If the cargo had remained unshielded, then the solar flare would have detonated it, killing the herdship pilot and contaminating near-Earth space. The only solution was to haul the cargo away from near-Earth space, then to jettison the gas into space, and to do all this before the flare arrived - a race against time.
Removing the cargo from near-Earth space prevents contamination of that space. Jettisoning the gas prevents any explosion even further out. Doing all this as quickly as possible minimizes the period during which the pilot is vulnerable to an explosion caused by the flare. Even if a heavily armored man survived the explosion, he would soon be killed by flare radiation.
However, shielding the cargo with the sliced up sail prevents an explosion even after the arrival of the flare. By hauling the cargo away from the Sun until the flare subsides, the pilot saves the isonitrate to be collected by tugs. Future cargos will be shielded to prevent a repeat disaster. This time, only the sail must be sacrificed - and parts of it might sell as souvenirs! (Anderson's heroes always solve economic as well as technical problems.)
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