England's indignation and grief over the Titanic, article, 4 may 1912
2
ENGLAND'S INDIGNATION AND GRIEF OVER THE " TITANIC " T E CONSTERNATION and mourning which reign throughout the United States over the crushing disaster on the banks of Newfoundland have found a sympathetic response in the mother country. Such a catastrophe, as Disraeli said of the assassination of President Lincoln, "touches the heart of nations and appeals to the do mestic sentiments of mankind." Among those who perished in the ice we re people of cosmopolitan character and reputation. Their loss, as the London papers remind us, is a loss to civilized society. The Evening Standard and St. James's Gazette blames reckless gambling on board the great liners as infecting officers as well as passengers, and inducing carelessness which spreads from the saloon to the chart-room, and we read: "Reformers have declared that gambling aboard the big liners is responsible for much recklessness. The traveling world has fallen into the delusion th at every big ship is a life-boat herself. Theoretically the Titanic ma y hav e been unsinkable. Practically she was not. The Board of Trade has had a rude awakening from its dream of security." Joseph Conrad, the veteran author and master in the mercha nt service, writing in The Budget (London), says tha t too much is sacrificed in liners to speed and size, and recommends the use of smaller vessels trav eling in pairs. To quote his words: these da ys in the T h e It is "The impact of a liner of 45,000 tons in contact with a submerged iceberg is bound to prove fatal. Thi s wou ld be less likely if the vesse l we re only of 20,000 tons dis placement. Safety is sacriiiced to speed building of ma mmo th ships. " I t is a question of size, no t of the num be r of life-boats trouble is there were too many people aboard the ship, absu rd to say that a ship such as the Titanic is unsinkable. Such large boats necessarily en danger the lives of more pas sengers in proportion to sm aller vessels. The large boats are able to hold more'passengers and crew in proportion to the smaller. "A s to the solution: I think the increase in ocean travel a nd the enormous number of persons who cross the ocean every year warrants the scheme of dispatch ing transatlantic liners across the ocean in pairs. Instead of send ing one boat of 40,000 tons, send two boats of 20,000 tons each. Let them constantly be within easy call of each other—say, about forty miles apart. Thus they could keep in constant touc h by wireless, and should anything of a perilous nature arise, this would be an inesti mable advantage. "T he big ship is a mistake ex cept from a commercial view poin t. I ha ve sailed in ships for years and know wh at strain and responsibility is throw n on the Copyrighted by Underwood & Underwood. LORD MERSEY , Who will conduct the British inquiry into the Titanic disaster. com man der of an Atlan tic liner. Captain Flaherty, of the Red Star Line, told me once that, in the dead of night, while he stood on the bridge of his ship, he sighted a bark in close prox imity to his vessel. He reversed engines, but was una ble to avert disaster. The ship crashed into the bark, which crumbled like matchwood. The captain told me th at this experience so harrowed his mind (he ha d 1,100 sleeping passengers on board), tha t when he arrived in port, which happened to be New York, he resigned his post. "The lives of travelers, across the ocean are certainly endangered at this time of year by steering a course so near drifting icebergs. "But in the Titanic's case it occurs to she might have cleared the berg." The Pall Mall Gazette (London) urges on the authorities the necessity for a searching inquiry into the causes of the wreck, and observes indignantly: "We have a duty to the living to per form. The public has been living in a fool's paradise. What a ghastly mockery the phrase 'practically unsinkable' has become! We are unable to understand the argument that it is necessary to provide for part of the hum an freight and unnecessary to pro vide for the rest. It is a clinching proof of the Board of Trade's unfitness to super vise affairs of the sea. " It is the naked truth tha t the great m a jority of our huge liners, rendered careless by imm unit y from accident, drive across the ocean with a mere handful of men who deserve the name of sailor. Mr. Ismay has declared that his com pany welcomes an inquiry. " H e will be taken at his word. There are searching questions regarding the design of the ship. Was the scantling sufficiently strong? Was the system of wate r-tight compartments adopte d on the best expert advice or did other considerations overrule the counsel of expe rts ? The se are q uestio ns which mu st b answered." LUXURIES, OF MODE RN TRAVEL But not enough life-boats. •Montreal Herald. It was criminal neglect, says the London Daily Mirror, that sent th e helpless passengers to the bottom, and it proceeds: "Twenty-six survivors, to fore stall all sensational and exag gerated statements, made this statement—not exaggerated, but yet surely as well qualified to make the blood run cold as any invention of the sensation- monger—' There were not enough boa ts to save the people on board.' ; "T ha t fo r the moment is enough. Details after tha t do not matter. The fact comes from those who know. This is no false rum or, no lie. We have to face it. Slowly, with infinite reproach, the whole world turn s toward those responsible and asks them why. "There is no tone of vulgar recrimination, no calling of nam es and bringing up of useless bitter ness. In this gesture it is simply
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Transcript of England's indignation and grief over the Titanic, article, 4 may 1912
8/3/2019 England's indignation and grief over the Titanic, article, 4 may 1912
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ENGLAND'S INDIGNATION AND GRIEF OVER TH E " TITANIC "
TE C O N S T E R N A T I O N a n d m o u r n i n g w h i c h r ei g n
t h r o u g h o u t t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s o v e r t h e c r u s h i n g d i s a s t e ro n t h e b a n k s o f N e w f o u n d l a n d h a v e f o u n d a s y m p a t h e t i c
r e s p o n s e i n t h e m o t h e r c o u n t r y. S u c h a c a t a s t r o p h e , a s
D i s r a e l i s a i d o f t h e a s s a s s i n a t i o n o f P r e s i d e n t L i n c o l n , " t o u c h e st h e h e a r t o f n a t i o n s a n d a p p e a l s t o t h e d om e s t i c s e n t i m e n t s of m a n k i n d . " A m o n gthose who pe r i shed in the i ce we re peop leo f c o s m o p o l i t a n c h a r a c t e r a n d r e p u t a t i o n .T h e i r l o s s , a s t h e L o n d o n p a p e r s r e m i n d u s ,is a loss to c ivi l ized society. The EveningStandard and St. James's Gazette b l a m e sr e c k l e s s g a m b l i n g o n b o a r d t h e g r e a t l i n e r sas infe ct in g off icers as wel l as passe nge rs ,a n d i n d u c i n g c a r e l e ss n e s s w h i c h s p r e a d sf r o m t h e s a l o o n t o t h e c h a r t - r o o m , a n d w er e a d :
" R e f o r m e r s h a v e d e c l a r e d t h a t g a m b l i n gaboa rd the b ig l i ne r s i s r e spons ib l e fo r much
r e c k l e s s n e s s . T h e t r a v e l i n g w o r l d h a s f a ll e nin t o the de lus ion th a t eve ry b ig sh ip i s al i f e -boa t herself. T h e o r e t i c a l l y t h e Titanicm a y h a v e b e e n u n s i n k a b l e . P r a c t i c a l l y s h ew a s n o t . T h e B o a r d of Tr a d e h a s h a d a r u d ea w a k e n i n g f r o m i t s d r e a m o f s e c u r i t y. "
J o s e p h C o n r a d , t h e v e t e r a n a u t h o r a n dm a s t e r i n t h e m e r c h a n t s e r v ic e , w r i t i n g i nThe Budget ( L o n d o n ) , sa y s t h a t t o o m u c his sacr i f iced in l in ers t o speed an d s ize , an dr e c o m m e n d s t h e u s e o f s m a l l e r v e s s el s t r a ve l ing in pa i r s . To quo te h i s wo rds :
these da ys in the
T h eIt is
" T h e impa c t o f a l i ne r o f 45 ,000 tons inc o n t a c t w i t h a s u b m e rg e d i c e b e rg is b o u n dto p ro ve f a t a l . Th i s wou ld be l e s s l i ke lyif the vesse l we re only of 20,00 0 tons disp l a cem en t . Sa fe ty i s s ac r i i i ced to speedb u i l d i n g o f m a m m o t h s h i p s .
" I t i s a que s t io n o f s i ze , no t of t he num be r o f l i f e -boa t st r o u b l e i s t h e r e w e r e t o o m a n y p e o p l e a b o a r d t h e s h i p ,a b s u r d t o s a y t h a t a s h i p s u c ha s t h e Titanic i s u n s i n k a b l e .S u c h l a rg e b o a t s n e c e s s a r i l y e nda nge r the l i ves o f more passenge r s i n p ropor t ion to sm a l l e rvesse l s . Th e l a rge bo a t s a r e ab let o h o l d m o r e ' p a s s e n g e r s a n d c r e wi n p r o p o r t i o n t o t h e s m a l l e r.
" A s t o t h e s o l u t i o n : I t h i n kt h e i n c r e a s e i n o c e a n t r a v e l a n dt h e e n o r m o u s n u m b e r of p e r s o n sw h o c r o s s t h e o c e a n e v e r y y e a rw a r r a n t s t h e sc h e m e of d i s p a t c hi n g t r a n s a t l a n t i c l i n e r s a c r o s s t h e
o c e a n i n p a i r s . I n s t e a d o f s e n ding on e bo a t o f 40 ,000 tons , s endtw o bo a t s o f 20 ,000 tons each .L e t t h e m c o n s t a n t l y b e w i t h ine a s y c a l l o f e a c h o t h e r — s a y,a b o u t f o r t y m i l e s a p a r t . T h u st h e y c o u l d k e e p i n c o n s t a n tt o u c h b y w i r e l e s s , a n d s h o u l da n y t h i n g o f a p e r i l o u s n a t u r ea r i se , t h i s wo u ld be an ines t im a b l e a d v a n t a g e .
" T h e b i g s h i p i s a m i s t a k e e xc e p t f ro m a c o m m e r c i a l v i e wpo in t . I ha ve sa i l ed in sh ips fo ry e a r s a n d k n o w w h a t s t r a i n a n dr e s p o n s i b i l i t y i s t h r o w n o n t h e
C o p y r i g h t e d by U n d e r w o o d & U n d e r w o o d .
L O R D M E R S E Y ,
Who will conduct the British inquiryinto the Titanic disaster.
c o m m a n d e r o f a n A t l a n t i c l i n e r. C a p t a i n F l a h e r t y, of t h e R e dS ta r L ine , t o ld m e once tha t , i n t h e dea d o f n igh t , wh i l e hes tood on the b r idge o f h i s sh ip , he s igh ted a ba rk in c lose p roximi ty to h i s ves se l . H e r eve r sed eng ines , bu t was una b le toa v e r t d i sa s t e r. T h e s h i p c r a s h e d i n t o t h e b a r k , w h i c h c r u m b l e d
l i k e m a t c h w o o d . T h e c a p t a i n t o l d m e t h a t t h i s e x p e r i e n c e s oha r row ed h i s m ind (he ha d 1 ,100 s l eep ingp a s s e n g e r s o n b o a r d ) , t h a t w h e n h e a r r i v e di n p o r t , w h i c h h a p p e n e d t o b e N e w Yo r k ,he r e s igned h i s pos t .
" T he l i ves o f t r ave le r s , ac ross th e oceana re ce r t a in ly end ang e red a t t h i s t im e o fyea r by s t ee r ing a cour se so nea r d r i f t i ngicebe rgs .
" B u t i n t h e Titanic's case i t occu r s t ome th a t had she bee n i i f t een f ee t sho r t e rs h e m i g h t h a v e c l e a r e d t h e b e rg . "
The Pall Mall Gazette ( L o n d o n ) u rg e s o nt h e a u t h o r i t i e s t h e n e c e s s i t y f o r a s e a r c h i n ginqu i ry in to th e causes o f t he wrec k , an do b s e r v e s i n d i g n a n t l y :
" W e h a v e a d u t y t o t h e l i v i n g t o p e rfo rm. Th e pub l i c has bee n l i v ing in a foo l ' sp a r a d i s e . W h a t a g h a s t l y m o c k e r y t h ep h r a s e ' p r a c t i c a l l y u n s i n k a b l e ' h a s b e c o m e !We a r e u n a b l e t o u n d e r s t a n d t h e a r g u m e n tth a t i t i s necessa ry to p ro v id e fo r pa r t o ft h e h u m a n f r e i g h t a n d u n n e c e s s a r y t o p r ov ide fo r t he r e s t . I t i s a c l inch ing p roofo f t he Board o f Trade ' s un f i tnes s to supe rvise affairs of the sea.
" I t i s t h e n a k e d t r u t h t h a t t h e g r e a t m ajo r i t y of ou r hug e l i ne r s , r en de r ed ca re l e s sb y i m m u n i t y f r o m a c c i d e n t , d r i v e a c r o s st h e o c e a n w i t h a m e r e h a n d f u l o f m e n w h od e s e r v e t h e n a m e o f s a i lo r. M r. I s m a y h a sd e c l a r e d t h a t h is c o m p a n y w e l c o m e s a ni n q u i r y.
" H e w i l l b e t a k e n a t h i s w o r d . T h e r ea r e s e a r c h i n g q u e s t i o n s r e g a r d i n g t h e d e s i g n
of the sh ip . W as the scan t l ing su ffi c i en tly s t rong? W as th es y s t e m of w a t e r - t i g h t c o m p a r t m e n t s a d o p t e d o n t h e b e s te x p e r t a d v i c e o r d i d o t h e r c o n s i d e r a t i o n s o v e r r u l e t h ecounse l o f expe r t s ? The se a re q ues t io ns wh ich mu s t b e
a n s w e r e d . "
LUXURIES, OF MODE RN TRAVEL
But not enough life-boats. •Montreal Herald.
I t was c r im ina l neg lec t , s ayst h e L o n d o n Daily Mirror, t h a tsen t t h e he lp l e s s pas sen ge r s t ot h e b o t t o m , a n d i t p r o c e e d s :
" Tw e n t y - s i x s u r v i v o r s , t o f o r es t a l l a l l s ensa t iona l and exagg e r a t e d s t a t e m e n t s , m a d e t h i ss t a t e m e n t — n o t e x a g g e r a t e d , b u tye t su re ly a s we l l qua l i f i ed tom a k e t h e b l o o d r u n c o l d a s a n yi n v e n t i o n o f t h e s e n s a t i o n -m o n g e r — ' T h e r e w e r e n o t e n o u g hboa t s t o save the peop le onb o a r d . ' ;
" T h a t fo r t h e m o m e n t ise n o u g h . D e t a i l s a f t e r t h a t d on o t m a t t e r. T h e f a c t c o m e sf rom those wh o kno w. Th i s i sno f a l se rum or, no l i e . W e ha veto f ace i t . S lowly, w i th in f in i t er e p r o a c h , t h e w h o l e w o r l d t u r n st o w a r d t h o s e r e s p o n s i b l e a n da s k s t h e m w h y.
" T h e r e is n o t o n e of v u l g a rr e c r i m i n a t i o n , n o c a l l i n g o f n a m e sand b r ing ing up o f u se l e s s b i t t e rn e s s . In th i s ges tu re i t i s s imp ly
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92 6 T H E L I T E R A B Y D I G E S T May 4, 1912
the sorrowful turning of all those who sympathize toward thosewho might hav e know n. The re is absolutely no answer to give.
" N o d o u b t t h e Titanic was wonderfully made. The re wereliving roses on board and wonderful rooms and racket courtsand conce rt-rooms and ballrooms. And there were more boatsto take people off , remember, than the Board of Trade required.With tha t we have to be contented , bowing our heads ."
T h e L o n d o n Standard eulogizes the wonderful fortitude of theship's musicians, observing:
"W e are usua l ly an undem onst ra t ive people , bu t the inc identof the str ing band of the Titanic, i ts members gathered togetherto p lay the hymn , 'N earer, M y God, to Thee , ' as the grea t sh ipsettled for her last plun ge, left men speechless with pity . It isa great incident of history, worthy to rank with the last paradeon the Birkenhead."
"The p i ty and pa thos of i t i s a lmost more than any humanhear t can bear, " says the LondonDaily Telegraph. B u t Th eMorning Post (London) believes that in the gallant behavior ofall on board "the two nations have thus some comfort in theirsor row." The London organs genera l ly defend Ismay "a sbeing unjustly made a scapegoat for the disaster" in this count ry. Whi le The Chronicle asks that a str ict inquiry be made intothe circulation of false news with regard to the safety of thegrea t sh ip , "nev er ag a in ," says th is paper, "m ust there be suchan orgy of falsehood as raged in America on this occasion."
GERMAN VIEW OF "THE NEXT WAR"
AV E R Y I N F L U E N T I A L m i l it a ry w r i t e r o f G e r m a n y
declares that Germany must win her place as a world- power throu gh warfare. This is General Bernh ardi,
who in his new volume on" Deutschland und der Naechste Krieg"("Germany and the Next War") prac t ica l ly throws down thegaunt le t to Europe , and to England in par t icu lar. Never hasthe policy of Berlin been proclaimed so clearly and so fearlessly.The General 's book gives a candid expression of the view thathis country must f ight i ts way to predominance regardless ofthe rights and interests of other people. This accepted au thorityon current strategical and tactical problems describes the peacemov eme nt as simply "pois ono us." In one chap ter he discusses
T H E P B O G K E S S O r P E A C E .
ENGLAND AND GERMANY ABB GETTINGTO G E T H E B .
—Fischietto (Turin).
-Pasquino (Turin).
t 'Th e Right to Mak e Wa r." A chapter fo llows on "T he Du tyto Make Wa r." The peace propaga nda of fore ign Powers hedenoun ces as sheer hypoc risy. He even advocates aggression
and invasion. "T he du ty of self-assert ion," we read, "is byno means exhausted by the mere repell ing of hosti le at tacks.It includes the need of securing to the whole people which theState represents the possibility of existence anddevelopment ," which heinterprets as mean ing" the r ight of conques t . ""M igh t is r igh t , " he
thinks, and this canbe decided only by war."W ars which were del ibera te ly under takenwith statesm anlike intent were always productive of the happiestresu lts ," he believes.A count ry may in i t ia tea w ar for its own"highest purposes," inwhich case i t ma y employ mean s which are unjustif iable in anindividual. On this point we rea d:
"It has, however, to be considered that the relations betweentwo States must often be regarded as a supprest state of war
which for the mom ent is being carried on only in peaceful comp etition . Such a state of thing s justifies the use of peaceful mea ns—cunning and deception—just as war i tself does, because in sucha case both parties are prepared for the use of such means.On the whole I believe that a conflict between personal andpolit ical moraUty can be avoided by clever and prudent diplomatic be havior, if one is perfectly clear abou t the goal which onedesires to reach and always remembers that the means whichone employs must ult imately correspond with the moralcharacter of this goal."
Coming down to the specific enemies that Germany must'be prepared to a t tack , the Genera l remarks :
"W e mu st always keep in view the possibil i ty of war w ithEngla nd, and tak e our poli t ical and mili tary measu res accordinglywithout regard for any peace manifestations of poli t icians,publicists , and Utopians
"In one way or another we have got to se t t le wi th France ,if we desire to obta in elbow-room for our world policy. Th at isthe first and most unconditional requirement of a healthyGerman policy, and, as French hosti l i ty can not be disposed ofonce and for all by peaceful means, i t must be done by forceof arms . Fran ce must be so comp letely overthro wn tha t shecan never again get in our way."
This writer proceeds to discuss in the clearest and mostmat te r-of - fac t way " the coming naval war wi th England."He states his position as follows:
"The conception of our naval duty points directly to thefact that i t is the English Navy which must give the measureof the extent of our armam ents for nav al war. Wa r withE n g l a n d is probab ly the w ar which we shall f irst hav e to fight out.The possibil i ty of victoriously repell ing an English attack musttherefore guide our war preparations, and, if the English continue to increase their Navy, we can not avoid following themeven beyond the l imits of our exist ing Navy Law."
Lord Esher, who is considered in England one of the highestauthorit ies on mili tary m atters , speaks in ' the Lo ndon Timeswith something l ike horror of the German general 's gospel ofblood and iron, saying:
"It is hardly conceivable that after 2,000 years of Christ ianteaching, and in the midst of a people from whom have sprungsome of the loftiest thinkers and some of the greatest scientificbenefactors of the human race, such opinions should findexpression. Th ey eman ate, too, from a soldier hithe rto held inthe highest respect by all who have studied war as an odiouspossibility, and not as an end desirable initself. No one couldhave supposed that such ideas so crude and juvenile could havesurvived the awakening processes of recent t imes."
