The Thibodaux sentinel. (Thibodaux, La.) 1905-1912, 1912-05-04
FATE OF TITANIC DUE
TO ICE AND MISTAKES
POSlTloNsssSENT OUT BY WIRE
LESS WITH DISTRESS SIG s
HALS WAS INACCURATE.
SPEEDING THROUGH FIELD OF ICE
Captain Moore Of Steamer Mount
I Temple Throws New Light
on the Titanic Disaster
Before Committees

F-4-.-- Ill asa hi HI
Washin gton F'a Lire to give her
exact position, a lt field OF float
ing ice that offereda barrier to ships
hurrying to the rescue and the mis-
take Of her own captain in rushing at
top speed through an ice-coyered sea
all these combined to send the II,
tanic and her 1000 victims to their
watery grave in the North Atlantic.
This was strongly indicated in testl-
moay before the senate committee in
vestigating the ocean tragedy. Cap
tain James H. Moore of the steamer
Mount Temple, which was hurried to
the Titanic in response to wireless
calls for help, told OF the great stretch
of ice which held him off. Within
his view from the bridge he discern
probably "a tramp" and schooner
which was making her way out OF
the ice. The lights of this schooner,
he thought, probably were those seen
by the anxious survivors of the II
tanic, and which they frantically were
trying to reach. Captain Moore de-
nounced as most unwise" the act OF
the commander of the Titanic in rush
ing at twenty-one knots when he had
been advised OF the ice. The Mount
Temples commander said he had
spent twenty-seven years in the North
Atlantic. Whenever ice was around,
he said, he doubled his watch and re-
duced speed, and if he happened to
get caught in an ice pack he stopped
his engines and drifted until he was
clear. -..-
Titanic Sent Out Wrong Position.
Witness also was emphatic in his
declaration that the position sent out
by the Titanic was wrong. He said
the ship was eight miles further east
ward than it's operators reported.
This, he declared, was proved by the
observations taken the first thing on
the day after the disaster. With what
was virtually q fleet of steamers with
IN radius of fffty miles @of the
tanic, this mistake in fixing accurate
ly the position of the doomed snip
was a fatal one. With icebergs and
floating ice covering the sea, a ship
of even the size of the Titanic might
well he overlooked through such a
variance.
Captain Moore Is Heard.
James H. Moore, captain OF the
steamship Mount Temple, which was
supposed to have been almost within
hailing distance of the Titanic on the
day the ship sank, testified.
He said he had been at sea for thir
ty-two years, twenty-seven in the
North Atlantic.
"Are you familiar with ice and ice
bergs asked Senator Smith.
"Yes,T said the captain.
"A berg is broken off from land III
the arctic regions and may be com
| posed of land, rocks and most any
thing that it would pick up in its
course"
Reros Luminous Starlit Nights.
Senator Smith sought this lnforma
tion because of some levity caused bJ
| a question he asked several days agt
as to what an iceberg was composed
of and the witness answered ice.
"Have you seen icebergs by day ane
hv night?" asked Senator Smith.
"How do they look on starh
night?"
"White, sir; in fact, they are luml
nous"
The night of the Titanic catastrophe
was clear and the sky was studded
| thick with stars,
81 wish you would tell the commit
tee lust what happened on that Sun
dav night and Monday morning" sai'
the senator.
| "At 1890 a. M, April 15," said CAP
tain Moore, II was awakened oy tn
saanaaa Marconi opsss(br o of my ship, whicl
said that the Titanic was sending ou
q G. @, d. message. Here is the mes
sage: Titanic sending c. G. D. Re
ouires assistance. Position 41.44 nortE
1924 west. Come at once. Iceberg
| This was a message the operator pick
cd up"
what reply. did you send?'
| Steamed Toward Titanic.
"None whatever. sir; we DID no
want to stop those distress message
going out and the operator said III
! Titanic could not hear him. At once
| ordered the course toward the 1.
| tanic's position. l dressed and Wen
| to the chart room. We steamed u
and sailed east by compass. We turr
ed right toward the Titanic. Then
went to the chief engineer, told hlr
about the Titanic and to push up tn
daas, wake up all extra firemen an
Net them busy. I said, If nece:
sary. give the firemen lot OF rum
l~sir-"
fGl "At the time you got this messag