Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1912-04-23
FRANKLIN DENIES
BLAME FOR FALSE
NEWS OF TITANIC
Vice President of White Star
Line, Before Senate Com
mittee, Fails to Account tor
Those ReaSSuring Reports
(By Associated Prsss.)

committee, aiming, in part. to fix re-
sponsibility for last Mondays mes
sages which said the Titanic was safe.
did not serve entirely to clear the sit
uation. Vice president Franklin. Of
the International Marine. chief witness
of the day in the senate's investiga-
ton, declared he did not know who. in
the White Stars New York offices. hal
sent to Congressman Hughes, of West
Virginia, saying all on board the tt
tanic were safe.
Mr.. Franklin said he had tried to.
find out who sent the message hur
that he had failed.
He declared he did not know the tt
tanic had sunk until after o'clock last
Monday evening. He had heard of an
accident to the Titanic early Monday
morning. He had appealed to the AS
ISOLATED Press for more information
and had directed White Star ships sc
sea to get in touch with the great
liner.
READ MANY TELEGRAMS.
The witness read from a great sheet
OF wireless kilograms received Monday
morning of the wreck. None of them
contained any information of value. but
IL was upon this data that the line is
sued it's statements in an effort, said
Mr. Franklin. to reassure inqufrers.
Later. when the news came. he SAID
he sent Immediately for the reporters
and proceeded to begin to reading q
them the lengthy Marconigram from
the Carpathia giving the grewsosne
news in considerable detail.
1T began to read repeated 4fr.
franklin, " Titanic went down this
morning at 2:2O,. and then looked up
There wasn't reporter IN the room
They were all racing for telephones %
get the. news out to the word
The hearings are now being conducts
ed in the caucus room. the splendidly ft-
ted show" room Of the senate Office
building. Although Chairman William
Alden Smith and Senator Newlands
were the only members Of the sub-com-
mittee of the senate commerce commit
tee present with the preliminary testl-
mony was taken In New York. the f.1ii
sub-committee win be in attendance At
all the hearings here. The other mem
bers are Senators Perkins, OF CaltfoTe
MIA; Burton, OF Ohio: Bourne OF Ores
gon: Simmons, OF North Carolina. and
Fletcher. Of Florida.
Many Of the Titanics surviving pas
sengers will be called to give evidence
before the committee.
NOTABLE WITNESSES.
1t is expected that among the notable
witnesses will be Mrs. John Jacob AS
tor, Mrs ]. B. Thayer and Col. Archi-
bald Oracle.
CROWDS SWARM HEARING.
Hours before the resumption of the
inquiry great crowds swarmed to the
senate Office building and made a rush
for the crystal-nghted caucus room.
Hundreds of them were women, and as
in the Titanic disaster, 1t was women
first" who were admitted to the hearing
room
]. Bruce Ismay arrived at the hearing
room and had difficulty getting in. He
identified himself to a police officer and
was ushered into seats reserved for
witnesses.
Mr. Ismay, as he sat talking to his
attorney. appeared wan and haggard.
SHIPS OFFICER CALLED
J. S. Boxhall was the first witness
called. after Senator Smith had caution
ed the crowd against demonstration.
Boxhall was the third officer of the Tt
tanic, one of the four officers to survive
the disaster.
When Boxhall entered the room Sena-
tor Smith asked him to step aside, and
called p. A. S. Franklin, vice president
of the international Mercantile Marine
company. He began to question Mr..
Franklin as to the companies compris-
ing the corporation, its connections and
its capitalization.
FRANKLIN TAKES STAND.
Mr.. Franklin. under questioning. said
he was the real representative Of the
White Star line in America. He said
that he or his subordinates had not COM
t.
sailed on the Titnic's first and last voy-
age. He said he had received no tele-
gram from Mr.. Ismay after the Titanic
left Southampton. The same answer ap-
piled to the Titanics crew, officers and
passengers.
Then Senator Smith came to one Of the
most interesting points of the investiga-
ton. He showed to Franklin the tele-
gram received by Congressman Hughes,
Of West Virginia.
The telegram read as follows:
Titanic proceeding to Halifax. Pas
sengers probably land on Wednesday. All
safe.
'Signed) THE WHITE STAR LINE
II asked you" continued the senator,
whether you knew about the sending
Of that telegram. by whom it was au-
-horized. by whom it was sent?f
IGNORANT OF TELEGRAM.
Il
Since it was mentioned at the Waldorf
we have had the entire pas
senger staff examined, and we cannot
ind out. We appreciate the fact that on
hat Monday there were many junior
clerks at work and there was great con-
fusion. It is possible that some one
who had no absolute information might
nave sent it L wish you would have
he telegraph company turn over all the
White Star messages to you so that We
AN see Just what happened"
Asked when he first knew that the I'll
anic had sunk, Franklin said he first
Knew it at SCI p. m. Monday.
INTRODUCES TLEGRAMS
Mr.. Fran--4ln then produced a thick
of kilograms which he had re-
,eived Sunday in relation to the disaster.
about 20 minutes of one Monday
said he, awakened by
phone bell, I was called by a reporter
or some paper, who informed me that
he Titanic had met with an accident
Ind was sinking. 1 asked him where
le got the information. He told me that
t had come by wireless from the steam
hip Virginian, which had been appealed
o by the Titanic for aid
MI Franklin said he called up the
White Star docks, but they had no In
ormation and he Zen appealed to the
associated Press and there was read to