The Mathews journal. (Mathews C.H. [Court House]) 1903-1937, 1912-05-23
FRANKLIN THOUGHT
PASSENGERS SAFE

WASHINGTON, ID. c. Special
Senator Mluiam Alden Smith, chair
man OF the Titanic investigating COM
mittee of the Senate. held another
personally conducted hearing on that
subject Friday. His witness was Ben
Jaiuih C3mpU,h. wee prcsluent OF the
New York and New Haven Railway.
Iu charge OF transportation.
He stated that h. \. ). Franklin,
vice president of the International
Mercantile Marine Company. had tel
cpnouCd To him hctW cen II and II
o'clock on the morninC of April 18th.
the day when the Titanic sank. ask
ing him TO make arrangements for a
special train or trains To so to Hall
fax and bring 10 New York the pas
seng1rs taken from the White star
liner.
Mr.. Campbell said that while these
ARRANGEMENTS were being made at
ESQ o'clock that evening he was no
titled 10y one of his SuhOrdinateS. who
had the matter i'm charge, that he
had been advised that the Titanic had
sunk and that the arrangements for
sending trains 10 Halifax had been
called off.
I'm discussing the matter with AIR.
Franklin. the witness said, he had
asked whether the passengers were TO
pay for their meals. etc. or whether
these incidentalS were to be charged
To the White star line. Mr.. Frank
lin told him that the company would
pay all expenses The ARRANGEMENTS
for the transportation included the
bringing to New York, according to
the request of Mr.. Franklin. 325 first
class passengers. 215 SecOnd-claSs pas
scngers. 40 third-class passengers.
These figures would seem to
indicate that Franklin believed
that practically all the Titanic's
passengers had been saved and
were ON their way To Halifax.
This WIS ia accordance with the
early morning report following
e the disaster.
Hearing in England.
LONDON Special.-Another pa
thetic chapter was added to the
story OF human sacrifice in the Ii
tanic disaster when an employee on
the lost White Star liner swore at the
governments inquiry that he had seen
one lifeboat lowered containing only
five passengers. These lfeboats. ac-
cording TO previous evidence. could
accommodate from fifty TO seventy
persons IN a calm sea such as pre-
vailed off the New Foundland banks
when the Inflated steamer plunged to
the he'd OF the Atlantic.
\ bath room attendant on the I'll
tanic, named Rule. testified that he
had seen the practically empty boat
lowered away. He did not know who
had given the order 10 lower the boat.
ON cross-cNaminatiOn Rule pleaded
at times that he could not remember.
saying the disaster had affected his
memory. This brought sharp re-
buke from Lord Mersey, the presid-
ing judge. who said: Il can under
stand how the disaster could affect
your memory, but cannot understand
how YOU could remember things
which did not happen"
Another officer named Hart. of
the Titanic, also testified today.
IT was a difficult job to persuade
the woman passengers that the life
boats We're safer than the Titanic.
according TO Hart
Solicitor Sir John Simmon was Gu
rious 10 know why SO many women
had persisted on the ship when there
was obviously room for many of them
in the boats.
To his questions Hart answered: II
heard some of the women say they
stead of being tossed on the water
like cockleshells. All the passengers
in my boat were of the third cabin.
When we left there were still a num-
Der Of third-class women passengers
on the ship. I realized that the acct
dent was q serious one when I got
on deck and. together with the other
Officers, ! tried TO persuade the pas
sengers Of the seriousness of the sit
uation, but many Of them refused to
be convinced.
"All the women who wished to reach
the lifeboats could have done so. for
order and quiet prevailed on board
Had any more women wanted to get
into our boat they could have done
so. even If they had to lie on those
already in the craft"