Summary
McPhee tells the story of how he went from fired engineer to wealthy man through a combination of principle and luck. After being dismissed by Holdock, Steiner & Chase for refusing to compromise safety standards on the Breslau, McPhee finds work with the eccentric but fair shipowner McRimmon. When the Breslau breaks down exactly as McPhee predicted, costing the company thousands, McRimmon positions his ship to follow the company's problematic freighter Grotkau on her maiden voyage. During a storm, the Grotkau's faulty tail-shaft fails and the crew abandons ship after someone floods the engine room. McPhee swims aboard the 'abandoned' vessel and discovers it's salvageable. The rescue nets him and his crewmates £25,000 in salvage money—enough to retire comfortably. The story illustrates how doing the right thing, even when it costs you immediately, can position you for greater success later. McPhee's refusal to cut corners saved lives and ultimately made his fortune, while the company that fired him faced financial ruin. It's a tale about how professional standards, patience, and being ready when opportunity strikes can transform your circumstances completely.
Coming Up in Chapter 10
The collection shifts from the sea to land as we meet Wilton Sargent, a wealthy American who discovers that money can't buy acceptance in his homeland—leading him to seek refuge across the Atlantic where different rules apply.
Share it with friends
An excerpt from the original text.(~500 words)
B[299] "READ UPON THE WATERS" overboard— professionally, McPhee does not approve of saving life at sea, and he has often told me that a new Hell awaits stokers and trimmers who sign for a strong man's pay and fall sick the second day out. He believes in throwing boots at fourth and fifth engineers when they wake him up at night with word that a bearing is red- hot, all because a lamp's glare is reflected red from the twirling metal. He believes that there are only two poets in the world ; one being Robert Burns, of course, and the other Gerald Massey. When he has time for novelshe reads Wilkie Collins and Charles Reade— chiefly the latter— and knows whole pages of "Very Hard Cash ' ' by heart. In the saloon his table is next to the captain's, and he drinks only water while his engines work. He was good to me when we first met, because I did not ask questions, and believed in Charles Reade as a most shamefully neglected author. Later he approved of my writings to the extent of one pamphlet of twenty-four pages that I wrote for Holdock, Steiner & Chase, own- ers of the line, when they bought some ventilating patent and fitted it to the cabins of the Breslau, Span- dau, and Koltzau. The purser of the Breslau recom- mended me to Holdock's secretary for the job; and Holdock, who is a Wesley an Methodist, invited me to his house, and gave me dinner with the governess when the others had finished, and placed the plans and specifi- cations in my hand, and I wrote the pamphlet that same afternoon. It was called ' ' Comfort in the Cabin, ' ' and brought me seven pound ten, cash down— an important sum of money in those days; and the governess, who [300] "BREAD UPON THE WATERS" was teaching Master John Holdock his scales, told me that Mrs. Holdock had told her to keep an eye on me, in case I went away with coats from the hat-rack. McPhee liked that pamphlet enormously, for it was composed in the Bouverie-Byzantine style, with baroque and rococo embellishments; and afterwards he intro- duced me to Mrs. McPhee, who succeeded Dinah in my heart ; for Dinah was half a world away, and it is whole- some and antiseptic to love such a woman as Janet McPhee. They lived in a little twelve-pound house, close to the shipping. When McPhee was away Mrs. McPhee read the Lloyds column in the papers, and called on the wives of senior engineers of equal social standing. Once or twice, too, Mrs. Holdock visited Mrs. McPhee in a brougham with celluloid fittings, and I have reason to believe that, after she had played owner's wife long enough, they talked scandal. The Holdocks lived in an old-fashioned house with a big brick garden not a mile from the McPhees, for they stayed by their money as their money stayed...
Master this chapter. Complete your experience
Purchase the complete book to access all chapters and support classic literature
As an Amazon Associate, we earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you.
Available in paperback, hardcover, and e-book formats
Intelligence Amplifier™ Analysis
The Road of Professional Integrity
Professional integrity creates delayed rewards by positioning you advantageously when others' shortcuts inevitably fail.
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
This chapter teaches how to see beyond immediate rewards and punishments to identify which choices create sustainable advantages.
Practice This Today
This week, notice when someone gets rewarded for cutting corners—then watch for the eventual consequences that create opportunities for those who held their standards.
Now let's explore the literary elements.
Terms to Know
Salvage rights
Maritime law that allows rescuers to claim ownership of abandoned ships and cargo they save from the sea. The more dangerous the rescue and the more valuable the cargo, the bigger the reward. It's how ordinary sailors could become wealthy overnight.
Modern Usage:
Today we see this in finder's fees, whistleblower rewards, or bounties for recovering stolen property - doing the right thing can still pay off big.
Professional standards
The unwritten rules about how work should be done safely and correctly, even when cutting corners would be easier or more profitable. In maritime work, these standards literally meant life or death.
Modern Usage:
Every job has these - the nurse who double-checks medications, the mechanic who won't skip safety inspections, the teacher who won't pass failing students.
Tail-shaft
The rotating shaft that connects a ship's engine to its propeller. When this critical component fails, the ship loses all power and becomes helpless at sea. It's like the axle on your car - when it breaks, you're not going anywhere.
Modern Usage:
We use this concept when talking about any critical system failure - the server that crashes and takes down the whole business, or the main water pipe that floods the building.
Bearing running hot
When metal parts that should slide smoothly start overheating from friction, usually because they need oil or are wearing out. Ignoring this warning sign leads to catastrophic engine failure.
Modern Usage:
Any warning sign we ignore at our peril - the check engine light, the weird noise your appliance makes, or the coworker who's clearly burning out.
Stokers and trimmers
The men who fed coal into ship engines and kept the fires burning. Dangerous, backbreaking work in extreme heat. They were essential but often looked down on by other crew members.
Modern Usage:
The essential workers who keep everything running but don't get much respect - janitors, food service workers, warehouse staff.
Maiden voyage
A ship's first official journey after being built or major repairs. These trips were risky because problems that weren't caught during construction would show up under real conditions at sea.
Modern Usage:
Any first attempt at something important - launching a new business, trying a new job, or moving to a new city where problems you didn't anticipate will surface.
Characters in This Chapter
McPhee
protagonist
The chief engineer who gets fired for refusing to compromise safety standards, then gets rich when his predictions about faulty equipment come true. He represents integrity paying off in the long run.
Modern Equivalent:
The quality control inspector who gets fired for refusing to approve defective products
McRimmon
mentor figure
The eccentric shipowner who hires McPhee after he's been blacklisted. He values competence over politics and positions his business to benefit when competitors cut corners.
Modern Equivalent:
The small business owner who hires people bigger companies won't touch
Holdock
antagonist
The Methodist shipowner who fires McPhee for refusing to approve unsafe equipment modifications. His penny-pinching and corner-cutting lead to massive financial losses.
Modern Equivalent:
The corporate executive who fires whistleblowers and prioritizes profits over safety
The Grotkau's crew
cautionary examples
They abandon their ship when the engine fails, not realizing it could be saved. Their panic costs them a fortune in salvage money that McPhee and his team claim instead.
Modern Equivalent:
Coworkers who quit at the first sign of trouble instead of working through problems
Key Quotes & Analysis
"There are more ways than one of getting rich, but this is the only way that's ever appealed to me"
Context: After explaining how his salvage operation made him wealthy
McPhee values earning money through skill and integrity rather than schemes or politics. He found a way to get rich that aligned with his principles and professional expertise.
In Today's Words:
I could have made money lots of ways, but I wanted to earn it doing what I do best and doing it right.
"When a man's been at sea for thirty years, he doesn't panic easy"
Context: Explaining why he could swim to the abandoned ship when others fled
Experience teaches you to stay calm in crisis and see opportunities others miss. McPhee's years of handling emergencies prepared him for this moment.
In Today's Words:
After three decades on the job, I don't lose my head when things go wrong.
"I told them that shaft would go, and it went exactly as I said it would"
Context: Reflecting on his accurate prediction about the faulty equipment
Professional expertise allows you to see problems coming that others ignore or dismiss. McPhee's vindication proves the value of technical knowledge over cost-cutting.
In Today's Words:
I called it - I said that thing would break, and it broke exactly like I warned them it would.
Thematic Threads
Class
In This Chapter
McPhee moves from working engineer to wealthy man through professional integrity rather than birth or connections
Development
Continues the theme that merit and character can transcend class boundaries
In Your Life:
Your professional reputation can be more valuable than your current paycheck in determining your long-term class position.
Identity
In This Chapter
McPhee defines himself as an engineer who won't compromise safety, even when it costs him his job
Development
Reinforces how professional identity shapes personal choices and outcomes
In Your Life:
The standards you refuse to compromise become the foundation of who you are professionally.
Social Expectations
In This Chapter
Society expects workers to comply with employer demands, but McPhee's defiance ultimately proves wise
Development
Challenges the expectation that employees should always defer to management
In Your Life:
Sometimes the socially expected thing to do (comply with your boss) conflicts with the professionally right thing to do.
Personal Growth
In This Chapter
McPhee grows from someone who just follows orders to someone who makes principled stands
Development
Shows how professional integrity requires personal courage and leads to material success
In Your Life:
Real professional growth means developing the courage to say no when your expertise tells you something is wrong.
Human Relationships
In This Chapter
McRimmon values McPhee precisely because he stood up to previous employers
Development
Demonstrates how integrity attracts relationships with people who share your values
In Your Life:
The people worth working for are often the ones who respect you for standing up to people who weren't.
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
What specific choices led to McPhee losing his job, and what happened to the company that fired him?
analysis • surface - 2
Why did McPhee's refusal to compromise safety standards actually position him for greater success later?
analysis • medium - 3
Where do you see this pattern today - people getting punished for doing the right thing, then benefiting later when shortcuts fail?
application • medium - 4
If you were in McPhee's position when first asked to compromise safety, how would you handle it knowing what you know now?
application • deep - 5
What does this story reveal about the relationship between immediate consequences and long-term outcomes in professional life?
reflection • deep
Critical Thinking Exercise
Map Your Professional Standards
List three non-negotiable professional standards in your current job or field. For each one, write down what immediate cost you might pay for maintaining it, and what long-term benefit could result. Then identify one person in your network who values integrity over convenience - someone who might become your 'McRimmon' if you ever need to make a principled stand.
Consider:
- •Think about safety, quality, honesty, or ethical practices specific to your work
- •Consider both obvious costs (like getting fired) and subtle ones (like missing promotions)
- •Remember that the 'McRimmon' in your life might not be your current boss
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when you compromised your standards for immediate gain, or when you held firm and paid a price. What would you do differently now, and how could you better position yourself to weather the immediate costs of doing right?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 10: An Error in the Fourth Dimension
In the next chapter, you'll discover cultural assumptions can trap us in misunderstandings, and learn trying too hard to fit in can backfire spectacularly. These insights reveal timeless patterns that resonate in our own lives and relationships.