Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1912-04-19
Wreck Of the Titanic.

Wreck of the Titanic.
From Halifax. Nova Scotia, news
was received in New York, Monday.
by wireless, the heart rending an
nouncement that the steamship Ii
taniG. the largest vessel atlOat, only
four hours out from Southampton,
WAS wrecked by collision with an ice
berg about 400 miles off Cape Race,
and not far from New Foundland
banks, Sunday night. She had on
board while sinking from 1920 to
200 persons. She struck about 10
o clock at night and sank about 2 A.
". The report is that from $50 to
800 passengers were saved, mostly
consisting of women and children.
The vessel cost 1900, 900, and was
reported to be worth SIS, 900, 900
when she sailed, foundered and sank.
The manner of escape is unknown
as when the Carpathia arrived about
four hours after the collision she re-
ports finding only life-boats and
pieces of wreckage, and she was the
first to arrive at the scene. The
Titanic was heavily insured.
This is said to be the greatest of
marine disasters. In 1873 the steam
err Atlantic went down with 547
lives. and in 1898, the French liner
La Bourgoyne with 81.
From the various reports by wire
less to passing trading vessels we
gather that when the big ship
Titanic struck the berg she was 60
ing at the rate of 10 knots an hour
and the impact almost rent the big
vessel asunder. Her decks, sides
and bulkheads were smashed from
bow to midships. The bows and up
per works were crushed to pieces.
The ship struck the berg virtually
bowen, careening to the port side
and almost turning over. The bot
tom is supposed to have been torn
out OF the Titanic by submerged ice
bergs which she was passing over, as
every compartment from midships
forward was quickly flooded and the
ship rapidly setted by the head with
a list to port, rolling heavily in the
trough OF the sea. For q short while
sufficient order was maintained to al
low of the launching in safety of most
of the lifeboats and embark about 1000
persons. Then a cry went up that
the Titanic was sinking, and the
frenzied crowd rushed madly for the
boats. AS the ship settled in the
sea many of the boats were smashed
to pieces in the davits and some
were swamped while they we're being
launched. The others went down
with the ship. By this time the ship
was seen to be settling fast and the
water had reached the engine room.
The wireless failed through the loss
OF the motor and all lights went out
all over the ship. This added to the
gloom and the difficulty of handling
the boats. The source of this YER
sion, which has the appearance of re-
liability, gives the number of pas
sengers saved as more than 800.
From Havre. the Capt. of French
liner La Touraine. is reported as say
ing that he sent wireless dispatch
reporting the presence of icebergs to
the Captain of the Titanic, who &C.
knowedged the message with thanks.
La Touraine. Sunday night, encoun-
tered the huge field of ice, with the
tops of the bergs slightly above the
water. La Touraine slowed down
and emerged from the ice fields after
an hours steaming. Next morning
she passed other icebergs.
Icebergs imilar to the one which
caused the appalling crash of the IT.
tauic are not ordinarily in the vicinity
Of the path of the Atlantic where the
giant ship sank, according to Pro-
lessor Roliin D. Salisbury head of the
department Of geography at the Uni
versity of Chicago. The presence Of
the huge iceberge in the THAMES
path, Professor Salisbury declared
was due to an extremely late
breaking up of the frozen area of the
bays of Greenland. The huge berg,
probably was once part of a glacier
on Greenland" Professor Salisbury
explained. such berg might be
called yearling,' for it had been
afioat for about a year. but had not
drifted far enough south to be melted
by warmer waters. 1t is extremely
unusual to find such a field Of ice in
the position where this one was found
at this time of the year." Profess
sor Salisbury went on to explain.
Professor Salisbury and Professor
Thomas G. Chamberlain, his associate
at the university, journeyed to Green
land in 1905 at the head of an expedi-
tion to study iceburgs.
The steamer Carpathia arrived at
New York, last night, bringing us
survivors of the wrecked Titanic,
and leaving about 1000 to go down
with the ship.
1t seems that the catastrophe is
mainly due to the fact that she was