New-York tribune., 1912-04-21
Loss OF TITANIC MAY
MODIFY BUILDING PLANS.
Disaster Compared with Failure
of the Great Eastern Half a
Century Ago.
HUGE LOSSES AT LL0Y0S'
Rates To Be Demanded in Future
for Insuring Leviathans Will
Be Higher than for
Smaller Vessels.
10y Cable to The Tribune J


London. April 20.-The Titanic dis
aster is stil on the tip of every tongue
Az the instance of the Seamen's ana
Firemen's Union the Labor representa-
tiyes at Westminster intend to bring
under the notice Of the government at
once two important points raised by the
loss of the worlds biggest liner. one
request concerns the number OF boats 10
be carried by oceangoing liners and the
other refers to arrangements for renov'
ing passengers from sinking ships.
1t is asserted that it is the invariable
rule to give precedence to first class
passengers, so that in case or wreck
the steerage male passengers stand little
or 10 chance OF being rescued. To meet
this criticism the suggestion is made
that the Board of Trade should frame
regulations apportioning definite num-
ber of boats to each class OF passengers.
In proportion to the number Of passen-
gers carried.
In shipping circles the question is
asked, Will the Titanic disaster have an
effect similar to that Of the failure of 'he
Great Eastern? Isambard BrunePs
leviathan was TO have revolutionizeo
shipping, but misfortune dogged her
from the start. She was considered to
have overstepped reasonable dimensions,
and forty-hve years elapsed after she
was launched before anything like a
notable departure from the 5000 or 1000
ton liner was again attempted.
The Big Ship Folly.
Part Of the big ship folly these days
lies in the disproportion between in
crease Of size and increase of cost. The
Germanic and the Britannia, built for
the White Star Line in 1915, cost only
S1.000,000 each. They were fifteen knot
vessels, and the estimated cost Of a
twenty knot liner fourteen years later
was Just double that sum. This, again,
was nearly doubled after another ten
years, when the second Oceanic was
built. Her actual figure was 100000
CsS500O00). yet the first Oceanic sold for
$4,000.
This year already no fewer than
twenty vessels have been posted as
missing at Lloyds, the latest being the
Liverpool steamer Maroa, fine ship Of
more than four thousand tons net 1t Is
certain that the disaster TO the Titanic
will cause underwriters to consider very
seriously the huge losses with which
they are faced through the tendency TO
build larger and larger vessels, and in
all probability some important changes
will take place in practice at Lloyds
dealing with these leviathans. One
thing at least is apparent. e., that
owners, in the case of the larger vessels,
will have TO pay substantially higher
rates Of pre- mum than will prevail in the
case Of smaller ones.
Floating Wrecks a Danger
The exact loss to Lloyds and the great
marine insurance companies over the
sinking Of the Titanic may never be
known. Insurance authorities frankly
admit there are no means Of ascertaining
the actual loss involved. A leading ship
owner expresses the opinion that many
boats go down as result OF collision
with floating wrecks. Even the biggest
Atlantic steamer, If she squarely struck
a waterlogged, lumber laden Norwegian
'win6jammer' floating on her cargo on
~. would doubtless either have to be
written of as total loss or included in
ths missing list.
The Board of Trade has been repeat
edly urged to follow the lead set by the
American government and maintain yes
sells for the purpose of seeking out these
ocean perils and blowing them up, but
has consistently refused Sydney Bux-
ton, president Of the board, not long ago.
IN reply TO question in the Commons
on the subject, said he saw no reason
Tor action in the matter.