Norwich bulletin., 1912-05-29
CAPTAIN SMITH BLAMED
 FOR WRECK OF TITANIC.
Senate Committees Report Makes
 Bare Mention of lsmay.

chairman of the committee. Just be- fore delivering his speech Senator Smith submitted the report and it's conclusion
 The report is largely a review of the evidence and contains recommends tions for legislation. No particular person is named as being responsible, though attention is called to the fact that on the day of the disaster three distinct warnings of ice were sent to Captain Smith.
 J. Bruce Ismay, managing director of the White Star line, is not held re- sponsible for the ships high speed.
 Smith Goes Beyond Report.
 On the whole, the report is impassive and Senator Smith in his speech went more fully into a discussion of the causes of the disaster than does the committee.
 The committee agreed upon these principal conclusions:
 The supposedly watertight compart- ments of the Titanic were not water tight because of the non -Watertight condition of the deck where the trans verse buIkheads ended.
 The steamship Californian, control ed by the same concern as the Titanic,
  the 19 miles reported by her captain and her officers and crew saw the distress signals of the Titanic and failed to respond to them in accord ance with the dictates of humanity, in- ternational usage and the requirements of law"
 The committee concluded that the Californian might have saved all the lost passengers and crew of the ship that went down. Eight ships, all equipped with wireless, were in the vicinity of the Titanic, the Olympic farthest away, 512 miles.
 Lights of the Californian.
 The mysterious lights on an unknown ship seen by the passengers on the Titanic undoubtedly were on the Cali fornian, less than 19 miles away.
 The full capacity of the Titanic's lifeboats were not utilized because while only 706 persons were saved the ships boats could have carried 1,176.
 No general alarm was sounded, no whistle blew and no systematic warn ing was given to the endangered pas sengers, and it was 15 or 20 minutes after the collision before Captain Smith ordered the Titanic's wireless operator to send out a distress message.
 The Titanic's crew was only meager- ly acquainted with it's positions and duties fin an accident. and only one dTill was held before the maiden trip Many of the crew joined the ship only few hours before she sailed and were in ignorance of their positions until the following Friday
 Warnings of Ice. AoT i to the Titanic," says the report, "just i preceding the accident located ice or both sides of the lape in which sh' was travelling. No discussion tool place among the officers. no conferenc, was called to consider these warnings i no heed was given to them. The speed l was not relaxed, the lookout was no | increased"
 | The committee concludes that thu | Titanic's lights were visible to the Cal 1 ifornian before she struck the iceberg and that the Californian must hay, seen the distress rockets fired from tn bridge of the Titanic.
 The report says: The committee i forced to the inevitable conclusion tha the Californian, controlled by the sam l company, was nearer the Titanic thai the 19 miles reported by her captail and that her officers and crew saw tn ! distress signals of the Titanic an failed to respond to them in accordanc | with the dictates of humanity. interna tional usage and the requirements O i law.
 The only reply to the distress sig nals was a counter signal from larg white light which was flashed fO nearly two hours from the mast of tn Californian.
 Blame for Californian.
 'Tn our opinion such conduc whether arising from indifference c gross carelessness, is most reprehensi ble, and places upon the commander C the Californian a grave responsibilit. The wireless operator of the CalifoI nian was not aroused until 3.30 a. m New York time, on the morning of tn 18th, after considerable conversatiO between officers and members of tn crew had taken place aboard that shi regarding these distress signals ( rockets, and was directed by the chit officer to see if there was anything tn matter, as a ship had been firing rock cts during the night The inquiry thu set on foot immediately disclosed tn fact that the Titanic had sunk Ha assistance been promptly proffered ( had the wireless operator of the Cal fornian remained a few minutes longt at his post on Sunday evening ths ship might have had the proud dis tfnetion of rescuing the lives of tn passengers and crew of the Titanic"
 Only Mention of Isray.
 The only mention of J. Bruce Isma occurs in 8 review of the message the White Star offices in New York re porting the disaster.
 The committee does not believe ths the wireless operator on the Carpathi was duly visilant In handling his mes sagss after the accident. and declare the practice of allowing wireless oI orators to sell their stories should stopped.
 1t is recommended that all shiI carrying more than fe0 passenger have two searehlightSS that a revisio be made of steamship inspection law Of foreign countries to the standar proposed in the United States; ths every ship be required to carry stuff l cfent hfeboats for all passengers an i, crew: that the use of wireless be reg sAhAsAdksharnaAaamAs sianhsEsRa hss asaa