It does seem understandable, and I would think forgivable that Rostron would leave the dead behind--if that's what he did. A rescue effort of hundreds(?) of bodies could have taken days(?). The most reasonable thing to do if many bodies were witnessed, is to notify the bosses and get a rescue effort underway. I don't believe it was Rostron's responsibility to undertake such a feat--nor do I believe people would have expected more of him. Did
Carpathia even have the facilities to treat, store and preserve that many dead bodies? Also, I wonder how the currents run there and could a mass of dead humanity disappear in a short while, only to return later? Anyway, it doesn't seem right that the
Carpathia should be responsible for such a gruesome task in addition to picking up 700 survivors. The survivors come first. If Rostron was not telling the truth, I understand why. As for NY vs Halifax, it just makes more sense, to me, that he went to NY. Was that at the urging of Ismay...who knows. But, it seems the wiser of the two choices. Why take them to Halifax only to have them board a train? That seems an unnecessary burden to place upon the survivors. Just take them to where they were going in the first place. It's possible he came to that decision (albeit a little later) on his own. That said, I really enjoyed your article and all of the research you did. Just giving my interpretations of Rostron's actions. Great read...thanks.