Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1912-05-16
KNOW THE SEA WELL
Two Senators on Titanic lnves.
tigating Committee Are
Former Sailors.
SMITH MAKES FUNNY BREAKS
Chairman Amuses Spectators by Lack
Of seamanship knowiedae-Per.
k!ns and Bourne Know ship
From Stem to Stern.
BY GEORGE CLINTON.

BY GEORGE CLINTON.
Washington.-Senatof William Al
den Smith, who is chairman Of the
committee on inquiry into the Titanic
disaster, was given the Craftsmanship
OF the body as a recognition Of the
fact that he was the first senate to
offer in the senate a resolution of in.
quiry into the causes of the wreck.
Mr.. Smith is from Michigan and he Is
a newspaper proprietor and a lawyer.
When asked about the newspaper bust
ness the senator always says that he
went into it when he was a mere
child, and so he did.
When the Michigan senator was a
! little boy his father died, leaving the
widow and son virtually without any
means OF support. William Alden
Smith. a mere boy, went to work to
support his mother. In those days
transportation was not as rapid as it
Is today and the news dealers OF
young Smiths town WED with each
othesr to get the first copies OF the
Chicago morning papers. The pres
ent senator at the age OF eleven used
to wait at the railroad station at an
early hour in the morning on the
chance that the Chicago papers would
come in on a train on which they oc-
~casionally came in advance of the
usual hour of their arrival. Sometimes
the boy would get the papers earlier
than anybody else and consequently
he would sell a good many OF them be-
fore others got started. He made
quite a little money In this way.
Bourne Knows the Sea.
Senator Jonathan Bourne, Jr., who
is also a member of the Titanic dis
aster investigating committee, recent
ly was defeated for the senate in the
primaries Of his state, Oregon. Mr..
Bourne for years has been an advocate
of the primary system, and his defeat
at home was unexpected in Washing
ton. 1t is said here that he owes 1t
to over-confidence In the result, for he
did not go to Oregon to plead his W
cause.
Senator Bourne has not taken an &C
tive questioning part in the investi-
cation, because that work is left al
most entirely to the committees chair
man, Senator Smith. There are men
in Washington who wish that Mr..
Bourne would ask more questions, for
he Is eminently qualified to deal with
questions Of the sea. His father was
n OF the great whalers OF New Eng
land, a man who knew ships from
stem to stern and from topmast to
keel, and he impaired his knowledge
to his SON, not only in lessons, but by
sending him to sea Senator Bourne
once was shipwrecked and went
through many dangers like those
which attended the rescue of the pas
sengers Of the, Titanic.
Perkins Was a Seaman.
Senator Perkins of California, who
also Is on the Titanic investigating
committee. spent several years as an
able seaman. He knows the sea and
ships, and while he has not asked
many questions during the course OF
the investigation, he made many
notes. and his judgment will be rem
dered on the cas- at its end.
The sailors who have testified In the
Titanic case have shown something
very much like amusement, and posi-
bly, savoring of contempt, of the lack
Of seamanship knowledge as shown by
some Of the questions which they are
asked. 1t is needless to say that
none Of these questions were asked by
the two members Of the committee
who were formerly sailors. Senator
Smith had an idea that the water
tight compartments were places OF
refuge for women and children, not
knowing that they were depended up
on to keep the ship afioat, and IL the
doors had been opened to admit any
body or anything the water would
have rushed in and everybody would
have gone to the bottom. The ships
officer who was asked II any m
and children were put into the water
tight compartment was completely
"nabbergasted" by the question. He,
Of course, was aware OF the dignity of
the occasion, but he had to gasp and
then smile at the corners OF his mouth
when the question was put to him.
The audience was not as self-contained
as the sailor witness. Its smile de-
veloped into a laugh. 1t probably was
a slip of Senator Smiths tongue, but
the question proved that he is very
much Of a landsman.
Memorial Day at Arlington.
Preparations are being made In
Washington for the annual Me-
mortal day, ordinarily called Dec
Grafton day, exercises. In Airing.