The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1916-01-11
Titanic Claimants
Accept S664,0OO
Tentative Settlement Reached by
Lawyers Representing
Both Sides

New York, Jan. S.-For some time
negotiations have been in progress
between the Oceanic Steam Naviga.
ton Co., the owner of the White Star
line. and the lawyers of claimants
on account of the Titanic disaster for
settlement of their claims
AS filed with the district court thew
reached the total of s16,S04,112 which
even allowing for the considerable
scaling down Of some of them, which
on their face were excessive, was
out of all proportion to the amount
for which the steamship company
would be liable If it was enabled to
establish the limitation of its liabil-
ity under the American law. The
only requires the owner of vessel
to pay compensation for the loss of
life or property to the amount of sal
cage and freight and passage moneys
and in the case Of the Titanic this Is
only $97,772.12 which with interest
added now amounts to about $4,000.
agreement 10 Reached
The negotiations have been so far
successful that C. G. Birmingham Of
counsel for the steamship company,
announced that counsel for the var
ious claimants for loss Of life, bag
gage, etc, have liquidated the claims
as between themselves at about ST.
100000 and and the great majority
Of the lawyers who represent these
claimants have agreed with the White
Star line to recommend to their eli
ents to accept s664,O00 in full settle
ment Of all claims fled in this coun-
try"
The way to this tentative settle
ment has been reached through
committee composed OF some of the
lawyers with large interests in the
case. who have gone through the
claims as presented and have scaled
them down.
Effort to Standardize
They have endeavored to standard
lie them so as to allow the same
amount of compensation to simi'a
cases, and to cut down those which
were palpably extravagant. Those
lawyers who have been members of
this committee will now advise their
clients to accept the offer of the
steamship company, which works out
at between 26 and q per cent of the
revised claims.
1t is not certain yet, however. that
all the counsel interested in the case
will assent to this settlement and A.
Leonard Brougham, who was promi-
nent in the early stages Of the litiga.
ton and was fined by Judge Hough.
$500 for contempt of court in order
to bring one of the points OF the CON
troversy to an issue said that he
would not advise his own clients to
accept this compromise.
Expects Better Terms
Mr.. Brougham Is confident that a
better settlement may be obtained
by awaiting the decision OF Judge
Mayer in the federal district court
in the suit tried before him last June
to decide the right of the Oceanic
Steamship Co., to take advantage of
the limitation of liability granted by
the American statutes. In the first
place, the claimants endeavored to
show that the White Star line on
technical grounds could not claim
the protection Of this law, but was
under the British statues, but this
was decided against them in May,
1914. by the supreme court of the
United States.
The result was that last summer
the claimants again attacked the
right of the steamship company alleg-
ing that here were such defects in
the navigation Of the Titanic as well
as in its construction as to render its
| owners liable for the settlement Of
the claims in full. The decision of
Judge Mayer on this suit has not
been rendered.