The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1912-04-24
TlTANIC'S STORY
NOT FULLY told.
Much Yet to be Revealed of Ii
ner's Fate-Some DISPOSE
ton to Find Fault With
Handling of Small
Boats After
Accident

New YORK, ApTll ZO.-NcdllS 1 "o~h htio
passed since 1.-The Titanic, the greatest OF
marine construction achievements, sank
in mid-ocean. Much of her story Is still
untold.
The number of survivors is fixed at 7O5
by the report Of Captain Rostron Of the
Carpathia. The White Star Line officials
believe, the death list totalled approx
mately 1,635.
The narratives Of the 705 survivors pay
a tribnte without precedent to the cour-
age of the men and women Of these mod
ern days, bravery Of impulse, unstudied,
unassuming and instructive alike IN
steerage passenger, stoker and million
aire.
Ample provision for the needy survivors
is rapidly being made. The relief funds
being gathered in New York and London
already total well up in the hundreds OF
thousands. Most of the steerage passen-
gers who reached New York distraught
and penniless, have already come to realize
the generosity and hospitality Of America.
Clad, fed and housed, they will be given
ample time to recover from the shock OF
their experience and will start their life in
the new world with ample funds. The
most complete story Of the Ttanic's fate
yet obtained is being gathered by the
members Of the senate investigating COM
mittee.
FAITH IN SHIP.
The burden of the testimony thus far
given emphasizes the unquestioned faith
of the Titanics officers in her unsinkable
character, the recklessness OF steaming
full speed through sea where dangerous
icebergs were known to threaten and the
remarkable calmness with which doomed
passengers and crew faced their last mo-
ments.
The Titanics fate has inspired prompt
action by the transatlantic lines to
insure liners hereafter taking course
far to the south, away from the iceberg
danger. There is little disposition to
criticise Capt Smith for having followed
the ocean lane in which he met disaster.
He showed unusual caution, according to
the naval photographers, in steering
course well to the south Of the regular
southern lane.
The new route eastbound provides that
steamships shall dip to lstitude $500 on
the first third Of their coulse, making a
total distance from New York to Fastnell
of 5000 miles, where the distance is now
reckoned as 2,S5S miles. Liners will thus
be carried 27O miles below the route here
tofore followed. The loss Of time on the
new course will be about nine hours for a
2+knot boat.
There was some criticism among the
survivors here today OF the Titanic crews
inability to handle the life boats.
''The crew Of the Titanic was a new one,
Of course" declares Mrs. George N. Stone
of Cincinnati, land had.never been through
a life boat drill, or any training in the
rudiments Of launching, manning and
eQuipping the boats.
SCORES WERE LOST.
Scores OF lives were thus ruthlessiy was
ted, sacrifice to inef1lciency. Had there
been any sea runninglinstead of the CLASSY
calm that prevailed, not single passenger
would have safely reached the surface OF
the water. The men did not know how to
lower the boats; the boats were not pro-
visioned; many Of the sailors could not
handle an oar with reasonable skill.'
Albert Major, steward on the Titanic,
admitted that there had been no boat
drills and that the life boats were poorly
handled.
Another story told by members of the
Titanic's crew which did not have bear
ing on The story of the rapid sinking of
the ship, is Of fire which is said to have
started in one Of the coal bunkers Of the
vessel soon after she left Southampton
and which was not eXtinguished until
Saturday afternoon. The story as told by
q fireman:
"It has.been necessary to take the coal
side forward and when the water came
rushing in after the collision with the ice
the bulkheads would not hold because they
did not have the supporting weight of the
coal. Somebody reported to Chief Engi-
neer Bell that the forward bulkhead had
given away and the engineer replied:
"My God! We are lost
REMAINED AT PUMPS.
THE engineers stayed by the pumps
and went down with the ship. The fire.
men and stokers were sent on deck five