The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-05-28
Medal Containing $I,00o in Gold Voted to- Captain Rostron of Carpalhia, With Thanks and Privilege of Admission 10 Floor Recommendations For Adequate Life Boat Equipment Ships Structurauy Safer and Regulation of Wireless

The committee finds that this ace cident clearly indicates the necessdfy of additional legfSation to secure sAfe- l ty of life at sea" the report states. and that no vessel shall be licensed to carry passengers from ports of the United States until all the regulations and requirements of the United States have been fully compiled with. The committee recommends adop- tion of laws so. as to definitely re- quire sufficient Hfeboats to accommo< date every passenger and every mem Der of the crew sss = Not less than four members of the crew. skilled in handling boats. members of the crew assigned to life boats should be drilled. The committee recommends the assignment of passengers and crew to lifeboats before sailing l. Recommendations is also made that every ocean steamship carrying 100 or mofe passengers be required to carry two electric searchifghts :" There must be an operator on duty at all times to insure the immediate receipt of all distress, warning, or other important calls. There must be definite legislat ton to prevent inter- ference by amateurs and to secure Secrecy of rad1ograms or wireless messa ges.
 The committee recommends that tho firing of rockets or candles on the high seas for any other purpose than as a signal of distress be made "a misdemeanor."
 The committee recommends that all steel ocean and coastwise ships car rying more than 100 passengers should have watertight ''skin'' on board, extending above the full load waterline two-thirds of the ships length. Bulkheads should be so spaced that any two adjacent com partments may be flooded without de- stroying the flotability or stability of the ship.
 The property loss is placed at ST. 5OO,OO0 with insurance of $5,000,0 ,0O0.
 J. Bruce 1smay, managing director of the International Mercantile Ma rine Company, is not personally criti- clSed by the committee. Nor is Cap- tain Smith, the Titanic's commander High praise for Captain Rostron is sounded by the committee in glowing terms. recommending especial recog- .nition.''
 Punishment of any kind for the steamship company or it's officers Is not recommended, this feature being left to the British authorities.
 With a partial crew. the report fan sags ths Many yhie salsa fsa the ship until a few hours before sailing and the only drill consisted in lowering the Ifeboals.
 ''The Titanic was fitted with Is sets of double-acting boat davits capable of handling 48 boats whereas the ship carried only 16 lifeboats and 4. col- lapsibles."
 That the Titanic's boats had capa- city for only 1,176 persons but there were sufficient lifebelts is asserted.
 "On the third day out ice warnings were received" the report recites.
 s0 I1 k> say" the report sums up, ''that the positions so definitely reported to the Titanic just preceding the accident located ice on both sides of the track or lane the Titanic was following. But no general discussion took place called, no heed was given the warn ings. The speed was not relaxed, the lookout was not increased"
 That the Titanic was "speeded up" on the trip is asserted. Just prior to the collision the ship was making "her maximum speed of the voyage-nos less than 21 knots or 241A miles per hour."
 '"fhe impact with the iceberg roll ed tine vessel slightly and tore the steel plating above the turn of the bilge." the committee finds. Coin cident with the collision, air was heard whistling or hissing because of < once three forward holds and the boiler room filled with water. The captain must have been promptly ac- quainted with it's serious condition and when interrogated by President Ismay so expressed himself. Under the added weight of water, the bow of the ship sank deeper and deeper.
 f'The supposedly watertight com partments were not watertight,'' the committee declares, reciting how the water overflowed the decks and around watertight ends Of the bulk heads and that five of the 16 c ,m- partments were flooded simultaneous ly.
 ttNo general alarm was sounded, no whistle blown and no systematic warning was given the passengers
 Within 15 or 20 minutes the cap- tain instructed the wireless operator to send out the distress call "C O. D.''
 That the distress signal was heard at Cape Race and by the steamers Mount Temple and Frankfort is re- counted, with the chance response from the Carpathia just before Oper.
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