The Washington times., 1912-04-29
'MARCONI OFFICIAL
ADMITS SELLING OF
!. THE TITANIC NEWS
Chief Engineer Sammis Ap.
pears Before Senate
: Committee.
Continued from First Page.)

few minutes, John w. Griggs, former
Attorney General, and counsel for the
Marconi interests in America. showed
suddenly smoothed over by J. Bruce
I1smay.
Permission to Use Stories.
Through Vice President Franklin, of
the International Mercantile Marine
Company. Mr.. Ismay gave the Marconi
company and any other telegraph COM
pany sweeping absolution to make
known to the committee any messages
Whatever sent by himself bearing on
the disaster or sent by anybody else
connected with the International Mer-
camille Marine or the White Star.
The legal question obtruded itself
after Marconi had submitted copies of
a number of messages which the chief
Mr.. Franklin and White Star offices had
sent the Carpathia, and various wire
less stations Monday and subsequent
GAYS; seeking information about the
on the subcommittee that practically all
Ipathia.
Pr. Pressed .s BY Senator Smith to explain
IWhy the Carpathia operators did not
reply, Mr.. Marconi said he supposed
they were so busy sending out messages
for survivors on the ship that they
could not get time to.
sages actually were sent out from the
'Carpathia after she picked up the IT.
,tanlc passengers, what messages were
picked up by the various coast stations
or sea stations, and in short to a COM
Iplete expose of the business of the Mar
conf company on the fateful Monday of
the disaster, and up to the time the
ICarpathia landed.
Insists on Seeing Messages.
Senator Smith insisted on having such
an expose of the messages in order
that the subcommittee might know Just
what messages went from the Car
pathia and were received by it, and
what news was actually permitted to go
out from the Carpathia. He espe-
lcially wanted messages from Ismay or
Franklin.
Governor Griggs. pointing out that
Sueh sue MESSAGES 1haSa were protected by law
CLOSURE of wireless messages under
English law and a penalty for die
lclosing the messages sent through
telegraph companies in this country,
said in substance he would advise his
kclients to do all the law would permit
and as to those matters that would
constitute violations of law he would
have to advise them accordingly.
1t was at this juncture, when IL
Hooked as IL the law and the desires
sof the Senate subcommittee for in
formation would collide and collide
hard. that Mr.; Ismay advised Frank
EIin to open the gates to the utmost
and allow all the messages to come
out. Mr.. Franklin so advised the
Icommittee and Mr.. Griggs accordingly ly
said all the messages would be coll
lected and duly laid before the SEN
ators.
We open the gates as far as we are
CONCERNED was the statement of Mr.
Franklin in giving permission for the
disclosure Of all messages.
In view of that >" said Mr. Griggs
I'VE will consider that we are abb
ferent stations to send all messages
bearing in any way on this matter"
That General Manager oBttomly, OF
the New York Marconi office, Is even
more directly responsible than he for
the orders to operators to keep tkeir
mouths closed was indicated by the tes-
Itimony Of Sammis.
Marconi Corrects Testimony.
Marconi's appearance today was for
tthe purpose Of making a few corrections
and to put into the record a series OF
message to the Carpathia and various
stations intended to clear the skirts OF
the Marconi interests of charges that
they sought to hold back or suppress
anw general news about the disaster.
In the course of his statements today
Marconi, referring to the blood money
messages, told the subcommittee:
II absolutely disapprove the sending
OF those messages and did not authorize
the use of my name"
Marconi having said that the mes
sage he produced urging the Carpathis
to send news proved that he had no in
tention of suppressing the news, Sena'
tor Smith said:
IT want to ask you straight, square
question whether you infer the failure
of your operators to communicate witt
the Salem or Chester or your office the
- = A. A-g,S ~ HI
promTted in any manner by the hope OF
reward for the sale of exclusive tnfor'
mation in the possession of wireless op'
erators?"
Elm my opinion it was not" replied
Asked If it was not incumbent on
him to discourage such a practice. he
said
of dicouraging the. practice"
Mr.. Marconi ascribed the failure oi
the White Star Offices to get news
sooner direct from the Carpathia oil
through other vessels from the Car.
pathia to the fact that the Carpathis
the morning of the disaster was about
800 miles from the Olympic and this
was farther than the Car3athia's
sammis said that the statement!
mad by Bride and Cottam about the
efficiency of the wireless operator!
on the Chester and Salem Were no
I'VE have our own methods of do
ing business. Unless a man is ia
niliar with them he cannot handle
Business nearly so rapid as a trained
man. Even II a man knows the cod'
perfectly he must be trained six o.
eight months before he is familiar
with our methods. Some operators
owing to this rapid method of han
ding business. send from 100000 4
10000 messages year. | know o.
operators sending so messages al
hour"
Question of Efficiency.
Senator Smith asked that If it SHOULD
appear that Cotton. on the Carpathia
had only nine months experience ant
the navy operator seven years, If Sam
mis- would still contend that Cottan
was the more efficient.
THAT really would have nothing t
do with the case. II the navy operate
knew our methods he would proba bl.
be more efficient than Cottam."
II have done nothing ] am ashame
Of" said Sammis, regarding the aid h
had provided for the operators to Sc
their stories when they landed. II
said that he did not then regard tn
practice of selling exclusive news as
bad one, and that rules against II shout
be drawn with extreme care. althoug
now OF the opinion that the practiC