The daily sentinel., 1912-04-19
DECLARES SLEEP COST
LIVES OF HUNDREDS
(By Maslen Pew, staff Correspondent
of the Inifed Press Association.)

'
of the L niied Press Association-)
Halifxa. n. $ Apr. la.-It was be-
lieyed here, following the arrival of
the steamer PGI'isian md the receipt
of many wireless dispatches. that
when the Tftanic WIS wrecked Sun
day night she WIS proceeding at
fast rate of speed. Captain Huines
and Wireless Operator Sutherland of
the Partisan insisted 1uttay that the
night was clear and that therefore
Captain Smith waS undoubtedly
holding 10 mis- course and making
good time If This is so II would ac-
count for the magnitude of the trag-
edy, as the Titanic must have s1rucl
the berg fearful blow. which shat
tered her entire forward structure.
Captain Haines and Sutherland de-
clared that gigantic icehergh the
largest seen in years. Were floating
fully 100 miles south NJ the dar ger
Gus ice line usually observed by At
Iantic navigators. Sutherland says
-that-the Titanic was l00 miles astern
rof the Partisan on Sunday. He was
himself in wireless communication
with Operator Jack Philips of the
on Sunday evening.
Il knew Jack Phillips very well,
aiitl Sutherland. u sent him a word
OF greeting and then put through
message for Captain Haines concern
ing the ships business. Later l got
the Atlantic transport liner Mesaba
Oh ;ehe wireless and reported having
sighted more huge icebergs. The
Mesaba was at this time running be-
tween the Titanic and the Partisan
and was relaying my messages con-
cernfrg icebergs to the Titanic.
The weather was clear and We
could see the icebergs clearly Sun
day might"
Sutherland said that his last com
munication with the Tit9nic direct
was at 16:3 80 p. m. (ship's time) on
Sunday. AS the official statement of
the White Star line is that the Ii
tanic struck at 1920 p. m, New
York time. the last wireless commu-
nication from the Titanic to the Pa
risian was only about an hour before
the Titanic struck against the side
of floating mountain of ice.
The Partisan carried only one
wireless operator. He had been at
his key for Is hours when he sent
his final message to the Titanic. he
then went TO bed and was asleep
when Phillips was frantically flash
ing the fateful IS. o. S
While Operator Donald Sutherland
slept his friend and colleague, Jack
Phillips, signalled the death cries of
more than thousand souls, vainly,
so far as the Partisan was concerned.
If Captain Haines had received the
IS. o. s." his ship could have
81 InphfIacc O rriN-
ing there before the Carpathia.
Sutherland awoke late Monday
morning. He put on his wireless cap
and heard the Carpathia wireless op-
orators description of the Titanic's
two-mile plunge into the deep. He
told Captain Haines what had hap
pened.
The Partisan had gone off her
course searching for the tank ship
Deutschland. which was helpless.
Having been short of coal, Captain
Haines decided he could not reach
the Titanic in time to be of service
and went on chasing after the tank
in the hope of salvage for giving her
tow to Halifax
He freely admitted he had never
seen a clearer night in April off the
Newfoundland coast than last Sunday
night.
Sailors here belive that the impact
of the collision must have Jared
loose all of the Titanic's machinery
and possibly that she was in darkness
almost from the outset. If this was
so the task of lowering the lifeboats
and getting the frightened passengers
into them must have been fearful
one.
There was also belief here today
that all of the reserve sailors who
were asleep in their quarters forward
as well as many of the steerage
passengers in the bow of the boat,
were crushed to death when the bows
rolled back before the ungivable
berg.
There is a belief here that not all
of the boats of the Titanic were
launched. The crew, while picked,
experienced men, was new on the
ship and the boat davits were new
and undoubtedly hard to handle.
This, added to the difficulty of
working in the darkness, may have
made the work of getting survivors
overheard a most difficult one.