Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-05-30

tools, and no drill or station prac.
tlce took place and no helpful dis
cIpIfne prevailed.
The speed Of the Titanic was
twenty-four and one-haIf miles an
hour at time Of the accident, al
| though officers Of the Titanic had
! been advised Of the presence OF
! iccbergs by the steamships Bal.
g., tie, Amerika and California.
Passengers we're not advised Of
danger, although President ismay
| of the White Star line, who was
! taking the vessels maiden voyage
! was Informed. No general alarm
! was given nor any organized sys.
! tenn Of safety undertaken.
OF the 1924 passengers and S99
members of crew on board, there
1,176 persons, and because Of lack
Of orderly discipline the boats
took off only 7o4 persons, IL be.
Ing rescued from the water.
Officers Of the White Star line
"batled with the truth" after
receiving information from their
Montreal office Monday morning
following the accident.
Senator Smith condemned ANTI
quated shipping laws and overripe
administrative boards" and asked
that all nations act together in ship
ping reforms. New laws" he said
will best testify our affection for the
dead
Captain. Rostron of the rescue shiT
Carpathia, was nraised by Senator
Smith ant. he urged that congress
recognizes his valor.
The Committee Report Made.
Just before delivering his speech, Sen
ator Smith, chairman of the sub com.
mittee which investigated the wreck,
submitted the committees report and
its conclusions. The report Is largely
recommendation for legislation.
No particular person is named as be.
ing responsible, though attention Is
called to the fact that on the day OF
the disaster three distinct warnings Of
Ice were sent to Captain Smith. j..
Bruce Ismay managing director Of the
White Star line, is not held RESPONSE
BILE for the ships high speed. In fact,
he is barely mentioned in the report.
On the whole, the report Is impassive
and Senator Smith in his speech went
more fully into a discussion Of the
causes of the disaster than does the
committee.
The committee agreed upon these
principal conclusions:
The supposedly watertight COM
partments Of the Titanic were not
watertight because of the non
watertight condition Of the decks
where the transverse bulk heads
ended.
The Californian, controlled by
the same concern as the Titanic,
was nearer the Titanic than the
10 miles reported by her captain
and her officers. Her crew saw
the distress signals OF the Titanic
and failed to respond in accord
ance with dictates of humanity.
international usage and the re-
quirements of law"
The committee concludes that
the Californian might have saved
all the lost passengers and crew
OF the ship that went down. Eight
ships, all equipped with wireless
were in the vicinity Of the Titanic,
the Olympic farthest away, 512
miles.
The mysterious lights on an I'M
known ship seen by the passen-
gers on the Titanic undoubtedly
were on the Californian, less than
nineteen miles away.
The full capacity Of the
Titanic's life boats we're not utll
lied, because while only 706 per-
sons were saved, the ships boats
could have carried 1,176.
No general alarm was sounded,
no whistle blown, and no systema-
tic warning was given to the en-
dangered passengers and it was
fifteen or twenty minutes after
the collision before Captain Smith
ordered the Titanic wireless oper-
ator to send out distress mes
sage. The Titanic's crew was only
meagerly acquainted with it's posi-
tions and duties in case OF acct
dent and only one drill was held
before the maiden trip.
Many firemen joined the ship
only few hours before she sailed
and we're ignorant of their posi-
tons until the following Friday.
Smit, Defends Committee.
At the outset, Senator Smith de-
ended the course of his committee IN
holding British subjects to secure
heir testimony without delay, and
briefly answered criticism Of his lack
II nautical knowledge.
"Our course was simple and plain