The Washington times., 1912-05-28
COWARD|CE AND
INEFF|C|ENCY AT
TITANIC SINKING
Report of Senate Committee
Urges Radical Reforms in
Navigation Laws.
tcontinued from First Page.l

CONTINUED from First Page.)
tanic had struck, but who yet failed
to 60 to the rescue, came in for much
condemnation. Senator Smith declared
Lord has tremendous responsibility"
placed on him which 1t would be diffi-
cult for him to escape.
Praise for Wireless Men.
For the gallant operators of the wire
less, for Captain Rostron, of the Car
pathia. Senator Smith had the highest
praise. He spoke in especially warm
terms Of the conduct of Operator Phil
lips. of the Titanic, who paused in the
chaos about him long enough to give
cup Of water to a fainting. woman.
this magnificent ship to sea with an un-
trained and undisciplined crew, a crew
that did not know what to do when
the crisis came, the Michigan Senator
He called for such regulation of the
wireless as would clear the sea of Its
eonfiicting idioms." He reflected on the
manner in which false and misleading
information about the disaster was
given to the public on the tragic Mon
day following the sinking.
In striking fashion, Senator Smith
thus emphasized the lack of discipline,
the unpreparedness of the Titanic and
her crew for the terrible situation that
followed on the crash into the iceberg:
AT 10 o'clock on that fateful Sunday
evening this latest maritime creation
was cutting it's first pathway through
the North Atlantic Ocean with scarcely
q ripple to retard its progress.
Assurance of Strength.
From the builders hands she was
plunged straightway to her fate, and
christening salvos acclaimed at once
. her birth and death. Builders of re-
nown had launched her on the pillows
with confident assurance of her strength,
while every port rang with praise for
their achievement; shipbuilding to them
was both a science and a religion: par
ent ships and sister ships had easily
withstood the waves, while the mark
of their hammer was all that was need
Cd to give assurance OF the high quality
OF the work.
"In the construction of the Titanic no
limit of cost circumscribed their en-
deavor, and when this vessel took its
place at the head Of the line every mod
ern improvement in shipbuilding was
fident were they that both owner and
builder were eager to go upon the trial
trip; no sufficient tests were made OF
boilers or bulkheads or gearing or
equipment, and no ife-saving or sig
nal devices were reviewed; officers and
crew were strangers to one another and
passengers to both; neither was IA
fniliar with the vessel or its implements
or helpful discipline disturbed the tran
guilty of that voyage. and when the
crisis came a state OF absolute unpre-
paredness stupefled both passengers and
crew. and in their despair the ship went
down, carrying as needless sacrifice
Of noble women and brave men as ever
clustered about the judgment seat in any
single moment Of passing time"
For the British board of trade and Its
outworn and inadequate regulations,
Senator Smith had this to say:
I'VE shall leave to the honest judg-
ment of England its pal nstaking chas-
tisement OF the British board of trade,
to whose laxity of regulation and hasty
inspection the world Is largely indebted
for this awful fatality. OF contributing
causes there were very many. In tho
creased and messages Of danger seemed
to stimulate her to action rather than
to persuade her to fear"
And in the same connection. he made
this observation:
THE lessons Of this hour are. indeed.
fruitless and Its precepts ill,conceived
IL rules of action do not follow hard
upon the day of reckoning. Obsolete
longer cucumber the parliamentary rec
ords of any government, and overripe
administrative boards should be .pruned
of dead branches and less sterile pre-
ccpts taught and applied
Wants Adequate Legislation.
Calling for adequate legislation that
would prevent such losses as this, SEN
ator Smith said:
Regulation of steamship transportation
is as necessary as regulation of railroad
transportation and less difficult to OBJ
tain. Transportation by rail is con-
Quoted through settled localities, where
many residents would quickly discover
and Immediately report any irregulari-
ties or disregard of safety requirements,
while by water 1t is conducted beyond