Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1912-05-29
Captain Smith Of III fated
Boat Blamed for Not Heed.
ing Warnings
Laxity Of British Board Of
Trade Laws Also Severely
CritiSed
Recommended That FOREIGN
Steamship Laws Be Revised
Thoroughly
BY Associated Press.

BY Associated Press.
WASHINGTON, May 2S.-Blam
for the Titanic disaster is chargeabl
directly to the failure of the, dea'
Captain Smith to heed repeated warn
ings of icebergs ahead, but response
bility for unnecessary loss of lif'
must be shared by Captain Lord o
the steamship Californian, through
his disregard Of distress signals
This is the finding Of the Senate Com
mittee which Investigated the sink
ing of the Titanic, as prepared in {
comprehensive speech delivered by
William Alden Smith, of Michigan
Chairman of the Committee.
Senator Smith declared that re
| sponsibility also rests upon the Brit
ish Board Of Trade Ito whose laxity
OF regulation, and hasty inspection
the world is largely indebted for the
awful fatality" In denouncing Cap
tain Lord, of the Californian, the
Senator said the THAMES distress
signals were plainly seen from the
deck of his vessel a short distance
| away.
America will leave to England the
chastisement Of those guilty assert
ed the Senator, and he quoted Brit
ish law to show that Captain Lord
might be prosecuted for misdemean'
or.
Other conclusions presented, in
brief, were as follows:
Before the Titanic departed on her
maiden voyage there were no sutfi.
cieht tests of boilers, bulkEcads,
equipment or signal devices.
Officers and crew were strangers
to each other and not familiar with
the ships implements or tools, and
no drill or station practice took place
and no helpful discipline prevailed.
The speed of the Titanic was 24k
miles an hou. a. the time of the acct
dent, although officers of the Titanic
had been advised of the presence of
icebergs by the steamships Baltic,
Amerika and Californian.
Passengers were not advised of
danger, although President Ismay of
tie White Star Line, who was taking
the vessels maiden vovoEe, was in
formed. No general alarm was given
nor airy organized system of safety
undertaken.
OF the 1924 passengers and 899
members of the crew on board, there
was room in lifeboats for only 1,176
persons, and because Of lack Of order
ly discipline the boats took off only
7O4 persons, IL being rescued from
the water.
Officers of the White Star Line
"battled with the truth" after receiv-
ing information from their Montreal
Office Monday morning following the
accident.
Senator Smith condemned "anti-
quated shipping laws and overripe ad-
ministrative boards" and asked that
all nations act together in shipping
reforms. New laws" he said, will
best testify our affection for the
dead"
Captain Rostron, of the rescue snip
Carpathia was praised by Senator
Smith and he urged that Congress
recognize his valor.
At the outset, Senator Smith de-
Tended the course Of his committee
in holding British subjects to secure
their testimony without delay, and
briefly answered criticism OF his lack
of nautical knowledge.
"Our course was simple and plain
to gather the facts relating to this
disaster while they were still vivid
realities" he said. Questions of d.
verse citizenship gave way to the un-
iversal desire for the simple truth.
It was of paramount importance that
we should act quickly to avoid juris-
dictional confusion and organized OPP
position at home or abroad. We, of
course, recognized that the ship was
under a foreign flag; but the lives OF
many of our own countrymen had
been sacrificed and the safety Of man
had been put in grave peril, and it
was vital that the entire matter |
should be reviewed before an Amer
lean tribunal if legislative action was
TO be taken for future guidance.
without any pretension to exper
ence or special knowledge OF nauti-
cal affairs. nevertheless 1 am of the |
opinion that very few important
Facts which were susceptible of being
known escaped our scrutiny. Energy
IS often more desirable than learn
ng, and the inquisition serves a use.
Jul purpose to the State.
I'm the construction of the Titan"
C." continued the Senator, mo limit
If cost circumscribed their endeavor
md when this vessel took its place at
The head of the line every modern
in shipbuilding was sup
posed to have been realized; so con-
ident were they that both owner and
builder were eager to go upon the
rial trip.
"When the crisis came a state OF
absolute unpreparedness stupefed
10th passengers and crew and in
heir despair, the ship went down,