TITANIC DISASTER

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10619, 26 April 1912, Page 5

TITANIC DISASTER

THE SENATE ENQUIRY FURTHER EVIDENCE. FIFTH OFFICER QUESTIONED. (Received Last Night, 9.30 o'clock,) WASHINGTON, April 25. Mr Lowe, fifth officer, in his evidence, stated that the collision did not waken him. Senator Smith, Chairman of the Committee of Enquiry, asked him it' ho was intemperate in his habits. Mr Lowe indignantly replied in the negative. Senator Smith: "I ask this because a note has just been passed up, which states that it was reported that yon were drinking on the night of the disaster." Mr Lowe : "Impossible ; I am a tot.il abstainer. When I awoke, I founrl the boats being prepared and the vessel tipping to fifteen degrees. The only confusion was due to passengers interfering with the lowering g*-ar of the lifeboats. Otherwise the discipline was excellent. I told one passenger, who was excitedly saying, 'Lower away!' 'that if he went to J 101 lwe could get the boats away. The passenger then stepped back. I afterwards learned that it was Mr Ismay. Mr Ismay's fault was that lie was overanxious in helping all lie could." When no more women came forward, the male passengers were put into the boats. There was no discrimination between the classes, or against the stewardesses. One lifeboat was launched with forty passengers, because he was unable to find anyone waiting to go. Tho passengers seemed not to care to get into the boats. .There was no time to drag the women from their husbands. One Italian with a shawl over his head sneaked into a boat- full of women and children. After the Titanic sank ho. waited at the edge of tlie scene until the cries had ceased. Then he transferred his passengers to tho other boats, and,called for volunteers to row back to the wreckage. He had forty-five passengers, in the boat when the Carpathia, picked them up, including twenty-one from a 'sinking collapsible boat. , ,It would have been, suicidal to have taken into the boa.t the struggling mass of people. • T V Mr Lightoller, tho second officer, Recalled, statcd' that when fe saw Mr Ismay on the Carpathia, he seemed obsessed with the idea that he should have gone down with the ship, as women had been drowned. He had to receive medica] at ten t The chief actually put & Ismay into a boat telling him there were no more women to go.

EN QUIRY COMMITTEE CRITICIS: ED. (Received Last Night, 10.30 o'clock.) , WASHINGTON, Last Night. | ; Many comments have been made at ! tho Committee's haphazarel methods, , and Senator Smith's nautical ignor- j ance. Ho asked one witness if the , Titanic sank iby the hows or by the , head. (Loud laughter). In conse- j quenco of these criticisms, Mr Smith ' stated that the Committee intends to | question all British subjects who ar-o ( in America, and shall hold them there until they learned all. "Tho Committee," ho said, "will not tolerate any further attempts by anvone to'shape it's course." Senator Smith punctuated his remarks by pounding his fist on the •table. lie asked Mr Lowe; tho 'ifth officer, from where the icebergs came. M- Lowe: "The Arctic reg ons." . Senator Smith; ''Of whal are they composed?'' Mr Lowe: "Ic-c." Mr Lowe gave evidence that he was afraid to crowd his boat, lest she should break in the davits. He saw the steerage Italians during tho lowering of the boat glaring like - wild beasts ovor the railings and ready to spriyg. He fired his revolver throe times to frighten than. QUARTERMASTER DETAIN- ' , ED. - Mr Hitchins, the Titanic's quartermaster. has been served' with a subpoena aboard the Celtic at New-York, and has arrived at Washington in custody. He denied that when the passengers asked that the boat return to rescue the drowning, he said. •''Wo are not, going back after those stiffs." Nevertheless, it was impossible to return. INSURANCE CLAIMS. HEAVY LOSS TO UNDERWRITERS (Received Last Night, 9.30 o'clock.) LONDON, April 25. The British Insurance markets, assisted by the Continent and the United .States, are finding £1.000.000 for the of tho Titanic claims. Tho heaviest underwriting loss is experiorood by the Royal Exeliango As-jr.ira-nno Co., namely,.£76,ooo. Renewals of insurances on mimeroas liners jiave been effer-ted at far higher ratfe. than in tho past. ON THE OLYMPIC. FIREMEN AND STOKERS DESERTING. COLLAPSTBLES ALLEGED TO RF. unseaworthy. ! April '25, 9.10 a.m.) ! LO'NDOX. April 21. > The White Star liner Olympic, with j 1400 passenger"; cm board, jwas detain- ? Ed an. hour at Southampton, owing to » firemen and stokers deserting. Tho

men alleged that some of tho .. collapsible boats were Unseaworthy.. Mr Chirry, the White Star. Company's Jocal-manager; declared that all. the boats wero officially'examined and passed: Other firemen «ro engaged immediately. '■!. ■■ ■ .. . . ' . • ■ MRS ASTOR'S EXPERIENCES. f .TAKES A HAND AT THE OAR. 'Assistance near, feur not AVAILABLE. (Received April 25, 8.10 a.m. NEW YORK, April 2-J. Mrs Av'tdr (wife of Colonel Astor, who was drowned) states that her husband o.i awakeni'ig her told her that something was wrong, and urge! her to dri\-s, but assuring her tint ito Titanic v;as uusinkable. lie'left, tut returned locking grave, and declined thai the Titanic had struck a sub-' tilth-god iceberg. She hurriedly dvoss»-d; wearing some jewellery, and 'accompanied her husband to the boat deck. They donned 1 ifebelts, but her husband, noticing that she. was sightly clad, sent for. a heavier dress, and wrapped her in a fur coat. She entered the boat, and her husband said: "The sea is calm; you -will , ho all right; you are in good hands. I > will meet you in the morning.'' Mr Astor stood smiling as the lifeboat wris lowered. Mrs Astor said she soon noticed the Titanic was settling. . She saw her ter- 1 i-ier running about the dock, and then saw tho Titanic sink'. It was very cold, and tho icy water entered the bottom of the ( boat up to her knees She rowed, knowing how to handle r,n oar; so did Mrs Widener. Eight or ton drowning men were picked up during the night. At daybreak icebergs were surrounding thom, and then the Ciu - - patliia rescued those in the boat. Mrs Astor found in the pockets or her fur coat 200 dollars, which she distributed amongst the destitute on board the- Ga rpathia. NOT ALLOWED TO RETURN. MESSRS ISM AY AND FRANKLIN TO REMAIN IN AMERICA, .(Ti-eceived April 20, B.IC a.m.) NEW YORK. April 2-1. The -Senate Committee has refusal i Mr Ismay and Mr Frthiklin (Vice-Pre-sident of tho International Mercantile Marine Company) nennission to return to England. PROTECTION WILL BE OFFERED WITNESSES. QUESTION IN HOUSE OF COMMONS. (Received April 25, 8.10 a.m.) LONDON. April 21. Mr F. D. Aekland. Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs, in replying to several questions in the House of Commons, said he was not .aware of the precedent under which the United States Senate was holding an enquiry into the Titanic disaster. Although Congress had the power -to investigate and sannmon witnesses, if circumstances arose and witnesses desired protection tho Ambassador would bo iustruo--1 ted to act. but he trusted tho g;>od sense of the Senate and the American people, AID WAS NEAR AT HAND. STEAMER ONLY TWENTY MILES AWAY. (Received April 25. 10.30 a.m.) NEW YORK. April 24. The captain of the Californi-i-ri i.lis- , claims that she was the steamer seen ' fivo miles off. On the Sunday evening the Gilifornr ian was twenty miles distant, an<i" , entered at 10.30 o'cloek an li.imer.se , icefield. i The captain stopped tho engines a: ,| " waited for daylight. • Tho Californinil's wireless anpanihis | was not working, or ho might have saved all tho. passengers. Hn did i.-ot [ learn of tho disaster -until the inornI i»g.