The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1912-04-26
UNKNOWN SHIP
PASSED WRECK
Ignored THAMES Frantic Ap-
pealS For Assistance. :,
FOURTH OFFICER TEST|FIES

Boxhall Appears Before Senate Com.
mittee and Tells Of Mysterious Ac.
tlons Of Steamer Whose Lights
Were Plainly Visible From Bridge
of Liner When Crash comes-says
Captain Smith Was on Duty at
Time Of Collision.
Washington, April 23.--That YES.
sci was within sight of the Titanic
when it came into fatal collision with
the iceberg, was the feature of the
senate committees hearing into the
cause Of the disaster. This un.
identified vessel was headed to.
ward the Titanic SO close was she
that her lights were easily discern.
1ble from the Titanic's bridge. Yet
this mysterious ship failed to re.
spond to the burning rockets that
were sent up for more than an hour
as signals of distress, or to the
urgent electric flashes which, in the
Morse code, spelled the words "come
at once, we are sinking"
IN the, opinion of some Of the I'll.
tanic's officers who stood on the
bridge on that fatal night of April
a. this vessel, within sight OF the
Titanic, acknowledged the signals
but sailed away unheeding. This
startling information was impaired
to the committee by ]. G. Boxhall,
former fourth officer OF the Titanic,
who also gave impressive details of
what occurred on the bridge of the
Titanic just preceding and following
the collision with the iceberg. Ac.
cordins to this officer, Captain Smith
himself was on the bridge when the
big liner plunged into the great mass
of ice, but conditions were so that it
was impossible to see the berg even
after the ship had come into contact
with IT,
Account Is Impressive.
Besides Officer Boxhall's dramatic
story, the senate committee heard an
impressive account through Vice
President Franklin of the White
Star line, of the uncertainty and
fears that attended the efforts Of the
officials Of the White Star line to
ascertain just what had happened to
the great Titanic All the messages
that flashed from the White Star line
officers In those hours of uncertainty
were introduced in evidence. and
also the wireless dispatches that
came back bearing only the most
meager news of the tragedy. The
messages introduced In evidence for
the White Star people tended strong
ly to support their contention that
they had no definite knowledge that
the Titanic had gone to the bottom
until $50 Monday night. There was
also included in the record all the
messages which passed between p. A.
S. Franklin, vice president OF the
International Mercantile Marine COM
pany. and ]. Bruce lsmay, managing
director, in regard to the latters
plan for holding up the Cedric and
sailing at once on her with the sur
viving officers and sailors of the
Titanic,
The dispatches from Mr.. Ismay
showed that he planned to have the
lifeboats Of the Titanic taken off
with the crew and officers at quaran-
tine, Mr.. Franklin declared there
had been terrible mistake" In re-
gard to Mr.. Ismay's intentions and
that the managing director never
would have proposed the arrange
ment for sailing on the Cedric II he
had been aware of conditions in this
country.
The senate committees room In
the senate office building was jam
med with such crowd at the hear
Ing that 1t was impossible almost for
the members Of the committee to
hear the testimony Of the witnesses.
The committee has accordingly de-
cided to exclude the public from the
hearings In the future, except those
directly interested. including repre-
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