Inquiry

Friday April 19 th 1912

The errand of the Senate gathers him in the east room of the Worldolf Astoria for its investigation; the saloon from dance with his/her decorated walls the wood panels and the chandeliers of crystal, are filled with all the furniture; a big table of lecture is systematized and you/they is lined up some chairs along the walls. The doors are opened at 9 o'clock precise, allowing to enter the spectators; the whole high society NewyorKese has appeared for enjoying themselves the show; in few second there is not a free chair anymore. The families of the victims have come for knowing and to feel what has happened. To the 10 in point the Senator Smith enters with the other members of the errand of investigation. sits her is open!

THE SPECTATORS' CROWD

Among the crowd of the futile rich spectators and the poor people directly struck by the tragedy, ago his/her entry a mysterious character. Who is this type that involves in so strange way? Because it eavesdrops here and there? it is Joe Bayliss sheriff of Michigan. Good friend of the Senator Smith, has been entrusted of to listen with discretion the crew members and the gossips, to bring then the information drawn to the Senator.

THE JOURNALISTS

Considered that the whole country, to say the truth the whole world, is careful to every word that is said during the investigation, the Senator Smith he wants everything to be made public. Then the journalists surround the table ready with their notebooks. Obviously they have discordant ideas. Some see Ismay "leathery as a German, with that big moustaches", others, "so oriental with his curly hair and the dark complexion", or still "a true noble English". That for the American I mediate in that period it was the worse one of the insults. However, as soon as Ismay gets up for testifying, the flashes go crazy and Smith orders to the photographers to go out.

THE CAPTAIN ROSTRON

The captain of the Carpathia Arthur Henry Rostron is the hero of the day. Probably the true hero of the history. Explaining that you has been a stroke of luck that his men have heard the S.O.S., because the operator was closing everything for the night, you is said that a second has not hesitated to throw themselves to the rescue of the Titanic, preparing everything in the least details: "I have predisposed the beds for the survivors and I have distributed the assignments. I have doubled the look-outs and I have made to bring the cassette of the ready help on the bridge. I have prepared some knapsacks to hoist his/her children on board and I also have... that is... I have also prepared some strong chairs with some ropes, so that to be able to tie the survivors that the shipwreck could have made unbalanced". But if Rostron also brings all to the tears the Senator Smith - when it tells as the survivors introduced him and of the mass that has celebrated. He is also inflexible in to affirm that the lifesaving shallops could quietly bring 70 people, well more than the 45 of Ismay.

BRUCE ISMAY

Naturally Bruce Ismay is the first person to testify. it is he who all you/they are waiting for to listen, having already condemned him as guilty. His dry smile, the not to be able to stop rubbing himself the moustaches, the big diamond on the collar of the jacket. All plays to his disfavor. He speaks of the shipwreck: "No! I have not chosen the people that were with me in the shallop." .... "No! The Titanic was not competing for the Blue Ribbon, and however he would never have been able to compete with the maximum speed of the Mauretania".... "No! I have not furtively slipped in the shallop. When I have left the ship were not there more women on the bridge". But then because they are dead so so many women? Answers it is other they have not been enough to clarify every doubt: Ismay sustains that the 45 people in his/her shallop filled it to the limit of his ability; what shallops of those there were required by the law English, that had not been some "censorship" of the telegram of the President Taft. And if Ismay had tried to make sure him that the Cedric in England: It was not for me, but for the sailors. You/they had lost all of their suits and the money. this way you/they would have been able to rejoin him with their families". you/he/she has tried besides to unload the guilt to the Captain Smith, sustaining that the Titanic, pits a strong ship: " Probably the most strong of all the ships! ". "Oh, certainly! And it is also unsinkable! " Ironizza a sailor. " And if we were not met with an iceberg there, nothing of all of this would ever be happened". The Senator Smith doesn't succeed in sprouting it on nothing with Ismay, even that Ismay had made pressure on the captain Smith so that these it increased the speed. But even if Ismay was more skilled than the Americans they believed, we remained to give some explanations.

SENATOR SMITH

The senator William Alden Smith, a Republican of the Michigan, is in general a tenacious opponent of the big monopolies, and of J.P. Morgan particularly.... Morgan, the owner of the White Star Line. In such way the investigation portebbe to have a personal interest for him, but the Senator knows whether to be objective and its purpose is not so much that to try the White Star Line, whether to show that someone is responsible what happened. Despite the ship is sunk in waters international and even if it beat flag English, the senator he is referred to a 1898 law that he affirms that it is possible citharas in judgment the owners if these are guilty of a bad management. This is also the crusade of a part of America that to that times it is socially more advanced than certain England, still very rooted in his/her conventions and so Victorian injustices. Smith cannot leave that the "crime" rests unpunished; above all he wants to make sure himself that the victims are not dead in vain, and he want to use the investigation to formulate other laws that it made a new impossible disaster.

The official LIGHTOLLER (according to official)

Charles Herbert Lightoller, the officer of taller degree to have survived, begins to enchant all with his melodious voice and the intelligent and professional way of speaking. But little by little Smirh he understands that Lightoller in reality revolves the questions, cleverly excluding the truthful answers, so the Senator Smith begins to be asunder an officer, questioning him/it for three hours, underlining all the discrepancies and above all one: The officers of the Titanic had not felt to speak of the tests conducted on the shallops and they thought that if they could be lowered with that whole weight on board, for fear to break her in two or to break the ropes. This error of evaluation and problem of communication, have killed 400 people. Lightoller cannot explain because 216 mambris of the crew are saved to the place of as many momentary. they would have owed two to be alone for shallop. What I can say is that from my part of the ship us alone n'erano 2 or 3 for boat". he/she doesn't even remember to have seen some people float in water, and that they tried to climb on the shallops. Besides Ligtholler tries to explain that they didn't know what there were iceberg in the zone. But it has to treat again his/her testimony when the Senator Smith shows him the telegrams sent by different ships to the Titanic. However Ligtholler obstinately refuses to tell what the officers knew on the icebergs or what precautions had been takings. What to think of his lack of memory? Desiderio of "to understand" his captain? Hope to help the White Star Line and his career? Does it dishearten in the hostile atmosphere felt in America? Who knows it? .......