The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1912-05-02
SAYS HIS CAPTAIN
IGNORED TITANIC.
ENGINEMAN SAYS CALIFORNIAN
WENT AHEAD REGARDLESS
OF ROCKETS.
SAW K OF VESSEL.
This Is Denied by chief.-WireIess
Man Says Doomed Ship Gave
No Heed Of Warn.
ings.

washington, April with
light from her saloons and cabins the
Titanic dashed full speed ahead to her
destruction, according to Ernest Gill,
a donkey engineman on the steamship
Californian, who testified before the
senate committee investigating the
disaster.
He said that Captain Stanley Lord
OF the Californian refused later to go
to the aid of the Titanic, the rockets
from which were plainly seen. This
Captain Lord denied but both he and
his wireless operator acknowledged to
having seen rockets. Their ship, they
said, was fast in the ice.
Gill submitted an affidavit to the
committee and when sworn and put on
the stand stuck to his charges against
b captain of the Californian. He said
he was standing on the deck late Sun.
day night when he sighted a great
ship sweeping along at top speed about
ten miles of. He did not know it was
the Titanic but he made out readily
that it was not a freighter or a small
vessel because of the manner in which
IL was illuminated.
Saw the Distress Rockets.
Some time later he saw distress
rockets on the horizon. He said the
captain was apprised of these signals,
but made no effort to get up steam and
go to the rescue. The Californian was
drifting with the foe. So indignant
did he become, said Gill, that he en.
heavored to recruit a committee of pro.
test from among the crew, but the men
failed him.
Captain Lord entered a sweeping de.
NAL of Gills accusations and read
from the Californian's log to support
his contention. Cyril Evans, the Cali
fornian's wireless operator, however,
told of hearing much talk among the
crew who were critics of the captains
course.
Gill, he said, told him he expected
to get $500 for his story when the ship
reached Boston.
Evans told of having warned the
Titanic only a brief time before the
great vessel crashed into the berg that
the e was crowded with ice. The
Titanic's operators, he said, at the
time were working with the wireless
station at Cape Race and they told
him to Shut up" and keep out"
Within a half hour the pride of the
lei was crumpled and sinking.
1t developed that one reform that is
certain to spring from the present in
vestigation will be enforced in the
wireless rooms of ships entering or
leaving American ports. This con.
Germs lack of authority over the oper-
ators, pay, hours and freedom from
responsibility as brought out by the
testimony to date. Senator Smith,
chairman, announced publicly that
such legislation was inevitable.
Says He Was Warned.
The declaration that he was warned
Is minutes after the crash that he did
not have half an hour to live and to
keep the information quiet, and that
this warning came directly from Man.
ager Andrews of the firm of Harland &
Wolff, builders of the Titanic, who
went down with the ship, was made
by Samuel. s.. Hemming, a seaman
Other witnesses from among the
crew declared they did not get such a
warning and that many of them were
"skylarking and joking after the acct.
dent.
Tell Of !smay's Escape.
Several sailors told of seeing ].
Bruce lsmay, managing director of the
International Mercantile Marine, after
the accident and his escape from the
ship. One of them said Ismay aided
women and children into the boats.
George Rowe, a quartermaster, in
charge of the lifeboat in which Mr..
1smay left the Titanic, said Mr.. Ismay
did not get into the boat until women
and children had failed to respond to
a call. 1smay, he declared, was not
ordered into the boat, but stepped in
Just before it was lowered. Ismay. he
said, issued no orders in the lifeboat,.
leaving him (Rowe) in absolute
charge.
Jumps Three-Fo DOT Chasm.
It was necessary for women and
children on the sinking Titanic to
jump a three-foot chasm from the deck
to che nfeboats, and babies were tossed
into the boats, according to testimony
given by F. O. Evans, one of the ii
tanic's crew.
Evans credited this method of load.
ing the boats with the heavy loss of
life among the women and children.
-
Reward for Dog Prisoners.
Fargo, April 29.-To cope with the