The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-04-15

! aging director of the White Star lines;
| c. NJ. Hays, president of the Grand
! Trunk railway; Benjamin Guggenheim.
| w. T. Stead and others.
Steamship men here today character
! lied the disaster as the most start
| ling news which has come in from the
| sea since the advent of wireless teleg-
| raphy."
! The first heard of the accident was
about 1 O'Clock this morning when q
bulletin from Montreal stated that the
Allan line offices there had received a
wireless from Captain Gambell of the
steamer Virginian, stating that the
| Titanic was calling for assistance af-
ter collision with an iceberg. The
Virgfnian's captain addeu he was head
ing his boat for the Titanic, whose
position was said to be about $50 miles
south of Cape Race, Newfoundland.
Immediate inquiry by the United
states Associated Press in dispatch
TO the Marconi station at Cape Race
was answered soon afterwards in the
following words:
Reply to Inquiry.
AT 1925 last night the steamer
having struck an iceberg. The steam
er said that immediate assistance was
required Half an hour afterwards
another message came reporting they
were sinking by the head and that
women were being put off in the life
boats.
THE weather was calm and clear,
the Titanic's wireless operator report
ed and he gave the position of the
vessel as ALAG north latitude and
5O.14 west longitude. The Marconi
station at Cape Race notified the Al
Ian liner Virginian, the captain of
which advised that he was proceeding
for the scene of the disaster.
The Nirginian at midnight was
about 40 miles from the Titanic and
expected to reach that vessel about
10 a. m. today.
''The Olympic at midnight was in
latitude 1882 north and longitude
61-1S west. She was in direct COM
munication with the Titanic and is
steamship Baltic also reported herself
as about 200 miles east of the Titanic,
at lis a. m, and making all possible
speed toward her.
'fThe last signals l-om the Titanic
were heard by the Virginian at 1927
a. m. The wireless operator on the
Virginian says these signals were
blurred and ended abruptly
Biggest Boat in the World.
The Titanic is the biggest boat I'M
than 1000 persons-1,47O passengers
and crew of $50 men. A large per-
centage, if not the majority of the
passengers are Americans. The news
paper offices were besieged early to-
day by inquiries from hundreds of
persons shocked by the fragmentary
newspaper dispatches seen at the
breakfast table but in the early morn
ing hours there was nothing vital to
add to the alarming reports from
Cape Race. Something further was
expected every moment, but there was
nothing at hand to relieve the anxiety
shown in every quarter. Vice Presi-
dent P. A. S. Franklin Of the Interna-
tOnal Merchant Marine, the highest
official of the White Star line here.
was one of the first to be notified of
the reported disaster but it was only
through the Associated Press that he
learned of it, and for hours there
after he could only expereSS his as
toniShment at the news and his doubt
that such large and thoroughly pro-
tected ship as the Titanic could be in
danger at sea
Upon hearing the first reports he
spoke reassuringly, saying that only
eight or ten hours before the White
Star offices had received a wireless Civ
ing the liners position. He was sure If
she had met with any accident he
would have heard from her promptly
I'VE are absolutely satisfied even If
she was in collision with an iceberg
she is in no danger he said.
with her numerous water tight COM
partments she is absolutely unsuitable
and it makes no difference what she hit |
The report should not cause any serious
anxiety
Mr.. Franklin Weakens.
When the more serious news came |
from Cape Race, a little later Mr. |
Franklin qualified his statement with |
the hope that the reports were not true. |
He doubted that they could be correct. /
At 80 a. m. the White Star line offices
Continued from Page Two.l