The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-05-26
!STOKER RELATES
STORY OF TITANIC
Found in Hold of Olympic,
Sister Ship of Lost
Leviathan.
SETTING is MOST DRAMATIC
Senator Smith Gets Further Evil
dence as to Seas Most
Memorable Wreck.
SETTING is MOST DRAMATIC
Especial to The Times-Dispatch.l

| Especial to The Times Dispatch
| New York, May 25.-Standing In the
blazing heat OF the stokchold of the
big White Star liner Olympic, In as
near. as he could Judge. the exact spot
lie had occupied on the Inflated IT,
tanic, her sister ship. Frederick Bar
rett. chief stokcr of the ]ost leviathan.
to-day related to Senator william A
Smith his story OF the tragedy OF tho
Grand Banks. While the persplration
poured from the forcheads of smith and
Rear-Admlral Todd, who was on hand
to furnish the Senate's inquisitor with
technical Information. Barrett told of
the enormous speed that was being
produced by the Titanic's engines
when she was hurled the great
mass OF Ice that sent her to her doom.
His rehearsal WAS most tic,
and he proved ono OF the best witness
es so far reached by the United States
Senates probe. Barrctts presence on
the Olympic was made known to Smith
by a quiet tip from an agent in Eng
land. and he waited until the big lin
er was about ready to cast OF her
lines, SO that there could be no mis-
cue" before he went down into the
bowels of the Olympic to get the man
and have him tell his story.
Full Speed Ahead.
was booming along with the white
lights above the boilers. Indicating
full speed ahead. when there came a
sudden alarm from the bridge. the
rcd danger signal showed, and. before
the liner could he checked, there was
ripping. rasping sound, and tho blue
waters of the Atlantic began to pour
through the mortal wound above the
coal bunkers into compartment 1--WE
The presence. with Smith of score
of newspaper reporters and Nice-Pres-
ident Franklin. of the line made no
impression on Barrett who told his
story of the occurrences of the fatal
night in an even, firm voice that
brought home every point with prisma-
ito clearness.
Second Engineer IIeekett and he
were standing side by side talking
said Barrett. when the Titanic bridge
signaled stop, and the red lamp glowed.
began to close.
Tho engineer and chief stoker Jump
ed through the door to the engine room
compartment, the doors slammed
shut, Barrett said. The other men in
that compartment were shut off and
After getting into compartment six.
Barrett said, he climbed to look into
No. 3. which he had Just left. BY that
time. he said. there was nearly eight
feet of water In No. compartment
With no show of emotion. the chief
stoker related how the electric lights
went out. how he sent for lanterns.
and. before they arrived. how the cleo
trio lights went on again. Then he re-
turned into section No. i, and while
ne was attempting to handle the boil
ers he heard roar and saw coming
through the lane between the boilers
a green foamy mass OF water that sent
him hurrying up the ladder just In
tlme to escape being drowned. He took
charge OF lifeboat No. 13. the one to
which Mrs. John Jacob Astor had been
assigned
Following the inspection OF the
Olympic and the Interrogation. under
oath. of Barrett. Captain Haddock and
Ernest Moore. the wireless operator.
Senator Smith made the following
statement:
Fact Is Estabiished.
The most important thing 1 found
to day was the condition of the signal
lamp in that boiler room aboard the
Olympic. The conditions were almost
parallel to the Titanic. The fact that
the white light showed according to
BarretU proves what we have been
trying to establish. that the Titanic
WAS under fun speed.
The fact that twenty-four boilers
We're lighted shows that the speed was
49,