The daily sentinel., 1912-05-28
SPEECH DELIVERED BY SENATOR SMITH
Associated Press.

Associated Press.
Washington, May 2S.-Blame for
the Titanic disaster is chargeable di-
rectly to the failure of the dead Cap
tain Smith to heed repeated warn
ings OF icebergs ahead, but responsi-
bility for unnecessary loss of life
must be shared by Captain Lord OF
the steamship Californian, through
his disregard of distress signals. This
is the finding of the senate commit
tee which Investigated the sinking
of the Titanic, as prepared in COM
prehensive speech delivered by Will
nam Alden Smith of Michigan, chair
man of the committee.
Senator Smith declared that re-
sponsibility also rests upon the Brit
lsh board OF trade, TO whose laxity
of regulation and hasty inspection
the.world is largely indebted Tor the
awfui fatanty.
In denouncIng Captain Lord of the
Californian, the senator SAID that the
ritanic's distress signals We're plain
~ seen from the deck OF hls vessel u
snort distance away.
America will leave to England the
chastlsemenL OF those guilty. asserted
the senator; and he quoted BRITISH
Jaw to show that Captain Lord night
ne prosecuted Tor misdemeanor.
Other conclusions presented, in
brief, We're as follows:
Before the Titanic departed on her
maiden voyage there were no sum
oient tests OF boIIers. Du.kheads,
equipment or signal devices.
Omcers and crew We're strangers to
each other and not familiar with the
ships implements or tools, and no
driIl or station practice took place
and no helpful discipline prevailed
The speed of the Titanic was "a "
miles an hour at the time of the aC-
cident, although officers of the III
tanic mad been advised of the pres
ence OF icebergs by the steamships
Baltic, Amerika and Californian.
Passengers We're not advised of
danger, although President Ismay of
the White Star line, who was taking
the vessels maiden voyage, was in
formed. No general alarm was given
nor any organized system OF safety
undertaken.
OF the 1924 passengers and S99
members of the crew on board, there
was room in the lifeboats for only
l,l16 persons; and, because of lack
of orderly discipline, the boats took
OFF only 704 persons, ~ being res
cued from the water.
The officers of the White Star line
"battled with the truth after re-
ceiving information from their Mon
treal office Monday morning follow
ing the accident.
Senator Smith condemned the AN
tiquated shipping laws and oyerripe
administrative boards" and asked
that all nations act together in ship
ping reforms. New laws, he said,
will best testify our affection for
the dead"
Captain Rostron of the rescue ship
Carpathia was praised by Senator
Smith, and he urged that congress
recognize his valor
At the outset, Senator Smith de-
Tended the course of his committee in
holding British subjects to secure
their testimony without delay, and
briefly answered the criticism of his
lack of nautical knowledge.
Our course was simple and plain
to gather the facts relating to this
disaster while they We're still vivid
realities, he said. Questions of di-
verse citizenship gave way to the
universal desire for the simple truth.
1t was of paramount Importance that
we should act quickly to avoid juris-
dictional confusion and organized op-
position at home or abroad. We, of
course, recognized that the ship was
under foreign flag; but the lives OF
many of our own countrymen had
been sacrificed and the safety of
many had been put in grave peril;
and it was vital that the entire mat
ter should be reviewed before an
American tribunal if legislative ac-
tion was to be taken for future guild
ance.
Without any pretension to eX-
perience or special knowledge of
nautical affairs, nevertheless l am of
the opinion that very few important