The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-29

He commented caustically upon the fail- uro Of the ships officers immediately to give general alarm or to establish some orderly routine. Concerning the conduct of the ships officers he said:
 "Haphazard, they rushed by one an- other, on staircase and in hallway, while men of self control gathered here and there about the decks helpless1y staring at one another or giving encouragement to those less courageous than themselves Life belts were finally adjusted to all and the lifeboats were cleared away, and all though strangely insufficient in number, were only partially loaded, and in all in- stances unprovided with compasses and only three of them had lamps. They were manned so badly that, in the absence Of prompt relief they would have fallen easy victims to the advancing ice foe, near ly 90 miles in width, and rising 16 feet above the surface of the water. Then danger would have been as great as if they had remained on the deck of the. broken hull and if the sea had risen these. toy targets with over roo exhausted peo- pie would have ben helplessiy tossed about upon the waves without food or water
 "One witness swore that two of the three stewards in her boat admitted that they had never had an oar in their hands be- fore, and did not even know what the oar lock was for. The lifeboats were filled so lnGifferently and lowered so quickly that, according to the uncontradicted evidence, nearly 800 people were needlessly sacrificed to want of orderly discipline in loading the few that were provided. And yet 1t is said by some well meaning person that the best of discipline prevailed. If this Is discipline, what would have been dis order?
 Among the passengers were many strong men who had been accustomed to command, whose lives had marked every avenue of endeavor, and whose business experience and military training especially fitted them for such an emergency. These were rudely silenced and forbidden to speak, as was the president of this com pany, by junior officers, few of whom, regret to say, availed themselves of the first opportunity to leave the ship. Some Of the men, to whom had been intrusted the care of passengers, never reported to their official stations, and quickly desert ed the ship with recklessness and in difference to the responsibilities of their positions as culpable and amazing as it is
 impossible to believe. And some of these men say they laid by In their partially filled lifeboats and listened to the cries of distress until the noise qnieted down and surveyed from a safe distance the un. selfish men and women and faithful fellow officers and seamen, whose heroism light eus up this tragedy and recalls the noblest traditions of the sea-
 Bride and Phillips Complimented Tributes to the valor of Phillips and Bride, the wireless operators on the Ti- tanie, were paid by Sen-tor Smith. He said that the final exit of the Phillips boy was mot so swift as to prevent him from pausng long enough 10 pass a cup of water to a fainting woman" The sem ator showed that had not the underpaid wi eless operator on the Carpathia pre- pared for he'd with his receiver still on his head the Titanics distress signals never would have been received by the rescue ship.
 When the world weeps together over a common loss" said Senator Smith, all nations should take steps wisely to regu- late wireless telegraph and see that op- orators are fairly paid" He condemned the reign of silence" concerning the de- tails of the disaster. In condemning the failure of the California to learn all about the disaster before the Titanic sunk, and go to her rescue, Senator Smith said
 The steamship California was within easy reach of this ship for nearly four hours after all the facts were known to Operator cottam. The captain of the Car pathia says he gave explicit directions that all official messages should be inn mediately sent through other ships, and messages of passengers should be given preferences According to Binns, the in- spector, the apparatus on the Californian was practically new and easily tuned to ca Try every detail of that calamity to the coast stations at Cape Sable and Cape Race, and should have done so.
 "The course taken was singularly in ac- cord with the reticence of the officials or the White Star company, who knew at 23O Monday morning" said the senator, what was supposed to have occurred. and from their own office, officially signed, containing the positive assurance of the safety of the passengers, was sent to a half crazed father at Huntingdon. w. Va. nearly two hours after their admitted fa- miliarity with the details of the disaster 1t is little wonder that we have not been able to fix with definiteness the author of this falsehood
 Senator Smith reviewed the testimony of Captain Lord, showing that the Califor- nian came within four miles of the doomed vessel and that he went 10 his room to lie down while signal rockets were being fired.
 Failure of Captain Lord to arouse the wireless operator on his ship, who easily could have ascertained the name of the vessel in distress and reached her in time to avert loss of life.' said Senator Smith, places Il tremendous responsibility upon this officer from which 1t will be difficult for him to ecape.
 A Striking Contrast
 contrast, if you will, the conduct of the captain of the Carpathia In this emer gency and imagine what must be the con solation of that thoughtful and sympa- thetio mariner, who rescued the ship wrecked and left the people of the world his debtor as his ship sailed for distant seas a few days ago By his utter sell effacement and his own indifference to peril by his promptness and his knighty sympathy. he rendered the debt of grati- tude this nation owes to him, while the book of good deeds, which has so often been familiar with his unaffected valor, would henceforth carry the name of Cap tain Rostron to the remotest period Of time.
 "The lesson of this hour said Senator Smith in conclusion, ''are, indeed, fruit less and it's precepts i'll conceived if rules of action do not follow hard upon the day of reckoning. Obsolete and antiquated shipping laws should no longer cucumber the parliamentary records Of any govern ment, and over ripe administrative boards should be pruned of dead branches and less sterile precepts taught and applied"
 Senator Smith recommended that lance of travel should be more carefully defined, strength of ships bows increased, life saw ing equipment hettered, and discipline and practice made an exacton. He said buoys should be carried to mark temporarily the place of the ships burial in case of accidents, and men of strength and spirit there must be. won back to a calling all ready demoralized and decadent. But 10 per cent of the men before the mast in our merchant marine are natives