Omaha daily bee., 1912-04-18
BOATS WOULD NOT HOLD ALL
Liners Unable to Carry Small Craft
for Total Number.
TITANIC OBSERVED REGULATION
White STIR Company ASSERTS Vessel
Carried Twenty Boats. which
Is In Exces. of official
Requirements.

LONDON. April I7.-In response 20 a
telegram Of inquiry as to the number Of
boats carried by the Titanic and how
many persons they would accommodate
the White Star company AZ Liverpool
sends the following message;
The Titanic had twenty boats. which
is In excess Of the official requirements. .
The question Of the number OF boats
carried by steamers has been widely dis
cussed. II appears that the board n
trade regulations permit reduction By
half In the number OF boats. RATS and
buoyant apparatus carried when the ship
IS sufficiently provided with watertight
compartments. but this concession does
not apply to life jackets and similar ap-
parstus.
Boats wonId Not Garry All.
According to some experts 1t would be
an impossibility 10 carry a sufficient
number OF boats 10 accommodate all on
board the mammoth liners, or II carried
that II would be next to impossible to
man and provision them.
1t cannot be doubted. however. that
the disaster will lead 20 n strict inquiry
BY the board OF trade Into this mattar
and revision Of the regulations.
This question has been under discussion
for some time by the advisory committee
composed OF prominent ship owners and
the board Of trade committee and eer-
tain recommendations have been prepared
which have not yet been made public.
n Regulations as 10 Boats.
The board OF trade regulations require
that a vessel Of 1000 tons shall carry
minimum Of sixteen boatA There are
no regulations applying TO vessels OF
greater tonnage but another rule pro-
yides that where boats do not furnish
accommodation for all passengers on the
steamer, additional wood or metal col
lapsible boats or life RATS shall be car
iaed. Tho regulations require that the
capacity OF the boats shall be 500 cubic
I feet. The Titanic's boats had capacity
of ela3 cubic feet each. Thus II had
nearly double the accommodation re-
quired BY the board OF trade.
X Il Is asserted in Belfast that tho IT,
fanic carried fourteen iifsboats. each ac-
oommodating sixty-five persons. two cut
tiers and number Of collspsible boats
or RATS.
:, Apparstss Fails.
The Titantic was fitted With eiec-
ts.eally controlled water-tisht compart-
rnsnts. Therefore these should have been
Immediately closed from the bridge. un-
less. as surmIsed. the collision 30 dam
AGED the electrical apparatus a. 10 rem
der this impossible or the vessels side
was torn away by an iceberg.
Al the White star offices IN London
and Southampton late tonight large
crowds were waiting in the greatest
anxiety for further lists. Many pathetic
scenes were Witnessed. In ono street In
Southampton every house had q bread
winner aboard the Titanic.
Y The mayor Of Southampton has opened
a relief fund for those Ieft dependant and
has appealed to the lord mayor Of London
40 cooperate.
Insurance Firms scared.
The sinking Of the Titantic. followins
70 closely the wreck Of the Delhi. ooeania
and other big vessels. has caused con.
sternktion among the marine underwrit.
< sfs, II wiu be long before ihe fun IT.
4 fect in insurances Of various kinda nl
<Lloydr 10 known and many Underwater
and ayndiestes may be hard hit.
Several insurance men. questioned on
the subject. declined 10 commit them
selves to any definite opinion. but seemed
70 think there would be movement IN