One lives and learns and hears very surprising things--things that one
hardly knows how to take, whether seriously or jocularly, how to
meet--with indignation or with contempt? Things said by solemn experts,
by exalted directors, by glorified ticket-sellers, by officials of all
sorts. I suppose that one of the uses of such an inquiry is to give such
people enough rope to hang themselves with. And I hope that some of them
won't neglect to do so. One of them declared two days ago that there was
"nothing to learn from the catastrophe of the _Titanic_." That he had
been "giving his best consideration" to certain rules for ten years, and
had come to the conclusion that nothing ever happened at sea, and that
rules and regulations, boats and sailors, were unnecessary; that what was
really wrong with the _Titanic_ was that she carried too many boats.
No; I am not joking. If you don't believe me, pray look back through the
reports and you will find it all there. I don't recollect the official's
name, but it ought to have been Pooh-Bah. Well, Pooh-Bah said all these
things, and when asked whether he really meant it, intimated his
readiness to give the subject more of "his best consideration"--for
another ten years or so apparently--but he believed, oh yes! he was
certain, that had there been fewer boats there would have been more
people saved.
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