The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-04-07
Tho Atlantic's Passenger List-Hcrald
Enterpriso Versus the Company's
Parsimony.

Enterprise Versus the Company's
Parsimony.
No sooner had the painful intelligence of
the wreck of the Atlantic reached US, accom-
panied as it was with the startling announce
ment that upwards of five hundred persons
had met with watery grave, than the HERALD
realized the immense importance OF having
complete list embracing every soul on board
the steamer when she left Queenstown. 1t
was a disaster that affected thousands OF
families on both sides of the ocean. The
friends and relatives of those who took pas
sage in the ship in Europe could be no more
anxious than we're their friends in the United
States as events have already shown. Out of
nearly thousand persons who embarked on
the Atlantic before she proceeded on her last
disastrous voyage to death and destruction the
first accounts stated that but three hundred
had succeeded in reaching the fatal rock, few
yards from where the ship struck. Over
whelming as the catastrophe was, there was
one solitary crumb of comfort that could
be offered to the friends of the unfor-
tunate passengers, and that was the GER
tainty as to their fate. The agents of the
vessel in New York professed complete
ignorance of the names or even the exact
were not in ignorance Of the absolute neces-
sity Of having the list of passengers it was
manifestly their duty to have telegraphed for
it. They either did not send to England for
it, or the gentlemen on that side refused to
send it at the proper moment.
The HERALD correspondent in London was
Immediately instructed to procure list Of the
passengers from the company's Offices and
forward it by cable to the HERALD in New
York. Strange to say, the agents in Liverpool
refused to supply the list! Here was an occa-
sion wherein thousands had suddenly realized
band, sister, brother, cousin, niece, nephew
or friend might be among the dead and when
all thoughts as to insufficient coaling, scanty
supply of provisions, ineficiency of officers
or the avarice and recklessness Of the mana
gers that could trife with the lives of the mass
of human beings committed to their care,
were subordinate to the one great question,
els he or she safe?" Yet our correspondent
had the greatest difficulty in even persuading
the Liverpool agents to supply almost the only
comfort in their power-the names of all on
board. The HERALD, knowing the intense
anxiety and dreadful suspense of friends and
relatives, was DESTROYS of obtaining and trans
hitting at its own cost, no matter what the
cost might be, this, the only comfort to the
persons interested in the fate of the passen-
gers of the '.ill-tated steamer" This we
succeeded in doing. On Thursday morning
the HERALD contained the fullest list that
could be obtained in Europe on the day pre-
vious of those on board the Misunderstanding
fully five hundred more names than either of
our contemporares-nnd thus we were able
to present the names to our readers several
days before the steamship company felt it
their duty to supply them The same grasping
tendencies that led to the destruction of hun
dreds Of lives, a splendid vessel and her valu-
able cargo of merchandise were here percep-
tible. These agents in Liverpool must have
been fully alive to the necessities of the mo-
ment and that the first thing to be done was
the United States the names Of the persons
first. If they were not aware of this, then it is
manifest how unfit they were to have charge
of interests of such magnitude, and the re-
sponsibility for the disaster may be the more
easily fixed. But they cannot plead ignorance
of the demand, as the despatch from the
HERALD remains o silent but condemnatory
proof against them. For the sake of few
paltry hundred pounds the company delayed
telegraphing list on which hung the hopes
of thousands at distance from the scene Of
the calamity. The rapidity with which the
line had apparently grown into public favor,
Notwithstanding the parsimonious policy
of the company, shows how tolerant and
generous is the public; but the conduct Of the
company in the present unhappy affair is
very poor return for the confidence re-
posed in them and the patronage SO freely
bestowed.
Yesterday morning, from their agent, we
published full list of the Atlantic's steer
age passengers, with these remarks that
call anxiety can be dismissed by those who
surmised that their friends might be on
board, if their names be not found in this
list, or in that Of the saved, already pub
lished in your journal, as doubtless they
did not embark in our ill-fated steamer"
From this strange conduct of the White
Star Companys agents concerned it might be
inferred that they believed, like the silly
ostrich, that by hiding their little heads in
the sand their big bodies and their long legs
and their white feathers would be invisible
1t is another instance of human life being
sacrificed to the whims and greed of great
corporation, and it behooves the public in
future to demand greater security, more
efficiency and discipline, and q better return
Cor &c c,1,,raort and canfidanca We ara sorry