Evening Post. THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 1912. THE TRAGEDY OF THE TITANIC
Evening Post, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 92, 18 April 1912, Page 6
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Evening Post. THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 1912. THE TRAGEDY OF THE TITANIC
Mec6ag€fi since yesterday about the Titanic disaster have confirmed the first reports of the enormous loss of life, by which hundreds of homes in Britain and America have been deeply saddened. So far only 955 of the total complement of passengeis and crew, quoted as over 2000, are reported to have been rescued, and it is feared that the others have perishedi in the icy sea. The broken ship has gone down to a resting place far beyond any diver's reach, and with her the evidence of the ice toe's tragic havoc has vanished. Men may aormise about the «ffoct# of the collision on one of the strongest hulla ever set upon the 'ocean, but in the absence of the torn and crumpled steel the experts may hay« a, lengthy controversy, in which no agreement may be reached. One theory is that the steamer, after crashing inio the immense mass of ice, swerved along the edge and had her side ripped open, but thi» , information is very vague. At the time of the catastrophe men had not a moment to spare in thought about the exact nature of the ice floe's devastating work. They knew that a deathblow had been given, and they gave all their energy to saving the women and children. The reports so far published tell the world that each man did a man's part, in that black night, to save th» women and children. Among the number rescued there are only 78 men, and of these 68 were needed to work the boats. This is a record to shine beside other* which are a* a rank of perpetual light* glowing through the agee of British history. The men of Britain and their kinsmen of America had no difference of politics, no difference of national ideal, on the deck of the doomed Titanic. The whole world honour* them. Their selfsacrifice, m good as man could give and yet no better than woman deserved, by British tradition and Britinh enterprise, places them in the ranks of a. deathless army, a splendid example for all time and all nations. Already the general lesson* of the wreck are being mentioned. The London Times asks whether the time- ha* not come for a halt in the construction of mammoth steamers designed to triumph in speed competitions, and urges the selection of a safer track. The "rage for speed" is also condemned in Berlin, the capital of a country which has been striving for supremacy in the Atlantic. Minor mishaps have not dis| couraged the competing companies, and I the lack of docking facilities for such monsters did not retard the rate of de- I velopment. A writer in Shipping Illustrated (an American publication) last October, after the collision of the Titanic's meter Olympic with the cruiser Hawke, made some impressive statements on this subject. " The accident to the Olympic," he said, " emphasises a good deal that has been said during the past two or three years as to the necessity for making adequate preparations for the docking of the White Star giants. Had there been adequate graving dock accommodation at Southampton, it would not have been necessary to send the Olympic to Belfast. However, the mind shudders at the thought of what might have happened had the accident taken place on this side, as there is no dock in. this part of the world which could accommodate a vessel of her sine. It has often been suggested thai the transatlantic companies might take a financial interest in the construction of a 1000 ft dry dock to be located at New York, but up to the present nothing has been accomplished, and it is lucky for underwriters that no disaster of any magnitude has as yet overtaken off these shores any of the giant liners which trade to the port of New York." A terrible disaster ha* occurred off the American coast, and the enormity of it must compel attention to the fact that in accordance with the rules of common-sense it is better that docks should outstrip ships than that ships should outstrip docks. If the Titanic had been able to float long enough to transfer all her passengers to the ships which her wireless appeal brought to the scene of the wreck, the world might have had the spectacle of a vessel worth £1,250,000 and cargo still more valuable lost for want of a dock able to receive such a giant. Pressure by underwriters and the force of public opinion may now bring about some changes. Slight shocks of earthquake in San Francisco did not radically alter the rules of building, but a staggering- disaster ordered a complete alteration. So on the sea, the reported lose of so many live* and property -valued at £5,000,000 must help to the formation of that " sane public opinion" for which the London Times appeals. More and more the people have been inclined to favour speed and comfort against the factor of safety, not because they do not like safety, but because, they gradually came to loee fear of calamity. It ie, of course, impossible to form any direct conclusions regarding thie latest catastrophe. Thereis, up to the present, no evidence on whicch to base an opinion. But there can be no doubt that the huge sacrifice will stimulate a demand for jui international convention of shipping interests for their own protection, a-s well a*, for the more important safety of Uio travelling public.
