Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-04-10

White Star line, after DELAYING
forty-eight hours, was graciously
pleased to write-not telegraph
that the line had no facilities for
obtaining the desired information. That
is to say With all the resources of the
White Star line, in Europe and America
they were SO grossly ignorant of the
common business affairs of life and so
utterly incompetent to discharge the
duties, necessarily and naturally, apper-
tanning to their particular business. that
they, their agents and other officers. did
not know how to go to work to send a
cablegram to Liverpool and obtain re-
ply. Or else, it means that they. after
their incompetency and parsimony, had,
as their own physician says, 'smur
dered " over five hundred human
beings, were SO misery and stingily
mean that they would not risk few
paltry dollars-ten dollars, we believe,
would have been the expense-to aid in
rescuing two of those murdered" pas
sengers, 1t would have been very easy
for the agent to have astertained that
he, or the company, would not have
been compelled to expend anything but
the time necessary for making the ex-
animation and sending the kilograms
He or they could have ascertained that
they would have no money to spend
But no. They take the other course.
lncompetency and parsimony have
marked their every transaction, and this
was but marked specific instance
thereof. Here, then, are five distinct
facts occurring before, at the time of,
and after the disaster, all going to the
same points. Another may be men
toned, which was brought out in the
testimony of Captain Williams, Satur-
day, that the steward reported 1.-the
stores short, fresh provisions enough for
the saloon for two days, and but salt for
steerage for two days, when all but the
bread and rice would be out" This fact
has been kept in the background, but it
is the sworn testimony of the captain,
and speaks with startling force Had
ordinary intelligence and experience
governed the officers and managers of
the company the Atlantic would be
still afloat Is there any doubt of this !?
/ If the proper expenditure had been
made for coal and provisions, there
| would have been no deviation from her
proper course, and she would lie at an
Choir with her passengers in safety.
Parsimony, incompetency and inhuman-
ity characterize the line, so far, certain
ly, as the Atlantic is concerned. Every
fact that has been developed goes to
show this. We have spoken Of the oc-
Currenccs since the wreck only as proof
of their general course. The two facts
first mentioned, and the failure in the
supply of food, directly caused the loss
of life. The other facts show the gen
eral inhumanity. pcuuriousncss and utter
incOmpetency Of the officers, agents and
managers Of the line. Taken together
it ceases to be matter of surprise that
the wreck occurred. The facts are more
potent arguments than words or com
ments of ours. Unless different rules
control elsewhere, these, so-called, acct
dents will be of frightful frequency
Profits to shareholders must not endau-
ger human life. 1t is the duty of both
the British and American governments
to interfere, and, with the strong arm
of their power, see to it that such fatal,
laundering, niggardliness does not again
control the sailing of an ocean steamer.