New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-04-27
CaIifornian's Wireless Man Tells
Senate Committee Ships
Officer Said Morse Sig.
nails Were Ignored.
NOT LINERS, SAYS CAPTAIN
Inquiry in Washington Drags
Greatly, Despite Efforts to
Expedite 1t by Separate
Examinations of
Witnesses.
IRON The Tribune Bureau

From The Tribune Bureau
Washington. April 26.-Thc Senate
subcommittee which is investigating
the Titanic disaster, sat for six hours
to-day. most Of which time was wasted.
Desrite the pressure which has been put
unon the chairman William Alden
Smith. to induce him to expedite the
hearings. they dragged miserably, Sen
stor Smith being supported during the
long morning session by the presence oi
only one other member of the sub-com-
v,,ittee Senator Fletcher. Of Florida
During the afternoon several other mem
hers of the committee came in.
The greater part Of the morning ses-
sion was devoted to taking =. y. :.
Franklin over ground he covered when
he was ON the stand before. the appar-
ont effort Of the chairman being TO Sc
cur4 from this officer an admission that
he WAS derelict in his duty to the puollc
because he did not give official cohtlrina-
tion 10 the press reports Of the sinking
If tho Titanic which reached him on
the morning dtlcG lllt uIoo''N''
Fails to Trap Franklin.
Mr. Franklin Insisted to-day as ne
did before. that he had devoted every
enarrv TO securing authentic informa-
tion. and that he did not feel Warranted
in announcing the ships loss untll ne
had received definite information, which
reached him from the captain o. '"'
OLYMPIC about o'clock that evening
over and over again the chairman OBJ
viouslv thought he had trapped MI
franklin only TO have it pointed out
that the latter's statements We're W
perfect accord with those which u" n'd"e
on the stand last Monday
The chairman then put on the stand
Ernest Gin, who described hlmselt as
second donkev engineman on the Nah-
fornian. The chairman read to GIN ''e
affidavit made by him and asked II VI
WAS true in every particular. Gill Sa'd
It was. Gill alleges that the distress
rockets Of the Titanic were plainly seen
bv the officers of the Californian. 'hat
he himself saw the Titanic and that ihe
csntain Of the Californian was informed
tbrse times that rockets were being fired
and refused 10 start his ship, whose en-
eines were idle. Gill, who made far
from a favorable impression, was not
examined at any length, but question
which Senator Burton directed 10 the
operator on the Californian this after
noon brought out the fact that Gill had
told the operator he had expected to ie-
Ceive $500 for his story
Captains Story Impressive,
Stanley Lord. captain Of the cali
fornian. told on the witness stand
direct and straightforward story, which
won the respect and confidence of the
nautical men present. He said he had
seen rockets, but that they were fired
by mysterious stranger which was in
plain sight Of the Californian for con-
siderable part of the night that they
were not distress rockets and that his
ship was between nineteen and One-nalf
and nineteen and quarters miles
from the point where the Titanic sank.
He said that his wireless operator
went off duty about 1l:1j p. m, and
that had he had a wireless operator on
duty when the Titanic sent out her &C
O D. call he would certainly have
heard it and the Californian could have
reached the scene Of the disaster within
two and A half hours. The Titanic's
first signals for aid were sent out at
1925.
He learned as soon as the wireless
operator went on duty, about ) o'clock
Monday morning, that the Titanic had
sunk and Immediately steamed to the
scene, arriving there as the Carpathia
was picking up the last boat. He
steamed around the spot in circles for
about two hours, but saw no floating
bodies.
lie denied that his employers the Ley
land company. a subsidiary company Of
the International Mercantile Marine
Company, had placed any obstacles in
the way Of his coming to Washington
10 testify. Senator Smith having put
into the record a report to the contrary
earlier III tne Ody. captain LOfu WAS
finally excused and left Immediately for
Boston, whence he is to sail Tomorrow
Operator Tells Of Messages.
Cyril F. Evans, wireless operator on
the Californian, being sworn, gave some
information regarding his communica-
tions with the Titanic He said he
heard the Titanic sending private mes
sages to Cape Race as late as
the night Of the disaster; that he had
sent to the Titanic earlier that evening
message advising that ship that the
Californian was surrounded by ice and
that 1t had stopped for the night.
Evans told Of having been awakened
about o'clock Monday morning by the
fourth officer. who said to him: There's
ship been firing rockets in the night.
Please see IL there is anything the mat
ter" Evans said he went Immediately to
mis- instrument and called for informa-
ton. He was told by the Frankfurt, and
Immediately thereafter by the Virginian,
that the Titanic had sunk. He secured
the position of the Titanic and, when
this was reported to Captain Lord. the
Californian started Immediately for the
scene.
Evans told OF the gossip ON the Cali
IOrnian regarding the rockets seen in