Okay, she 350 00:20:24,240 --> 00:20:26,560 Speaker 2: will say, quote, I knew that if I meant to 351 00:20:26,600 --> 00:20:29,600 Speaker 2: continue my sea life, I would have to return at once, 352 00:20:29,720 --> 00:20:32,119 Speaker 2: otherwise I would lose my nerve, for I had no 353 00:20:32,280 --> 00:20:36,639 Speaker 2: love for it. But I needed the work yeah intense so. 354 00:20:36,800 --> 00:20:39,000 Speaker 2: Violet will later write about how the sinking of the 355 00:20:39,080 --> 00:20:43,280 Speaker 2: Titanic changes her entire perspective on life and strengthens her 356 00:20:43,359 --> 00:20:46,480 Speaker 2: already very deep faith. What it does not do is 357 00:20:46,600 --> 00:20:48,560 Speaker 2: change how much she hates being at the beck and 358 00:20:48,640 --> 00:20:52,800 Speaker 2: call of rich travelers. There's no faith strong enough to 359 00:20:52,840 --> 00:20:55,480 Speaker 2: get you over rich people snapping their fingers at you. 360 00:20:55,600 --> 00:20:59,359 Speaker 2: Absolutely not, Violet writes on that topic, quote, I wanted 361 00:20:59,359 --> 00:21:03,040 Speaker 2: the quietness of happy contentment, not the hectic turmoil of riches, 362 00:21:03,400 --> 00:21:07,560 Speaker 2: which sapped simplicity and spontaneous kindness out of people. I 363 00:21:07,600 --> 00:21:10,480 Speaker 2: wanted desperately to shut out the encroachment of sea life 364 00:21:10,480 --> 00:21:13,320 Speaker 2: on my inner self to retain something I feared I 365 00:21:13,359 --> 00:21:16,280 Speaker 2: was losing, a kind of action that's performed for the 366 00:21:16,359 --> 00:21:19,879 Speaker 2: love of pleasing and not for gain. I had gained 367 00:21:19,880 --> 00:21:22,640 Speaker 2: one thing. I learned how to look very deeply into 368 00:21:22,680 --> 00:21:26,040 Speaker 2: people and to value them for what I found. Famous 369 00:21:26,119 --> 00:21:29,240 Speaker 2: names and possessions no longer moved me. I was more 370 00:21:29,240 --> 00:21:32,680 Speaker 2: confident when confronted by some powerful woman whose cold eyes 371 00:21:33,000 --> 00:21:36,119 Speaker 2: as I served her breakfast might once have shattered me. 372 00:21:36,800 --> 00:21:40,040 Speaker 2: She's literally talking about my career. But each day it 373 00:21:40,119 --> 00:21:43,560 Speaker 2: was more. But each day it was more difficult to 374 00:21:43,600 --> 00:21:47,920 Speaker 2: be my simple self, to ignore the pettiness, artificiality, and 375 00:21:48,000 --> 00:21:52,639 Speaker 2: frothy gaiety that encompassed at Stewardess's life on board a ship. 376 00:21:52,840 --> 00:21:56,159 Speaker 1: I fucking totally hear that. Yeah, as an ex waitress, 377 00:21:56,800 --> 00:22:01,760 Speaker 1: I fucking hear it. Come on, like it's titled Motherfuckers 378 00:22:02,040 --> 00:22:05,320 Speaker 1: on vacation, being like, you make my vacation totally. So 379 00:22:05,359 --> 00:22:07,320 Speaker 1: it's the literal opposite of a vacation. 380 00:22:07,480 --> 00:22:12,200 Speaker 2: You are here to serve Surney and that's your purpose. Snap, snap, 381 00:22:12,280 --> 00:22:17,639 Speaker 2: snap fuck you. So now it's nineteen fourteen and World 382 00:22:17,640 --> 00:22:21,560 Speaker 2: War One begins. Violet is twenty seven, and as we 383 00:22:21,640 --> 00:22:24,000 Speaker 2: all do at age twenty seven, she decides to pivot. 384 00:22:24,520 --> 00:22:27,400 Speaker 2: So what she does is become a warner. Definitely, that's 385 00:22:27,400 --> 00:22:30,159 Speaker 2: what you did. Yeah, you got to. So she's in 386 00:22:30,160 --> 00:22:33,959 Speaker 2: the hospitals both on land and at sea. Oh honey, 387 00:22:34,000 --> 00:22:37,879 Speaker 2: she can't stop. In late nineteen sixteen, she's assigned work 388 00:22:38,400 --> 00:22:41,040 Speaker 2: on the Britannic, which is the third of the White 389 00:22:41,040 --> 00:22:44,840 Speaker 2: Star Line signature luxury vessels. This sister ship to the 390 00:22:44,920 --> 00:22:47,239 Speaker 2: Olympic and to the Titanic. I don't they know one 391 00:22:47,320 --> 00:22:49,840 Speaker 2: to quit or like change the name of the company. 392 00:22:50,240 --> 00:22:53,400 Speaker 2: With this assignment, Violet will have worked on all three 393 00:22:53,600 --> 00:22:56,200 Speaker 2: wow of the White Star Line. It's got a natory ships. 394 00:22:56,200 --> 00:22:58,200 Speaker 2: There can't be a lot of them. No, I bet 395 00:22:58,359 --> 00:23:00,760 Speaker 2: they gave her a nice pocket watch for it. So 396 00:23:00,880 --> 00:23:04,560 Speaker 2: during the war, the Britannic is repurposed into a hospital ship, 397 00:23:04,600 --> 00:23:08,240 Speaker 2: and on November twenty first, nineteen sixteen, it's moving through 398 00:23:08,280 --> 00:23:10,680 Speaker 2: the Age and c on the way to the battlefields 399 00:23:10,680 --> 00:23:14,040 Speaker 2: in Turkey to treat wounded soldiers there. So they go 400 00:23:14,359 --> 00:23:16,560 Speaker 2: pick up all the wounded soldiers and take them back 401 00:23:16,600 --> 00:23:20,720 Speaker 2: away from all the war. So at a little after 402 00:23:20,840 --> 00:23:25,359 Speaker 2: nine am, Violet has just left Mass Church and she's 403 00:23:25,440 --> 00:23:29,080 Speaker 2: now quietly eating her breakfast I mean temple. Yes, Oh, 404 00:23:29,119 --> 00:23:30,680 Speaker 2: do you have to translate it for you? Thank you? 405 00:23:31,800 --> 00:23:35,800 Speaker 2: She's eating breakfast post mass, post mass and not Massachusetts. 406 00:23:35,840 --> 00:23:39,360 Speaker 2: And her breakfast is interrupted by a loud boom. We're 407 00:23:39,400 --> 00:23:42,479 Speaker 2: doing it again. For years the cause of the blast 408 00:23:42,520 --> 00:23:46,040 Speaker 2: will be unclear, But today, in twenty twenty five, it's 409 00:23:46,080 --> 00:23:49,199 Speaker 2: believed that the Britannic hit a mine. No way ye. 410 00:23:50,000 --> 00:23:55,879 Speaker 2: So the ship shakes violently begins to sink. Violet yawns, 411 00:23:56,160 --> 00:23:59,440 Speaker 2: checks her watch, looks around. Is their baby? Does eyone 412 00:23:59,560 --> 00:24:01,600 Speaker 2: give me a baby's crying? It's not that big of 413 00:24:01,640 --> 00:24:06,320 Speaker 2: a deal. I've seen worse. It's anybody of a baby, 414 00:24:06,880 --> 00:24:11,080 Speaker 2: and and the babies over here, please, She's finishing her 415 00:24:11,080 --> 00:24:16,600 Speaker 2: English muffin. Okay. Officers immediately start moving people onto lifeboats, 416 00:24:16,800 --> 00:24:19,800 Speaker 2: but Violet runs back to her room to get a 417 00:24:19,840 --> 00:24:23,840 Speaker 2: prayer book and a toothbrush, which is something she sorely 418 00:24:23,880 --> 00:24:27,600 Speaker 2: missed after surviving the Titanic sinking. A friend had jokingly 419 00:24:27,680 --> 00:24:31,879 Speaker 2: told Violet to quote, never undertake another disaster without first 420 00:24:31,960 --> 00:24:34,920 Speaker 2: making sure of your toothbrush. That's how much she complained 421 00:24:34,960 --> 00:24:38,280 Speaker 2: about not being able to brush her teeth after surviving 422 00:24:38,320 --> 00:24:41,120 Speaker 2: the sinking of how much for toothbrushes back then? And 423 00:24:41,160 --> 00:24:43,679 Speaker 2: then money? What what did the toothbrush cost? I think 424 00:24:43,760 --> 00:24:46,080 Speaker 2: she was just like, it was no one's priority to 425 00:24:46,160 --> 00:24:49,480 Speaker 2: get me a toothbrush after we got back to land, 426 00:24:49,760 --> 00:24:51,320 Speaker 2: and so she's like, never again. 427 00:24:51,440 --> 00:24:54,119 Speaker 1: Okay, all right, girl, seems like you could use your 428 00:24:54,160 --> 00:24:56,280 Speaker 1: finger like we all did when we crashed at the 429 00:24:56,320 --> 00:24:58,280 Speaker 1: dude's house in our twenties. 430 00:24:59,800 --> 00:25:03,119 Speaker 2: So there, now Violet's loaded onto a crowded lifeboat. This 431 00:25:03,359 --> 00:25:06,040 Speaker 2: is if you are the kind of person that doesn't 432 00:25:06,080 --> 00:25:09,520 Speaker 2: understand why you listen to true crime podcasts because they 433 00:25:09,520 --> 00:25:12,720 Speaker 2: are upsetting, this part might upset you. Oh okay, got it. 434 00:25:12,800 --> 00:25:15,399 Speaker 2: This is a very upsetting part, especially if you have 435 00:25:15,480 --> 00:25:18,320 Speaker 2: ocean issues, okay, or you're on a boat right now, 436 00:25:18,400 --> 00:25:20,360 Speaker 2: or if you're on a boat right now. So they're 437 00:25:20,400 --> 00:25:23,280 Speaker 2: slowly being lowered into the water, which is not a 438 00:25:23,320 --> 00:25:27,400 Speaker 2: smooth journey. The ship starts tilting. The lifeboat gets snagged 439 00:25:27,400 --> 00:25:31,280 Speaker 2: on an open porthole. It almost flips upside down, but 440 00:25:31,440 --> 00:25:34,640 Speaker 2: the people on the lifeboat manage to get it uncaught. 441 00:25:35,240 --> 00:25:38,040 Speaker 2: Now it's scraping down the side of the Britannic as 442 00:25:38,160 --> 00:25:42,080 Speaker 2: it's lowered. At one point, the ship takes another hard 443 00:25:42,160 --> 00:25:45,520 Speaker 2: tilt and the lifeboat goes out and swings into the 444 00:25:45,560 --> 00:25:49,320 Speaker 2: ship's green hospital band, which is made of glass, so 445 00:25:49,320 --> 00:25:52,879 Speaker 2: it's a hospital ship. The green band around it is 446 00:25:52,920 --> 00:25:55,880 Speaker 2: actually made of glass, which I didn't know that. So 447 00:25:55,920 --> 00:25:58,760 Speaker 2: there's like a red cross up here, red cross back there. 448 00:25:58,800 --> 00:26:02,240 Speaker 2: That's so you know, hey, don't bomb this ship. Canvas. Yeah, 449 00:26:02,760 --> 00:26:05,199 Speaker 2: a shortage of canvas. I don't know who pland that, 450 00:26:05,320 --> 00:26:09,400 Speaker 2: but they smash into it and glass shatters, and Violet 451 00:26:09,480 --> 00:26:12,760 Speaker 2: and the other people on the lifeboat are sprayed with 452 00:26:12,840 --> 00:26:16,920 Speaker 2: shards of glass. All the while Violet is looking down 453 00:26:16,960 --> 00:26:20,240 Speaker 2: at the water. She can see two lifeboats are already 454 00:26:20,280 --> 00:26:23,119 Speaker 2: down there, and the people who are on those lifeboats 455 00:26:23,400 --> 00:26:26,919 Speaker 2: are doing everything they can to row away from the 456 00:26:26,960 --> 00:26:30,160 Speaker 2: ship itself. But the captain is still trying to move 457 00:26:30,200 --> 00:26:33,960 Speaker 2: the Britannic towards shallower waters, and he has not turned 458 00:26:33,960 --> 00:26:38,879 Speaker 2: off the ship's propeller. Oh no, yes, no, the propeller 459 00:26:39,000 --> 00:26:44,560 Speaker 2: is now sucking the evacuees in their lifeboats toward the ship. 460 00:26:45,480 --> 00:26:48,639 Speaker 2: Violet watches as the worst case scenario plays out in 461 00:26:48,680 --> 00:26:51,840 Speaker 2: front of her. One of the lifeboats gets sucked into 462 00:26:51,880 --> 00:26:54,639 Speaker 2: the ship's blades, and the boat and all of the 463 00:26:54,640 --> 00:26:57,840 Speaker 2: people on it are hacked to pieces, and the water 464 00:26:58,240 --> 00:27:01,479 Speaker 2: then turns red with blood as she as they are 465 00:27:01,560 --> 00:27:04,160 Speaker 2: dangling over the side water they're supposed to go down into. 466 00:27:04,359 --> 00:27:09,080 Speaker 2: Oh no, Violet will later say, quote, I gave that foolish, 467 00:27:09,240 --> 00:27:13,080 Speaker 2: nervous laugh, as people sometimes do when faced with an 468 00:27:13,200 --> 00:27:17,440 Speaker 2: unpleasant discovery and a doubtful alternative. That's a beautiful way 469 00:27:17,440 --> 00:27:22,320 Speaker 2: of putting. Oh fuck a fuck houck fuck, holy fuck, 470 00:27:23,119 --> 00:27:26,560 Speaker 2: just sitting there looking down. Oh my god, Violet's lifeboat 471 00:27:26,600 --> 00:27:29,560 Speaker 2: is finally dropped into the same water. Almost on cue, 472 00:27:29,640 --> 00:27:33,320 Speaker 2: Everyone except for Violet and one other man jump out 473 00:27:33,320 --> 00:27:36,240 Speaker 2: of the boat and into the sea. Violet will later 474 00:27:36,280 --> 00:27:39,280 Speaker 2: write about this quote. Not a word, not a shout 475 00:27:39,359 --> 00:27:42,640 Speaker 2: was heard, just hundreds of men fleeing into the sea, 476 00:27:42,680 --> 00:27:45,919 Speaker 2: as if from an enemy in pursuit. It was extraordinary 477 00:27:45,920 --> 00:27:48,119 Speaker 2: to find myself, in the space of a few minutes, 478 00:27:48,520 --> 00:27:52,240 Speaker 2: almost the only occupant of the boat. I turned around 479 00:27:52,320 --> 00:27:55,600 Speaker 2: to see the reason for this exodus, and to my horror, 480 00:27:55,960 --> 00:28:00,760 Speaker 2: saw the Britannic's huge propellers churning and mincing up everything 481 00:28:00,880 --> 00:28:06,320 Speaker 2: near them. Men, boats, and everything were just one ghastly whirl. 482 00:28:06,600 --> 00:28:10,040 Speaker 2: Oh shut it off. So she turns around to see 483 00:28:10,040 --> 00:28:12,199 Speaker 2: why everyone's jumping off the boat, and then when she 484 00:28:12,320 --> 00:28:14,920 Speaker 2: turns back, the one guy that was left also jumps 485 00:28:14,960 --> 00:28:19,359 Speaker 2: off the boat. So horrible. She can't SWI right, not 486 00:28:19,400 --> 00:28:22,760 Speaker 2: an option, And yet she knows if she stays on 487 00:28:22,760 --> 00:28:25,680 Speaker 2: this boat, she's going into that propeller. So she flings 488 00:28:25,680 --> 00:28:28,960 Speaker 2: herself into the water, kicking and paddling for her life, 489 00:28:29,400 --> 00:28:32,080 Speaker 2: and it is the very first time her whole body 490 00:28:32,119 --> 00:28:35,320 Speaker 2: and her head are underwater like that. I mean, I'm 491 00:28:35,359 --> 00:28:38,400 Speaker 2: sure she took baths before, but like never, she has never. 492 00:28:39,640 --> 00:28:42,600 Speaker 2: She's immediately jerked around by the power of these propellers. 493 00:28:42,960 --> 00:28:44,880 Speaker 2: They just suck you right in. Yes, you're gonna go 494 00:28:44,880 --> 00:28:48,160 Speaker 2: where that water it takes you. Her head is hit 495 00:28:48,280 --> 00:28:52,000 Speaker 2: onto the ship's keel, which is the bottom spine, twice. 496 00:28:52,120 --> 00:28:54,040 Speaker 2: She's pulled down and her head is knocked into the 497 00:28:54,080 --> 00:28:57,520 Speaker 2: keel twice. She will later write, quote, my brain shook 498 00:28:57,600 --> 00:29:00,280 Speaker 2: like a solid body in a bottle of liquid. Oh 499 00:29:00,320 --> 00:29:02,760 Speaker 2: my god. At the same time, the keel is also 500 00:29:02,840 --> 00:29:05,880 Speaker 2: blocking Violet from being able to come back up and surface, 501 00:29:06,360 --> 00:29:09,400 Speaker 2: so she is under there, about to drown. She says, 502 00:29:09,480 --> 00:29:13,680 Speaker 2: quote Suddenly some twist of fancy made me see, even 503 00:29:13,720 --> 00:29:18,000 Speaker 2: then underwater, the humor of my situation, Oh my god, 504 00:29:18,400 --> 00:29:21,720 Speaker 2: And I chuckled. That was very nearly my undoing, for 505 00:29:21,840 --> 00:29:25,200 Speaker 2: I swallowed what seemed like gallons of water and everything 506 00:29:25,200 --> 00:29:26,640 Speaker 2: that was in it. I love her. 507 00:29:26,880 --> 00:29:28,920 Speaker 1: I love her like how much fun was she to 508 00:29:28,960 --> 00:29:29,440 Speaker 1: have a drink with? 509 00:29:29,520 --> 00:29:32,280 Speaker 2: Because she was like, you gotta be fasking block someone 510 00:29:32,320 --> 00:29:36,680 Speaker 2: hand me a baby down. Can you believe it? Miraculously? 511 00:29:37,160 --> 00:29:39,760 Speaker 2: This is when the captain finally cuts the ship's engines. 512 00:29:39,880 --> 00:29:45,160 Speaker 2: Thanks guy. The propellers stop, and now Violet's adrenaline kicks in. Yes, 513 00:29:45,240 --> 00:29:48,200 Speaker 2: she's injured, it is a head injury. But somehow she 514 00:29:48,280 --> 00:29:51,400 Speaker 2: forces her way to the surface and finds a life 515 00:29:51,480 --> 00:29:55,240 Speaker 2: vest floating nearby. She holds onto that life vest. She 516 00:29:55,360 --> 00:29:59,160 Speaker 2: keeps her head above water, and she swims past dismembered 517 00:29:59,160 --> 00:30:04,960 Speaker 2: corpses and dangerous debris from the chopped up lifeboats. Dude, 518 00:30:06,000 --> 00:30:08,440 Speaker 2: horror show, Yeah, this is the worst one. While the 519 00:30:08,480 --> 00:30:13,280 Speaker 2: Britannic continues sinking behind her. Violet is far enough away. 520 00:30:13,480 --> 00:30:16,080 Speaker 2: She gets far enough away, and when she does, she 521 00:30:16,120 --> 00:30:19,920 Speaker 2: turns around and she watches it go down. Quote. She says, 522 00:30:19,960 --> 00:30:23,240 Speaker 2: all the deck machinery fell into the sea like child's toys. 523 00:30:23,800 --> 00:30:27,160 Speaker 2: Then she took a fearful plunge, her stern, rearing hundreds 524 00:30:27,160 --> 00:30:29,440 Speaker 2: of feet into the air, until with a final roar, 525 00:30:29,880 --> 00:30:32,720 Speaker 2: she disappeared into the depths, the noise of her going 526 00:30:32,960 --> 00:30:37,440 Speaker 2: resounding through the water with an undreamt of violence. Wow, 527 00:30:37,840 --> 00:30:39,880 Speaker 2: you just don't want to be that close to these 528 00:30:39,880 --> 00:30:43,000 Speaker 2: gigantic ships. When they sing, truly like, really, you want 529 00:30:43,040 --> 00:30:45,680 Speaker 2: to be at home, far far away, at home with 530 00:30:45,720 --> 00:30:49,120 Speaker 2: your eight brothers and sisters. So violets out there are 531 00:30:49,120 --> 00:30:51,600 Speaker 2: bobbing in the water, clinging to the life vest until 532 00:30:51,640 --> 00:30:55,280 Speaker 2: a motor boat approaches and pulls her up to safety. 533 00:30:55,440 --> 00:30:57,880 Speaker 2: She then realizes for the first time that her leg 534 00:30:57,920 --> 00:31:01,760 Speaker 2: has been slashed and her head is quote battered almost 535 00:31:01,760 --> 00:31:05,560 Speaker 2: to a pulp. Doctors are amazed by how mobile and 536 00:31:05,680 --> 00:31:09,920 Speaker 2: alert Violet is. When she sees a Britannic doctor that 537 00:31:10,200 --> 00:31:14,240 Speaker 2: she'd sat beside it mass earlier that morning. He tells her, quote, 538 00:31:14,600 --> 00:31:17,560 Speaker 2: I know what saved you today, young lady English muffin. 539 00:31:18,680 --> 00:31:20,920 Speaker 2: Did you hear the way I choked on the finishing 540 00:31:20,920 --> 00:31:23,280 Speaker 2: that sentence where I'm like, oh wait, he means God 541 00:31:23,760 --> 00:31:26,240 Speaker 2: on a second, hold on a second. What does she 542 00:31:26,240 --> 00:31:29,040 Speaker 2: think about this? I don't know. I wasn't really thinking. 543 00:31:29,080 --> 00:31:33,240 Speaker 2: I was like, this is a highly Catholic church sponsored episode. 544 00:31:33,320 --> 00:31:37,080 Speaker 2: It truly is. The Britannic will sink in just under 545 00:31:37,120 --> 00:31:40,560 Speaker 2: fifty five minutes. It took the Titanic two hours and 546 00:31:40,600 --> 00:31:44,640 Speaker 2: forty minutes to sink. This thing went down fast. Twenty 547 00:31:44,720 --> 00:31:48,040 Speaker 2: eight people are killed when the Britannic sinks it could 548 00:31:48,080 --> 00:31:51,240 Speaker 2: have been much worse if the ship had picked up 549 00:31:51,280 --> 00:31:55,400 Speaker 2: wounded soldiers, but it was on the way. Oh thank god. Yeah. 550 00:31:55,640 --> 00:31:58,200 Speaker 2: Violet is patched up and she's sent home to England, 551 00:31:58,520 --> 00:32:01,000 Speaker 2: where she lives with her mom, Kelly. She ends up 552 00:32:01,000 --> 00:32:03,920 Speaker 2: getting a job at a bank and for that sounds 553 00:32:03,960 --> 00:32:08,480 Speaker 2: way better, I mean, but she's having problems with her 554 00:32:08,520 --> 00:32:12,280 Speaker 2: basically with her cognition because of the head injury. Years 555 00:32:12,320 --> 00:32:15,040 Speaker 2: after the sinking, a doctor will be doing a routine 556 00:32:15,240 --> 00:32:18,760 Speaker 2: exam on her when he tells Violet that she'd actually 557 00:32:18,800 --> 00:32:22,880 Speaker 2: fractured her skull when her head hit the Britanni's keel, 558 00:32:23,440 --> 00:32:27,280 Speaker 2: and she somehow not only survived, but was never treated 559 00:32:27,320 --> 00:32:31,320 Speaker 2: for it and basically got through it. So a few 560 00:32:31,400 --> 00:32:34,400 Speaker 2: years after that, in nineteen twenty, when Violet is around 561 00:32:34,480 --> 00:32:37,360 Speaker 2: thirty three years old, she gets a niche to go 562 00:32:37,480 --> 00:32:40,360 Speaker 2: back to see. Violet will go back to the White 563 00:32:40,360 --> 00:32:44,080 Speaker 2: Star Line on the restored Olympic, which is the ocean 564 00:32:44,120 --> 00:32:47,640 Speaker 2: liner she worked on that collided with the Hawk Number 565 00:32:47,640 --> 00:32:52,000 Speaker 2: one Yes okay. Violet immediately notices how different the Olympic's 566 00:32:52,000 --> 00:32:54,000 Speaker 2: passengers are from the last time she was on it. 567 00:32:54,520 --> 00:32:58,080 Speaker 2: Instead of the stuffy, ultra rich, bossy assholes that she 568 00:32:58,200 --> 00:33:03,200 Speaker 2: had worked for before the war, richie riches. Now she's 569 00:33:03,240 --> 00:33:07,280 Speaker 2: dealing with Americans, many middle class. They're just there to 570 00:33:07,320 --> 00:33:11,880 Speaker 2: have fun. Great because on land it's prohibition, right, So 571 00:33:12,200 --> 00:33:15,600 Speaker 2: that's a new responsibility as a steward and stewardess is 572 00:33:15,640 --> 00:33:18,680 Speaker 2: on this ship, it's part of your job to basically 573 00:33:18,800 --> 00:33:22,320 Speaker 2: help these VIPs to booze it up while they are 574 00:33:22,400 --> 00:33:26,120 Speaker 2: on this ship. Sounds great, And basically part of the 575 00:33:26,200 --> 00:33:29,080 Speaker 2: job is you have to hide the booze from customs agents. 576 00:33:29,120 --> 00:33:31,720 Speaker 2: Got it? Violet will write about that quote. It was 577 00:33:31,800 --> 00:33:36,520 Speaker 2: all so fantastic. There were pillars of Wall Street senators, lawyers, debutantes, 578 00:33:36,840 --> 00:33:38,760 Speaker 2: all with their minds on the same problem. As we 579 00:33:38,840 --> 00:33:42,040 Speaker 2: approach the shores of the United States, how do we 580 00:33:42,160 --> 00:33:46,280 Speaker 2: keep drinking? So from here Violet bounces around to other ships. 581 00:33:46,720 --> 00:33:49,760 Speaker 2: She even completes two cruises around the world on the 582 00:33:49,800 --> 00:33:53,440 Speaker 2: Red Star Line, and that experience means a lot to Violet. 583 00:33:53,600 --> 00:33:57,760 Speaker 2: She's surrounded by diverse people, She's exposed to different world cultures, 584 00:33:58,160 --> 00:34:00,560 Speaker 2: and this is when she really begins in bracing her 585 00:34:00,560 --> 00:34:03,960 Speaker 2: life as a stewardess, which she then comes to appreciate 586 00:34:04,600 --> 00:34:08,239 Speaker 2: for its excitement and its unpredictability and the ways it's 587 00:34:08,280 --> 00:34:12,359 Speaker 2: tested her spirit and resolve. Fair enough. I mean, that's 588 00:34:12,440 --> 00:34:15,440 Speaker 2: quite a line, Maren, having written that, of like testing 589 00:34:15,480 --> 00:34:18,440 Speaker 2: her spirit and resolve, It's like you almost died on 590 00:34:18,560 --> 00:34:22,000 Speaker 2: a three. The ocean wants to kill you so bad violently. 591 00:34:22,040 --> 00:34:26,520 Speaker 2: This is fucking final destination, Victorian. She's like, guess what, Yeah, 592 00:34:26,600 --> 00:34:28,880 Speaker 2: I was at church this morning. It's not happening right today. 593 00:34:29,320 --> 00:34:33,480 Speaker 2: That's right, Mass will keep you from dying. Violet spends 594 00:34:33,480 --> 00:34:36,880 Speaker 2: the next several years at sea. She marries and quickly 595 00:34:36,920 --> 00:34:40,920 Speaker 2: divorces a fellow steward. In nineteen fifty, she retires at 596 00:34:40,920 --> 00:34:43,719 Speaker 2: the age of sixty three and moves into a cottage 597 00:34:43,760 --> 00:34:47,759 Speaker 2: in Suffolk, England, in a village called Great Ashfield, where 598 00:34:47,760 --> 00:34:51,680 Speaker 2: she raises chickens, makes an adjacent field available for her neighbors, 599 00:34:51,760 --> 00:34:55,200 Speaker 2: horses who she loves like her own, and she even 600 00:34:55,200 --> 00:34:57,600 Speaker 2: grows flowers that remind her of the ones that she 601 00:34:57,760 --> 00:35:01,960 Speaker 2: loved as a little girl in Argentina. Violet Jessip dies 602 00:35:02,040 --> 00:35:05,360 Speaker 2: of congestive heart failure in nineteen seventy one, when she 603 00:35:05,480 --> 00:35:08,880 Speaker 2: is eighty three years old. What a fucking life. What 604 00:35:09,040 --> 00:35:13,080 Speaker 2: a life, And despite her long career at sea, she 605 00:35:13,800 --> 00:35:17,400 Speaker 2: ends her life very grounded, close with her family, doting 606 00:35:17,440 --> 00:35:20,919 Speaker 2: on her neighbour's horses, tending to her garden, and every 607 00:35:20,960 --> 00:35:25,320 Speaker 2: so often delighting and telling one of her unbelievable stories 608 00:35:25,800 --> 00:35:30,080 Speaker 2: of survival. And that is the story and the legend 609 00:35:30,280 --> 00:35:36,160 Speaker 2: of the so called Queen of the Sinking Ships, Violet Jessup. Wow, yeah, 610 00:35:36,239 --> 00:35:39,840 Speaker 2: I'd take that. I'll take that life, you know, Okay, 611 00:35:39,880 --> 00:35:43,000 Speaker 2: I'll take it all the way up until ring over 612 00:35:43,200 --> 00:35:47,160 Speaker 2: Red Water while people okay, yeah, ye, I know what 613 00:35:47,239 --> 00:35:47,480 Speaker 2: that one. 614 00:35:47,960 --> 00:35:50,360 Speaker 1: I don't what that one. That's fucking wild. 615 00:35:50,480 --> 00:35:53,719 Speaker 2: It is not cool. How great job, Thank you did 616 00:35:53,760 --> 00:35:57,560 Speaker 2: it again. Great job. My researcher Maaron McGlashan, who took 617 00:35:57,600 --> 00:36:00,759 Speaker 2: that basically, was like, I think I found and one that's 618 00:36:00,840 --> 00:36:03,719 Speaker 2: crazier than all of the Titanic stories combined. I'm like, 619 00:36:04,000 --> 00:36:06,160 Speaker 2: how is that possible? A good one? Yeah? 620 00:36:06,400 --> 00:36:08,400 Speaker 1: So did I believe you guys. We believe in you, guys, 621 00:36:08,480 --> 00:36:12,240 Speaker 1: We believe you. Good job to everyone listening. Don't forget 622 00:36:12,520 --> 00:36:14,280 Speaker 1: hashtag my favorite hot dog. 623 00:36:16,160 --> 00:36:18,319 Speaker 2: Hashtag. It up proved to us that you like hot 624 00:36:18,320 --> 00:36:20,239 Speaker 2: dogs the most. We'll show you hours of your show. 625 00:36:20,320 --> 00:36:28,080 Speaker 2: It's yours, right, that's right. Okay, Now it's your turn. 626 00:36:28,680 --> 00:36:33,800 Speaker 2: Now it's my turn, and we're gonna take a turn. Okay, great, 627 00:36:33,920 --> 00:36:37,960 Speaker 2: not right away. This is about. 628 00:36:37,719 --> 00:36:42,760 Speaker 1: A not well known war that took place in Western 629 00:36:42,760 --> 00:36:46,319 Speaker 1: Australia in the nineteen thirties. Oh that, I mean, it's 630 00:36:46,360 --> 00:36:48,799 Speaker 1: so not well known that we got one email from 631 00:36:48,840 --> 00:36:50,320 Speaker 1: a listener about it in the Gmail. 632 00:36:50,320 --> 00:36:52,600 Speaker 2: That's it. Okay. But I think it's going to be 633 00:36:52,640 --> 00:36:55,640 Speaker 2: your new favorite war. Okay, I think I have so many. 634 00:36:56,400 --> 00:36:58,640 Speaker 2: I mean, yeah, it's gonna be tough. It's gonna be tough. 635 00:37:00,000 --> 00:37:05,960 Speaker 2: I'd say my first favorite wars is mash Okay. So 636 00:37:06,000 --> 00:37:08,040 Speaker 2: I'm gonna I'm gonna start cold, and I'll tell you 637 00:37:08,080 --> 00:37:11,080 Speaker 2: what it's called. Okay in a moment. Okay, I'll wait, 638 00:37:11,280 --> 00:37:12,880 Speaker 2: please wait, okay, please hold. 639 00:37:13,080 --> 00:37:16,240 Speaker 1: So we're in the aftermath of World War One. Thousands 640 00:37:16,320 --> 00:37:20,720 Speaker 1: of veterans who are nicknamed soldier settlers, moved to Western 641 00:37:20,760 --> 00:37:24,280 Speaker 1: Australia and it's a vast area with a huge array 642 00:37:24,320 --> 00:37:27,759 Speaker 1: of climates. There's tropical coast up north, desert in the interior, 643 00:37:28,160 --> 00:37:31,719 Speaker 1: a Mediterranean climate similar to parts of California on the 644 00:37:31,719 --> 00:37:34,480 Speaker 1: southwestern coasts. It's a fucking beautiful place. We should all 645 00:37:34,560 --> 00:37:34,840 Speaker 1: move to. 646 00:37:35,120 --> 00:37:37,839 Speaker 2: We should, don't you think. Remember we did like a 647 00:37:37,920 --> 00:37:41,120 Speaker 2: tour which was kind of southeastern. Yeah, we didn't go 648 00:37:41,160 --> 00:37:45,560 Speaker 2: to Perth. We didn't go to Perth next time. 649 00:37:45,840 --> 00:37:48,440 Speaker 1: So the Australian government has bought thousands of tracts of 650 00:37:48,560 --> 00:37:51,680 Speaker 1: land to sell to the soldiers at discounted prices in 651 00:37:51,719 --> 00:37:54,560 Speaker 1: an effort to reward the men for their service with 652 00:37:54,680 --> 00:37:57,040 Speaker 1: farmland to develop and profit from. 653 00:37:57,080 --> 00:38:00,359 Speaker 2: So they're trying to you know, expand back. Yeah, there are. 654 00:38:00,239 --> 00:38:03,200 Speaker 1: More than five thousand soldiers who buy land under the scheme, 655 00:38:03,400 --> 00:38:05,799 Speaker 1: and the problem is that the amount of land with 656 00:38:05,920 --> 00:38:10,320 Speaker 1: good soil for farming in Western Australia is kind of low, 657 00:38:10,800 --> 00:38:13,200 Speaker 1: so many of these soldiers are stuck out on tracks 658 00:38:13,200 --> 00:38:16,280 Speaker 1: with low quality soil and a host of other issues 659 00:38:16,320 --> 00:38:19,759 Speaker 1: that haven't really been thought through. In the end, most 660 00:38:19,760 --> 00:38:22,560 Speaker 1: of these soldiers wind up raising sheep and planting wheat, 661 00:38:22,880 --> 00:38:25,160 Speaker 1: which is what's most suited to the climate. And in 662 00:38:25,200 --> 00:38:29,000 Speaker 1: the nineteen twenties there's actually a string of really good years. 663 00:38:29,440 --> 00:38:30,399 Speaker 2: The wheat grows well. 664 00:38:30,480 --> 00:38:33,279 Speaker 1: The farmers are insulated a bit from bad years by 665 00:38:33,360 --> 00:38:36,440 Speaker 1: selling wool from the sheep and everyone is making money. 666 00:38:36,520 --> 00:38:40,640 Speaker 1: Everything's fine. Then in nineteen twenty nine, your favorite great 667 00:38:40,680 --> 00:38:43,160 Speaker 1: Depression happens, The Great Depression. 668 00:38:42,800 --> 00:38:44,760 Speaker 2: The Great, the Greatest, the Greatest Depression. 669 00:38:44,760 --> 00:38:47,120 Speaker 1: I was falling asleep last night to the World according 670 00:38:47,160 --> 00:38:49,640 Speaker 1: to Kunk by filming The Kunk, of course. 671 00:38:50,080 --> 00:38:53,239 Speaker 2: So it's truly one of the best books ever in period. Oh, 672 00:38:53,280 --> 00:38:55,480 Speaker 2: I thought you're talking about the TV show. You're listening 673 00:38:55,480 --> 00:38:57,600 Speaker 2: to the book. Yeah, the audiobook I'm listening to. Yeah, Okay. 674 00:38:58,480 --> 00:39:00,719 Speaker 1: At first, when the Great DEPRESSI and starts, the price 675 00:39:00,760 --> 00:39:05,160 Speaker 1: of wheat stays pretty stable. Other prices for goods tank 676 00:39:05,280 --> 00:39:07,920 Speaker 1: in Australia, so the government pushes a big initiative to 677 00:39:07,920 --> 00:39:10,480 Speaker 1: get farmers to produce more wheat because it's selling. 678 00:39:10,800 --> 00:39:12,319 Speaker 2: Hey, great, let's just do it. 679 00:39:12,719 --> 00:39:15,239 Speaker 1: The slogan they come up with for the farmers to 680 00:39:15,280 --> 00:39:16,919 Speaker 1: grow more wheat is. 681 00:39:17,320 --> 00:39:20,240 Speaker 2: I guess, Hey, it's wheat time. Guys. 682 00:39:20,520 --> 00:39:23,920 Speaker 1: Nope, it's more complicated. It's just grow more wheat. 683 00:39:25,360 --> 00:39:27,359 Speaker 2: Damn it. I should have had you on their creative team. 684 00:39:27,440 --> 00:39:28,000 Speaker 2: Goddamn it. 685 00:39:29,239 --> 00:39:32,279 Speaker 1: The Australian Prime Minister promises the farmers that the government. 686 00:39:31,960 --> 00:39:33,800 Speaker 2: Will buy the wheat at a good price. 687 00:39:34,320 --> 00:39:37,920 Speaker 1: Australian farmers enthusiastically take him up on this offer, vastly 688 00:39:37,960 --> 00:39:42,320 Speaker 1: expanding their wheat production. Right, But by the early nineteen 689 00:39:42,360 --> 00:39:44,040 Speaker 1: thirties there's a new prime minister. 690 00:39:44,239 --> 00:39:47,560 Speaker 2: That always fucking happens. You never plan for that every time. 691 00:39:49,200 --> 00:39:52,760 Speaker 1: That's Joseph Lyons and the global price of wheat tanks, 692 00:39:53,800 --> 00:39:54,760 Speaker 1: tanks for nothing. 693 00:39:55,560 --> 00:40:02,080 Speaker 2: The government you acted, you were reading off the page, Well, 694 00:40:02,120 --> 00:40:02,880 Speaker 2: good one. 695 00:40:03,239 --> 00:40:06,400 Speaker 1: The government, which already is facing a massive deficit, actually 696 00:40:06,400 --> 00:40:09,000 Speaker 1: goes back on the previous prime minister's promise because they 697 00:40:09,040 --> 00:40:13,040 Speaker 1: can do that. So the situation is already fairly bleak 698 00:40:13,280 --> 00:40:16,839 Speaker 1: at this point. By October of nineteen thirty two, that's 699 00:40:16,840 --> 00:40:19,200 Speaker 1: where we are when that year's. 700 00:40:18,880 --> 00:40:21,239 Speaker 2: Wheat harvest is supposed to start. 701 00:40:21,760 --> 00:40:24,200 Speaker 1: Farmers in the town I'm going to get these wrong Australians. 702 00:40:24,239 --> 00:40:28,920 Speaker 1: I'm real sorry. Farmers near the towns of Campion and Wallgulin. 703 00:40:29,800 --> 00:40:32,840 Speaker 1: That sounds right, yeah, reporting issue. So this area is 704 00:40:32,840 --> 00:40:35,160 Speaker 1: one of the drier parts of the state and it 705 00:40:35,239 --> 00:40:38,120 Speaker 1: wasn't as well suited to farming already. Right before the 706 00:40:38,160 --> 00:40:41,200 Speaker 1: farmers are meant to start harvesting their wheat on this land, 707 00:40:41,719 --> 00:40:45,239 Speaker 1: a plague overtakes the farms and rinks havoc on the 708 00:40:45,280 --> 00:40:49,920 Speaker 1: crops they trample, they devour there more than a nuisance, 709 00:40:50,239 --> 00:40:54,960 Speaker 1: their downright pestilence of epic proportions. This is the story 710 00:40:55,080 --> 00:41:02,879 Speaker 1: of the great Emu war Oh whoa what emu? All 711 00:41:02,920 --> 00:41:04,880 Speaker 1: of a sudden, these poor. 712 00:41:06,120 --> 00:41:08,920 Speaker 2: Gentlemen farm. It's like it's not going great. They're just 713 00:41:09,040 --> 00:41:11,600 Speaker 2: trying to make the best of it, and suddenly they 714 00:41:11,680 --> 00:41:13,960 Speaker 2: talk their wife into coming. It's gonna be great. We're 715 00:41:13,960 --> 00:41:16,440 Speaker 2: gonna be farmers. We're gonna own la. It's okay. It's 716 00:41:16,640 --> 00:41:19,160 Speaker 2: you're afraid of birds, that's fine. There's hardly any birds 717 00:41:19,160 --> 00:41:21,520 Speaker 2: out here. No, it's totally fine. It's Australia. What could 718 00:41:21,520 --> 00:41:25,520 Speaker 2: go wrong? I mean, wild animal? Why is not snake? 719 00:41:26,000 --> 00:41:30,640 Speaker 1: Snakes sucks and big Shout out to my researcher Ali 720 00:41:30,680 --> 00:41:32,160 Speaker 1: Elkin for even coming up with. 721 00:41:32,120 --> 00:41:33,799 Speaker 2: This story, because so good. 722 00:41:33,880 --> 00:41:36,759 Speaker 1: I saw it and responded in all caps because it 723 00:41:36,800 --> 00:41:39,480 Speaker 1: was so exciting, you know. So, let me tell you 724 00:41:39,600 --> 00:41:41,759 Speaker 1: a little bit about EMUs, since I don't know how 725 00:41:41,960 --> 00:41:43,160 Speaker 1: familiar you are with them. 726 00:41:43,440 --> 00:41:46,240 Speaker 2: I could be thinking of kiwi, which is the small bird. 727 00:41:46,320 --> 00:41:49,200 Speaker 1: You're you're it's not a kiwi. This is the large one. 728 00:41:49,200 --> 00:41:52,600 Speaker 1: That looks kind of like a ostrich Yeah, okay, yeah, okay, 729 00:41:52,680 --> 00:41:56,200 Speaker 1: So emas are actually native to Australia, and I wrote 730 00:41:56,280 --> 00:41:57,400 Speaker 1: like Charlie's Starreon. 731 00:41:57,840 --> 00:42:01,160 Speaker 2: Wait, that's not right, is she? I think she's South African. 732 00:42:02,320 --> 00:42:03,040 Speaker 2: You know who I met? 733 00:42:03,480 --> 00:42:06,719 Speaker 1: I met Nicole Kidman. Oh, yes, Barbie. I'm a Barbie 734 00:42:06,920 --> 00:42:09,560 Speaker 1: Margo Margaret Robbie's fuck man, I can't even get that. 735 00:42:11,080 --> 00:42:11,759 Speaker 2: Don't believe what. 736 00:42:11,719 --> 00:42:12,239 Speaker 1: Word I is it? 737 00:42:12,320 --> 00:42:14,120 Speaker 2: You had so many choices I did, just. 738 00:42:14,120 --> 00:42:16,840 Speaker 1: Blonde, beautiful actresses, and I picked the wrong fucking one. 739 00:42:17,000 --> 00:42:19,880 Speaker 1: They're the world's second or third largest bird. I couldn't 740 00:42:20,200 --> 00:42:23,600 Speaker 1: tell based on searching. Right, they're right after ostriches, So 741 00:42:23,640 --> 00:42:27,200 Speaker 1: ostrichries are bigger than them. Then there's EMUs. Emas are 742 00:42:27,200 --> 00:42:31,280 Speaker 1: considered one of the closest living relatives to dinosaurs. Yes, right, 743 00:42:31,719 --> 00:42:33,399 Speaker 1: particularly to raptors. 744 00:42:34,200 --> 00:42:34,880 Speaker 2: Oh man. 745 00:42:35,120 --> 00:42:38,640 Speaker 1: Yeah, they're the only species of bird that has calf muscles. 746 00:42:40,760 --> 00:42:46,800 Speaker 2: That's so crazy creep and little uh like fighting Irish 747 00:42:46,840 --> 00:42:48,560 Speaker 2: tattoos on those calf muscles. 748 00:42:48,560 --> 00:42:51,839 Speaker 1: Even worse, and they can jump seven feet high. They 749 00:42:51,880 --> 00:42:55,400 Speaker 1: can sprint for short distances of forty miles per hour. No, 750 00:42:55,560 --> 00:42:58,239 Speaker 1: that's fast, it is, that's like on the freeway here, 751 00:42:58,800 --> 00:43:01,319 Speaker 1: and that's actually about the speed of an average racehorse too. 752 00:43:01,640 --> 00:43:04,120 Speaker 2: So they're fucking fast. A little shit, it's fast, right. 753 00:43:04,480 --> 00:43:06,680 Speaker 1: Emu's have a pouch in their throat that they used 754 00:43:06,680 --> 00:43:11,080 Speaker 1: to make deep booming and grunting sounds for communications. 755 00:43:10,280 --> 00:43:13,040 Speaker 2: That are me wow. You know, I was gonna say 756 00:43:13,040 --> 00:43:18,280 Speaker 2: that this is YouTube, particularly during breeding season. Hey. 757 00:43:19,400 --> 00:43:22,480 Speaker 1: And then here is where a note to Georgia, Ali 758 00:43:22,520 --> 00:43:24,839 Speaker 1: put a video of an EMU running to see how 759 00:43:24,880 --> 00:43:28,160 Speaker 1: fast it could go. And then I got into a 760 00:43:28,200 --> 00:43:30,480 Speaker 1: fucking rabbit hole of EMU videos. 761 00:43:30,600 --> 00:43:31,080 Speaker 2: How to go? 762 00:43:31,640 --> 00:43:36,200 Speaker 1: I wrote zoomies because emos get zoomies. Emu's playing fetch 763 00:43:36,239 --> 00:43:38,880 Speaker 1: with a little girl, dog and baby. There's a one 764 00:43:38,920 --> 00:43:42,399 Speaker 1: with a dog and a baby EMU playing. They're fucking adorable. 765 00:43:43,040 --> 00:43:46,520 Speaker 2: Okay, so is this like people now have EMU farms, 766 00:43:46,560 --> 00:43:49,239 Speaker 2: like they're raising them like Austin. Yes, okay, so yeah, 767 00:43:49,239 --> 00:43:51,160 Speaker 2: so I went down this rabbit hole. I saw them run. 768 00:43:51,280 --> 00:43:54,600 Speaker 1: It totally looked like the beginning of Jurassic Park with 769 00:43:54,640 --> 00:43:57,640 Speaker 1: all these long necks, just like they're really fun and. 770 00:43:57,600 --> 00:43:59,439 Speaker 2: I want one now, and you're I was gonna say, 771 00:43:59,440 --> 00:44:03,600 Speaker 2: and you're like, events come on, just one morning, save EMUs. 772 00:44:04,160 --> 00:44:06,840 Speaker 1: And actually some EMUs can be gentle and affectionate if 773 00:44:06,880 --> 00:44:09,880 Speaker 1: they're raised that way from a young age, but others 774 00:44:09,920 --> 00:44:12,920 Speaker 1: can be aggressive and moody, especially if they're not socialized 775 00:44:12,920 --> 00:44:16,280 Speaker 1: property dittoh, and they may. 776 00:44:16,360 --> 00:44:20,759 Speaker 2: React angrily to being touched or handled. Hey hey when Yeah. 777 00:44:21,360 --> 00:44:24,200 Speaker 1: So they have tiny wings, so they're flightless, but they're 778 00:44:24,200 --> 00:44:26,600 Speaker 1: known to migrate very long distances in search of food 779 00:44:26,600 --> 00:44:29,160 Speaker 1: and water. In the past, EMUs typically moved through this 780 00:44:29,320 --> 00:44:34,120 Speaker 1: area that we're in toward the coast without staying long before. 781 00:44:34,560 --> 00:44:37,200 Speaker 1: But there's been a drought in nineteen thirty two, and 782 00:44:37,239 --> 00:44:40,880 Speaker 1: the creation of this new farmland has both cleared areas 783 00:44:40,880 --> 00:44:45,280 Speaker 1: of vegetation and obstacles and has established new water sources 784 00:44:45,280 --> 00:44:49,560 Speaker 1: for livestock and irrigation. It's the perfect place for EMUs. 785 00:44:50,160 --> 00:44:55,839 Speaker 1: So in this area in this time period, guess how 786 00:44:55,840 --> 00:44:59,720 Speaker 1: many migratory EMUs visit this area at once. 787 00:45:03,120 --> 00:45:05,200 Speaker 2: I'm gonna go ahead and say, you don't have to 788 00:45:05,200 --> 00:45:07,640 Speaker 2: guess if you don't want to. I mean, look, I 789 00:45:07,640 --> 00:45:09,600 Speaker 2: don't want I don't want to guess, but I have 790 00:45:09,640 --> 00:45:12,080 Speaker 2: to guess. No, I really want to. I've done. Emu 791 00:45:12,200 --> 00:45:15,279 Speaker 2: standing here. How many do you think fucking showed up 792 00:45:15,520 --> 00:45:19,440 Speaker 2: for the Great EMU War five hundred twenty thousand. What 793 00:45:20,480 --> 00:45:29,120 Speaker 2: twenty fucking thousand EMUs onto this like smallish area because 794 00:45:29,160 --> 00:45:32,319 Speaker 2: also they're eating that wheat. They're eating the wheat. Yep, 795 00:45:32,480 --> 00:45:34,640 Speaker 2: they're drinking all the irrigated water. 796 00:45:34,800 --> 00:45:39,320 Speaker 1: They're like stomping, they're trampling, they're like wreaking habit partying. 797 00:45:39,440 --> 00:45:42,880 Speaker 2: They're fucking partying. This is their kind of what do 798 00:45:42,920 --> 00:45:45,799 Speaker 2: you call it? Burning man? It's a nineteen thirty two 799 00:45:46,120 --> 00:45:47,120 Speaker 2: early burning man. 800 00:45:47,280 --> 00:45:51,040 Speaker 1: Totally meet me on the play a man, be yourself 801 00:45:51,719 --> 00:45:54,279 Speaker 1: to put that number in perspective, Ali, let me know 802 00:45:54,320 --> 00:45:57,480 Speaker 1: that twenty thousand EMUs would fill your typical arena where 803 00:45:57,480 --> 00:45:58,720 Speaker 1: an NBA team would play. 804 00:45:58,840 --> 00:46:03,239 Speaker 2: It's the exact of the crypto dot com arena. 805 00:46:03,360 --> 00:46:04,880 Speaker 1: So you're not even playing basketball. And then you look 806 00:46:04,960 --> 00:46:07,120 Speaker 1: up into the crowd and it's fucking just all to 807 00:46:07,160 --> 00:46:08,240 Speaker 1: wall EMUs. 808 00:46:07,880 --> 00:46:09,680 Speaker 2: And they're like doing weird shit, like they're gonna come 809 00:46:09,760 --> 00:46:12,759 Speaker 2: down right, they're like getting ready to and they're dinosaurs. 810 00:46:12,960 --> 00:46:18,520 Speaker 2: They're dinosaurs the same amount of feathers as ostriches, I think, so, yeah, yeah, 811 00:46:18,520 --> 00:46:20,560 Speaker 2: they're similar to ostrich They cut You would think it 812 00:46:20,600 --> 00:46:23,680 Speaker 2: was an ostrich. Yeah you would, you would. Yeah, you'd 813 00:46:23,680 --> 00:46:26,360 Speaker 2: get it wrong, and you wouldn't be stupid right for it. Yeah, 814 00:46:26,400 --> 00:46:28,040 Speaker 2: that's what we keep telling ourselves. 815 00:46:28,960 --> 00:46:32,960 Speaker 1: Right. And to make matters worse, high tariffs imposed in 816 00:46:33,000 --> 00:46:36,080 Speaker 1: the post war and depression era have made wire netting 817 00:46:36,320 --> 00:46:40,200 Speaker 1: prohibitively expensive, so they can't afford to fence out the EMUs. 818 00:46:40,200 --> 00:46:44,279 Speaker 2: That's not a choice, I know. So it's literally a 819 00:46:44,320 --> 00:46:45,319 Speaker 2: perfect story. It is. 820 00:46:46,000 --> 00:46:48,400 Speaker 1: So the farmers, who are all vets, remember they're all 821 00:46:48,480 --> 00:46:51,080 Speaker 1: veterans to World War One, say to the level headed 822 00:46:51,120 --> 00:46:53,280 Speaker 1: thing and they write to the Minister of Defense asking 823 00:46:54,400 --> 00:46:57,480 Speaker 1: asking to be supplied with machine guns to kill the 824 00:46:57,560 --> 00:46:58,879 Speaker 1: emos as you do. 825 00:46:59,480 --> 00:47:02,080 Speaker 2: Well. The problem is, and I think we've talked about 826 00:47:02,120 --> 00:47:05,000 Speaker 2: this a lot of like it's sheer numbers, where it's 827 00:47:05,040 --> 00:47:08,120 Speaker 2: like if it was five hundred demos, they would be 828 00:47:08,160 --> 00:47:11,520 Speaker 2: a little more reasonable twenty thousand of these. 829 00:47:11,640 --> 00:47:15,719 Speaker 1: Thirty thousand and then So maybe because the government has 830 00:47:15,800 --> 00:47:18,600 Speaker 1: jerked these farmers around so many times with the price 831 00:47:18,640 --> 00:47:20,920 Speaker 1: of weed already, they kind of know they're in trouble 832 00:47:20,960 --> 00:47:23,200 Speaker 1: with these farmers already. They want to appear like they're 833 00:47:23,239 --> 00:47:27,120 Speaker 1: helping them. So the Minister says yes to the gun request. 834 00:47:27,160 --> 00:47:30,400 Speaker 1: But since the government in Australia has smart brains that 835 00:47:30,400 --> 00:47:34,160 Speaker 1: think in a normal way, machine guns are tightly regulated there. 836 00:47:34,360 --> 00:47:37,440 Speaker 2: Yes, can you imagine, I mean, what a world to 837 00:47:37,480 --> 00:47:43,120 Speaker 2: live in. But also they just because the farmer soldiers 838 00:47:43,400 --> 00:47:46,879 Speaker 2: asked for machine guns, why can't they just have regular guns? Right? 839 00:47:46,920 --> 00:47:49,319 Speaker 1: They wanted machine guns? I know, it sounds more fun. 840 00:47:49,400 --> 00:47:51,520 Speaker 1: Probably they're probably poured out of their fucking mindes at 841 00:47:51,520 --> 00:47:55,319 Speaker 1: this point and they'rege in this rage. So instead, three 842 00:47:55,360 --> 00:47:59,200 Speaker 1: specially trained soldiers are sent from Perth to the region 843 00:47:59,280 --> 00:48:02,520 Speaker 1: to operate the machine guns. Okay, oh, okay, everyone doesn't 844 00:48:02,520 --> 00:48:05,040 Speaker 1: get a machine gun. Great, these three guys get a 845 00:48:05,080 --> 00:48:05,640 Speaker 1: machine gun. 846 00:48:05,760 --> 00:48:08,879 Speaker 2: Will send machine guns to you with people who can 847 00:48:08,920 --> 00:48:10,160 Speaker 2: operate them. Good plan. 848 00:48:10,480 --> 00:48:12,640 Speaker 1: And it's not just like a little machine gun that 849 00:48:12,680 --> 00:48:14,799 Speaker 1: you can hold and operate and move around with. It's 850 00:48:14,840 --> 00:48:17,000 Speaker 1: a huge tube that needs to be propped up. It 851 00:48:17,000 --> 00:48:19,160 Speaker 1: has a wheel of bullets. It's like, you know, a 852 00:48:19,200 --> 00:48:21,400 Speaker 1: World War One type gun. Yeah, the rest of the 853 00:48:21,440 --> 00:48:23,719 Speaker 1: farmers are allowed to help shoot at the EMUs, but 854 00:48:23,760 --> 00:48:27,239 Speaker 1: they have to use boring all regular rifles. Okay, So 855 00:48:27,320 --> 00:48:30,040 Speaker 1: the farmers also agree to house the three military specialists 856 00:48:30,040 --> 00:48:32,000 Speaker 1: and to pay for the ammunition for the guns. 857 00:48:32,200 --> 00:48:37,160 Speaker 2: It's not the greatest deal plan or deal for them. Yeah, 858 00:48:37,160 --> 00:48:39,080 Speaker 2: but you do have to do that thing where like 859 00:48:39,160 --> 00:48:41,800 Speaker 2: after a while you're like, sure, but you did agree 860 00:48:41,840 --> 00:48:45,960 Speaker 2: to do this huge, crazy thing. Yes, that's true, but 861 00:48:46,120 --> 00:48:50,680 Speaker 2: under what pretenses? Like what they lies true where it's like, oh, 862 00:48:50,719 --> 00:48:53,960 Speaker 2: you can farm this beautiful area, but it's Australia, so 863 00:48:54,040 --> 00:48:57,400 Speaker 2: it's like it's all snakes and spiders. Yeah, they can't. 864 00:48:58,080 --> 00:49:02,160 Speaker 2: The expectation couldn't have been no EMUs easy. Yeah, there 865 00:49:02,239 --> 00:49:05,600 Speaker 2: was no no EMU clause, no EMU clause. We guarantee 866 00:49:05,600 --> 00:49:08,960 Speaker 2: no large bird will come at you. Non masks, legit 867 00:49:09,080 --> 00:49:11,800 Speaker 2: dinosaur hordes of them. Yeah, okay. 868 00:49:11,880 --> 00:49:14,480 Speaker 1: So the Army specialists are overseen by a man named 869 00:49:14,680 --> 00:49:19,600 Speaker 1: Major Gwynned Purvis when Aubrey Meredith is his name? 870 00:49:19,880 --> 00:49:22,240 Speaker 2: Are his six first names? Yeah? Cool? 871 00:49:22,960 --> 00:49:26,640 Speaker 1: And so he's there overseeing it. And then a cinematographer 872 00:49:26,640 --> 00:49:29,880 Speaker 1: also joins the group to film the anti EMU offensive okay, 873 00:49:29,880 --> 00:49:33,120 Speaker 1: which is great, presumably because people in the Australian government 874 00:49:33,160 --> 00:49:35,360 Speaker 1: believed it would be successful. They're like, let's send a 875 00:49:35,400 --> 00:49:38,319 Speaker 1: cameraman out there and this will be great. Propaganda for 876 00:49:38,400 --> 00:49:41,520 Speaker 1: like what we do for our farmers. The soldiers arrive 877 00:49:41,640 --> 00:49:44,120 Speaker 1: on November Tewod, nineteen thirty two, and the war begins. 878 00:49:44,760 --> 00:49:47,000 Speaker 1: On the first day they arrive, a flock of fifty 879 00:49:47,040 --> 00:49:49,400 Speaker 1: EMUs is spotted at one of the farms, so they 880 00:49:49,400 --> 00:49:52,920 Speaker 1: set up their guns on some nearby high ground. The 881 00:49:52,960 --> 00:49:57,320 Speaker 1: guns jam almost immediately and the EMUs scatter oo. The 882 00:49:57,360 --> 00:49:59,239 Speaker 1: next day the soldiers have a bit more successful They 883 00:49:59,280 --> 00:50:03,040 Speaker 1: set up ambush around water sources, but immediately proves to 884 00:50:03,080 --> 00:50:06,640 Speaker 1: be very slow going. Between the rifles and the machine guns, 885 00:50:06,760 --> 00:50:09,920 Speaker 1: the soldiers are able to pick off about out of 886 00:50:10,000 --> 00:50:11,880 Speaker 1: twenty thousand EMUs in one day. 887 00:50:12,160 --> 00:50:16,080 Speaker 2: They pick off about twelve EMUs max. Before the rest 888 00:50:16,120 --> 00:50:17,880 Speaker 2: of the flock has scurried out of range. 889 00:50:18,080 --> 00:50:20,640 Speaker 1: Yeah, so in a day's work, that's twelve EMUs out 890 00:50:20,640 --> 00:50:22,759 Speaker 1: of twenty thousand, and that's a good day. 891 00:50:22,840 --> 00:50:24,160 Speaker 2: It turns out, Oh. 892 00:50:24,120 --> 00:50:27,440 Speaker 1: The farmers in the military have woefully underestimated their adversaries. 893 00:50:27,920 --> 00:50:29,759 Speaker 1: I told you about how fast they are, and I 894 00:50:29,800 --> 00:50:33,040 Speaker 1: told you about how they have calf muscles, so they're like. 895 00:50:33,320 --> 00:50:35,160 Speaker 2: So they're cool, yeah, kind of hot. 896 00:50:35,640 --> 00:50:37,680 Speaker 1: The soldiers that were sent to the farms, they start 897 00:50:37,719 --> 00:50:41,040 Speaker 1: getting nervous. They've been instructed by one of their commanding 898 00:50:41,040 --> 00:50:44,600 Speaker 1: officers to bring back at least one hundred EMU skins, 899 00:50:45,480 --> 00:50:48,560 Speaker 1: because EMU feathers are used to decorate the ceremonial helmets 900 00:50:48,560 --> 00:50:52,440 Speaker 1: for a particular military union in Australia. So this commanding 901 00:50:52,440 --> 00:50:54,680 Speaker 1: officer was like, hey, this is a great way to 902 00:50:54,680 --> 00:50:55,760 Speaker 1: get a bunch of fucking emos. 903 00:50:55,880 --> 00:50:56,759 Speaker 2: But it's becoming. 904 00:50:56,520 --> 00:51:01,480 Speaker 1: Increasingly apparent that killing any EMUs, let alone a hundred 905 00:51:01,680 --> 00:51:02,919 Speaker 1: to bring back, is not. 906 00:51:02,800 --> 00:51:06,560 Speaker 2: Going to be easy. Yeah, because the EMUs have now 907 00:51:06,640 --> 00:51:10,799 Speaker 2: started to appoint their own officers, oh, who act as 908 00:51:10,800 --> 00:51:14,839 Speaker 2: scouts for the rest of the flock. Yes, yes, they're 909 00:51:14,880 --> 00:51:18,720 Speaker 2: fucking smart. They went back to headquarters and they said, sorry, 910 00:51:18,719 --> 00:51:20,919 Speaker 2: those guys on the hill do not want what's best 911 00:51:20,920 --> 00:51:23,239 Speaker 2: for us. No, something's going down, that's right. 912 00:51:23,880 --> 00:51:26,799 Speaker 1: One EMU work correspondent wrote at the time, quote, the 913 00:51:26,880 --> 00:51:29,560 Speaker 1: EMUs have proved that they are not so stupid as 914 00:51:29,560 --> 00:51:31,560 Speaker 1: they are usually considered to be because they do run 915 00:51:31,600 --> 00:51:33,920 Speaker 1: around like fucking idiots. Like they do run around, they 916 00:51:33,960 --> 00:51:36,799 Speaker 1: look goofy like turkeys, but doesn't mean they're dumb, No, 917 00:51:37,360 --> 00:51:40,080 Speaker 1: he says, each mob has its leader, always an enormous 918 00:51:40,160 --> 00:51:43,880 Speaker 1: black plumed bird, standing fully six feet high, who keeps 919 00:51:43,920 --> 00:51:47,879 Speaker 1: watch while his fellows busy themselves with the wheat. At 920 00:51:47,920 --> 00:51:50,880 Speaker 1: the first suspicious sign, he gives a signal, and dozens 921 00:51:50,920 --> 00:51:53,120 Speaker 1: of heads stretch up out of the crop. 922 00:51:53,360 --> 00:51:54,040 Speaker 2: Dinosaurs. 923 00:51:54,440 --> 00:51:57,839 Speaker 1: A few birds will take fright, starting a headlong stampede 924 00:51:57,880 --> 00:52:01,680 Speaker 1: into the scrub, the leader always remaining until his followers 925 00:52:01,719 --> 00:52:02,840 Speaker 1: have reached safety. 926 00:52:03,160 --> 00:52:08,280 Speaker 2: Wow. End quote. Shit. So fucking Papa Bear is like, hey, guys, 927 00:52:08,840 --> 00:52:12,360 Speaker 2: here they are. That was a scatter. We've survived for 928 00:52:12,560 --> 00:52:15,000 Speaker 2: hundreds of millions of years, so we got this here. 929 00:52:15,040 --> 00:52:19,200 Speaker 2: We're fucking dinosaurs. No one panic. Remember those cavemen from 930 00:52:19,239 --> 00:52:23,920 Speaker 2: back then recently they barely made it. It's those guys. 931 00:52:24,000 --> 00:52:25,879 Speaker 2: These are cousins of those guys, and they think they're 932 00:52:25,880 --> 00:52:27,760 Speaker 2: gonna kill us. Yeah. 933 00:52:28,000 --> 00:52:30,120 Speaker 1: After the first week of the EMU war, it is 934 00:52:30,160 --> 00:52:33,360 Speaker 1: reported that the group have used twenty five hundred rounds 935 00:52:33,360 --> 00:52:37,240 Speaker 1: of ammunition to kill just three hundred emas. 936 00:52:37,480 --> 00:52:40,319 Speaker 2: Oh my god. And that's a generous estimate. That comes 937 00:52:40,320 --> 00:52:42,040 Speaker 2: from one of the military specialists. And you know they 938 00:52:42,120 --> 00:52:45,600 Speaker 2: fucking raise those numbers absolutely. So I'm gonna read you 939 00:52:45,680 --> 00:52:46,120 Speaker 2: this quote. 940 00:52:46,160 --> 00:52:48,480 Speaker 1: The one person who wrote towards Gmail about like you 941 00:52:48,520 --> 00:52:49,560 Speaker 1: guys should cover the story. 942 00:52:49,760 --> 00:52:52,560 Speaker 2: It's really crazy. Is someone named Zach Greedy? 943 00:52:52,840 --> 00:52:57,600 Speaker 1: She her and Zagreedy included a quote from someone named 944 00:52:57,640 --> 00:53:01,480 Speaker 1: John p Rafferty that came from the wikiped So here 945 00:53:01,560 --> 00:53:03,840 Speaker 1: is that quote that Zegratti included. 946 00:53:04,000 --> 00:53:05,680 Speaker 2: Okay, quote The machine. 947 00:53:05,320 --> 00:53:09,160 Speaker 1: Gunner's dream of point blank fire into serried masses of 948 00:53:09,200 --> 00:53:13,560 Speaker 1: EMUs were soon dissipated. The EMU command had evidently ordered 949 00:53:13,560 --> 00:53:17,479 Speaker 1: gerrilla tactics, and its unwieldy army soon split up into 950 00:53:17,520 --> 00:53:22,680 Speaker 1: innumerable small units that made use of the military equipment uneconomic, 951 00:53:23,200 --> 00:53:25,080 Speaker 1: meaning like you're wasting your fucking bullets. 952 00:53:25,160 --> 00:53:25,319 Speaker 2: Yep. 953 00:53:26,040 --> 00:53:29,680 Speaker 1: Meanwhile, in Parliament, Prime Minister Joseph Lyons remember him, is 954 00:53:29,719 --> 00:53:32,239 Speaker 1: now facing questions about the expense of the EMA War. 955 00:53:32,600 --> 00:53:35,480 Speaker 1: One of the members of Parliament from Sydney asked, sarcastically 956 00:53:35,480 --> 00:53:37,439 Speaker 1: if any of the parties involved in the EMA War 957 00:53:37,680 --> 00:53:42,160 Speaker 1: should be receiving a medal harsh yeah, and someone says, 958 00:53:42,440 --> 00:53:44,080 Speaker 1: if anyone should be getting a medal, it should be 959 00:53:44,120 --> 00:53:46,800 Speaker 1: the EMUs. That sounds like a fun parliament. 960 00:53:46,840 --> 00:53:47,440 Speaker 2: It's true. 961 00:53:47,840 --> 00:53:49,960 Speaker 1: After two weeks the EMUs seem to have learned the 962 00:53:50,120 --> 00:53:51,600 Speaker 1: range of the machine guns. 963 00:53:51,640 --> 00:53:54,480 Speaker 2: They fucking yeah, you can't. You can't hit me this far. 964 00:53:54,920 --> 00:53:57,000 Speaker 2: You can't get me. I'm out of your range. It's 965 00:53:57,040 --> 00:53:59,800 Speaker 2: like when you can't leave the part of the couch 966 00:54:00,200 --> 00:54:03,080 Speaker 2: you have one, right, so then your sister just walks 967 00:54:03,360 --> 00:54:05,120 Speaker 2: just out of range of like, well then I'll go 968 00:54:05,200 --> 00:54:08,560 Speaker 2: get myself like a cookie and you can't have one. Exactly. 969 00:54:08,800 --> 00:54:10,839 Speaker 1: They set up shop in the wheat fields just out 970 00:54:10,880 --> 00:54:14,480 Speaker 1: of that range and move every time the soldiers reposition themselves, 971 00:54:14,719 --> 00:54:17,719 Speaker 1: scatter when the farmers get close with the rifles. All 972 00:54:17,760 --> 00:54:20,480 Speaker 1: this scattering and running is also causing the EMUs to 973 00:54:20,560 --> 00:54:23,120 Speaker 1: trample more wheat than they would have if you had 974 00:54:23,120 --> 00:54:26,640 Speaker 1: never started this fucking Ema war. After the most successful 975 00:54:26,680 --> 00:54:29,200 Speaker 1: day of the war, maybe two dozen EMUs are killed. 976 00:54:29,560 --> 00:54:29,840 Speaker 2: Rip. 977 00:54:30,360 --> 00:54:33,160 Speaker 1: One of the military specialists examines one of the dead 978 00:54:33,200 --> 00:54:36,960 Speaker 1: EMUs and finds that it has five bullets in its body, 979 00:54:37,520 --> 00:54:40,400 Speaker 1: some of which are clearly old wounds from the beginning 980 00:54:40,440 --> 00:54:41,040 Speaker 1: of the campaign. 981 00:54:41,239 --> 00:54:42,279 Speaker 2: Oh sh, which means that. 982 00:54:42,200 --> 00:54:45,000 Speaker 1: The EMUs are staying alive and running it close to 983 00:54:45,080 --> 00:54:48,439 Speaker 1: full speed even after being shot multiple times, Like they're 984 00:54:48,480 --> 00:54:49,719 Speaker 1: fucking terminator. 985 00:54:49,840 --> 00:54:54,160 Speaker 2: Yes, They're like, oh no, we're going to yeah, yeah, yeah, 986 00:54:54,320 --> 00:54:54,759 Speaker 2: isn't that. 987 00:54:54,680 --> 00:54:58,560 Speaker 1: Creepy, Like it's extending a message with his body. It's 988 00:54:58,560 --> 00:55:01,359 Speaker 1: looking more and more like the EMUs will win the war, 989 00:55:01,960 --> 00:55:05,080 Speaker 1: until suddenly, on December second, the war is called off. 990 00:55:05,120 --> 00:55:07,840 Speaker 1: I think they're like, let's cut our fucking losses. 991 00:55:07,920 --> 00:55:09,160 Speaker 2: Yes, this is insanity. 992 00:55:09,320 --> 00:55:11,560 Speaker 1: The soldiers claim to have killed between one thousand and 993 00:55:11,560 --> 00:55:14,560 Speaker 1: two thousand EMUs out of roughly twenty thousand that were 994 00:55:14,600 --> 00:55:17,280 Speaker 1: in the combat zone, and the EMUs seem to become 995 00:55:17,400 --> 00:55:19,640 Speaker 1: a part of life for the farmers at this point, 996 00:55:20,000 --> 00:55:21,400 Speaker 1: having bested the soldiers. 997 00:55:22,280 --> 00:55:23,879 Speaker 2: Still, in future years. 998 00:55:23,600 --> 00:55:27,000 Speaker 1: The soldiers settlers will continue to request machine guns to 999 00:55:27,040 --> 00:55:29,759 Speaker 1: fight off the fucking EMUs because I'm about the reproducing, 1000 00:55:30,120 --> 00:55:32,719 Speaker 1: but the Australian Ministry of Defense will turn them down 1001 00:55:32,760 --> 00:55:36,800 Speaker 1: every time. Instead, the soldier settlers are supplied with additional rifles, 1002 00:55:37,239 --> 00:55:40,160 Speaker 1: and eventually they become more successful at fending off the 1003 00:55:40,200 --> 00:55:41,160 Speaker 1: EMUs on. 1004 00:55:41,120 --> 00:55:43,359 Speaker 2: Their own, picking them off one at a time. Yeah. 1005 00:55:43,840 --> 00:55:46,799 Speaker 1: Between the nineteen forties and nineteen sixties, the farmers kill 1006 00:55:47,160 --> 00:55:50,520 Speaker 1: more than two hundred thousand of them under a bounty system. 1007 00:55:50,680 --> 00:55:54,440 Speaker 2: Oh that's a lot. Peter doesn't like that. No, that's bad. 1008 00:55:54,560 --> 00:55:57,720 Speaker 2: I mean, they're so cute little babies are They're so cute? 1009 00:55:57,760 --> 00:56:00,799 Speaker 2: I mean, can't it be like you just get rid 1010 00:56:00,880 --> 00:56:03,520 Speaker 2: of enough so that your stuff isn't at risk? Right? 1011 00:56:03,680 --> 00:56:05,719 Speaker 2: It always has to be this like now they've killed 1012 00:56:05,719 --> 00:56:09,439 Speaker 2: two hundred thousand lay, now they're in danger. Yeah, exactly. Okay. 1013 00:56:09,440 --> 00:56:12,319 Speaker 1: So then later, eventually the price of fencing comes down 1014 00:56:12,920 --> 00:56:15,560 Speaker 1: and this becomes a much more practical way to deal 1015 00:56:15,600 --> 00:56:18,920 Speaker 1: with EMUs than fucking killing hundreds and hundreds and hundreds 1016 00:56:18,920 --> 00:56:22,239 Speaker 1: of them. Then in nineteen ninety nine, EMUs become a 1017 00:56:22,320 --> 00:56:25,879 Speaker 1: protected species in Australia. Yay, and there are about six 1018 00:56:25,960 --> 00:56:29,440 Speaker 1: hundred thousand of them living in Australia today, which is 1019 00:56:29,440 --> 00:56:30,800 Speaker 1: considered a strong population. 1020 00:56:31,520 --> 00:56:33,920 Speaker 2: So good they're back, baby, good, good good. They're all 1021 00:56:34,200 --> 00:56:37,799 Speaker 2: riddled with bullets and old wounds. Yeah, oh my god. Yeah, 1022 00:56:37,880 --> 00:56:40,440 Speaker 2: Grandpa is telling the stories about how you survived the 1023 00:56:40,520 --> 00:56:42,880 Speaker 2: emu war. They thought they got me with this one. 1024 00:56:43,000 --> 00:56:43,920 Speaker 2: I just kept running. 1025 00:56:44,960 --> 00:56:47,120 Speaker 1: Major Meredith remember him with a really long name. He 1026 00:56:47,160 --> 00:56:49,600 Speaker 1: goes on to have a story to military career. Having 1027 00:56:49,680 --> 00:56:52,239 Speaker 1: already served in World War One, he also serves in 1028 00:56:52,280 --> 00:56:55,160 Speaker 1: World War Two and in the Korean War with distinction. 1029 00:56:55,440 --> 00:56:58,240 Speaker 2: But I bet that emu war stuck in his cross. 1030 00:56:58,280 --> 00:57:01,719 Speaker 2: That's the one that I think. Yeah, he fucking couldn't win. Yeah, 1031 00:57:01,760 --> 00:57:04,560 Speaker 2: and that is the story of the Great Emu War. 1032 00:57:06,719 --> 00:57:10,200 Speaker 2: It's totally insane. It's so good. 1033 00:57:10,560 --> 00:57:13,719 Speaker 1: Here's a farmer with an emo that eh, it's pretty sad. 1034 00:57:14,480 --> 00:57:17,120 Speaker 2: He's all mad. He's a big bird, right, Yeah, that 1035 00:57:17,240 --> 00:57:20,600 Speaker 2: is a big old bird. You know. He's saying griiky, 1036 00:57:21,720 --> 00:57:27,080 Speaker 2: He's saying, my calves, please, my calves. Wow. 1037 00:57:27,160 --> 00:57:29,280 Speaker 1: All right, that was great, Thank you, Thank you Ali 1038 00:57:29,360 --> 00:57:31,800 Speaker 1: for finding that in the depths of the internet. 1039 00:57:32,040 --> 00:57:35,160 Speaker 2: Nice one, Allie. I really didn't understand what we were 1040 00:57:35,320 --> 00:57:37,840 Speaker 2: doing at the beginning, no, but it was fun. What 1041 00:57:37,920 --> 00:57:39,600 Speaker 2: do you think was gonna happen? I don't know, but 1042 00:57:39,680 --> 00:57:42,400 Speaker 2: I'm really happy to hear like the idea that like, 1043 00:57:43,240 --> 00:57:46,200 Speaker 2: here's how we're going to use sheer brute force to 1044 00:57:46,280 --> 00:57:49,120 Speaker 2: solve a problem, and then that problems like you're not 1045 00:57:49,240 --> 00:57:52,080 Speaker 2: going to that doesn't work that way. That's always I 1046 00:57:52,120 --> 00:57:56,080 Speaker 2: think a better you know, it's good. It helps people 1047 00:57:56,120 --> 00:57:58,960 Speaker 2: evolve better ideas. Yeah, you got to learn how to 1048 00:57:59,000 --> 00:58:02,200 Speaker 2: live in harmony with nature. Yeah, you get your ass 1049 00:58:02,280 --> 00:58:05,080 Speaker 2: kicked if not, or how about somebody figures out cheap 1050 00:58:05,360 --> 00:58:09,080 Speaker 2: barbed wire, You fools, You could have saved yourself so 1051 00:58:09,200 --> 00:58:09,760 Speaker 2: much time. 1052 00:58:11,040 --> 00:58:14,000 Speaker 1: Thank you guys for listening. We appreciate you being here. 1053 00:58:14,240 --> 00:58:19,320 Speaker 1: Stay sexy and don't get murdered. Goodbye, Elvis. Do you 1054 00:58:19,360 --> 00:58:26,800 Speaker 1: want a cookie? 1055 00:58:27,560 --> 00:58:29,240 Speaker 2: This has been an exactly right production. 1056 00:58:29,440 --> 00:58:32,160 Speaker 1: Our senior producer is Molly Smith and our associate producer 1057 00:58:32,200 --> 00:58:32,960 Speaker 1: is Tessa Hughes. 1058 00:58:33,040 --> 00:58:36,160 Speaker 2: Our editor is Aristotle Ascevedo. This episode was mixed by 1059 00:58:36,240 --> 00:58:40,000 Speaker 2: Leona Squialacci. Our researchers are Mary McGlashan and Ali Elkin. 1060 00:58:40,160 --> 00:58:43,040 Speaker 1: Email your hometowns to My Favorite Murder at gmail dot. 1061 00:58:42,880 --> 00:58:45,640 Speaker 2: Com and follow the show on Instagram at my Favorite Murder. 1062 00:58:45,720 --> 00:58:48,560 Speaker 1: Listen to My Favorite Murder on the iHeartRadio app, Apple 1063 00:58:48,600 --> 00:58:50,080 Speaker 1: Podcasts or wherever you get your. 1064 00:58:50,040 --> 00:58:52,280 Speaker 2: Podcasts, or you can watch us on YouTube. Search for 1065 00:58:52,360 --> 00:59:02,480 Speaker 2: My Favorite Murder, then like and subscribe. Goodbye,