Carpathia Races  to NY

U. S. Senate Takes Action 

April 17, 1912

The day following the sinking of the White Star Liner RMS Titanic, The Cunard Liner Carpathia was racing back to New York with the 712 survivors of the disaster.  Information received from the rescue ship was sketchy at best.  Carpathia's captain, Arthur Rostron, had ordered that his wireless operator Harold Cottam, 21, devote his energies to sending "official messages" only, as well as messages from Titanic passengers wiring family members at home.  Other messages simply didn't through because there was so much activity wiring the ship.  Even a message from President Taft inadvertently went unanswered.  Young Mr. Cottam, who had been at his apparatus since late Sunday night when he received the CQD from Titanic's senior operator Jack Phillips, was now near exhaustion from spending close to nearly two days of being continuously at his work.  Tuesday evening, Titanic's junior wireless operator, Harold Bride, 22, who had been badly injured during the sinking ( his feet were badly frostbitten) was released from the Carpathia hospital so he could assist Mr. Cottam in the wireless room and give him much needed relief.  Harold Bride would remain at the Carpathia's apparatus until the ship docked in New York Thursday night.

At the same time, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, the ship Mackay-Bennett set sail for the wreck site with the intention of searching for victims.  Over three hundred bodies would eventually be recovered.

Meanwhile, in much the same way that the world responded to the events of September 11 in our own time, people all over the world reacted to the news of Titanic's sinking with shock and horror, and Carpathia's arrival in New York was awaited desperately.  White Star Line's offices were besieged with inquiries.   In Washington D. C., Republican William Alden Smith, the senior senator from Michigan, who had once sailed with Titanic's Captain Edward Smith, decided to go into action.  He was concerned for the massive loss of life, particularly the American lives lost, and decided that the United States Senate should conduct an investigation.  Senator Smith was also concerned that British crew members and officials who had survived the sinking would try to get back to England as quickly as possible and thus be out of range to contribute to such an investigation.  In fact, White Star Line's Bruce Ismay, sending telegrams under the name Yamsi, was already quietly making arrangements for himself the British crew to leave American immediately.  Senator Smith decided that such his inquiry would of necessity have to begin immediately.  And so on Wednesday, April 17, 1912, at the urging of Senator Smith, the full Senate authorized that the Committee on Commerce, or a subcommittee thereof, should be empowered to conduct such an investigation, and Senator Smith was appointed chair of this special subcommittee.

Carpathia would arrive in New York the following night, on Thursday.  Senator Smith would be there, at the dock, subpoenas in hand, to see to it that White Star Line's managing director, Bruce Ismay, as well as Titanic's surviving crew, would be detained for his investigation, thwarting the plans they had already made for a quick getaway back to England.

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