The daily sentinel., 1912-05-28

Sunday evening was to take his COM
pliments to the ships carpenter and
inform him to look to his fresh wat
er; that it was about to freeze.
Senator Smith declared that the
command of the officer of the watch
to avert the disaster actually exposed
the most vulnerable part of the Ii
tanic to the ice when the shock came.
Distracted by the sudden appear
ance of DANGER said the speaker.
he sharply turned aside the PROV,
the part best prepared to resist col
lision, exposing the temple to tbe
blow. At the turn of the bilge the
steel encasement yielded to a CLAN
cling blow SO slight that the impact
was not felt in many parts of the
ship, although representing ali ener-
gy of more than million foot-tons,
said to be the equivalent of the COM
bined broadsides of 30 of tie largest
guns in our battleship feet fired at
the same moment, with a blow so
deadly many OF the passengers and
crew did not even know of the col
lIsion until tardily advised of the
danger by anxious friends, and even
then official statements We're clothed
in such confident assurances of safety
as to arouse no fear
Senator Smith said that the awful
force of the impact must have indi-
Gated to master and builder that the
ship was doomed. He commented
caustically upon the failure of the
ships officers Immediately to give a
general alarm or to establish some
orderly routine. Concerning the con-
duet of the ships officers, he said.
'HaphaZard, they rushed by one
another, on staircase and in hallway.
while men of self-control gathered
here and there about the decks, help
lessly staring at one another or Civ
ing encouragement to those less cour-
ageous than themselves. Lifebelts
were finally adjusted to all and the
lifeboats were cleared away, and, al
though strangely insufficient in num-
ber, We're only partially loaded, ana
in all instances unprovided with COM
passes and only three of them had
lamps. They were manned so badly
that, in the absence of prompt re-
lief they would have fallen easy VIC
tins to the advancing ice foe. nearly
80 miles in width and rising 8 feet
above the surface of the water. Their
danger would have been as great as
if they had remained on the deck of
the broken hull; and, if the sea had
risen these toy targets with over 700
exhausted people would have been
helplessly tossed about upon the
waves without food or water
"One witness swore that two of
the three stewards in her boat ad-
mitted that they had never had an
oar i'm their hands before and did rot
even know what the oarlock was for.
The lifeboats We're filed so indiifer-
emily and lowered so quickly that,
according TO the uncontradicted evil
dence, nearly 500 people wera need
lessly sacrificed to want of orderly
discipline in loading the few that
were provided. And yet it is said by
some well meaning persons that the
best of discipline prevailed II this
is discipline, what would have been
disorder?
among the passengers were mary
strong men who had been accustomed
to command. whose lives had marked
every avenue of endeavor. and whose
business experience and military
training especially fitted them for
such an emergency. These were
rudely silenced and forbidden TO
speak. as was the president of this
company. by junior officers. a few of
whom, | regret to say awaited them
selves of the first opportunity to
leave the ship. Some of the men. to
whom had been intrusted the care of
passengers, never reported to their
official stations, and quickly deserted
tho shin with n recklessness and in
difference to the responsibilities of
their positions as culpable and amaz-
ing as IL is impossible to believe.
And some of these men say they laid
by in their partially-flled lifeboats
and listened to the cries of distress
until the noise quieted down and
surveyed from a safe distance the un-
selfish men and women and faithful
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