The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1914-02-14
CAPTAIN NOT A HERO.


the steamship Monroe, is not gathering
any laurels by reason of his testimony
at the trial Of Captain Berry of the
Nantucket, who is charged with being
responsible for the disaster which re-
sulted in the loss OF two score lives and
the sinking of the Monroe.
On Wednesday, Captain johnson ad-
mitted that the compass he used in
steering was not Standard; that it
varied from the true reckoning and
that he knew his course could not be
absolutely correct We do not know,
at this distance from the scene Of the
disaster, how much responsibility should
be laid at the door of the steamship
company on account Of Captain john
son IS use of the crooked compass.
On Thursday, Captain Johnson ad-
mitted that he left the Monroe in one
of the two boats that cleared from the
doomed vessel and that he knew there
were other persons still aboard. The
oId-time sea captain used TO be the last
man to quit the sinking ship, looking
TO the safety Of passengers and crew
before taking his own life into account.
High above the awful roar of the hur-
ricane, when mems faces blanch and
their knees grow weak under the weight
Of terror, when women shrek and pray
for deliverance from the storm god, the
stern voice OF the captain, according
TO the historians OF the sea, is heard
giving directions for the saving OF ev-
erv life but his own, which is supposed
to be forfeited If his vessel goes to the
bottom.
In the old DAYS there was always
something terrfcally impressive about
shipwreck. We have been taught to be-
lieve that on vessels where the English
language is spoken the cry of Women
and children first" is raised, and that
the gallant Briton and American goes
down singing "Nearer, Ny God, to
Thee" or some other oldtime hymn
that occurs TO the mind Of the first
newspaper man sending out an account
of the catastrophe,
The crowniug sea horror Of all time
was when the Titanic, the most mag
niiicent vessel that ever plowed the
! seas, freighted with hundreds of prec-
| ious lives, crashed into an iceberg dur
ing the silent watches Of the night. All
of us read great many accounts Of
what happened after the fatal message,
1--WE are sinking by the head was
flashed by the operator who was soon
to Weld up his life. What happened
was this:
The frstclass passengers, many OF
whom had been feasting and were
awake when the vessel struck, were i'm
bued with the idea that the Titanic was
unsuitable and neglected to try for q
parent TO all that the ship was doomed.
Then it was too late, so far as the men
were concerned, and they went down
TO death.
We do not know whether TO believe
the story that the levisthsn of the deep
htut " lh' bVbbpii Aut DdhI
PLAYED and the luckless passengers
poured forth their souls in songs Of the
Redeemer, or that other story that
Archie Butt anticipated fate by shoot
ing down the leaders Of an ignoble mob
rushing for the boats regardless OF
the women and children, who the
, law Of the sea says are to be saved
first We prefer TO believe that every
man died a hero, but we have oul
doubts. 1t is well known that the head
Of the company owning the Titanic wa:
aboard the ship and was one Of the frs
; TO take TO boat. He was saved, Will,
the waters closed over hundreds Of men
, women and children. "Womep anC
, children frst' did not apply TO tn
| steerage and the social line was draw
T in the face Of death. Bruce Ismay sur
/ vivcd and the sturdy peasant seekin
home in the new world was caugh
; like rat in n trap and died without
hand raised TO save him.
All this is recalled by the testimon,
{ Of Captain johnson of the Monroe, wh
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