The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-04-19

FRIDAY, APRIL 10, 1912.
rHE rlrANlc's APPALLING END.

When the Carpathia with the sur
vivors of the Inflated Titanic. dockcd
last night at New York "A chap
ter was written in the history OF
ocean travel that in the loss of HUI
MAN life. has never been cqualed. So
firm had become the popuIarNbelief
in tho safety of transatlantic travel
under modern conditions that when
the earlier reports told of other linz
ers, summoned by wireless. rushing
to the relief of the Titanic it was
hastily assumed that all danger was
over. In fact. his prompt response
to the wireless had been so often
demonstrated that it had become al
most commonplace. Then the fact
that the Titanic was h newest and
greatest vessel anoat-claimed. in
decd. 10 he unsuitable and cmhody-
ing in her construction the latest and
best devices of the shipbuilders' sci
rnce-seemed to make fear for her
safety almost ridiculous. Yet in the
face Of all his we are confronted
with one of the most appalling ocean
disasters in history.
of The two thousand, two hundred
~ Si w w '''t " Wv
persisted, Swift as WAS the response
TO the wireless calls for assistance. ii
was not quick enough. II wounds
inflicted upon the greatest leNiathan
"f The sea- by the hidden berg must
have exceeded all calculation. Her
watcr-tight compartments seem to
have been able to no more than keep
her from sinking at once. urscttinc
all theories OF unsinkablencss and
reducing to pitiablcness mans sup
posed conquest of The ocean
Other vessels nave struck beres
and been comparatively little dan,aS-
cd--bow crumplcd or a compart-
mont or two stove in. Whether the
@rcater size If the Titanic permitted
q deeper projection of tho ice to rip
open her hull is a possibility. lnconl-
ing steamers report the ice field to
have" been exceptionally heavy. som"
&C The berss towering hundreds of
frrt in the air.
Captain Smith had borne a reputa-
tinn AS one of the most experienced
n"fin"rs of the Atlantic. II was not
= 'iise Of being ramrned or running
into a hidden peril. 1t would be un-
Jus. now that he cannot defend him
self To charge the captain with care
lcssnesS when so many lives were in
his keeping. but he knew the dangers
Of ieebcrss in that particular locality.
even though they We're Il little earlier
than usual. The falling of tho Their
mometer tells the presence of these
dangers Of the deep. and il can hard
~ he believed that this was overlook
ed. The night was clear and star lit,
hut the iceberg was not discovered
until the ship was within Il quarter
NJ mile Of it, and the vessel struck
Tho iceberg With n power sufficient
To stove in tho whole front. else it
would o have sunk So quickly. 1t
is barely possible that in the desire
To make a speed record on the YES
sells maiden trip. caution was sacri-
need 10 enthusiasm. 1t it was. the
toll required was tremendous.
After all. these things are mere
surmises and not until the hysteria of
the survivors has been suficiently
Gained to permit clear thinking will
the truth be known. Allowance must
he made for a few days for the state
of mind of those who were saved. for
no one can look upon a scene SD ap-
palling and not he shaken in his
mental poise. How much more SO
must it he 10 those who went
through the horror OF that midnight
ecene in that boundless waste Of wa
tero