The Washington times., 1912-04-18
NAVY DEPARTMENT
WARNED CAPTAIN
OF REAL DANGER
Secretary Won Meyer Gives
Out Statement Covering
the Wreck.

Secretary of the Navy George Won l..
Meyer. in a long detailed statement to
the press last evening, announced, in ef-
feet, that Captain Smith of the ill-fated
Titanic had in his possession at the
time of the catastrophe which cost
more than 1000 people their lives. in
formation which would have prevented
the calamity II needed.
The statement of Secretary Meyer
follows:
For more than q quarter of a CEN
tury the photographic Office of the
Bureau of Navigation, Navy depart
ment, has been publishing graphically
from, month to month series of charts
known as the Pilot Chart of the North
Atlantic Ocean, depicting thereon the
Es Of thc atmosphsle l " for me the 9'een Current S
month. as we'll as the location Of dan
gers to navigation as reported by, in
GanreTs r anH snps moie Se detaed descriptian
than the space on the Pilot Chart would
permit was In time given from week
t2 week on a printed sheet known as
among the shipmasters and shipping
peopl" In return for their news OF the
Office az. Washington and the marine
wurld being II chain of branch hydro
graphic offices at the prinsipal sea-
ports.
Office Sends Word.
practically all the captains in the
transatlantic trade cooperate in this
work by handing in their information
upon arrival in port to the branch
photographic offices. In recent years
the collection of marine data has been
Immensely accelerated by the use of
radio telegraphy and the photographic
Office is thereby enabled to publish
daily in so-called Daily Memoran-
w iToon NJ ~ do
gers have been received. This sheet is
prepared every afternoon, and is mailed
to the branch photographic offices, and
there given publicity to all concerned.
adelphia, Baltimore, Norfolk, etc, are
daily put in possession of the accumu-
lated reports of dangerous derelicts and
icebergs which have been edited by ex-
perts in this line of work Thus in
the case of the recent loss of the
Titanic the shipping companies and
shipmasters had been put in posses
sion of the experience and Judgment of
trained staff in the photographic Of
fce as summarized in pamphlet print
ed In April 1909, entitled North At
lantic Ice Movements giving a study
Of the entire question with diagrams to
show the usual limits of ice for a
period of ten years More specifically,
the shipping community had been pro-
yfded from month to month with the
pilot chart showing the conditions of
Ice up to the time of printing. and with
the weekly Photographic Bulletin Civ
Ing all the pertinent details In regard
daily memorandum summarizing the
collected reports of each day.
I'm New York the officer in charge
of the Branch photographic Office
has on. exhibit on the floor of the Mari
time Exchange, as well as in his own
office. large chart of the North At
lantlc ocean. on which is shown the
location location, Of the dereliets, ice, and other
keeps posted to date. He also informs
at once by telephone the various steam
ship companies of all reported dangers
to navigation The officers of said
vessels, particularly those of outgoing
vessels, have always been urged to
call at the Branch Topographic Office
to obtain the latest information. Steam
ship companies have also always been
urged to keep their ships afioat con-
stantly infromed OF these dangers by
means OF wireless telegraphy. Similar
action to that above outlined has been
taken by the officers in charge of the
Branch photographic OFFICES at the
other ports mentioned above.
Gives Location.
A trained seaman can and does esti-
mate the probable speed and direction
of drift or any dangerous obstruction,
so that If he had knowledge of the ex-
lstenGe @ OF an iceberg or a derelict in a
certain location at given date he
reckons Its future position for an in
teryal of a few days.
The April Pilot Chart, which was is
sued March 2s, 1912, showed that in
March ice had come as far south
as latitude Al degrees north. The
Daily Memorandum prior, to the
trend of ice was to the southwark, ice
bergs being sighted below the 48rd par
alel on April 7, s, 9, and II; on the
9th and 11th 1t had reached the 42d
parallel, and on the 18th some of it was
seen south OF latitude AZ degrees. The
Daily Memorandum of April 18th con-
tains a message from the steamship
Cape Race, N. F., April IA. 1912, to the
photographic Office. Washington. D. C..
Amerika has passed two large icebergs
In Al degrees q minutes north. 80 de-
grees minutes west on the 14th of
April. - Knuth.
AS the Titanic's position is reported
to have been latitude Al degrees 16 min
utes, longitude 80 degrees IA minutes, at
The time of her disaster, 1t Is thus seen
that the message which she transmitted
Tor the Amerika doubtless relates to the
very Ice upon which she was wrecked"