Evening journal., 1912-04-16
TUESDAY, APRIL is. 1912
DISASTER srAGGERs CIVILIZATION.

CIVILIZATION is staggered by the disaster that has
- overwhelmed the ill-starred White Star line
steamship Titanic and her and crew 1t is
unbelievable that the largest steamship in the world
one that had been declared by her designers and
owners to be unsinkabe" should have been destroyed
on her maiden voyage result of bow-on collision
in which she should have saved by her wateright
compartments instead Of giving to the world its great
est maritime tragedy
It is almost impossible to realize that steamship
IN the construction which than slo0000OO had
been expended with the elements Of safety and com
fort rather than speed always kept foremost In the
minds of those who planned her, has proved herself
10 be more vulnerable 10 impact with ice than many
smaller less expensive vessels. The fact that sho
foundered within a few hours after she had crashed
how-on into submerged iceberg shows that terrible
Of engineering Judgment was committed on the
other of tho Atlantic and hat It is ono for which
the must pay heavily. One effect OF the disaster
may he that the of she big steamship companies
engaged in the transatlantic trade TO outstrp their
competitors in building big ships will be abandoned
and that there will be 4 return to conditions in which
the element Of safety will be sacrificed in favor
Of either size speed.
Many ships that did not cost one-tenth what the
Titanic cost and that we're heralded to the world
being unsuitable, have crashed into icebergs and
such encounters without loss Of life There
have been instances in which with bows stove in such
ships have made their way to port under their
steam. And yet here is steamship that equipped
with watertight compartments, supposed TO be auto
maucally controlled pa,cd that IL said half Of
them might hll and she still would float that goes
down when seemingly only her bow is affected She
only sinks but does IL with such quckness that
hundreds Of passengers and members Of the
chance avail themselves the safety that would
have been supplied by many steamships that rush
ing to the from all directions in response to
frantic wireless appeals from the stricken liner Such
errors Of judgment as seemingly were committed in the
construction Of the Titanic have international
ine and doubtless will lead to inquiry that will he
far-reaching and important in its effect on future
steamship construction
The sympathy Of the world already has gone out to
those who lost their lives ia ship in which they had
been led TO have such confidence that they thought
they safe ahoat ashore In that sympathy
the relatives who have been bereaved by the disaster
share fully. What tho world will want TO know how
ever. is why Il that steamship that had been
advertised the world that might be cut IN twain
without either half Of her laundering should 90 to the
bottom a result Of a bow-on collision in which a
ship with watertieht compartments is supposed fare
better than when her hull is penetrated at any other
point
In the huilding Of the modern liner the water.
tight compartment constructed theoretically at least
so il will Withstand any stress from without Tn,
doors guarding it supposed to be as strong az
the walls in their power Of resistance Such certanl,
was not the in the construction of the Titanic
she would not We foundered. There must have beer
collapse Of those compartments, or the doors which
were designed to work automatically must have re.
fused to perform th9ir function when their services
were needed most for the protection of the ship and
her passengers and crew.
II is great weakness of a big liner that the life
boats and iferafs she carries for use in emergency
are not sufficient in number to mold the passengers
and crew and give to them fighting chance for lif,
until aid arrive. When it comes time TO desert
Ship 10 escape being carried down with her steel hul
that has no buoyancy, many must be left behind te
take their chances. which are slight Seemingly tn,
golden rule Of the that has distinguished and glori
ned the American and British mercantile marine
hat women and children should permitted 10 leav,
stricken ship first adhered to when the canair
OF the Titanic realized his ship was going to founde,
and the boats and RATS given to them If late,
developments shall prove that was true the com
mander and crew OF the stricken White star liner
ana those men passengers who obeyed the law Of I'M
sea and elected 20 accept death under IL viii ,as,
into history as heroes who deserved a much bstto
rate Nor Will proper praise be withheld from thos
who assisted in the work Of rescuine those who We,
so fortunate 10 survive the wreck No doubt O,bo
the annals of the disaster have been written in deta
many acts Of heroism win be chro. icled for the in
spration of others who may be situated similarly
years to