IN THE ICE FIELDS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1419, 20 April 1912, Page 5

IN THE ICE FIELDS.

OTHER VESSELS' EXPERIENCES. THICK FOG OFF CAPE RACE. Halifax (Nova Scotia), April 18. The steamer Parisian has arrived here. The captain reports that ho received no news of tho Titanic except at secondhand. Her call for help was not heard. *' St. John's, April 18. The Allan liner Carthaginian has arrived. She lay for two days in a thick fog off Cape Race, and her wireless apparatus intercepted bulletins respecting the disaster, but there were no details. New York, April 18. The General Transatlantic Company's steamship La Bretagno Teports passing huge 'icebergs. Forty bears were seen clinging on the surface. ENGLISH RELIEF FUND. SUM OF .E30,000 IN HAND. London, April 18. 'Die English subscriptions to the relief fund exceeded .030,000 this afternoon. The White Star Company lias forwarded a thousand guineas to the Lord Mayor ei Liverpool's fund. Many theatrical and operatic performances are arranged. NEW ZEALAND SYMPATHY.... Napier, April 19. Tho Napier Borough Council to-night passed a motion expressing the deepest grief at tho wreck of the Titanic, and extending sympathy to the friends, families, and relatives of those who have been drowned, and high appreciation of the conduct of the officers and crew and the passengers, who so nobly sacrificed their lives to save the women and children. Auckland, April 10. Tho City Council has passed a. resolution of profound regret at the Titanic disaster, and recording its deep sympathy with the mourning relatives. Nelson, April 19. , The City Council has adopted n. resolution to-night expressing profound sorrow at Uio inUrtiftUaiui.l dlMetw ofifift* jfoud ks. tin .nook oi Uw Xtatffc

The executive of the Now Zealand Centra! District Independent Order of Koehabitcs last evening passed a resolution expressing the svmpathv of the Older \ulh those bereaved In- tho wreck of the litame, members standing. A motion of condolence with those who Bufierod by the wreck of the liner Titanic was passed, standing, on the motion: of Mr. Hector M'Leod, at his election meeting at Miranmr on Thursday evening. THE LATE W. T. STEAD. STORY OF HIS CAREER. I ~l ' n f, n it now stems certain I ■ lat -H r 'J V - T - stciul > editor of tho "Ee- \ Y! cw °}. Reviews," is among those lost on 'tho litame. A frank and delightful directness was a foremost characteristic or tlio deceased journalist. "Strange as it may seem," he afiirmed once in his Renew of Reviews," "tho German Jaivporor is tho only man 1 am anxious to meet who is not anxious to meet me." Jus achievements almost justified such egotism. Ho left the common schools to w;ork early and late in a Nowcastlo merchant s office. By, tho time he was eighteen his genius for journalism had led Jnin into newspaper work, and at twenty-two he had becomo editor of the Darlington "Northern Echo," laying down the law on all occasions, and inaugurating in England tho system of government by newspapers. "Yet, when He bade farewell to all this greatness at tho age of thirty for a subordinate position on tho 'London Pall Mall Gazette,' states a biographer, "very few people in the world at large had over heard tho uamo of Stead. In another thrco years, very few people had not. For in' that «!l™?i I 1? i d milJo llimsel f editor of tho 1 all Mall, and had been sent to prison tor exposing a world-wido traffic in women, under tho title of 'The Maiden Tribute.' " .Mr. Stead made it part of his life's mission to assist the cause of universal peace. I think," he once wrote, "I may say witl/out egotism that but for me there would be no Hague Conference for the. world to talk about. It was I who took up this matter in tho teeth of our indifferent public, I who saw the Tsar when 1 '".V™ 1 ' 1 ' 1 scoffed, and I wlJn persuaded tho statesmen, of Continental Europe that peace is no idle dream." In all the personal relations of life Mr. Mead was a plain, unaffected English gentleman. The graceful egotism which "larked his journalism was then sloughed ott. Ho described his own personality as American in sympathies. Russian by ii-'i I '*! assim ilat'}oii> English bv birth. While, on the one hand, Mr. 'Stead was tho apostlo of universal peace among the nations, yet, on the other hand, ho is regarded by many as having played a vast part towards the creation' of English naval power as it is understood to-day, iror it is not overstating matters to sav that his publication "The Truth About the Navy' in 1881 awakened the middle and lower classes of England to a somewhat dangerous stnto of things, and (taken in conjunction with tho works of previous and moro expert writers) paved the way for the groat new fleet idea tii which Sir William White gave boing— tho substitution of homogenous squadtoiis fcr tho old fleots in which scarcely two types were alike. A SAILOR'S VIEWS. ONLY HALF THE BOATS AVAILABLE. (By Teleßraph.-Spocial Correspondent.) Auckland, April 19. Mr. R, F. Bell, organiser of tho British Sailors' and Firemen's' Onion, When interviewed by a reporter, said ho was well acquainted with tho builds and methods of working steamers of the Titanic class, and ho maintained that no matter if she carried sufficient boais to accommodato overy passenger on board, it would bo impossible to utilise them all in caso of a collision or a wreck ashore. "T'liesn vessels do not sink on an even keel," said Mr. Bell, "and therefore it would only be possible in such a caso to uso tho boats on one sido of tho ship. Then tho boat-decks do not afford sufficient space lo accommodato anything like tho full complement of passengers at once. As for third-class passengers and members of tho crew, they would never find their way to the boat-decks. These mammoth vessels are less liko steamers than lloating hotels, and they would bo probably lost en route."

Asked as (o what remedy lie would suggest, Mr. Bell said that tho only thing to bo dono was to enlarge tho passenger space on deck, and reduce the number of people carried. Regarding tho course which tho vessel was taking at tho time of tho disaster, Mr. Bell said that it this lime of tho year it was regarded us safe to go further north than later in the setson, when the icebergs would have commenced to break up and float south. The visitors also mentioned that it was possiblo for a man on the look-out to smell bergs many miles beforo they were encountered. Ho thought tho Titanic must have struck a very solid one. WOULD THE TITANIC SINK? PRESSURE IN OCEAN DEPTHS. (By Telegraph.—Special Correspondent.) Auckland, April 1!). A well-known shipmaster, in conversation with an Auckland reporter, advanced tho theory that the Titanic could not have sunk to the ocean bottom if there was, as stated, a depth of water at tho spot which she sank of two and a half miles. According to calculations, upward pressuro of tho water at such a depth would bo 2.5 tons to tho square inch. When tho vessel sank to a point where tho upward pressure and downward pressure of the water were equal sho would, ho thought, remain stationery, or, what was nioro probable, drift with tho set of the current till sho reached a spot whore tho downward pressure was sufficient to counteract the upward pressuro to such aji extent as to sink her. The captain is of the opinion that it should not b* presumed that tho Titanic was travelling at a speed of ■ 'ghtcen knots, mid attempting to break a record when sho struck. It was quite possible, he said, for the vessel to sustain such damago as to causo her to sink when gravelling at little mora than half that speed. Shipmasters were well aware that if a 10,000 ton liner swung against a heavily-constructed wharf with only ber own weight carrying her, tho impact would be sufficient to buckle several plates at the point of impact, so Hiat if a vessel four times 'her size struck an iceberg while proceeding at only n moderate speed it must be seen that the result would bo disastrous. ICE AT SEA. WHAT "LLOYD'S CALENDAR" SAYS. Under tho heading "Ice as an Obstruction to Navigation," "Lloyd's Calendar," an annual publication prepared by the Committee of Lloyd's for the use of officers of tho mercantlo marine, says:— "On this subject, only general directions can bo given to seamen, when and where to expect ico obstruction. It nmst be borne in mind that seldom two winter seasons are alike; several instancos aro recorded of places being blocked during one winter, and being quite open tho next. "When in the supposed vicinity of ice a good look-out is essentially necessary. Even in a fog or at night tho position of an iceberg may be recognised by a peculiar whitening of tho flog—known as iceblink—which frequently renders it visible at some distance. "No reliance can be placed on any warning conveyed by diminution of temperature cither of air or sea on approaching ice. Such lowering of temperature has Ijeen sometimes observed, but more often not. Tho indications of the thermometer should, however, never be neglected. "Vessels should, if possible, always pass to windward of floating icebergs, to avioid tho loose ice floating to leeward. "Floating ico has only one-eighth of its entire mass above water." "In tho route of vessels crossing tho Atlantic from England to tho Canadian or American ports, bergs and compact fields of ico will probably l>c encountered from April to August, both months inclusive, although bergs have been met with all seasons of the year, northward of 4.3 degrees North, and occasionally as far south as 3!) degrees North. 'Tn latitude 17 degrees N., horgs have been met. in JO degrees \\\, and in 3!) degrees N. (hey luivo been teen in -I"; degrees W.; n'nd instances of an exceptional nature aro recorded of I heir being met with about (id miles W.X.W. of Coivo Island in (he Azores. "Tim harbours and coast of Labrador aro completely blocked from Novowbor

gable by specially constructed steamships from July to September, and probnblv a part ot October. "Hollo-isle .Strait is not navigable, between iVovember and Juno except bv specially built vessels. "Tho large bays on the east coast of Newfoundland, and the heads of those on the south roast, are blocked from December to April or May. SI. John's Uarbbur is rarely blocked! and then for only a short time, when a berg drifts into the narrows. Except with strong easterly wind*, there is always a lane ot' clear water between Cape Spear and Cnpo Kay. "Cabot Strait never freezes entirely over, but vessels built in the ordinary way cannot navigate it in safety between January 1 and May 1, on account of lieavv drift ice. "The St. Lawrence river is closed |ir considered unsafe navigation from about November 25 to April 25, nnd occasionally until .May. The southern part of tho gulf is not considered safe after tho first week in December till after April 1." WHITE STAR LINE. GENESIS OF A GREAT FLEET. The White Star flag, which is new so familiar to all who travel, used to flv originally at' tho masthead of a fleet of sailing clippers. In 1867 tho managing owner of the White Star Line retired; Mr. T. H. Ismay took over tho control, and began by introducing, iron for the clippers instead of wood. Two years later a fleet of steamships, especially constructed for tho American passenger trade, was ordered to be built. Tho order was given to Iho famous Belfast firm, Messrs. Harland and Wolff, who have built tho Whito Star steamships ever since. In August of 1870 was launched the first Oceanic, which made tho old-fashioned rub their eyes in .surprise and shake their heads, in distrust. For the Oceanic (writes Mr. E. Kcblo Chatterton in "Steamships and Their Story") threw convention to the winds, and set going an entirely new order of things in tho steamship world. Her immense length in proportion to her beam (420 ft. by 42ft.) at once attracted attention, and it was also noticed that tho old heavy bulwarks were dono away with. In this vessel the saloon passengers for the first Unto in steamship construction wero placed amidships, and forward of the machinery. An improved typo of watertight doors was introduced, oil instead of candles was used for lighting, and revolving arm-chairs wero used in the saloon instead of forms. Tho Oceanic was in her time the fastest liner afloat, nnd attained a speed of 143 knots. Sho had a tonnngo of 3SOB gross. This initial success was followed up by tho building of tho Britannic and Germanic in 1874. As originally bailt, . tho Britannic was fitted with a propeller which could work at different levels, as it was hoped that, by lowering it to the level of tho keel the racing of. the screw in rough weather could be avoided. The arrangement was not a success. Theso two vessels had each a tonnage of 5000 tons gross.. The Britannic broke the record of her speed of 10 knots. In 1872 in tho Adriatic the company had tried gas-lighting, but abandoned it. From 1873 to 1884 the White Star fleet was the fastest on tho Atlantic. In that vear, however, camo the Cunard liners Etruria and Umbria, with an average ocean speed of 18j knots, and it was not until 18S9 that tho White Star Lino regained the blue ribbon with the Teutonic and Majestic. The tomiago of these vessels was about 10,000 gross, and one of the innovations in them was tho overlapping twin-screws. The Germans in 1597 took up the running with the Kaiser Wilhelin dor Grosse, a vessel of 14,000 tons gross, attaining a mean speed of 22.51 knots. This ship had to run a trial trip across the Atlantic before tho company took her from the builders. The British reply to tho Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosso camo in size, but not in speed, with the building of a new Oceanic' by tho White Star Company in 1899. This vessel was tho first to exceed tho Groat Eastern in length, and is about 13ft. longer, though 144 ft. less in tho beam. Sho has a tonnage of 1i,2i4 gross, a length of 705 over all, a beam of 65.4 ft., a draught of 32Jft, and an average sea speed of 20 knots. Two other of these "intermediates" wore added to the Whito Star licet in 1901 and 1903 respective! v. Thev were tho Celtic, (20,680 tons gross) and the Cwlrio (21,031 tons gross), with a sneed each of 10 knots. The Germans retained the bluo ribbon for speod until tho Lusitania of tho Cunard Line, came on the scene, and the Whito Star Line has not since attempted record-breaking times. Tho company, meantime, pursued its policy of building largo vessels of moderate speed. Tho comparative profitableness of the latter vessels may bo gauged from tho fact that the Baltic of 1904, with her 24,000 tons and speed of lGt knots, is snid to require only 2GO tons or fuel a day, whereas tho Majestic of 1889, with her 10,000 tons and speed of 19 knots, consumes 310 tons of In 1902 the White Star Lino was merged in tho Morgan combine, otherwise, known as tho International Navigation Company, Ltd., which concern, according to the "Investors' Year Book, now holds all tho shares in it.