The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1913-08-12
TITANIC WRECKED BY A REEF
,,pT OF VESSELS HULL SIGHT
IN AT SCENE OF DISASTER.
,onort of Liners Captain Believed
IN Be Important by Navy Officials.
Think Ship Torn by Ledge.

much Of the mystery that surround
- the sinking of the White Star liner
Vg+onic on April IA, 1912, may be dis
aI,ad nv the discovery Of a wreck, be-
Rpoyad to be part OF the hulk of the Ill
-.orrod vessel, standing on end in the
1tIantic ocean off the grand banks of
HoTfoundland, practically in the spot
.rhere the disaster occurred.
rontain Remnant Of the British
..oomship Luciline, which arrived at
nSiIodeIphia from Bordeaux some time
100 reported sighting the derelict, and
We united States photographic office
w. begun an investigation to learn
-"ora about the wreck. Lieutenant
Commander Landenberger, United
Stotas photographer, stationed in Phil
adelphia, attaches much importance TO
the report
Should the wreckage sighted by the
rnciIine prove to be part of the re-
mains Of the Titanic the story Of the
-.or,orable wreck would be rewritten.
rbo fact that after more than a year
+ho hulk stands vertically in the
waves. protruding eight feet or more
oboye the surface, would Indicate that
submerged ledge of rock had pre-
vented the wreck from going to the
actual bottom of the sea. If such a
Iodga exists-and evidences Of one
wore reported as long ago as 1922
+ben il is regarded as possible that the
roundpring of the Titanic was caused
bv +he hidden obstruction ripping open
ber hull as much as by her collision
with the iceberg.
Should these theories prove to be
facts, Captain Smith, who was in
command of the Titanic and persisted
when his vessel went down, might be
ahsolved. it is said, Of the charge OF
lack Of vigilance and damage suits
AGAINST the International Mercantile
Marine based on the disaster would
fall admiralty lawyers say, for the
same reason.
Captain Remnant of the Luciline be-
leves that what he saw was the
wreck of the Titanic or part of it. II
was covered with a marine growth OF
comparatively recent formation, tend
ing to show that it had been in the
water little more than a year. 1t had
the appearance, Captain Remnant said
Of being held down by anchors in shoal
water and of being buoyed up by wa
ter tight compartments. He Is of the
opinion that it was the forward part
of the Titanic. which. it was said, split
in two just before it sank.
Sunken Ledge May Exist.
Mariners say there is every reason
to believe the existence of a submerg
ed ledge Of rock at or near the spot
where the Titanic was destroyed
Three different Instructions of suct
a character have been reported and
the calculations of the position Of the
grave Of the Titanic as well as those
of the sunken rocks and Of the wreck
reported by Captain Remnant are al
approximate
Lieutenant Commander Landenberg
er, United States photographer, said
in discussing the report that the mat
ter Is one of the utmost importance
He asserted that the government
should dispatch a surveying vessel tc
the scene of the disaster to establish
or disprove at once the existence Of
the sunken ledge and to ascertain II
possible if the wreck seen by the Brit
ish officer was that Of the i'll fatet
Titanic