together,
not only in the way of providing more life-saving facilities, but in
agreeing upon navigation routes and methods.

Captain William S. Sims, of the United States Navy, who is in a position
to know what he is talking about, has made some very pointed comments on
the subject. He says:

"The truth of the matter is that in case any large passenger steamship
sinks, by reason of collision or other fatal damage to her flotability,
more than half of her passengers are doomed to death, even in fair
weather, and in case there is a bit of a sea running none of the loaded
boats can long remain afloat, even if they succeed in getting safely
away from the side, and one more will be added to the long list of 'the
ships that never return.'

"Most people accept this condition as one of the inevitable perils of
the sea, but I believe it can be shown that the terrible loss of life
occasioned by such disasters as overtook the Bourgogne and the Titanic
and many other ships can be avoided or at least greatly minimized.
Moreover, it can be shown that the steamship owners are fully aware
of the danger to their passengers; that the laws on the subject of
life-saving appliances are wholly inadequate; that the steamship
companies comply with the law, though they oppose any changes therein,
and that they decline to adopt improved appliances; because there is
no public demand for them, the demand being for high schedule speed and
luxurious conditions of travel.

"In addition to installing efficient life-saving appliances, if the
great steamship lines should come to an agreement to fix a maximum speed
for their vessels of various classes and fix their dates and hours of
steaming so that they would cross the ocean in pairs within supporting
distances of each other, on routes clear of ice, all danger of ocean
travel would practically be eliminated.

"The shortest course between New York and the English Channel lies
across Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. Consequently the shortest water
route is over seas where navigation is dangerous by reason of fog and
ice. It is a notorious fact that the transatlantic steamships are not
navigated with due regard to safety; that they steam at practically full
speed in the densest fogs. But the companies cannot properly be blamed
for this practice, because if the 'blue liners' slow down in a fog or
take a safe route, clear of ice, the public will take passage on
the 'green liners,' which take the shortes