Norwich bulletin., 1912-04-23
VICE PRESIDENT FRAKLiN Admits Titanic Did Not Have Enough Lfeboats to Provide for Crew.

!
 'One hundred million in common and preferred shares, S52 G00,000 in 1-2 1 per cent. bondsA S19,9ee,000 in per I cent. bonds, and about $7, ,090 of l underlying bonds
 l "Can you give me the names of the 1 directors of the various steamship l companies 7" asked Senator Smith | "l cannot said Mir. Franklin, but shall gladly give you the names of | the officers and directors of the Inter- l national Mercantile Marine. The l other companies. many of them, are | located abroad"
 After Mir. Franklin had read a list | Of the officials and directors of the l International Senator Smith said: 'A ou are the real representative in | this country of the White Star line y' l ACs, sir
 No Communication with Capt. Smith.
 Does anyone share the responsi- | bility with you?' 'l am mainly responsible answered 1 Franklin. There are directors in this 1 country and meetings are held ire | queutly.'
 Do you know Captain Smith of the 1 Titanic?' Senator Smith inquired | Ever since lS9S," said the witness, adding that Captain Smith had com mauded the Majestic, Adriatic, Baltic, | Olympic and the Titanic.
 so far as you know, did you or any | or your subordinate officers have any | communication with Captain Smith on
 his last yoyage?"
 None at ali. We did not hear from
 him in any way or shape"
 Knew Nothing of Hughes Telegram. l MT. Franklin said he had received | no communication from MT Ismay, | except one by cable from Southamp-
 ton, which merely announced the com
 plete success of the Titanics trial trip
 and the favorable prospect for sue
 cesstul voyage.
 l This is the only attempt at com ! munlcation, and so far as you know any attempt from officers, crew or l passengers to communicate with you
 after he left Southampton? the sen ator continued.
 l Yes"
 Senator smith then showed Mr. Franklin the telegram received by | Congressman Hughes of West Virginia rom the line. dated from New York April l5. and addressed to J. A ! Hughes, Huntington, w. Va, as fol- i lows Titanic proceeding to Halifax.
 Passengers probably land on WedneB- ! day All safe.
 tSigned)
 THE WHITE STAR LINE"
 ''I ask you' continued the senator | whether you know about the sending | Of that telegram2'
 'l do not. sir said Franklin. Since | 1t was mentioned at the Waldorf Sat | urday We have had the entire passen- | ger staff examined and we cannot find
 out. On that Monday many junior | clerks were q work and there was i great confusion. It is possible that someone who had no absolute infor- nation might have sent it. l wish you would have the telegraph company | turn over all the White Star messages to you so that we can see just what 1 happened
 First News from Associated Press.
 Asked when he first knew that the Titanic had sunk, Franklin said he 1rsJ knew it at 6.27 D. m. Monday,
 Mr. Franklin then produced d thick l package of Jelesrams which he had received Monday in relation to the dis l aster
 About twenty minutes of two on I Monday morning. said he awakened Dy a phone bell, l was called by d re- l porter for some paper who informed me that the Titanic had met with an | accident and was sinking. I asked him where he got the information. He told me that it had come by wireless from the steamship Virginian which had been appealed by the Titanic for 1 aid.'
 Mr. Franklin said he called up the l White Star docks, but they had no in | formation, and he then appealed to the | Associated Press, and there was read
 to him despatch from Cape Race, l advising him of the accident.
 Asked to Have Report Delayed.
 'I asked the Associated Press said Mir Franklin. mot to send out the | despatch until We had more detailed | information in order to avoid caus- | Ing unnecessary alarm. I was told.
 however, that the story already had 1 been sent"
 How did you ascertain the location
 of the Olympic, Baltic and others?" 1 asked the senator.
 ! We worked them out on OUT charts | We had uO direct communication from
 any of the ships. Our first endeavor | to communicate with our big ships was d message sent April 15 at l o'clock q. m. This message read as
 follows: ''Haddoc. Olympic. Make l every endedVor to communicate Ti-
 tanic and advise position and time. i Reply within the hour That was the first message. We followed it with | others rapidly"
 The Why of the Measuring Statements Monday morning we were endeavor- 1 4as 10 get information from Montreal | ana CapC Race. At 102T a. Im we got word from the Olympic announcing 1 that at 9 6. m. she had been unable to
 raise the WtantIc; was 310 miles south ! or her, but would maintain it's effort to get in communication with her l Between noon and 1 o'clock on the ] 10th the following message was re- celVed from the Olympic: Parisian re- | ports Carpathia in attendance; picked | up 20 boats with passengers, and Baltic | returning. Position not given Had ] dock, Olympic"
 1 The reassuriDg statements sent out | by the line in the early hours of the 1 disaster next Were made the subject ! of inquiry
 "Teli the committee on what you ! based those statements" directed Sen ator Smith
 We based them on reports and ru- | fnors received at Cape Race by indi- | Nduai5 and by the newspapers They
 "ere rumors mad We could not place our finger on anything authentic l 't-' 'H IlN"th VI II JUL tllS Odi poti1Id
 q that tine?"
 l "No sr'
 Sad News Received Monday Evening.
 At SEQ or 6.&O Monday evening"" i Mir Franklin continued, "a message
 was received telling the fateful news that the Csrpathia reached the Titanic aui found nothing but boats and | WreckaEe; that the Titanic had foun- 1 dcrad at 2.20 a. m. in 4116 north 50 west, that the Carpathia picked up gil the boats and had on board about 1 6la Fitanics survivors, passengers and crew. This message was from Had 1 dock also.
 'lt was such terrible shock that il | took me several moments to think ] Mnal tn An rThnn l tolnnhnnnd tyvn of