The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1912-04-30
PROBE WORK IS
TO Be DIVIDED
Members Of Senate Committee
Act Individually.
SAILORS ALL SAW STEAMER

Hit coberg-Captain's Messenger
Tells of Mysterious Note Carried to
Chief Engineer Soon After Col
lIsion--Captain of Mount Temple
Journeys to Washington.
Washington, April 26.-Better re.
teults were obtained by the senate
committee investigating the Titanic
wreck when the task of examining
witnesses was divided among the
different members, each of whom
acted separately and individually.
Among other things, it was es.
tablished that the Titanic was main
tanning a speed of about 221a miles
an hour when the collision occurred.
Quartermaster Rowe, who was among
the last to leave the sinking ship,
swore before one of the senators
that he read the ships log just be.
fore leaving the vessel and that 1t
registered 260 knots, indicating its
run from noon of Sunday until the
tlut Jllt dCClutuJ liC oASc
declared that the iceberg scraped the
entire starboard side of the Titanic,
and that from his position on the
bridge on the stern of the boat he
was apprehensive lest the bridge it.
self be torn away by the berg.
All the able-bodied seamen, stew
ards and stokers who were examined
gto ioo nir tu n
having seen the light of another ship
within from three to five miles of
the Titanic. 1t was impossible to
shake them in this belief, and sew
eral declared that they could not
only see the lights of the ship, but
also her motion as she rode the
waves. This testimony is corrobora-
tive of that given by officer BoXhall,
who told of having seen the mast
light and side lights OF a vessel,
which he estimated to be five miles
away, and which he signalled for an
hour from the bridge of the Titanic,
Captain Smiths messenger was
one of the witnesses examined in
this way. He told of a mysterious
note that he carried from Captain
Smith to the chief engineer of the
Titanic after the collision, and in
this connection recited the interest
ing fact that the lights in the
stokers' room were out within Is
minutes after the ship struck the
iceberg.
While the contents of this note
will never be known, 1t is believed
by members of the committee and
others that it contained an order
from the captain to the chief engi-
neer to start the pumps. The in
quiry thus far has developed no tes-
timony that would indicate that the
pumps of the Titanic ever were
started
Members Draw Conclusions.
The member of the committee to
whom this messenger told the story
believes that the darkness in the
stokers' room within so short time
after the collision indicates that
water had reached the electric wiring
in this room and destroyed its use
fulness
William Marconi, head of the wire
less company bearing his name, and
Harold C. Cottam, the wireless oper-
ator on board the Carpathia, were
the only two witnesses examined by
the full committee Wireless mes
sages were introduced in evidence
showing that officers of the Marconi
company had instructed their wire
less operators on the Carpathia to
hold the details of the disaster for
sale exclusively to New York news
paper for a sum "in four figures
One of these messages was signed
"Marconi," but Mr.. Marconi denied
all knowledge Of them and declared
that he disapproved of them. He
contended that he had been desirous
of obtaining details Of the disaster
at the earliest possible moment for
general distribution among public
prints.
Two more witnesses, who are ex-
pected to give important testimony,
have been subpenaed by Senator
Smith to appear before the commit
tee today. They are the captain and
WlIeltSS DptIdloI VII luc oOSduiohip
Californian, which is now in dock at
Boston and which is scheduled to
sail Saturday. They have been or
dered to produce the log of the Cali
fornian.
Captain j. p. Moore of the Cana
dian Pacific railroads steamship
Mount Temple is also expected. He
TOO will testify before the committee
with reference to a report that his
ship passed within sight Of the I'll
thnic, saw her distress signals and
Jailed TO respond. Captain Moore
prefers to appear in person before
she committee rather than give his
testimony to Canadian commission.
His ship is now in port at St Johns,
n b.. and is scheduled to sail to-
night,
a..