The daily sentinel., 1912-05-28
THE BLAME Is PLACED
FOR LOSS OF TITANIC
CONTINUED from Page u

fellow officers and seamen, whose he
roism lightens up this tragedy and
recalls the noblest traditions of the
sea"
Tributes to the yalor of Phillips
and Bride. the wireless operators on
the Titanic, We're paid by Senator
Smith. He said that the final exit
of the Phillips boy was not so swift
as to prevent him from pausing long
enough to pass a cup of water to a
fainting woman" The senator
showed that. had not the underpaid
wireless operator ON the Carpathia
prepared for bed with his receiver
still on Ills head, the Titanic's dis
tress signals never would have been
received by the rescue ship.
when the world weeps together
over a common loss" said Senator
Smith, "all nations should take steps
wisely to regulate wireless teleEraphy
and see that operators are fairly
paid He condemned the reign of
silence" concerning the details OF the
disaster. In condemning the failure
Of the Californian to learn all about
the disaster before the Titanic sank
and 20 to her rescue, Senator Smith
said:
The steamship Californian was
within easy reach of this ship for
nearly four hours after all the facts
were known to Operator Cottam. The
captain of the Carpathia says he gave
explicit directions that all official
messages should be Immediately sent
through other ships, and messages of
passengers should be given prefer
ence. According to Binns, the in
spector, the apparatus on the Cali
fornian was practically new and cas-
lily tuned to carry every detail of that
calamity to the coast stations at Cape
Race and Cape Sable, and should have
done 50.
The course taken was singuarly
| in accord with the reticence of the
officials of the White Star company,
who knew at 2:30 Monday morning"
said the senator, what was supposed
to have occurred; and yet at 1851
Monday evening a message from their
own office, officially signed. contain
ing the positive assurance of the safe
| ty of the passengers, was sent to
half-crazed father at Huntington, w.
, Va, nearly two hours after their ad-
mitted familiarity with the details of
the disaster. 1t is little wonder that
we have not been able to fix with
defniteness the author of this false
hood
Senator Smith reviewed the testi-
mony of Captain Lord. showing that
the Californian came within four
miles of the doomed vessel, and that
he went to his room to lie down
/ while signal rockets were being fired
THE failure of Captain Lord to
arouse the wireless operator on his
ship. who easily could have ascer-
tained the name of the vessel in dis
tress and reached her in time to
avert loss of life" said Senator
Smith, ''places tremendous respon-
sibility upon this officer from which
it will be difficult for him to escape"
Contrast, IL you WILL the conduct
of the captain of the Carpathia in
this emergency and imagine what
must be the consolation of that /
thoughtful and sympathetic mariner |
who rescued the shipwrecked and left |
the people of the world his debtor as
his ship sailed for distant seas few
days ago. BY his utter self-efface-
ment and his own Indifference to per-
IL, by his promptness and his knight
ly sympathy, he rendered great
service to humanity. He should be
made to realize the debt of gratitude
this nation owes to him, while the
Book of Good Deeds, which has so
often been familiar with his unaf-
fected valor, should henceforth carry
the name of Captain Rostron to the
period OF time.
The lessons of this hour" said
Senator Smith in conclusion, ARE,
indeed, fruitless and its precepts i'll
if rules of action do not
follow hard upon the day of reck-
oning. Obsolete and antiquated
laws should no longer en- /
cumber the parliamentary records of
any government, and overripe ad-
boards should be pruned
Of dead branches and less sterile pre-
cepts taught and applied"
Senator Smith recommended that
lanes of travel should be more care
fully defined, the strength of ships !
bows increased, life saving equip
ment bettered and discipline and
practice made an eXaction. He said
that buoys should be carried to mark
temporarily the place of the ships
burial in case of accident; and men
Of strength and spirit there must be,
won back to a calling already de-
and decadent.
But 10 per cent of the men be-
fore the mast in our merchant ma
rine are natives or naturalized
he said even Eng
land, that 20 years ago had barely
Z 900 orientals on her merchant
ships, now carries more than 10000
of that alien race. Americans must
re-enlist in this service-they must
become the soldiers of the sea- and
whether in the lookout, on the deck
or at the wheel; whether able or
common seamen; they should be bet
ter paid for their labor and more
highly honored in their calling; their
rights must be respected, and their
work carefully performed; harsh and