Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1912-06-05

die was the expiating evidence OF his
| fitness to live. Those of us who
| knew him well-n0t In anger, but In
sorrow-flle one specific charge
| against him -over-confidence and
neglect to heed tho Oft-repeated
warnings of his friends; but in his
horrible dismay, when his brain was
afire with honest retribution, we can
still see, in his manly bearing and his
tender solicitude for the safety of
women and little children, some of
tho traces Of his lofty spirit.
1.-The mystery of his Indifference
10 danger, when other and less pre-
tentions vessels doubled their look
out or stopped their engines, needs
no reasonable hypothesis in conjec-
ture or speculation; science In ship
building was supposed to have at
| tanned perfection ana &C have spoken
her last word; mastery of the ocean
| had at last been achieved; but over
| confidence seems to have dulled the
| faculties usually SO alert. With the
atmosphere literally charged with
ges registering their last appeal, tho
! stOkers in the engine room fed their
fires with fresh fuel, registering in
that dangerous place her fastest
, speed.
Mature gave warning Of ap
preaching peril so significant that
passengers in their state rooms and
In the steerage shut out the chill and
spoke to one another of the sudden
cold. Sailors off the Grand Banks
know the importance Of the ther
mometer. which is almost necessary
to their safety as is the compass.
| Even the quartermaster, HichenS,
who regularly took the temperature
| Of the water from the sea, said: 1T
| suddenly became bitter cold and
! added that the first order received
| by him from Second Officer Lightoller
at S o'clock Sunday evening was to
ships carpenter and inform him to
look to his fresh water, that it was
about to freeze.''' -
Senator Smith declared that the
command Of the officer of the watch
to avert the disaster actually exposed
the most vulnerable part Of the II
tanic to the ice when the shock came
distracted by the sudden appear
ance of danger" said the speaker,
"he sharply turned aside the prov,
the part best prepared to resist col
lision, exposing the temple to the
blow. AT the turn of the bilge the
steel encasement yielded to glanc-
ing blow so slight that the impact
was not felt in many parts of the
ship, although representing an ener-
"v - more than u mU'yn foot tons,
sad . be- the cQuiyaiem. Of the com
|inca OroaGsiGo8 OF tWHnty of Jhc
iargCst guns IN our najticship neca
u.yu i. ...u same moment, with d
blow SO deadly that many Of the pas
sengers and crew did not even know
of the collision until tardily advised
Of the danger by anxious friends, and
even then official statements were
clothed in such confidential assur-
ances Of safety as to arouse no fear"
Senator Smith said that the awful
force Of the impact must have indi-
Gated to master and builder that the
ship was doomed. He commented
cauStically upon the failure of the
ships officers to give an immediate
general alarm or to establish some
orderly routine. Concerning The con-
duct Of the ships officers he said:
"HaphaZard, they rushed by one
another, on staircase and in hallway,
while men Of self-control gathered
here and there about the decks, help
lessly staring at one another or Civ
ing encouragement to those less
ageOus than themselves. Life
belts were finally adjusted to all and
the life-boats were cleared away, and
although strangely insufficient in
number, were only partially loaded
and in all instances unprovided with
compasses, and only three Of them
had lamps. They were manned so
CONTINUED on Page Seven.)