The Brunswick news. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 1906-2016, 1912-04-19
THE DEATH TOLL OF THE
TITANIC.

4 IN q kAatSCI Vi WOAACl u
many that such a terrific loss Of If
ensued upon the sinking OF the grea
Tita iic. Although the vessel hersel
plunged to the bottom, she seems Il
have remained afoat for about foul
hours after colliding with the ice
berg, and long enough, at least, fol
the manning of1all her available life
boats and the consequent rescue OF
as many as these would accommodate
THE wireless reports from other ships
that reached the vicinity OF disaster
state that all the boats have been
accounted for. It is reasonable to
suppose, therefore. that, had the ship
been equipped with lifeboats sufficient
\ to accommodate her total coeplement,
it would have been possible to save
practically all OF her passengers II
is said that these great ships do not
carry a sufficient equipment OF life
boats for their full complement OF
passengers, and, probably 1t Is not
practicable to 1T out vessels Of sucA
bulk with navigable small boats OF ca
pacity equal 10 the ships passenger
accommodation. Such equipment, in
deed. should not be necessary. The
problem Of escape from q sinking yes-
sci Of the type and the employment OF
these great passenger liners is not
that Of a tramp OF the seas, which may
be wrecked in some remote waste of
water whence her company may have
TO make their way to distant shores
or cross the path Of chance vessel.
These liners ply regular sea lanes,
along which other ships are constant
ly passing. They are able to send
out calls for distress by wireless that
are caught by numerous ard compar-
atiYely proximate ships. actually the
THAMES call was picked up By hal.
dozen ships. which put to her res
cue. A period OF twelve hours afioat
should practically insure rescue to the
of any vessel wrecked as
the Titanic was. That the Titanic
was Lot able to send away all her
passengers in boats, capable of main
tanning themselves for long period
and against rough weather is neither
remarkable nor seriously disturbing,
but that she had not material for
keeping afioat in an ordinary seaway,
for a period of a few hours, the great
bulk o. her company is evidence of
serious defect in the whole scheme.
Of safety to ocean passengers. IL
would seem that life RATS, either of
solid OF of pneumatic construction, or
air mattresses could be supplied to
these ships OF sufficient capacity to
give a few hours buoyancy to prac-
tically her entire human cargo.
There is another point that should
have careful consideration in the
light Of the disaster to the titanic.
The lane through which she was
travelling and along which other great
ships are passing every
few hours is constantly crossed by
great icebergs, certain menace to
At tie present time the
sea around the Banks Of Newfound-
lard seems TO be practically a field Of
ice. Other ships have recently had
narrow escapes from disaster in the
region in which the Titanic was de-
stroyed by collision with a great mass
Of ice. II requires skillful navigation
to avoid the menace of these icebergs
and peril Is invited upon every voy-
age that crosses their path. The path
is taken because it is the shortest, in
the mad race of the age to save a
little time, at the expense of every
other consideration. Are all the hours
saved worth the lives that have been
lost in this single catastrophe? Why
should not the great liners vary their
route il. the principal season of ocean
ice at least. and follow a route far
Their t. the South, beyond the region
OF his peril to navigation?