Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-05-04
FOR LINERS SAFETY
Recommendations to Be Urged
by Senator Smith.
INCLUDE DOUBLE BOTTOMS
Full -Lifeboat Equipment Also Will
Be Favored.
DRILLS AND DANGER SIGNALS
Use of searchHghts on All Large
Transatlantic Steamers Is Con-
sidered Advisable.
INCLUDE DOUBLE BOTTOMS
DRILLS AND DANGER SIGNALS


of the Titanic investigation and the pro-
posed recommendations of the Senate
committee that has been conducting the
inquiry here and in Washington have been
outlined by Senator Smith, chairman of
the committee.
The recommendations will include dou-
BILE bottoms for all large vessels, full
lifeboat equipment searchlights, danger
signals double watches at night. two
man wireless service and avoidance of
the northerly track in the iceberg season
The recommendations that Senator
Smith purposes to urge upon the commit
tee, and which he expects to submit to
the Senate, and hopes to see enacted into
legislation binding upon all vessels sailing
American waters or calling at American
ports, were summarized by him last night
as follows
Double bottoms on all large vessels.
such as the Lusitana and Mauritania
have. Such a protection very possibly
would have saved the Titanic. The new
White Star ocean liner, the Gigantic, is
to be equipped with double bottom.
Lifeboats for All.
Complete lifeboat equipment for every
human aboard, lifeboats to be first-class
in construction and equipped with COM
passes and lights.
Searchlights for all large steamers.
Some general and unmstakable danger
warning signal for the passengers to be
used when any accident occurs. A siren
blast or something equivalent is Senator
Smiths idea.
Two-man wireless service, so as to pro-
vide constant night and day service, to
be under absolute control Of the captain.
Regular lifeboat drill on all vessels and
a system based on the navy plan giving
to every man of the crew an appointed
duty and place in time of danger.
Some plan by which passengers will
know instantly what to do, when an acct
dent happens, what lifeboat they should
proceed to. where the boat is, who will be
in command of her. and what seat the
passenger should take. The same plan
to give full instructions to passengers
concerning Iifeboats, etc.
Double watches at night. and shorter
hours for the men on watch.
Night Glasses for Lookouts.
Night glasses for the lookouts.
All ocean-crossing vessels to take the
southerly course in the iceberg season.
Senator Smith also will recommend
that wireless operators be instructed to
send at once in every direction word of
any accident to passenger-carrying YES
sci, and that even though some other
boat has gone or is coming to the dam
aged vessels assistance, the full details
or stations within call. The senator has
other ideas also, relating largely to the
on board ocean vessels, but he is reserv-
ing his plans in this connection till he
has had more time to look into the mat
ter.
When asked to express his opinion
concerning the net result Of the ef-
forts Of himself and his colleagues on
the committee, Senator Smith pointed
to the transcript OF the proceedings,
containing more than 100000 words, he
said, and went on:
Got All Information.
I'VE certainly got all the information
possible. even to the smallest detail,
and it is matter of pleasure that we
got it right from the officers and sea-
men of the Titanic themselves-all
Britishers. too. The stories they told
of what happened on board the sink
ing vessel are the real foundation for
the recommendations we will make, and
it cannot be said that we are influenced
solely by the narrowing tales Of the
surviving passengers we examined. But
we also gained a great deal of valu-
able information from the passengers
whose heads were cool enough In those
critical moments to notice what was
going on.
Il am convinced that the Titanic re-
ceived every warning necessary in the
matter OF her approach to the ice fields
She should have stopped, as did the
Virginian, when she found herself in
the ice.
THE horrible impression remains on
my mind that the people Of the steer
age did not get half a chance Col
Archibald Oracle. who was one of the
last to leave the Titanic before she
went down. testified to having seen in
the last min"tes a crowd of men and
women from the steerage appear on
the upper decks. Why hadn't those
steerage people appeared on the boat
decks before? Had they been re-
strained from doing so?"