New-York tribune., 1912-04-22

UnBulSneu from stewards, coal neaVerS.
oilers and others, but he was so short
of men to handle the boats that, despite
the fact that he was putting only two
men in each boat he had not enough TO
man them all on that basis and was
compelled to call in some male passen-
gers who had had more or less nautical
experience
Furthermore although there were only
twenty boats all told two Of these were
not put over the side, one becoming in
eXtricably entangled In the tackle and
another being washed overheard when
the ship sank. This naturally suggests
TO members Of the committee the ques-
tion: Even had the Titanic been equipped
with sufficient boats TO take off her pas
sengers and crew, would they ever have
been launched?
Boats Badly Slowed.
The Importance Of slowing boats in
the most accessible positions has also
impressed itself upon the committee. At
least one of the Titanics boats was
slowed ION top of the officers quarters" "
approximately nine feet above the boat
deck and seventy nine feet above the
water. 1t was this boat which was
never launched and which, according to
the second officer, he and his depleted
force OF sailors could not handle, even to
the extent Of bringing it within reach Of
the davit tackle.
ba
his line will Immediately take steps to
provide all it's ships with sufficient boat
age, but, according to the members Of
the committee. that provision will prove
wholly inadequate unless the line goes
further and slows the boats where they
are accessible and so drills its crews that
they can handle them With deXterity and
celerity. According to the most Conserv-
ative estimate. it Is pointed out two
hours and thirty-five minutes elapsed
between the time the Titanic struck the
iceberg and the time she sank, and even
that proved insufficient to lower and I'LL
her twenty lifeboats. four Of which were
less than the regulation size.
The committee and its authorities are
also impressed with the foolhardiness
of sending over the side lifeboats manned
by not more than two sailors, sometimes
one sailor and a man passenger or
steward 1t is suggested that this force
would have been insufficient to keep the
boats head 10 the wind in any sort OF
sea- and had the coming OF the Carpa-
baa,, JoIa until tho already frpah-
ening breeze had developed a sea, some
of the boats would probably have been
swamped, especially those which had
added TO their load by picking up men
found floating.
Members of the committee are strongly
impressed with the necessity, therefore,
Of thorough and frequent boat drills.
every sailor being assigned to his place
in a lifeboat, so that in the face Of
an emergency everything shall move as
smoothly as in we'll drilled fire engine
house. Otherwise they suggest, a mere
addition to the number Of lifeboats might
add merely TO the confusion and the ia
talites.
Limit Of Safety.
Has not the extreme limit of safety in
the size Of ships been passed? This Is
one Of the questions which this investi-
CATION. short as it has been. is already
suggesting 1t is realized, OF course,
that as the investigation proceeds other
phases may develop, but some are al
ready obvious. When asked what or
ders were issued by the captain after
that officer had approved Lighttollers
suggestion that he place the women
and children in the boats and cast them
off. Lighttoller said the captain, he be-
lieved. remained on the bridge. and that
he could not hear any other orders, al
though he presumed they were issued
constantly. Some Of the passengers have
described the captain as shouting orders
from the bridge" giving the impression
that he had difficulty in making himself
heard This raises the question; ls II
possible for the captain Of ship practi-
cally as long as four blocks in New YORK
City to exercise proper command atter
an accident especially if that accident
has crippled some OF the various electric
devices designed TO keep him in COM
municatlon with all parts of his ship?
The testimony thus far taken also in
dicates that there was comparatively
little crowding on the decks, and this
suggests the possibility that many never
realized their danger and were drowned
like rats I'm their staterOOms or hunks.
All who have so far testified declare
there was little or no suction when the
great ship finally settled to her last rest
ing place If that be true. and 1t also
be true as has been testified, that every
passenger had lifebelt, as is required
bv the British law, why was not the
sea for a short time, at least crowded
with human beings kept afoat by these
belts, which would sustain them even
we're they unconscious or dead?
The captain Of the Carpathia, arriving
on the scene less than four hours after
the Titanic went down, saw only one
floating body. Does this not mean that
the Titanic was so large that those from
two or three blocks away from the place
where her side was pierced never knew
Of the collision nor heard the alarm
and slept on unconscious Of their dangerT
This suggestion, the authorities point
out. is supported by the varying stories
Of passengers, some Of whom declare the
shock Of the impact was severe. almost
or quite throwing them down, while
others assert they barely felt IT. Again,
IL Is asked: Did the size Of the Titanic