Chapter 5

           ForanythingthattheeyecouldseetheTitanic,inallherstrengthandsplendour,wassolitaryontheocean.Fromthehighestofherdecksnothingcouldbeseenbutseaandsky,avastcircleofflooranddomeofwhich,forallherspeedoffive-and-twentymilesanhour,sheremainedalwaysthecentre.Butitwasonlytothesenseofsightthatsheseemedthussolitary.TheNorthAtlantic,wasteofwatersthoughitappears,isreallyacountrycrossedanddividedbycountlesstracksasfamiliartotheseamanasthoughtheywereroadsmarkedbytreesandmilestones.Latitudeandlongitude,whichtoalandsmanseemmeremathematicalabstractions,representtoseamenthousandsandthousandsofdefinitepointswhich,intheirrelationtosunandstarsandthemeasuredlapseoftime,areeachasfamiliarandasaccessibleasanyspotonamainroadistoalandsman.Theofficeronthebridgemayseenothingthroughhisglassesbutcloudsandwaves,yetinhismind’seyeheseesnotonlyhisownpositiononthemap,whichhecouldfixaccuratelywithinaquarterofamile,butthemovementsofdozensofothershipscomingorgoingalongthegreathighways.Eachshiptakesitsownroad,butitisaroadthatpassesthroughacertainknownterritory;thegreatlinersallknoweachother’smovementsandwhereorwhentheyarelikelytomeet.Manyofsuchmeetingsareinvisible;itiscalledameetingatseaifshipspasstwentyorthirtymilesawayfromeachotherandfaroutofsight.

           Forthereareothersensesbesidesthatofsightwhichnowpiercethedarknessandspanthewastedistancesoftheocean.