The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1912-05-01
help WAS IN REACH
A SERIOUS CHARGE AGAINST
STEAMERS CAPTAIN
He REFUSED TITANIC AID

Incensed at Captain Lords Indif-
ference to the Fate OF the Passen-
gers aboard the Doomed Steamer,
Whose Distress Signal He Saw.
:Ablaze with light from her saloons
and cabins, the Titanic dashed full
speed ahead to her doom, according
to Ernest Gill, a, donkey engineman
on the steamship Californian, who
testified Friday before the Senate
committee Investigating the disaster.
He said that Capt. Stanley Lord, Of
the Californian, refused later ogo
to the aid of the Titanic, the rock
cts from which could be plainly seen.
This Capt. Lord denied, but both
he and his wireless operator acknowl-
edged to having seen rockets. Their
ship, they said, was fast in the ice.
Gill submitted an affidavit to the
committee and when sworn and put
on the stand stuck to his charges
against the captain of the Californ-
ian. He said he was standing on
the deck late Sunday night when he
sighted great ship sweeping along
at top speed about ten miles off.
He did not know it was the Titanic,
but he made out readily that it was
not a freighter or a small vessel be-
cause of the manner in which it was
Illuminated Some time later he
saw distress rockets Oh the horizon.
He said the captain was apprised
CT these signals, but made no effort
to get up steam and go to the res
cue. The Californian was drifting
with the foe. The vessel, Gill testi-
fed, must have been plainly visible
to the bridge and the lookouts, as
well as the rockets which were sent
up later from the vessel. The Cali
iornian's captain, he said, paid no
attention to the distress signals and
his refusal to get up steam and go
to the aid Of the stranger so incens-
ed the crew that Gill tried to organ
ize protest among the men. He
failed, he said, because they feraed
"to lose their jobs
Capt Lord entered sweeping de-
NAL of Gills accusations and read
from the Californian's log to support
his contention Cyril Evans, the Cal
ifornian's wireless operator, howey-
er, told of hearing much talk among
the crew, who were critical of the
| captains course Gill, he said, told
him he expected to get $500 for his
story when the ship reached Bos-
ton. Evans told of having warned
the Titanic only brief time before
the great vessel crashed into the
berg that the sea was crowded with
ice. The Titanic's operators, he said,
at the time were working with the
wireless station at Cape Race and
they told him to shut up and
keep out" Within a half hour the
pride of the sea was crumpled and
sinking.
Capt. Stanley Lord, Of the Califor-
nian, then took the stand. He had
brought the log of the Californian
with him from Boston and read from
the record. The entries include
several references to icebergs. He
testified that an effort was made to
communicate with the Titanic at
about 1915 Sunday night, ships
time, but the Californian was told to
"shut up" or keep otu" or some
thing like that.
The witness denied that the Cali
fornian had received the &c. G. D."
call of the Titanic.
"Do you know anything regarding
the Titanic disaster Of yourn own
knowledge?" asked Senator Smith.
Nothing
did you see any of her signals or
anything of the ship herself?'
"Nos'
WAS the Titanic beyond your
range ofa vision?"
.sYes, l9 1-2 or 20 miles away.
Senator Smith asked the witness
how long it took the Californian to
get to the scene of the Titanic dis
| aster. He read from the log to show
that at 6 o'clock they started for
the scene, cleared the thick ice a
half hour later and under full steam
drew alongside the Carpathia at $50.
Capt. Lord said he was on the bridge
himself until 10:30 Sunday night and
that the watch was doubled.
eve had reports two or three days
before Of the presence Of ice ahead,
he said, "and we took precautions.
IF you had received the Titanic's
distress call signals Sunday evening,
after yyur communication with the
Titanic, how long would i have TAX
eu you to reach her?'
AT the very least two hours
under the ice conditions.
When Capt Lord reached the
scene mex, morning lie rema!Eed
searching from a. m. TO IL 9. n.
aad saw no further si&ns Ct the
T.tal ic.
'Do you know whether your wire
less operator was on .ddty Sunday
night, after you sent the warning
MESSAGE
81 think not. I went Dy his room
about 11:45 and there was no light.
1t would indicate he had gone to bed
Capt. Lord said that i the opera
tor had been on duty he would have
caught the Titanic's signal.
The captain was asked by Senator
Smith whether he had seen any dis
tress signals and he said no.
Cyril Evans, the wireless operator
of the Californian, testified thai he
turned in at 1925 Sunday night and
sc+-