Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1912-05-30
CAPTAIN LORD IS
RESPONSIBLE TOO
Senate Committee Finds Com.
mander of Californian Dis
regards THAMES Signals.

(iiS Ni9aSteT Is cnargeaDle directly TO
p'e FAILURE of the dead Captain Smith
need repeated warnings of iccbergs
fhead. but responsibility for unnecessary
Joss Of life must be shared by Captain
Y1ord of the steamship Californian
through his disregard of distress signals.
phis is the finding of the Senate com
sittee which investigated the sinking Of
Inc Titanic, as prepared In com
prehensive speech delivered by william
Alden Smith of Michigan. chairman of
The committee.
Senator Smith declared that re-
sponsibility also rests upon the British
Poard of Trade. TO whose axity of
regulation and hasty inspection the world
= largely indebted for the awful fatality"
IN denouncing Captain Lord of the
Aalifornian. the senator said the Titanic's
mistress signals were plainly seen from
The deck of his vessel a short distance
bway.
America will leave to England the chas-
basement of those guilty, asserted the
senator and he quoted British law to
snow that Captain Lord might be prose-
Cuted for misdomeanor. Other conclu-
slons presented, In brief, were as follows
Before the Titanic departed on her
maiden voyage, there were no sufficient
tests of boilers, bulkheads, equipment or
Signal devices.
CREW WAS NOT DRILLED.
Officers and crew were strangers to each
other and not familiar with the ships I'M
PIGMENTS or tools, and no drill or station
practice tool, place and no helpful discip-
line prevailed
The speed of the Titanic was "a 1-2
miles all hour at the time of the accident,
although officers of the Titanic had been
advised of the presence of iceberss by
The steamships Baltic, America and Cali
fornian.
passengers were not advised of
Hanger. although President Ismay of
The White Star line. who was taking
the vessels maiden voyage. was In
Formed. No general alarm was given
nor any organized system of safety
Undertaken.
OF the 1924 passengers AMI 500
members of crew on board. there was
room in lifeboats for only 1,176 per-
lions and because of lack of orderly
niscipline the boats took off only 7O4
persons, ~ being rescued from the
water.
Officers of the White Star line bat
lied with the truth" after receiving
Information from their Montreal Of
flee Monday morning following the
Incident.
Senator Smith condemned anti
nuated shipping laws and ovcrripe al
tninistrative boards" and asked that
oil nations act together in shipping
reforms. New laws" he said will
best testify our affection for tae
dead"
Captain Rostron of the rescue ship
Carpathia was praised by Senator
Smith and he urged that Congress
Recognize his valor.
Senator Smith commented causti-
rally upon the failure of the ships
officers Immediately to give general
Blarm or to establish some orderly rou-
tine.
Just before delivering his speech
senator Smith. chairman of the sub
committee which investigated the
wreck, submitted the committees re-
port and It's conclusions The report Is
largely q review of the evidence and
contains recommendations for legisla-
lion. No particular person is named as
being responsible, though attention is
rallied to the fact that on the day of
the disaster three distinct warnings Of
Ice were sent to Captain Smith. j.
Bruce lsmay, managing director of the
White Star line, is not held responsible
FOR the ships high speed. on the whole
the report Is impressive. and Senator
Smith in his speech went more fully into
3 discussion of the causes of the disaster
Than does the committee
The committee agreed upon these prin-
Cipal conclusions:
The supposedly water-tght compart-
ments Of the Titanic were not water
tight because Of the non-wat tight
condition of the decks where the tran
Verse bulkheads ended.
MIGHT HAVE SAVED ALL.
The steamship Californian, controlled
by the same concern at the Titanic, was
nearer the sinking steamer than the 10
miles reported by her captain and that
her officers and crew "saw the distress
signals of rhe Titanic and failed to re-
fpond to them in accordance with the
dictates OF humanity. International
usage and the requirements OF law"
The committee concludes that the Cali
fornian might have saved all the lost
passengers and crew OF the ship that
Hent down.
Eight ships. all equipped with wireless