The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-04-22

of Mr.. Ismay and to advise US as soon
as possible continued Franklin. 1--WE
followed this dispatch with another to
Haddock in which we urged: DO your
utmost to ascertain condition of I'll
! tanic; advise US fully disposition I'll
tanic's passengers and where they will
be landed ..
More in Detail.
"At $40 or $50 Monday evening" .
Mr.. Franklin continued, "a message
was received telling the fatefuI news
that the Carpathia reached the Titan
ic and found nothing but boats and
wreckage; that the Titanic had foun-
dered at 2;20 g. m. in 41.16 north,
SOFA west; that the Carpathia pick
ed up all the boats and had on board
about CTS Tftanfc's survivors, passen-
gers and crew. This message was
from Haddock also.
TT was such a terrible shock that it
/ took me several moments to think
what to do. Then 1 telephoned two
| of our directors, Mr.. Steel and Mr. j.
P. Morgan, jr. Then 1 went down
| stairs to the reporters. 1 began to
read the message, holding it high in
my hand. I had read only to the sec
Ond line, which said that the Titanic
had sunk when there was not a repor-
ter left. They were so anxious to get
to the telephones. After that we got
another message from Haddock stat
ing that 'Yamsi,' meaning Ismay, was
on the Carpathia."
Mr.. Franklin then explained how
the company wired the Olympic to get
the names of the survivors and to
stand by and relay them from the
Carpathia.
Il want to say that during the en-
tire day on Monday after our first
messages concerning the Titanic we
considered the Titanic absolutely un-
sfnkable. We never dreamed of such
thing and that there had been loss
of life never entered our minds until
we got Haddock's awful message at
$50 that evening"
One by one Mr.. Franklin read tele-
grams that had been sent through the
air from shore to ships and from them
back to the anxious ones on shore.
When Hope Was Lost.
All hope that some other vessel be-
sides the Carpathia had picked up
some of the Titanic's survivors was
dismissed when the Olympic flashed
Tunisian had any of the Titanic peo-
pie aboard. Senator Smith then
sought to discover who had been tam
pering with the wireless operators or
of the wireless to get the news to
shore earlier.
Mr.. Smith repeatedly asked the wit
ress whether he bad not had a con-
ference Monday morning with Mr..
Marconi or Mr.. Sammis, chief en-
gineer for the Marconi company.
mo, most emphatically," said the
witness. t'In no way did 1 attempt or
cause to be attempted any censorship
of the wireless When you went
aboard the Carpathia when she
docked Thursday night" suggested |
Senator Smith, did you either |
Mr.. Marconi, Mr.. Sammis or the wire |
less operators ?"
mo, L did not. I went directly to |
the captains room and asked to be
shown to Mr.. Ismay's room. He took
me there. 1 talked with no one else
Senator Smith inquired whether the
fov
ings of the wireless on the ships line
and if he knew what were the safety
precautions on the same ships.
NO" he said, we really are only
agents of the line in America
do you know of any chart or doc
ument showing the equipment or safe
ty appliances on the Titanic?'
II know of none"
Cost of the Titanic.
Asked about insurance. Mr.. Frank
lin said the company always carried
insurance on ships.
What was the cost of the Titanic?'
lone million five hundred and some
odd pounds" said Franklin.
Including all eQuipment?"
Yes. Its tonnage capacity he
added, was 46,32S gross, the largest
ever built
Senator Smith said he thought the
data regarding the stability of the
ship in loaded and damaged conditions
should be furnished the committee
and Mr.. Franklin said he would try
to get the figures. Senator Smith ask
to get the names of the third class
passengers.
I'VE made every effort to get them"
said Mr. Franklin.
Did you receive at any time from
any one request that the Cedric be
held at New York until the arrival of
the Carpathia?"
Yes
What time was it received?''
AT 5:19." said the witness. who
said the telegram asked that the
Cedric be held because the sender con-
sidered it most desirable that the
on the Cedric and declaring his inten-
tion of sailing on that ship himself. {
The sender also asked clothing and I
shoes be brought to the dock for him
when the Carpathia got in.
by whom was that signed 20 asked J
Smith.
'Yamsi.'' ,
DO you know who Yamsi is?''
"Y es. sir; it's cipher for Mr.. Ismay. j
I sent in reply the following: 'Yamsi,
Carpathia: Have arranged forward
crew LapIand, sailing Saturday, call
ing at Plymouth. All consider most {
unwise to delay Cedric considering
Franklin. 8
Mr.. Franklin denied that the White s
Star company had any intention to
spirit away from the country any III r
Ian1c offlcerS or crews or that pIahs +
to return the survivors of the crew :
were prompted by any desire to sup :
nress the facts He said that nothing
that the officers or crew could tell
would affect what might be told by
surviving passengers !
Many Bodies Unidentified.
St John. April 22.-The work of pick
ing up bc>lies of the victims of the Ii /
tanic was continued today by the cable 7
steamer Mackay-Bennett, according ID '
wireless dispatches received here. 8
Most of the bodies cannot be identi-