What are they after? What
is there for them to find out? We know what had happened. The ship
scraped her side against a piece of ice, and sank after floating for two
hours and a half, taking a lot of people down with her. What more can
they find out from the unfair badgering of the unhappy "Yamsi," or the
ruffianly abuse of the same.
"Yamsi," I should explain, is a mere code address, and I use it here
symbolically. I have seen commerce pretty close. I know what it is
worth, and I have no particular regard for commercial magnates, but one
must protest against these Bumble-like proceedings. Is it indignation at
the loss of so many lives which is at work here? Well, the American
railroads kill very many people during one single year, I dare say. Then
why don't these dignitaries come down on the presidents of their own
railroads, of which one can't say whether they are mere means of
transportation or a sort of gambling game for the use of American
plutocrats. Is it only an ardent and, upon the whole, praiseworthy
desire for information? But the reports of the inquiry tell us that the
august senators, though raising a lot of questions testifying to the
complete innocence and even blankness of their minds, are unable to
understand what the second officer is saying to them.
Pages:
284
285
286
287
288
289
290
291
292
293
294
295
296
297
298
299
300
301
302
303
304
305
306
307
308