Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1912-05-31
|SMAY AND
STAR LINE OFFICIALS

in fact, to have avoided the frighrful
collision. When the collision came,
the effort to avoid it by the officers,
working for many minutes only on
the telephoned warning that came
from the crows nest, served only to
expose the weakest part of the vessel
| to the collision. The bilges, which
were pierced by the berg, were the
least braced of any part of the struc-
ture, while at the point in the bows
of the ship, which were struck, the
watertight compartments were the
largest, thus admitting into few COM
partments water enough to sink the
vessel, which, as the report points
out, had been described as practically
unsuitable and the last word in ma
rine construction"
Going into the matter of tests of the
vessel, matters which were vigorously
required in battleships, the report en-
phasizes their utter lack. No suffi-
cient tests were made of the boilers,
which were fired almost as soon as
the vessel left the constructors yards
at Belfast and kept in operation al
most continuously to the time Of the
initial voyage.
No proper tests were made of the
gearing of the watertight doors, appar-
emily, before the. voyage. 1t was point
ed out by one expert witness that no
tests whatever of these doors were
made on the voyage at any time.
There were no tests of the life saw
ing apparatus after the voyage began
and not single life drill during its
progress. The crew was never sent
to its station-despite the testimony
of one witness who said that he had
seen one drill take place. This tes-
timony has been previously disputed
by that of half dozen of the officers
whose business it was to conduct such
tests.
The lack of any helpful discipline is
also brought out and severely COM
mented on. The crew did not go to
their stations when the alarm was
sounded. Every officer at lifeboat
had to pick up what men he could find
and many of them had extreme diff
Guilty in getting any help whatever.
In the matter of lacks" which the
report deals with, particular attention
is made of lack of tests of the bulk
heads which alone stood between the
passengers and their doom after the
vessel was rent by the collision.
The report gives the number of pas
sengers on board at 1924; members
of the crew, S99.
There is praise for Phillips and
Bride, the wireless operators, one of
whom, Phillips, was rescued from the
water only to freeze to death while
huddled in the bottom of the over
turned collapsible boat and go to his
death in the icy water from which he
had been taken but few hours be-
fore.
The necessity of wireless apparatus
in life saving is dwelt upon and spe-
cial attention is paid to the import
ance o4 placing two men on every ves-
sci, however small, in order that con-
stant watch may be kept on each
other by the sisters of the sea on their
voyages through dangerous northern
waters.
The report goes severely after Cap
tain Lord of the British steamship
Californian, whose vessel saw the
rockets of the Titanic and who failed
to go to her relief, although he WAS
,, but few miles away a distance he
,, might readily have covered with his
vessel in time to save practically all
of the Titanic's passengers.
The failure of the captain of the
, Californian to arouse his wireless op
: orator the minute he saw the rockets
, or the rockets were reported to him
! the report characterizes as inexcus
able.
4 The English law is quoted and it i!
urged that it be invoked against Lord
= There is nothing but praise on the
o other hand for heroic Rostron of the
n Carpathia who entirely by acciden
o learned of the disaster, and, putting
n everything aside, equipped his ship TO
n an emergency race against death tina
is quite without precedent in the an
# nails of navigation.
It Getting down to the question of tn
e British board of trade, the report i
V outspoken in it's condemnation of ant
K quated shipping laws and played ou
D. administrative boards. 1t announce
that the punishment of those respor
N sible must be left to the British boarC
n whose members spent but a littl
1t while less than four hours inspectin
the vessel which was to carry thol
e. sands of human being across the W;
n ters. The nations are asked to aC
IL together in shipping reforms, whic
lie need is eloquently urged
,e In conclusion, better pay Is urge
rs for sailors, Americans are urged to G
IS into the merchant marine and an ca
I'd nest plea is made that greater dignit
be given to the work of heroic toileI
n OF the sea.
~N-~~-~~-NN-~N-~~-~N-~I
v The pluralities of Arnold an
j Lindsey will be at least 1000
and their maiorities over the cor