not as optimistic,” said O’Loughlin, clearing his throat with difficulty. “Who knows what kind of trail of black fluid the men have left behind? I’ve cleaned what I’ve found, but that might not be all.”
“Forgive me for pointing out the obvious,” interrupted Ismay, “but why are we listening to Mr. Weiss, if that’s truly his name, and treating him as if he’s some sort of medical dignitary? By his own admission, he has brought a disease on board that could kill us all! Who’s to say he isn’t the very same ‘German agent’ he’s warning us about? Can he prove he’s not? Perhaps he’s trying to turn
Titanic
into some kind of weapon against New York City itself!”
For a moment, each man looked to Weiss, who shifted uncomfortably. Then he squared his shoulders and said defiantly, “If you doubt myveracity, lock me up again. I have no further proof, and every moment we spend arguing my credibility only gives the disease more time to spread. We’re dealing with a fast-acting contagion, closed quarters, and a heavily populated ship. For God’s sake, stop talking and act now!”
Captain Smith stood. “Mr. Ismay, I agree. Mr. Weiss has much to answer for, but this is not the time. We must first contain this disease, and swiftly. Mr. Wilde, you will assign a crew of our strongest able seamen to accompany Mr. Weiss, Mr. Andrews, and myself down to Deck E. Once there, we will do our level best to isolate the healthy and lock up any infected persons until we reach New York.”
“Captain, the sick must be destroyed,” said Weiss. “There is no cure, and they’ll only infect more!”
“
You
have no cure,” said Ismay. “We’ll find out what American scientists say when we get to New York.”
“Mr. Andrews,” said the captain, ignoring the bickering. “Deck plans, if you would.”
Still pale, Andrews returned from the lavatory. The ship’s designer retrieved a canister from the corner of the room and pulled out a set of schematic drawings, with separate pages for each of
Titanic
’s ten decks. Seven decks above propulsion crew areas held passenger cabins, with Deck E right in the middle. He unfurled the Deck E plan, and the men closed around it.
Andrews said, “Deck E is one of the most heavily populated areas on
Titanic.
A very dangerous place for an epidemic.”
“Our hope is that the disease is contained among passengers located here,” said the captain, pointing to a series of third-class cabins lining both sides of the ship’s aft.
Andrews pulled a grease pencil from behind his ear. “There are five ways to access Deck E from the aft part of the ship,” he noted, making a series of circles on the blueprints. “We’ll need two men at each of these stairwells, as well as this elevator. That should providesafety for passengers on the three decks above, and if we do our jobs well, on the three decks below.”
“Many of the men are off duty for the night,” cautioned Wilde. “Some will be sleeping, some might need to sleep off their evening, if you get my meaning. It might take some time to assemble and coordinate such a sizable team.”
“Then get at it,” said Captain Smith. “If we’re quick about our work, we should be able to assess the danger and, if necessary, enact our quarantine before the passengers start waking for the day.”
“And just how do you propose to do that?” asked Ismay, unbuttoning his top collar button.
“With welding torches from the Deck E electrical supply,” Smith replied. “We’ll use a porter’s key to access the rooms. If the passengers inside show signs of the illness …”
“Surely we won’t imprison them inside,” protested Andrews, who was reminded of the stories of “the Tomb.”
“In lieu of other, more permanent measures,” said Weiss, “locking them inside their cabins is in the best interests of every healthy person on the ship.”
None of this sat well with Ismay. “What do you expect me to communicate to the
“Forgive me for pointing out the obvious,” interrupted Ismay, “but why are we listening to Mr. Weiss, if that’s truly his name, and treating him as if he’s some sort of medical dignitary? By his own admission, he has brought a disease on board that could kill us all! Who’s to say he isn’t the very same ‘German agent’ he’s warning us about? Can he prove he’s not? Perhaps he’s trying to turn
Titanic
into some kind of weapon against New York City itself!”
For a moment, each man looked to Weiss, who shifted uncomfortably. Then he squared his shoulders and said defiantly, “If you doubt myveracity, lock me up again. I have no further proof, and every moment we spend arguing my credibility only gives the disease more time to spread. We’re dealing with a fast-acting contagion, closed quarters, and a heavily populated ship. For God’s sake, stop talking and act now!”
Captain Smith stood. “Mr. Ismay, I agree. Mr. Weiss has much to answer for, but this is not the time. We must first contain this disease, and swiftly. Mr. Wilde, you will assign a crew of our strongest able seamen to accompany Mr. Weiss, Mr. Andrews, and myself down to Deck E. Once there, we will do our level best to isolate the healthy and lock up any infected persons until we reach New York.”
“Captain, the sick must be destroyed,” said Weiss. “There is no cure, and they’ll only infect more!”
“
You
have no cure,” said Ismay. “We’ll find out what American scientists say when we get to New York.”
“Mr. Andrews,” said the captain, ignoring the bickering. “Deck plans, if you would.”
Still pale, Andrews returned from the lavatory. The ship’s designer retrieved a canister from the corner of the room and pulled out a set of schematic drawings, with separate pages for each of
Titanic
’s ten decks. Seven decks above propulsion crew areas held passenger cabins, with Deck E right in the middle. He unfurled the Deck E plan, and the men closed around it.
Andrews said, “Deck E is one of the most heavily populated areas on
Titanic.
A very dangerous place for an epidemic.”
“Our hope is that the disease is contained among passengers located here,” said the captain, pointing to a series of third-class cabins lining both sides of the ship’s aft.
Andrews pulled a grease pencil from behind his ear. “There are five ways to access Deck E from the aft part of the ship,” he noted, making a series of circles on the blueprints. “We’ll need two men at each of these stairwells, as well as this elevator. That should providesafety for passengers on the three decks above, and if we do our jobs well, on the three decks below.”
“Many of the men are off duty for the night,” cautioned Wilde. “Some will be sleeping, some might need to sleep off their evening, if you get my meaning. It might take some time to assemble and coordinate such a sizable team.”
“Then get at it,” said Captain Smith. “If we’re quick about our work, we should be able to assess the danger and, if necessary, enact our quarantine before the passengers start waking for the day.”
“And just how do you propose to do that?” asked Ismay, unbuttoning his top collar button.
“With welding torches from the Deck E electrical supply,” Smith replied. “We’ll use a porter’s key to access the rooms. If the passengers inside show signs of the illness …”
“Surely we won’t imprison them inside,” protested Andrews, who was reminded of the stories of “the Tomb.”
“In lieu of other, more permanent measures,” said Weiss, “locking them inside their cabins is in the best interests of every healthy person on the ship.”
None of this sat well with Ismay. “What do you expect me to communicate to the
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