New-York tribune., 1912-04-20
C. E. STENCIL.

G. L. Stengel. Uf Newark aud his wife
who were among the survivors OF the
! Titanic sald yesterday that there was no
excuse for the accident. The night Was
clear and Zine: you could for hundreds
OF Yards. and the officers OF the shiD knew
/ that we were In the latitude where Ice
would be met, vet tn" ship proceeded at
! full speed. She struck berg on the star
board side and must have been going about
! twenty-five knots an hour" he said. Be
sides Mir. ismay, there Wcr" aboard the
ship the architect and assistant architect
and the builders engineer. My hmprC ssion
! is that il was a trial trip and that the ship
/ had TO average a certain number OF knots
/ an hour 20 maintain its contract speed and
to make a name for the line ] cannot be-
! love that proper precautions were taken.
II know that the ship was going faster
! every day. as my stateroon was near the
engines and | noticed that the pulsation
was getting quicker and that the bearings
we're working freer Why she should have
! been making that speed where ice was
! known to exist is something the company
should answer. and Mr.. lsmay might be
| able 10 explain.
"An officer OF the Titanic on board the
| I dlpltnld lOIu INV lI-N 'ilt. 't' hb"'rN
that they would be in the latitude for ice
! between 10 and - o'clock SUNDAY night. II
was reported on board ship that she had
made 5is knots between Saturday noon
and Sunday noon. and she did not lower
| her speed from that time until the shock
! came.
The boiler showed that she was carry
ing 30 pounds of steam Sunday night
shortly before the accident. and ! believe
! that prudent seaman would not have
done this where ice was known to exist
and that a prudent seasan would not have
gone at anything but careful rate OF
speed under the circumstances.
THE loss OF life in great part vas due
10 overconfdcnce" said Mr.. Stengel, as
every person on board thought the ship
unsinkable Then there were not enough
lifeboats, and those that were there were
lowered in an amateur way and without
anv preparatior Some boats were lowered
without plugs and they filled with water.
The shock came at II 40 and the ship
sank AZ 2:aO We checked the time OF
both. While we kept the boats of from
the ship We could plainly see her. There
we're four distinct explosions, which must
4 nave Dpen CduSc1 ny ll' i'il''o '"l'''''S
as the ice cold water touched them. Then
the big ship reared UP, her stem high tn
air. and there came a wall across the sea
that will haunt me TIL die. II Wa. awful
Crowds Jumped from the stern and then
the great hulk shot down and our boats
trembled with the waves
| 1T was a half hour after the shock that
the boats were lowered. In the earlier parts
OF the night before danger was realized by
any except the higher officers OF the ship
| there was perfect order. There did not
appear 10 be any one 10 command and All
hands grabbed ropes and lowered the boats.
| We were again told that there was no dan
ger and that the boats were being put 10
sea merely as a precsution, and the boats
! were told TO keep about 200 yards OF tho
ship as they would be recalled.
| "At first the boats were loaded among
| iokIng crowds and some women refused
| 10 20 into them. feeling safer aboard the
sbip which they said was unsinkable.
some boats that could hold nifty. were
| lowered with only twenty-five and even
though there was room for men none was
| allowed to go. A mate said that only
women and children could go after oars
were manned. and he said he would shoot
any man who tried to get In lie nred q
revolver off In the air to show u was
loaded and that he meant business