'Musings of a Captain'
The salty sea air blew steadily over him as Captain E. J. Smith made his way across the decks of the R. M. S. Titanic on a bright April morning. Many things were on the captain's mind as he strolled among the passengers. This would be his last voyage before he retired. 'Twenty-six years...Lord, that makes me feel old,' he thought.
Nodding politely at a first class passenger and her children as they passed, he thought of yet another issue he had to deal with. Mr. Ismay wanted him to light the remaining boilers and speed up the ship so they would arrive in New York on Tuesday instead of Wednesday. His instinct told him not to press his luck. There were ice warnings from other steamships passing through the surrounding area, but they had yet to come across any.
It was all so Ismay could get the company more publicity. That was the only reason. But could he gamble with innocent peoples' lives just for a bit of attention from the press? What if something went wrong? What if they had some sort of accident that could ruin everything? There were so many things that could go wrong.
On the other hand, what if it all went according to plan and they did arrive in New York on Tuesday? He would definitely go out 'with a bang', so to speak. The White Star Line would get incredible praise for its hardworking and efficient crew, not to mention for a captain who had an impeccable record. He could very well go down in history if he played his cards right.
Snapping himself out of his wayward thoughts, the captain took a deep breath and went to find Mr. Ismay. His decision was made. Better to go out with a bang instead of a dull roar. He made his way to the first class dining room, passing a calendar on a desk in the steering room with the date: April 14, 1912.
The salty sea air blew steadily over him as Captain E. J. Smith made his way across the decks of the R. M. S. Titanic on a bright April morning. Many things were on the captain's mind as he strolled among the passengers. This would be his last voyage before he retired. 'Twenty-six years...Lord, that makes me feel old,' he thought.
Nodding politely at a first class passenger and her children as they passed, he thought of yet another issue he had to deal with. Mr. Ismay wanted him to light the remaining boilers and speed up the ship so they would arrive in New York on Tuesday instead of Wednesday. His instinct told him not to press his luck. There were ice warnings from other steamships passing through the surrounding area, but they had yet to come across any.
It was all so Ismay could get the company more publicity. That was the only reason. But could he gamble with innocent peoples' lives just for a bit of attention from the press? What if something went wrong? What if they had some sort of accident that could ruin everything? There were so many things that could go wrong.
On the other hand, what if it all went according to plan and they did arrive in New York on Tuesday? He would definitely go out 'with a bang', so to speak. The White Star Line would get incredible praise for its hardworking and efficient crew, not to mention for a captain who had an impeccable record. He could very well go down in history if he played his cards right.
Snapping himself out of his wayward thoughts, the captain took a deep breath and went to find Mr. Ismay. His decision was made. Better to go out with a bang instead of a dull roar. He made his way to the first class dining room, passing a calendar on a desk in the steering room with the date: April 14, 1912.