The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1912-05-29
sy A.socI.r.d press.

today passed a joint resolution ex
tending the thanks of congress and
appropriating $1,000 for q medal to
Captain Arthur H. Rostron. of the
steamer Carpathia, and also vote of
thanks to the Carpathia's crew for
going to the rescue Of the Titanic's
passengers. The resolution was intro
duced by Senator Smith at the con-
clusion of his speech. 1t was adopted
Immediately without reference to
committee.
Just before delivering his speech,
Senator Smith, chairman of the sub
committee which investigated the
wreck, submitted the committees re-
port and its conclusions. The report
is largely a review Of the evidence
and contains recommendations for leg
islation. No particular person is named
as being responsible, though attention
is called to the fact that on the day
of the disaster three distinct warn
ings OF ''ice" we're sent to Captain
Smith J. Bruce Ismay. managing di~
rector of the White Star Line. Is not
held responsible for tire aAtp's high
speed. In fact he IS barely mentioned
in the report.
On the whole the report Is fmpassive
and Senator Smith in his speech went
more fully into a discussion of the
causes of the disaster than does the
committee.
CONCLUSIONS OF COMMITTEE.
The committee agreed upon these
principal conclusions:
THE supposedly water tight com
partments of the Titanic We're not
water tight, because of the non-water
tight condition of the decks where the
transverse bulkheads ended
The steamship Californian, con-
Il oiled by the same concern as the IT,
tsnic was nearer the sinking steamer
than the 1s miles reported by her
ca plain and that her officers and
crew saw the distress signals of the
Titanic and failed to respond to them
il accordance with the dictates of
humanity. International usage and the
requirements of law. The committee
concludes that the Californian might
have saved all the lost passengers and
crew of the ship that went down.
Eight ships, all equipped with wire
less, were in the Vicinity of the IT.
tanic, the Olympic farthest away.
known ship seen by the passengers of
the Titanic were undoubtedly on the
Californian less than 19 miles away.
The full capacity of the Titanic's
life boats were not utilized, because
while only 706 persons were saved. the
ships boats could have carried
1,176.
No general alarm was sounded. no
whistle blown and no systematic
warning was given to the passengers
and it was fifteen or twenty minutes
after the collision before Captain
Smith ordered the Titanic's wireless
operator to send out a distress
message.
The Titanic's crew was only meag-
erely acquainted with its positions and
duties in an accident and only one
drill was held before the maiden trip.
Many of the crew joined the ship only
a few hours before she sailed and
were in ignorance Of their positions
until the following Friday.
NO HEED TO WARNINGS.
Ice positions so definitely reported
to the Titanic just preceding the ac-
cident located ice on both sides of the
lane in which she was travelling. No
discussion took place among the off,
GERS, no conference was called to con-
slider these warnings, no heed was
given to them. The speed was not re-
laxed; the lookout was not increased
The first official information given,
the committee declares, was the
message from Captain Haddock, of the
Olympic, received from the White Star
LluS dI .. 10 -. hOuudJg APAl AOs
Attention is called to the fact that in
the face of this information a message
reporting the Titanic being towed to
Halifax was sent to Representative
Hughes at Huntington, Va, at 1851
D. N. that day. The message was
delivered to the Western Union office
in the same building as the White
Star Line offices.
Whoever sent this message" says
the report. under the circumstances
is guilty Of the most reprehensible
conduct"
The committe does not believe that
the wireless operator on the Carpa-
thia was duly vigilant in handling his
messages after the accident and de-
clared the practice of allowing wire
less operators to sell their stories
should be stopped. 1t recommended
that all ships carrying more than 100
passengers have two searchlights;
that a revision be made OF steamship
inspection laws of foreign countries to
the standard proposed in the United
States; thatsevery ship be required to
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