Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1912-05-29
KNOW N / THEsE|::A! We
Two 7 y I. Senator's I on Titanic Inves 5;
<tigating Committee Are
!. Former Sailors. si

fiGs FUllIItI SdllVIos
SMITH MAKES FUNNY BREAKS
Chairman Amuses Spectators by Lack
Of seamanship knowIedge-Per-
kins and Bourne know Ship
From Stem to Stern. 1
BY GEORGE4cLlNToN.
Washington. Senator William Al
den Smith, who is chairman OF the
committee on inquiry into the Titanic
disaster, was given the Craftsmanship
OF the body as a recognition OF the
fact that he was the first senator to
offer in the senate q resolution OF in
quiry into the causes OF the wreck
Mr.. Smith Is from Michigan and he is
g newspaper proprietor and a lawyer.
When asked about the newspaper busi-
ness the senator always says that he
went into It when be was a mere
child, and so he did. :. ' 4 s4t "
II When the Michigan senator was q
little boy his father died, leaving the
widow and son virtually without any
means of support. William Alden
Smith, mere boy, went ITO work to
support his mother. In those days
transportati ion was not Jas rapid as 1t
Is today and the news dealers OF
young Smiths toWn-vied with leach
other to get the first copies OF the
Chicago morning papers. The pres
$ent senator at the age OF eleven used
to wait at the railroad station at an
early hour in the morning on the
chance that the Chicago papers would
come In on a train on which they oc-
'casionally came in advance Of the
usual hour gof their arrival! Sometimes
the boy would get the papers earlier
than anybody else and consequently
! he would sell q good many Of them be-
fore others got started. He made
quite a little money In this way. n
Bourne Knows the Sea. s.5s
\ Senator Jonathan Bourne, Jr., who
Is also a mem Der OF the Titanic dis
aster investigat ting committee, recent,
" was defeated for the senate IN the
primaries OF his state, Oregon. Mr..
Bourne for years has been an advocate
of the primary system, and his defeat
at home was unexpected in WI shtng.
ton. 1T is said here that. he owes it
to oyer-confdence In the result, for he
did not so to Oregon to plead his own
cause. III .SES& s@i a VII
Senator Bourne has not taken an ac-
tive questioning part in the investi-
cation, because that work is left al
most entirely to the committees chair
man, Senator Smith. There are men
in Washington who wish that Mr..
Bourne would ask more questions, for
he IL eminently qualified to deal with
questions OF the sea. His father was
one Of eSgreat jWhalersf OF New Eng
land, Ia man who knew ships from
stem to stern and from 5topmast to
keel, and he Impaired his knowledge
to his son. not only In lessons, but by.
sending him to. sea. Senator Bourne
once was shipwrecked and went
through many dangers like those
which attended the rescue Of the pas
sengers Of the Titanic. b 4.
Perkins Was ! Seaman. X
Il Senator Perkins of California. who
also is on the Titanic investigating
committee. spent several years as an.
able seaman He, knows the sea and
ships, and while j he has not asked
many questions during the cour1e OF
the fnvestigation. he made Z many
notes, and his Judgment will be rem;
dered of the case at its end. s55
The 'sailorslwhos have testified in the
Titanic case Mhave shown something
very much like amusement, and posi-.
bly, savoring OF contempt, Of the lack
ofsseamanship knowledge as shown by
some Of; the questions which, they are
asked. It Is needless to say that,
none OF these estions y were asked Dy
the two members Of the committee ll1lit
who We're formerly e sailors; senator
smith had an ldea tnat tne 8i'ter
tight q lt 1ni were ere places y 2
refuge iorsWome 'i5 ana q cn mug not
knowing tnat stney were uepenueu ups
On 70 keep tne snip - Anoa' anu - tn t0
doors had peen opened 70 aulnit any
body OF ytnlhs wate. II Wou,u
nave rusneu y aiu esess ny ~ s,,..
nave gone 20 LINE thee pottoAn. - n 's' snip
omcer VINO was fA 's1Ae'' = any wotue eall
ana cniidren were put my .ne Y
tight compalr = was COZ psle.siy
nap l DergastesoE " tne question fe,
q course was aware 81 me aignlty5o.
the = occasion, Dut ne nau - sasp alu
tnen smile az tns corners y ms nGu.n
wnen me que u'estlon was put - IN
Inc me au Ll11 was ~ % =
as the sai .''l- witllls 20 10 si.e
! sin nf senator Smiths tongue. but
the question proved that that he ne Is very