The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1912-04-22
Naval Officials Point TO the
Titanic Disaster as
Case in Point.
MOVEMENTS OF ICE KNOWN
Head Of photographic Office
Explains Steps Taken to
Protect Ships.

III Sh0t 10 VI Vic navy hyuiO8i 0pAAho oAsaSo'
The statement. which was issued by
authority Of the Secretary Of the Navy.
outlines the duties Of the photographic
Office under the law in markine eland chart
ing steamship lanes for steamship travel
on all OF the ocean routes Of the world.
The chart for April. issued fourteen
days before the Titanic went down showed
the tracks east and west that were to
be nseu during the current month. 1t is
the duty Of the photographic Office to map
out these tracks and the locations and
movements Of Instructions to navigation,
such as ice and wreckages. but these are
not always followed. as Is illustrated.
according to naval officials. in the case
of the Titanic.
The photographic Offices daily bulie-
tins had shown since March ~ the move
ments Of ice along the fiftieth meridian
down across the forty-fourth. forty-thirtl
and forty second parallels and finally on
April i3the warnings az published showed
that large areas OF field ice and bergs had
crossed the forty-second parallel. and
accordingly were in the track Of all west
bound steamships.
The records OF steamship movements
on April II, ~. l3 and IA show that a
number OF liners had ignored the Official
advices and had kept directly on the
regular track. These ships themselves
reported the presence of the ice to the
photographic Office three or four de-
scribing the difficulty they had in avoiding
bergs
Tha. some Of the greatest ice fields
ever reported to the photographic Office
already had crossed the northern track
and were within sight Of the southern
or eastbound track near the fiftieth
meridian about the time tho Titanic was
traversing that region is proved by the
report OF :he German steamship Anerika.
This ship was travelling eastbound on
April II on her regular track about forty
milcs south Of the northern. or west
bound. track when she saw three large ice.
bergs and wirelessed the Information to
Washington. This report was relayed
through the Titanic for her own informa-
ton and by the Titanic was forwarded to
Washington through the Cape Race sta
tion.
In the face OF these warnings and the
fact that few ships veered out OF their
course to avoid the ice the naval au-
thorities say they were not at all sur
prised al the accident. In fact they had
been fearful OF some sort OF catastrophe
and Capt Knapp had made up his mind
last s unday to take the subject up with
the Navy Department in the hope that
steps could be taken to stop reckless
travel in the ice fields. II was decided.
however. that the Navy Department had
done everything possible under the law
in issuing the warnings Of danger.
Accordingly il was decided To confer
with tho representatives Of other de-
partments concerned on the subject Of
the creation Of an International track
master to operate in conjunction with
another trackmaster at the European end
Of the route. II was proposed that these
trackmasters should have absolute con-
troll OF vessels sailing the north Atlantic.
their duties comparing with those OF
train despatchers on railroads.
Upon the recommendation OF Capt
Knapp the big steamship lines agreed on
Friday to take more southerly course
and the photographer in New York was
instructed N cooperate with the steamship
officials in mapping out the tracks pend
ing the issuance Of revised chart from
the Washington Office. These tracks as
agreed upon are about 100 miles south Of
the tracks that have been used since the
ships changed from the northern to the
southern course in January. Steamship
officials were loath to change to the
southern course so early. but were driven
to 1t by urgent warnings from the hydro
graphic Office at that time that an enor-
nous area of field ice and bergs vas moving
down on the northern course. Navy on
cials believe that possibly it was this very
ice with which the Titanic collided several
hundred miles further south.
The impression that the Titanic was
from the fact that the westbound track
upon which she was travelling lies imme-
diately north Of the eastbound track
said Capt. Knapp in his statement. But
this is a. it should be. and agrees exactly
with the understanding entered into by
the steamship companies in Isss"
Capt. Knapp significantly adds that
whether the Titanic should have diverged
toward the south on being informed that
ice had been sighted along the accepted
routes "is another question and need not
be discussed here" He states that the
steamships by mutual con-
sent in a written agreement follow a
definite set Of tracks in passing to and
from northern Europe to the United
The agreement came about
through long experience and the occurs
renee of many disasters that might have
been avoided had the so-called steam
ship lanes been adopted sooner by all
transatlantic companies.
AT early IA 1885," says Capt. Knapp,
"Lieut. Matthew Fountaine Ma,,ry, the
brilliant young officer OF the United States
Navy. while in charge Of the depot Of
charts and Instruments. reasoned out and
laid down on one Of his famous wind and
current charts set of steamer lanes. and
those were adopted by many vessels. In
that year five companies, the Cunard.
Guion, lnrnan, National and White star.
agreed to follow definite lanes, such az
had been advocated by Lieut.. Maury and
published subsequently in the monthly
pilot chart issued by the naval hydro
graphic office"
With slight notifications these lanes |,
were accepted formally by all the steam
ship companies concerned in November.
ises The chief notifications were the
change from northerly to more
southerly sst Of tracks TO he made in
January Of each year and the change