Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-04-17
NEWSPAPERS ARE WRATHY
Private Pirates Of Air Blamed for
Wrong News Of Disaster.
SAFETY STATUTES CRITICISED
Larger and Motor-Driven Lifeboata
Urged-White Star Line
Is Scored.

| Is expressed in connection with the pub
LEGATION OF the kilograms stating that the
| Titanic was in tow Of the virginian Just
after the news Of the accident was re-
ceived. Col. Charles e. Yate, q member
Of parliament for Leicestershire. will ask
the president Of the board Of trade in
the house Of commons II his attention has
been drawn to the publication Of the
kilograms and whether their origin could
be traced.
| London Papers Aroused.
Tho London Standard prints today the
following under the head, "A Mystery
OF the News! Who Sent the wireess
F'alsehoods?'
"One OF the mysteries in connection
with the Titanic disaster which at pres
ent Is unsolved Is the extraordinary
series of false messages with which the
world was lulled into fancied security
Monday.
For sixteen hours. until / o'clock
editions Of the evening papers and
earlier editions Of the morning, a flood
OF alleged wireless messages was re-
ceived They reported that all pas
sengers had been saved; that the IT,
tanic was proceeding under her own
steam to Halifax: that she could not
possibly sirk; that twenty boatloads Of
passengers had been transhipped to the
Partisan: that the Partisan and Carpathia
were both in attendance; that the vir-
ginian was towing the Titanic toward
Cape Race to beach her: that ali pas
sensers had been taken OF.
Who Sent Wireless Messaeese
And then the truth, when the dire
news came that the Titanic had sunk
at 2:30 am. This put the possibility
OF great disaster forward for the first
time. News agencies and correspondents
who sent false news merely transmitted
information given out to them as re-
ceived at various points,.
:. All praise is due them for their excep-
tlonal promptttude, but who sent these
wireless meseages-and why were they
sent! These are questions the public will
naturally ask and require to be answered.
On the race OF them they are as mac
curate as they are mysterious. The lead
ing newspapers and the public Of two
continents were misled until the last mo-
ment The public will want to know why
and how this deception was carried out
Ihere 10 considerable press criticism of
what Is termed the inadequate rule gov
erning the number Of Hfeboats on large
liners The London Times says:
Reports "Crue1 Inventions"
'All the ntanic's boats are accounted
for. Here arises q somewhat difiicult
and delicate question. Had there been
boats enough to accommodate all on
board, 1t seems reasonable to think that
All ON board might have been saved, since
the Carpathia was quickly followed by
other vessels with ample accommodation
The circumstances. of course. were
very peculiar; there is no need to gen.
eralize too broadly. Still, the question
will have to be met whether there ought
not to have been boats enough to take
all who were on board. Unsinkability.
which. within limits. could be rightly
claimed for the ship, might seem to jus
tify or excuse q smaller boat equipment,
but the accident shows that no ship Is
absolutely unsuitable, and that after the
most elaborate precautions man may
still be the plaything and victim OF nat
ural forces which he conceives himself to
Stories about the ship heading for
shore under her own steam or being
towed by other steamers, either to.
harbor or shoal water, cannot possibly
have come from any Of the ships con-
cerned. They must have been pure in
ventions-inventions Of a cruel heartless
kind.
Blame Private Air Pirates.
"Also we learn that the receipt Of au-
thentic information by wireless telegraphy
has been seriously interfered with by the
operations of private telegraphists, who
have filled the air with irrelevant mes
sages. II the community is to derive fun
benefit from wireless telegraphy, civilized
nations will have to combine to put down
these freaks OF private vanity or levity
or ostentation."
The London Daily Mail says: 1.-THE
question must be raised. in view Of this
terrible event, where are the board Of
trade regulations sufficient for the pro-
lection Of passengers and crew? Those
regulations appear to have been framed
on lines which have regard only for con-
ditions Of the past. They require no
larger provision OF boats for a liner OF
$1,000 tons than for one Of 10000"