Evening journal., 1912-04-16
NO CLASS
DISTINCTION
IN RESCUE WORK

BY The United Press.
NEW YORK, April l6.-Utterly stun
ned by the weight of the terrible disas-
ter that followed the loss of the giant
liner Titanic on her maiden voyage,
New York halted today. 1t was hard to
realize that the latest creation of ma
rine architecture, the great steamship
which only yesterday when news that
she had been in collision was proudly
branded by her owners as "unsinkable'
now lay below the waters of the At
lantic off the banks of Newfoundland
and had carried with her much of the
flower of American and British man.
hood.
Not since the Inflated French liner
Bourgoyne was rammed and sent to the
bottom with all of her company by the
great iron freighter Cromartyshire on
July ,, 1898, have such scenes been wit
messed as were enacted at the offices of
the White Star Line on lower Broadway
throughout the night and today. Men,
women and children, many hysterical
and weeping stormed the Offices and
Vainy begged for some word of comfort
regarding the fate of their loved ones.
Few got any satisfaction For the
great majority all that the company
would say was that there had been loss
of life. but they were hoping for the
best. To relatives OF noted passengers
private audience was granted and it
was quietly whispered that the outlook
vas most serious. But even they did
not get all OF the facts which the COM
pany had in its possession. For some
inexplicable reason the White Star Line
has steadily refrained from making pub
lie facts, in its possession, but .appar-
emily it was able to muzzle the wireless
rs messages sent direct to ships on the
scene were held up, while not a single
word was permitted to penetrate from
the fog bound banks of Newfoundland
where the worst tragedy Of recent years
was being enacted
0fhcials Refuse to Explain Comfort
Messages --, -
Charges were freely made by relatives
OF the missing that the company not
alone withheld news of the disaster, but
that IL was responsible for the messages
of comfort received yesterday saying al
of the passengers had been rescued and
the disabled liner was being towed t.
q port. But the officials refused expla
nation. They admitted they had know
for some hours before they mace public
any announcement that the Titanic haC
foundered, but they defended their sc
tion bv saving that until Captain Had
dock, of the Olympic confirmed the re
ports they had not felt the necessity o.
warning the people of the nation. WheI
the first announcement was made last
night that the Titanic had been SUM
and that there was probable loss o
life," the offices of the line were i'm
mediately beseged by anxious men an'
women, all waiting for word of com
fort or assurance. To all the statemen
was made that the Titanic had found
cred and that there was loss of life, bu
that no names were then available.
The word reached many while the.
were in the theatres and the restaurant
and soon automobiles and vehicles of al
. descriptions were rolling up to the office
and dischsrgiug their freight of anXiou
humanity. Soon the Offices were crowd
ed and the line had extended far out int
the street.
Among the first TO reach the Offices q
the line was Vincent Astor, only son q
Colonel John Jacob Astor. He was wol
Jied but hopeful when he arrived an
was admitted to the private Office {
Vice President Franklin He was Al
companied by A. J. Biddle, and the rel
resentative Of the Astor estate. Ha
an hour later the young man emerge
weeping bitterly; was assisted into h
auto and taken home.
Believe Many Noted Men Have Perishe
Sylvester Byrnes, private secretary
Isidor Straus, another victim, remains
at the offices Of the line all night hopir
against hope that Straus must have bee
saved. He went home at $50 o'cloC
saving there was no doubt that his en-
ployer and all Of the other noted men {
board had perished
Other relatives Of the missing conti
ued to arrive and all we're told that Il
list of survivors would be made publ
as soon as possible. This came to Il
White Star offices by wireless, but q
work of compiling it was slow. as it hl
to he sent from the Carpathia to q
Olympic by II relayed to another sh
which sent il into the wireless station
Siascons tt, Mass, and from there
came into this city over the land linz
But before they would give the list o
the line officials verified it,
it was seen at once that there h
been no class distinction, but that t
women of the steerage had been car
for in the same manner as their me
fortunate sisters of the first and seco
class. The women had been taken
and the men remained TO die and even
their deep sorrow it was plain that me-
of those who heard the sad news We
proud to know this fact.
The officers of the line were seeming
stupefed by the news Only once {
I Vice President Franklin fare up q
that was when he was told that il "
reported and generally credited that
company had withheld its news of {
disaster and muzzled the wireless
that reinsurance might be secured.
No Admissions Until Sure of Facts
That is an absolute lie and those "
made the statement know they lie.
did not admit the Titanic was sunk ur
we were absolutely assured that il "
fact. We are now doing all we can
find out who were saved and who los
When Franklin was asked why
company gave out the wireless which
said that il had received from the Oily
pie yesterday saying that all of the
a tanic's passengers were safely on bo'
the Carpathia, he failed to reply.