Seventh Interlude: Historical Notes

Historical Context

The British steamship Indrani was indeed a real vessel engaged in the cotton and iron trade between New Orleans and Japan in the late 1890s. This newspaper clipping confirms that the Indrani operated on the exact route McQuary claimed to travel—from New Orleans via Yokohama to Kobe, Japan.

The ship's cargo of 11,500 bales of cotton and 3,800 tons of pig iron represented a new "direct trade route" between southern U.S. ports and Japan, marking the opening of trans-Pacific commerce that bypassed traditional European shipping lanes.

Whether McQuary actually sailed aboard the Indrani remains an open question. His admission in this Interlude that he fabricated other details of his voyage casts doubt on all his claims. However, the ship's existence and route are historically verified—making it a plausible vessel for his journey, even if the journey itself may never have occurred.

After Charleston, South Carolina, no third-party sources (foreign newspapers, ship manifests, hotel registers, or eyewitness accounts) confirm McQuary's presence abroad. All subsequent accounts come from first-person narratives likely written by his manager M.S. Glenn, or from American newspapers reporting his claims.