The Steel Screw in the Compass
StoryHistorical Account★★★★A group of friends in England sent a motorboat to Labrador, knowing that Sir Wilfred Grenfell needed a faster means of communicating with sick people in that cold and isolated outpost. When the motorboat was delivered, the Laborador doctor put it to immediate use.
A plea came for help from one of the islands. Although the night was dark and foggy, Grenfell did not hesitate to leave. He knew that the motorboat was equipped with a compass which would direct him through the fog and storm. After traveling for many hours through the storm-tossed seas, Grenfell realized that he was lost.
Consequently the sick woman died, and the doctor 1Used by permission of the author. himself almost lost his life. Investigation later showed that the reason for this Labrador tragedy rested with an irresponsible workman in Liverpool. When fastening the compass to the boat, this workman made the mistake of using a steel rather than a brass screw.
This shiftlessness meant that the steel screw deflected the compass needle and took Grenfell far from the destination he had determined to reach. RETRIBUTION
Also attributed to: Unknown
The point
A doctor loses his way and a woman dies because a workman used a steel screw instead of a brass screw in the boat's compass. The story illustrates how hidden neglect can bring disastrous consequences.