The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1912-05-28

Itl5t1 VI saAlltItE IN AiellitQ 10 tttllUulllt
seT 10 action rather than to persuade
ser TO fear z J.
AT noon on that fatal Sunday INC
teamshlp Baltic. warned her OF Ice
within 5 miles OF her track and neai
he plaee'where the accident occurred:
n o'clock In the afternoon and again
n hour before the accident. Khe1
.pt few miles away. the Steamship
alIfornlan signaled the TItaric7to be
qare Of danger. whiohiiher operator
surtly acknowledged; the same even
rs, the Titanic transmitted to the
photographic once In Washington 4
Message from the steamship 5AmerSka,
saying she had passed .'two large ice
1ergs" near the track OF the Inflated
hip. In the face. Of these warniRgs.
acb revolution OF her, engines mark
I'd at the moment Of the collision. her
highest speed OF 24!z miles per hour.
The Titanic rushed onward on be.
rue conrse-one recognized as appro.
pirate and agreed upon by mariners as
the international highway for west.
bound vessels. yet dangerous at this
season Of the year when the Labrador
current may be bearing vast masses
of Ice across the track of ships
scores OF these towering glaciers
planted themselves In the very path.
way OF this ship and were so large
and so numerous that, in the absence
c. fog, they should have been easily
dlscernible by the lookout, who says
In his Testimony that II he had been
supplied with eiosses. such as he
rad been accustomed 10 on the
Oceanic and on this vessel, between
Belfast and Southampton. but which
were denied him by Second Officer
Lightoller, between Southampton and
the place of this accident. he could
have seen the iceberg with which this
ship. oollided soon enough to get ont
Of the way One OF these; lcebergs
vas nearly 200 feet above The level OF
the sen. with seven;elghthof lis pom,
derous bulk hidden beneath the sur.
face. They are composed Of ice and
earth ana rock, and old sollors OF the
coast of Newfoundland usually give
tnem a wide berth. Land has been
formed by these deposits. and icehsrgs
have frequently grounded in 20 faith.
oms OF water With Protrading spires
more than a hundred feet in height.
As they 60 southwark their Journey ia
slow and erratic, and the influence Of
spring often causes explosions hi the
ice. which frequently serve to warn,
sailors OF danger: sometimes the drift
Of field ice, led By n great berg, has
been known 10 convoy schooners IN 4
calm, while shlpwrecked sailors have
Grirted hundreds Of miles in safety
upon the Irregular surface of the icei
Skillful seamanshiD finds little dinly
Guilty in avoiding these obstacles. and
those most familiar with tue North
Atlantic are usually alert at this sea-.
son OF the year TO avoid unnecessary
peril.
II is.no excuse That the, apparatus
en- the CarpathIa was Anticipated. II
easily caught the signal oi distress
ard spoke with other ships nearly 2O9
miles away, both before and after the
accident, while the operator says Il
was good for $50 miles. The steam.
ship Californian was within easy
reach OF this ship for nearly four
hours after all the facts, were known
to Operator Cottam. The captain OF
the Carpathia says he gave explicit di.
rections that all official messages
should be Immediately sent through
other ships. and messages OF passen;
gers should be given preference. Ac.
cording 10 Binns. the inspector, the
apparatus on the Californian was prac-
tically new and easily tuned 10 carry
every detail OF that calamity 10 The
coast stations at Cape Sable and Cape
Race, and should have done SO. The
course taken was siRgalarly In accord
with the reticence OF the''ofIlGials Of
the White Star Co., who knew at 2:30
Monday morning. through the steam,
ship Virginian and their office In N6ift.
real, what was supposed 10 have oc.
cured. and. according 10 their own adj.
mission. the Information then given
and which they battled against during
al OF tia, asy, contained absolutely
Tie eptire story and yet, at ISL Mon.
day evening, message from their own
office. officially signed. Containing 8he
positive assurance OF The safety OF fhs
passengers. was sent to half-crazed
father At Huntington. W. Va, nearly
two hours after their admitted famil,
larlty with the details Of the dlaaster,.
I Is little, wonder that We have not.
been able TO fix With defnitenesn tile
author OF this iaisehood.
II is not a,pleasant duty TO crltlciss
The cOnducf or comment rpOn the
shortcomings OF others, ldlt the plain
truth should be told. CAPTAIN Lord
of the Steamship Californian. sailing
from London 10 Boston, who stopped
his ship In the same vicinity where
the Titanic Is supposed TO have mel
with the accident. passed Two large
tn.I,o.,,, a.gc.onI :, -. -