New-York tribune., 1912-04-18
CONGRESS URGED TO ACT
Mavors Ask Laws Protecting
Ocean Travellers.
WIRE PLEA TO WASHINGTON
kilograms Sent to President
Taft, Senate and House Recon-
mend Speedy Legislation.
MRS. HENRY F. DlMOCk.

As a result Of the Titanic disaster tele-
grams signed by number Of the mayors
Of the leading cities IN New York state
were sent yesterday TO President Taft and
the two houses OF Congress advocating
the speedy passage OF a law requiring all
messenger steamers TO be fitted with
enough llfeboats and RATS TO receive
, safely every one on board. Nearly forty
msvors throughout the state notified Will
lam = Copes. secretary Of the state
Mayors Conference. by telegraph yester-
dav OF their willingness to share in the
recommendations
The telegram sent to the President and
signed by the mayors reads:
We unite in urging YOU to send 10 CON
cress n special message recommending the
speedy enactment OF well considered statute
that viii effectually require every passen-
ger vessel leaving United States port 10
be equipped with such lifeboats or rafts
as shall suffice TO receive and float every
human creature on board.
The text OF the telegram sent by the
MAYORS TO the Senate and House OF Repre-
sentatlves follows:
Wa unite I'm urging speedy enactment OF
well considered statute that Will efectually
require every passenger vessel leaving d
United states port TO be equipped WIN @ @sIch
Ufeboats or RATS as shall suffice 10 receive
and float every human creature on board.
Mayors Who Signed.
Among the mayors VINO signed the tele-
grams Yesterday were James B. McEwan.
Albany: John Irving. Binghamton; James
r Lennon. Yonkers, Daniel Sheehan, IL
mira. John X. SagUe, Poughkecpsle. Or.
George r. Lunn. Schenectady; Frank j.
Baker. Utica; David ID. Long, Oswego;
lanes J. Moran. Lockport; Francis NJ.
Hugo. Watertown. Alden l.. Henry, Glov-
ersyilIe, Stewart H. Townsend. Rome; j. Il.
Corwin. Newburg; Abraham Harrison
.Johnstown; Samuel a. Carlson, jamestown;
Hiram II. Edgerton, Rochester. and Tim
othy Dasey. Little Falls.
Navor Gaynor was asked To add his name
IN those Of other mayors Of the state. Dut
he replied that he thought II would De Det-
,er 10 wait and take action which could be
hotter considered after all the facts were
known.
Nr Cones also gave out statement
Yesterday In behalf OF a group OF men In
,erestcd I'm steamships and admiralty law,
uboso names, excepting that of Jacob w.
Miller. vice-president OF the New England
c,.amshin Company, were withheld These
men ask for immediate action by Congress
while that body il considering the sugges-
,,on Of the MAYORS and others, and they
propose a law TO prevent all vessels larger
than 500 gross tonnage and carrying
Messengers from sailing from any Ameri-
can port until certain facts have been
properly advertised.
First. the company must make known
,he number Of passengers the vessel Is
lawfully entitled to carry, second, the num-
her OF persons, other than passengers that
she usually carries, and third. the number
of persons fo- whose accommodation she
is provided with lifeboats and liferafts.
As a result Of such an act IT Is thought
that travellers would be better Informed
OF the risks they take on ore snip as
COMPARED with another. Steamship owners
would be stimulated and new methods or
securing safety would be found, such as
light ufeboats stored in nets and boat
decks or awning decks made OF hieratts'
so arranged as to launch themselves au-
tomatically when the steamer sinks and to
rise TO the surface when drawn down by
suction.