The Wagner post. (Wagner, Charles Mix County, S.D.) 1912-current, 1912-05-10
SPEED OF TITANIC
NEVER SLlCKENED
Much Stress Placed Upon Ihia
Face By the Inquiry Now
On in London.

London, May 4.-The attorney gem
eral. Sir Rufus lsaacs. today addressed
the wreck commission which Ii inves-
tigating the loss Of the White Star
liner Titanic. setting forth the facts
as understood by the government and
laying special emphasis on the evidence
that a speed of u knots was main-
tained after the warnings of Ice ahead
had been received. right up "a. the mo-
ment Of collision.
When the court opened. Lord Mersey.
who heads the commission. granted per-
mission to President Lewis. Of the Sea-
mems union. and to an attorney for the
Imperial Mercantile guild to participate
In the proceedings.
Will Run Several Weeks.
The union is q new organization on1
posed Of 1000 Southampton sailors.
Two hundred, and twenty-eight of its
members were employed on the Titanic
and of these only n survived. The OF
ficers OF the Titanic were members OF
the guild. The inquiry Is likely to ex-E
tend over several weeks and will be
devoted largely to technical details.
The court today displayed he great
est Interest In the warnings OF leo
which tho Cunard liner, Caronia, and
the White Star steamer, Baltic. sent
to the Titanic on the day OF the disas-f
ter. April IA. Lord Mersey asked: Am
right in s~upposing that she ran into
,he Ice region after a warning had been
received"
YES" replied the attorney general.
Sir Rufus said that the Titanic's
pacity was 3.547 persons n that h
carried IA lifeboats, two cutters, fou
~collapsible lifeboats. accommodating q
total Of 1.167 persons and $3.50 life belts.
The vessel carried 1876 passengers and
892 persons in her crew.
Had Fifteen Bulkheads.
She was fitted with Is bulkheads and
Q number of watertight doors. being
designed to fioa in the event Of any
tNo adjoining compartments being
flooded. under which condition the top
OF the bulkheads would be two and q
half or three feet above water.
The Titanic's speed. the attorney gem
.eral said, on April IA, was 81 knots an
hour. which speed was never lessened
sup to the time OF the collision. During
that day the Caronia and the Baltic
had sent wireless messages to the IT,
tanic stating that icebergs. GROWERS
and FEEDERS" were in her track.
Nevertheless" Sir Rufus continued.
latter dark the Titanic ran right ahead
at 81 knots, the night being clear, but
with no MOON"
He said. he had served notice upon
Sir Robert Finlay. chief counsel for the
White Star Steamship company, who
Is representing the line at the present
inquiry. that the government consid-
cred this fact OF extreme Importance, so
that Sir Robert might bring evidence
to the contrary. II he had It
Three Particular Points.
Sir Rufus announced that particular
attention would be given to these three
points.
. The Titanic's speed after the warn
sings of ice had been received; the In
sufficient number Of life boats for the
persons carried by the steamer; the
construction Of the watertight COM
partments."
He gave a detailed analysis OF the
numbers saved and lost by classes and
sexes, and indicated that he considered
that the disportionate number of first
class passengers rescued should be a
matter of inquiry.
"One striking figure" he said, els
that all except five women of the first
class were saved or had an opportunity
OF being saved, some refusing to leave
their husbands. One fact that stands
out is that a very large number Of men
of the first class were saved. 1t NAV
be necessary later to analyze these ig-
ures more closely"
Sir Rufus statement took UP the
early session. The court has arranged
TO adjourn until Tuesday.