The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1912-04-18
TITANIC KNEW SHE
WAS NEAR |CEBERGS
Transmitted the Information
Herself to the Navy
Department.
WARNED BY TIE ANiERIKA
photographic Office Gives InfOr-
nation Daily Of the Dangers
of the Ocean.

WASHINGTON. April i7.--All the facts
about the steamship Titanic having BEEN
warned last Sunday, just preceding the
disaster. that she was approaching a field
OF icebergs were given out here to-day
in a statement by the Navy Department.
The Titanic herself transmitted the in
formation In regard 10 the icebergs to
the Navy Department.
The Department announced that on
April Is message was received from
the German steamer Amerika. east
hound. relayed via the Titanic and Cape
Race, n. F.. saying that icebergs had
been sighted almost directly In the path
Of the i'll fated White Star liner. This
message was as follows:
'Amerika has passed two large icebergs
In 40 27' ~. 800 81 W.. on the 18th Of April
II Ia pointed out that the Titanic, having
picked this message up from the Amerika
on April II. indicated that she was not
far from the scene OF the disaster at the
time she forwarded the message OH to
W Washington. via Cape Race. since the
accident is reported TO have occurred late
that night.
The track of the westbound vessels ia
track AT this point. according to informal
t'on provided by Capt John J. Knapp.
chief Of tho photographic Once. who re-
ceivea the message. In n chart OF the
ice field and the scene of the wreck. which
Capt. Knapp prepared to-day tor the in
formation of the Secretary Of the Navy
and'thr President. il il estimated that the
Titanic must hay. changed her course %
the southward after receiving this warn
ing. since the latitude Of her tmck was
40 iG' and she was reported as having SUM.
in latitude AZ ~
Can't Knapp EXPRESSED the opinion that
although the slips course was changed
to the southward 10y thirty tn forty miles.
the icebcrgs in the meantime had ira yelled
a like distance sputhward. aud accord
inglv the ship must have struck at latitude
AZ ia' instea'iof at 40 A., as reported in the
dispatches. The Titanic is presumed to
have sunk but Il few miles north of the
eastern. or southern, track.
The Navy Department. in a statement
issued tonight by inference charges the
authorities rsspons ible for the navigat ion
OF the Titanic with Indifference to reli-
able information which had been placed
in their hands from day to day for period
of several weeks announcing the presence
Of a monster field of ice in the track Of
the transatlantic steamers on the south
ern course. This information has been
mailed ont daily to all shipping interests
including the White Star Company. and
the bulletins have been displayed daily
in the New York maritime office and also
in tho branch photographic Office in
that city.
These daily reports announced the
southerndrift Of the iceberg from latitude
a N. on March ~. to the forty second
parallel on the 9th and nth Of April. III.
Washington authorities point ont that
not withstanding these reports and warn.
ings. the big steamship lines continue,
to send their vessels over the main track
which was being entered by the icehergs
u early a. April. II il pointed ont that q
nuuiper of ships, including the Titanic.
LETT eastern and western terminal points
later thnn tn. original warning and con-
tinu-d on this course
This Information was laid before the
President to-day. In all Official crc,a-
wht re 1t becams generally hnown express
siOnS were made of the necessity. as
demonstrated hv the Titanic disaster
Of obtaining legislation compelling steam
ship companies 10 abide by the official
warning. The photographic Off,ce Of
the Navy department Ia maintained a, Al
considerable evpense to provide iusr this
sort of information to the maritime world
From time 20 time, il develops. ship ping
companies have been notified of dereli6r,
and other distractions in the ,,aths of
their vessels and these warnings have
been ignored.
That Capt. Smith of the Titanic should
have had sufficient warning In the message
from tho NmeriLa IL indicated bv the fol
lowing paragraph from the Navy DE.
rar'ment's statement;
/ A trained seaman can aud does estimate
I the probe speed and directi ion of III,
drii, OF any dangerous obstruction. 30 that
i il he had knowledge of the existence o
an toeb erg or dereiict in a certain Iocaiit,
at given date he reckons Its future o.
sition for an inter val OF few days
As the Titynics position is reported I,
have been latitude ~ degrees 10 min
utes. longitude 60 degrees IL minutes a
the time OF her disaster. il Ia thus see,
that the message which she transmitte et
for the Amerika doubtless relates to tn,
very Ice on which she was wrecked.
The departments stat ement follows:
For more than quarter Of a centur,
the photographic office OF the bureau o.
navigation. Navy Department. has becr
publishing hydrographically from month
to month "A series OF charts known ~ tn,
/ pilot chart of the north Atlantic Ocean
describing the physical conditions of IN,
ocean and the atmosphere for the current
month. as well as the location of danger,
TO navigation as reported by incomin,
ships. A summary of these dangers anC
a more detailed description than the spac,
on the pilot chart would permit was il
time given from week to week on printct
sheet known as the HvdroDraphic Bulletin
These publications were circulated frecl,
among the shipmasters and shipping pcopl,