THE TITANIC WRECK.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 10443, 24 April 1912, Page 2

THE TITANIC WRECK.

SOME PERTINENT QUESTIONS. SENATE COMMITTEE'S LIST. ACTION OF MEN SURVIVORS. SEVERELY CRITICISED IN NEW YORK. PROMPT BRITISH INQUIRY PROMISED. United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright. (Received April 24, 8.20 a.m.) LONDON, April 23. Tho New York correspondent of the " Daily News" gives a list of tho questions to whicli, he says, the special committee of the United States Senate is particulai'ly directing its inquiries. The questions are as follows: — 1. Whether the Titanic's officers received repeated -warnings of the presence of icebergs in its vicinity, and whether those warnings were disregarded. 2. Whether the loss of the> lives of one hundred women could not have boen avoided. 3. Why the Whito Star Company was apparently.ignorant of the fact of the disaster until tho Monday evening, although the Baltic and Olympic knew the details at noon. 4. Why an official of tho Marconi Company sent a wireless message to tho operators on the Carpathia on Thursday to the following effect: " Say nothing; hold your story for dollars in four figures." W T ERE THEY COWARDS? THE MEN WHO LEFT IN BOATS

EXPLANATION OF THEIR CONDUCT. The New York correspondent of the " Daily News " says that there is some talk of a Club boycott of the men who left the ship while there wore still women aboard, but it is difficult to criticiso the action of the men when boat after boat was lowered only partly filled. Nine out of ten passengers for an hour and a half'believed the Titanio to be unsinkable and deliberately refused to enter the earlier boats. A steward named Nichols states that half the men went back to bed. Threequarters of an hour after the oollisiou he saw a passenger punching the ball in the gymnasium. The women had to be coaxed to enter the boats. HALF-FILLED BOATS. Mr Peter Daly, a first saloon passenger, states that the captain ran to the railing callingßring the boatshackl" . Tho boats referred, to were only halffilled. > THE FRIENDLESS CHILDREN. The Hoffmann children are sons of a tailor who came from Nice. Their, mother asserts that the father kidnapped the children a month ago .disappeared in London. AMAZING IGNORANCE. SENATOR'S RIDICULOUS QUESTION. The London " Times " calls attention to an exhibition of ignorance by Senator Smith, chairman <jf the Senate's Committee who asked Mr- Lightoller, the second officer of the Titanic, whether the watertight compartments were intended as a refuge for the pasBengers. (There are at least three Smiths in tlio United States Senate, and the cablegrams do not indicate which oho is chairman of the committee. Ellison D. Smith, a democrat from South Carolina., is. a planter and an expert in cot- . ton. John "Walter Smith comes from Maryland, of which State he was Governor in 1900-4. He was originally in the lumber business. William Alden Smith, of Michigan, is a lawyer, who started life as a newsboy and messenger.) THE BRITISH INQUIRY.

LORD MERSEY TO BE CHAIRMAN. SHIPPING CONFERENCE CONVENED. STATEMENT BY PRESIDENT OF BOARD OF TRADE. In tho House of Commons Mr Will Crooks moved the adjournment in order to call attentibn to tho necessity for the Board of Trade preventing the officers, crew and passengers of the Titanio from dispersing before they had given evidence at the British inquiry. The Right Hon S. C. Buxton, in reply, promised to subpoena all necessary witnesses and to pay the expenses of the poorer witnesses. He announced that Lord Mersey had been appointed special commissioner to investigate the circumstances of the wreck, and he would be assisted by assessors. The commission would commence its investigations directly. • Tho Government was also convening a meeting of representatives of British shipping companies to consider What precautions should be taken for the safety of passengers, pending the revision of tho law. Mr Crooks then withdrew his motion. (Lord Mersey, better known as Mr Justice Bigham, was President of the Probate, Divorco and Admiralty Division of tho High Court in 1909-10.) SAFETY AT SEA. INTENTIONS OF BOARD OF TRADE. (Received April 24, 10.25 a.m.) Lord Mersey's Committee and thl Merchant Shipping Advisory Committee will meet to discuss matters affecting tho safety of passengers and crews at sea, and after recoiving their reports _ Mr Buxton will decide as to the expediency for the setting up of a further national or international committee or commission. Meanwhile lie has called for the affidavits from America of the officers and crow or passengers who ars not returning to England likely to afford any useful information relating to the Titanic disaster. THE SENATE'S INQUIRY. FOURTH OFFICER'S EVIDENCE. MYSTERIOUS SHIP IGNORES SIGNALS. Giving evidence before the Special Committee of the Senate in New York, Mr Franklin, vice-president of the International Mercantile Marine Company, suggested that the collision probably cut open fivo or six of the watertight compartments. Mr Boxhall, fourth officer of the Titanic. gave evidenco that the berg was a dark-grey mass of ice, thirty feet high. After the collision they tired signal lights in order io attract the attention of a ship which was iiv,o miles

' away. The ship made no answer, although the Titanic signalled to her "Come at once; wo are pinking." He 'did not know the name of tho ship. \ —— . THE RELIEF FUNDS. (Received April '2-1, 10 ,o5 n.m.) LONDON, April 23. The Queen of Norway has given a i hundred guineas to tho Lord Mayor's . fund, which has now reached £105,000. < The other funds in Britain and America ! total £75,000. I SAFETY BEFORE SPEED. The White Star and Cunard Com- , pauies state that the captains' stand--1 ing instructions are to place the safety j of lives and tlio ship before considerations of speed. I WOMEN DROWNED. ' (Received April 24, 11.45 a.m.) NEW YORK. April 23. Thirty-two women from the first and second classes wore amongst thoso drowned in the Titanic wreck. THE ENGINEERS. No engineers were saved. RECOVERY OF BODIES. A hundred bodies have been recovered. Among the first to ho identified •wns the body of Mr Widener, tho millionaire. AWARDS BY CONGRESS. Bills are being introduced into Confess to present gold medals to the kaptain and crew of the Carpathia and (o give ten thousand dollars apiece to Mia widows of tho Titanic's American j mail clerks.