The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1873-04-10
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SCOTIA fs practically answered. The
Es9gnts Of the White Star line, who sent
bshs chip to- sea without sufficient coal
Eef9 proylsions, are primarily responsi-
|blEsok the great calamity. The captain
Andnsh4r oMcers OF the vessel, who ne.
g!ecssd thss pisinaes duty, are to be
directly GharGed with casting ashore the
vessel and thereby sending to sudden
death 10 nuit1lude of men, women and
children. From the established teeti
mony now before us, it appears that,
although tho passage had not been an
unusasiiya long one, the ship had not
enough Goals nor provisions to last to
this port Criminal parsimony, or q
neglect equally criminal, had fitted ont
the iased ship without adequate supply
for tho voyage; and 80 it became ne
oessary. says the captain, TO put into
halifax. How far the .agenta or owners
OF tina line were responsible for what
came next, We need not now INQUIRE.
Hhe od1vers In charge were incompetent
and unit Efof their post.
|5 5ths captain had made but one VOYAGE
81 I. Amerio ioaoh the chip. He had never
Ebeeh INTO the aHYfbof tas shipmaster:
neltner !hIaa.fhA, seCpnd and fourth
|o!nc!es e Gh1 sks 1htduty on that fatal
n'iahE !Lhs caHfain had not taken any
soundinGs; md he was not certain Of
= e.alsed nt;Mhfch tho ship was running,
anoaen he khew It was increasing hourly.
Inc night, was not thick; but tp to mid.
night Il had been brilliant with, statsse
later tt was psrtiafiy pbscdfedi BY dill hihG
o'oads. Sambz9 light E!;:sss tsHH.aTS
ths rsys twenty miles out to sea; must
nave been tn eight more than an nhont
before the ship struck. That light. is
only mae miles distant from ;ths; rock
wnere the wreck was made. Pat these
taots together. aud then look a. the
amaatng statem6nt Of Captain Williams,
snas no went to his room and went to
sieepl The ship approaching an un-
known. and danger-linod coast; officers
iguorant Of the navigation before them
arc on duty; the ship is making at least
twelve miles an hour; oonspiouonalv
YiVid neaoon lights must be in sight; the
ooast-lina is white with snow. and the
breakers chow their glistening teeth in
the broken starlight; the reefy beach ia
desd ahead Yet the captain of the
vessel calmiy goes to sleep, and his sub
'ordinates etolidly keep the vessel crash.
ing, on to certain destruction. This ia
notonly the great oalamity-it is the
greatcfitne OF the century.
:Lpoking at this awful waste OF human
lie, every generous impulse must flame
out with indignation. 30 little ordinary
care might have stayed the stroke Of
death. Such fair use of common
watchfulness might have brought the
ship safely to port, with all hor precious
freight OF Euman life. But, for want of
common precautions. the costly ship lies
q wreck. and almost 600 people are stran-
gled in the wild soa. We cannot saw
what nav color may be given to fasts al.
ready known, when other testim ony
shall be heard before the court Of In.
quiry. But the evidence OF the captain.
taken with the existing kuowled ee. con:
cerning the coast. conciusively estab.
lishes who is responsible for the great
disaster. The parsimony. recklessness
and incompetence Of owners, agents and
officers Of the Atlantic wrought ali this
woe. The captain, dssefting hiis post at
the critical moment, should be PUNISHED
as the Immediately responsible figure in
this great sum Of crime.
'l, Neu Pork Tribune.