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Abstract
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So much has been said of the terrible disaster that we shall try,
difficult as may be, to limit ourselves to a cold-blooded considera-
tion of certain phases not too remote from medical science. In
the February issue, referring to the Equitable Building fire, we
suggested that a study of caloric values, quite in analogy to that
of the dietetician, might have a practical bearing in establishing
quantitative though approximate estimates of the amount of com-
bustible material that might safely be allowed in the structure and
contents of buildings. In the present connection, we would sug-
gest as a text to the officers of steamship companies: M=v w.
Momentum equals the product of velocity and weight. It ought
to be possible to establish pretty acccurately, the resistance of
various parts of a ship. Knowing w, the weight or displace-
ment of the ship, it should be possible to establish a maximum
value for v, the velocity, in case of danger of collision either
with another ship, an iceberg or a rock.
Expert sailors declare that the average well built ship of say
10,000 to 20,000 tons, can outride any storm, if there is plenty
of sea room: that with reasonable caution as to lights and
whistles, there is practically no danger of collision, even in a
fog, with another vessel, provided of course that both vessels
are carefully conducted; that, unless prevented from making ob-
servations, or driven by a storm, there is no danger of striking
a rock; but that the danger of icebergs remains paramount.
Four years ago, but almost a month later in the season, and
in a milder season, at that, we had some opportunity to note how
a careful captain would sol.ve the above equation for v. For
two entire days, we averaged about seven miles an hour, never
exceeding ten, and sometimes merely floating when more expert
eyes than ours could differentiate ice from fog. This was for
a vessel of about a quarter of the tonnage of the Titanic. The
mere fact that the enormous dimensions of the Titanic do not
show a tonnage displacement corresponding to the cube of simi-
lar diameters, indicates that bigness and strength are not synony-
mous. If the resistance of individual parts were equal on the
small and the big ship, it is obvious that the latter should, with
equal caution, have proceeded at a rate of less than two miles
an hour, and that, in any event, a very slow speed was required,
quite ignoring the important fact that a small ship can be handled
and stopped much more quickly than a large one. In advance of
definite testimony, it was assumed that the Titanic was making
about 15 miles an hour, and struck head-on with a momentum
graphically compared to that of 37 Empire State express trains
at 70 miles an hour. • It was asserted--and readily conceded by
non-expert readers,--that this momentum would shear off bolts
and otherwise disrupt the water-tight compartments throughout.
The fact seems to be that the speed was 20--23 knots (approxi-
mately 25 land miles) an hour and that the ice was seen just in
time to allow a rapid turn which caused practically the whole side
of the ship to be torn, and that this fatal traumatism caused an
almost imperceptible shock. As an instance of the difficulty of
passing judgment in technical matters, it is now stated that, while
the officer on the bridge acted properly in making the turn, if a
head-on collision had been allowed, the ship would probably
have floated.
The discussion of physical forces may seem academic, but it
has a practical side, which should be legally established, on the
mathematic basis.
We do not intend to throw blame on the captain of the Ti-
tanic. The mere fact that this, and other ships were following
the northern route; that the presence of icebergs was well known,
that the Titanic herself had transmitted a report of their obser-
vation only about one hour's average run from her position at
the time, and that she struck about two hours afterward, shows
that a tangible risk was being run, which no sane man would have
incurred without orders. We must consider something more
than the momentum of velocity and weight. It has been es-
timated that a few prominent passengers on the Titanic, rep-
resented nearly 200' million dollars; that five to ten million dol-
lars' worth of jewelry were worn, or ready to be worn, on the
ship; many of the passengers were of weight aside from money
and social standing. It was the initial trip of the greatest boat
that had ever been built. The whole civilized world was inter-
ested. W hide not built to rival the recent speed records, a
schedule was expected about as short as the shortest even five
years ago. The manager of the line was on board. This was
the momentum. It struck a human being, a captain of long
experience, who had never had, scarcely ever seen a marine
disaster. He was careful, conscientious, in supreme authority,
until he reached land. He could have taken the southern
course, he could have kept the ship barely moving for several
days. And then, even before his arrival, thanks to wireless, he
would have been the employee, who had disgraecd a great com-
pany, who had shown the white feather, who had offended
that part of the community which, on account of its wealth, de-
mands promptness, obedience, good service. That was the ob -
ject on which the momentum was expended.
The result of the physical and psychic momentum was a
mortality, in a space of at most four hours, approximately equiva-
lent to that for a whole year, of a city of 100,000 inhabitants--
*Albany for example. This was a preventable mortality, pre-
ventable by the simple means of working out comparatively sim-
ple problems in elementary physics.
By the way, will this mortality show in the vital statistics?
If so, where? If not, should it? If these-- and many similar,
scattered deaths remain unaccounted for in our tables, how will
they affect subsequent statistics?
The necessity of an adeqate supply of life boats might seem
to require no comment but one point in this connection seems not
to have occurred to the multitude of writers on the subject. Up
to recently there has been a growing opinion-- which as a passen-
ger we confess to have shared--that a life boat was either en-
tifely useless or afforded a very doubtful chance of saving life
and was rather a means of prolonging the inevitable suffering of a
wreck. The prevalent ignorance of swimming by deep sea
sailors is another expression of the same thought. With the
development of wireless telegraphy, and the increase of risk in-
herent to the ship, such as dangerous speed, explosion of boilers,
dropping of heavy engines through the bottom, etc., the value of
the life boat again becomes worth the attention of business in-
terests and of the law
Language: en |