The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-05-26
Chief stoker Of the Lost Titanic,
Agin on Duty on sist' Ship,
Tells Of the 2
aster. 4
At MAx1My IS SPEED
Barrett Took Charge Of Lifeboat No
13 In Which Mrs. John
Jacob Astor
Rode.

UNITED Press Leased Wire Service ]
NEW YORK, May 25.-Standing in
the blazing heat of the stoke hole of
the big White Star liner Olympic, in
as near as he could judge the exact
spot he had occupied on the Inflated
Titanic, her sister ship, Frederick Bar
rett, chief stoker of the lost leviathan
today related to Senator William A.
Smith his story Of the tragedy of the
grand banks. While the perspiration
poured from the foreheads of Smith
and Rear Admiral Todd, who was on
hand to furnish the senate's inquisi
tor with technical information, Barrett
told of the enormous speed that was
! being porduced by the Titanic's en-
i gines when she was hurled on the
great mass of Ice that sent her to
| her doom
He proved one of the best witnesses
reached by the United States senate's
probe. Barrett's presence on the
i Olympic was made known to Smith
a by a quiet tip from an agent in Eng
land and he waited until the big
liner was about ready to cast off her
/ lines 80 that there could be no mis-
take before he went down into the
bowels of the Olympic to get the
man and have him tell his story.
i Barrett curtly stated that the vessel
was booming along with white lights
i above the boilers indicating full
speed ahead when there came a sud
t den alarm from the bridge. the rec
!, danger signal showed, and, before the
II liner could be checked. there was {
! ripping, rasping sound and the blue
], waters Of the Atlantic began TO poul
through the mortal wound above the
coal bunkers into compartment mum
Der 5.
: The presence with Smith of a
| score of newspaper reporters ane
, Vice President Franklin of the line
I made no impression on Barrett who
) told his story of the occurrences OF
j the fatal night in an even. firm
voice that brought home every point
/ with prismatic clearness.
oGCOuu EuSlucST IlSohClt duu ht
| we're standing side by side talking
said Barrett, when the Titanic bridge
signalled stop and the red lamp
5 glowed. At the same time the bulk
: head doors began to close.
4 The engineer and chief stokel
jumped through the door to the en-
gine room compartment as the doors
slammed shut, Barrett said. The 9th
er men in their compartment were
5 shut off and stayed there drowning
: In their tracks. After getting into
compartment six, Barrett said he
: climbed up to look into number five
: which he had just left. BY that time
/ he said, there were nearly eight feet
r of water in number five compart
!, ment.
Z With no show of emotion the chic
stoker related how the electric lights
went out, how he sent for lanterns
and, before they arrived, how the
8 electric lights went on again. Their
E he returned into section number 81,
!. and while he was attempting to han
e die the boilers, he heard roar and
E saw coming through the lane between
r the boilers a green foamy mass o
q water that sent him hurting up the
ladder just in time to escape being
!, drowned He took charge of life
q boat No. 13, the one to which Mrs
: John Jacob .Astor had been assigned.
!. Following the inspection of thu
! Olympic and the interrogation unde
). oath of Barrett, Captain Haddock ant
> Ernest Moore, the wireless operator
/ Senator Smith made the following
statement;
4 "The most important thing fount
a today was the condition of that sig
;. nal lamp in that boiler room aboar,
+ the Olympic. The conditions We're al
0 most parallel to the Titanic. TIL,
/ fact that the white light showed Aac
icording to Barrett) proves what WI
Q have been trying to establish, tina
a the Titanic was under full speed.
!. THE fact that "a boilers were light
0 ed. there being only 80, shows tha
' the speed was colse to rs revolu
i tions. This as Mr.. Ismay testife,
Y was the maximum speed of the ship
q My inspection of the Olympic i'm
1 pressed me by the ease with whicl
! she can carry AZ lifeboats instead o
) twenty-four, thus accommodating Q
! 400 instead of 1900 passengers. / wa
1 r