The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1912-04-22

chip. The Titanic. as | am informed
was on the solithernmost wcstbo,ind
track of ransailantic steamships. The
tracks, or lanes. were designated many
years ago by agreement Of all the i'm
portant steamship lines. and all captains
Of the White Star Lire are required Ia
navigate their vessels as closely as possi
ble on these tracks subject to the follow
ing standing instructions:
commanders must distinctly under
stand that the issue oi those regulations
does not in any way relieve them from
responsibility for the safe and efficient
na avigation Of their respective vessels and
they are also cnioncd to remember that
they must run no risk which might by any
possibility result in accident To their ships
IT is to bc hoped that they will ever bear
In mind that the safety oi the lives and
property entrusted to their care ia the
ruling principle that should govern them
in the navigation of their vessels and that
no supposed gain in expedition or saving
OF time on the voyage is to he purchased
~ the risk of accident. Tho company
desires To .rrp iutain for its vessels rcpu-
tation for safety and only looks for such
speed on the various voyagcs as is consistent
with safe and pruden, navigation.
Commanders are rcfnindcd that the
steamers are 70 u gfea' c\tent EnlhSlfcu
and that their own livelihood ~ well as the
Conpanys success depends upon immunity
from accident no prccaution which insures
safe naviyatio ion is 10 bc considered OK ccssive
Saw wireless Telling Of lee, Made
M Comment.
~1he only information ! ever received
on the ship that other vessels had sighted
ice WAS by Il wireless message received
from the Baltic. which ! have already
testified to. This was handed to me by
Capt. Smith withou; any remark "a he
was passing me on the passenger deck
on the afternoon of Sunday. April H.
I read the telegram casually and put il in
my pocket Az about ten minutes past I
while | was sitting in the smoke room
Capt. Smith came in and asked me to
give him the message received from the
Baltic in order to post IT for the inforina-
ton of the officers. handed il to him
and nothing further was said by either
of us ! did not speak to any Of the
other officers on the subject.
IF the information | received had
aroused any apprehension in my mind
which it did not / should not have ven
tured to make any suggest ion TO "A COM
mander Of Capt Smiths experience. The
responsibility for the navigation of this
ship rested solely with him
Did Not Dine with Captain Nirht 81
Disaster.
1T has been stated that Capt. Smith
and ! were having a dinner party in one
of the saloons from 1:3O to 1890 Sunday
night and that at the time Of the collision
Capt Smith was sitting with me in the
saloon.
Both of these statements are absolutely
false. did not dine with the captain.
nor did l see him during the evening of
April IA. The doctor dined with me in
the restaurant at 7:3O and went directly
TO my stateroom and went to bed at about
1890. was asleep when the collision
occurred. felt jar. went out into the
passageway without dressing. met a
steward, asked him what was the matter
and he said he did not know.
Il returned to my room | felt the
ship slow down. put on an overcoat
over my paiamas and went up on the
bridge deck and on the bridge. asked
Capt Smith what was the matter. and
he said We had struck ice. ! asked him
whether he thought it serious. and he
said he did. On returning TO my room
! met the chief engineer and asked him
whether he thought the damage serious,
and he said he thought it was
No One on Boat Deck When lie
Embarked.
Il then returned to my room and put
on a suit of clothes. had been in my
overcoat and paiamas up 10 this time
] then Went back TO the boat deck and
heard Capt. Smith give the order TO clear
the boats. | helped in this work for
nearly two hours; "a far as can Judge.
Il worked al the starboard boats help
ing women and children into the boats and
lowering them over the side. ! did moth
ing with regard to the boats on the port
side,
sBy that time every wooden ifeboat on
the siarboard side had been lowered away
and found that they were engaged in
getting out the forward collapsible boa
on the starhoard side. | assisted in this
work and all The women that were on this
deck were helped into the boat, They
were all, think. third class passengers
AS the boat was going over the side
Mr.. Carter, a passenger, and myself got
In
AT that time there was not a woman on
the boat deck. nor any passenger Of any
class, so far as we could see or hear.
-The boat had between 30 and 40 in il,
I should think, most of them women.
There were perhaps four or five men, and
1t was afterward discovered that there
were four Cinnamon concealed under the
thwarts in the bottom of the boat. The
distance that the boat had to be lowered
into the water was. / should estimate,
about twenty feet.
NoOm for More in His Boat.
"Mr. Carter and did not get into the
boat until after they had begun to lower
II away. When the boat reached the
water | helped row it. pushing the oar
from me as sat, This is the explanation
Of the fact that my back was to the sink
ing steamer The boat would have ac-
commodated certainly six or more pas
sengers in addition if there had been any
on the boat deck TO go.
These facts can be substantiated by
W. f. Carter of Philadelphia who got in
at the time did and was rowing the boat
with me, | hope | need not say that
neither Mr.. Carter nor myself would for