Perth Amboy evening news., 1912-04-23
BOAT REFUSED TO
AID THE TITANlG
Continued from page ID

the NtSStl ldllth ~ IpoPOHN
to the rockets which were sent up
for more than an hour from the dis
tressed ship or to the wireless calls
for help were startling statements
brought out yesterday afternoon.
In the opinion of some Of the Titanics
officers who stood on the bridge on that
fatal night. this vessel acknowledged
the signals, but sailed away u~nheedlng.
This startling information was impart-
ed to the committee by ]. G.. Boxhall,
former fourth officer of the Titanic,
who also gave impressive details OF
what occurred on the bridge of the IL
tanic just preceding and following the
collision with the iceberg. According TO
this officer, Captain Smith himself was
on the bridge when the big liner
plunged into the great mass Of ice, but
conditions were so that it was impos-
slble to see the berg, even after the
ship had come into contact with it.
Wireless Messages Presented.
Besides Officer Boxhalrs story, the
senate committee heard an impressive
account through Vice President Z. a.
8. Franklin Of the White Star line OF
the uncertainty and fears that attend
ed the efforts of the officials OF the
White Star line to ascertain just what
had happened to the great Titanic. The
messages that flashed from the White
Star line Offices in those hours OF un
certainty were introduced In evidence
and also the wireless dispatches that
came back. bearing only the most mea-
ger news of the tragedy. The messages
tended strongly to support the White
Star officers contention that they had
no definite knowledge that the I1tanlc
had gone to the bottom until Monday
night. This was also included In the
record of all the messages which passed
between Mr. Franklin and j. Bruce Is
may, managing director, In regard to
the latter's plan for holding up the
Cedric and sailing at once on her with
the surviving officers and sailors OF the
Titanic.
1t was pointed out that practically
all of the wireless messages which
MI. Ismay sent from the Carpathla to
Mr.. Franklin in regard to this plan Of
transshipping before the Carpathia
reached her pier were signed Iamsi,
which Is Mr.. Ismay's cable name. Vice
President Franklin acknowledged on
the stand that the use of this cable
name, while common in England, had
not prevailed in dispatches addressed
to the New York Offices. Mr.. Franklin
could not tell whether the name was
registered in the cable offices in New
York. He did not think 1t was.
Terrible Mistake, Says Franklin.
The dispatches from Mr.. Ismay
showed that he planned to have the
lifeboats Of the Titanic taken off with
the crew and officers at quarantine.
Mr.. Franklin declared there had been
a terrible mistake" in regard to Mr..
Ismay's intentions and that the man
aging director never would have pro
posed the arrangement for sailing on
the Cedric II he had been aware OF
conditions In this country.
One feature OF the Titanic disaster
that is expected to occupy the atten-
ton of the senate Investigating com !
mittse IL why some Of the llfeboats
were not full to capacity when sent
away. Several boats held only twenty /
or thirty when they were dropped into
the sea. Others picked up swimming
men and still were not oyertaxed.
The senate committee room in the
senate office building was damned
with such a crowd at the hearing that
1t was impossible almost or the mem
bers Of the committee to hear the
testimony of the witnesses. The COM
mittee has accordingly decided to ex-
clude the public from the hearings In
the future, except those directly in
terested, including representatives of
the press.