The Aftermath
The day after the rescue ship Carpathia arrived, A U.S.
senate inquiry began, lead by William Alden Smith from Michigan. Because he never lived
close to the sea, he did not understand some ship-terms, with some blunders like,
"was the Titanic sinking by the head or the bow?" Once when questioning 5th
Officer Lowe about what an iceberg was made of, having heard Fourth Officer Boxhall's
testimony about the possibility of rocks inside that could damage the hull, Lowe replied,
"Ice, I suppose, sir." and was made a fool of in Britain, where they felt they
should be handling the case. Even though she was owned by J. Pierpont Morgan an American,
Titanic was registered as a British ship nonetheless. Soon after was the British
investigation, headed by Lord Mersey, and last from May through July of 1912. At this
investigation, the only passengers called up to the stand were Mr. and Mrs. Cosmo
Duff-Gordon, who allegedly bribed the crew members of Lifeboat #1 to not pick up others in
the water. Their names were cleared by both courts, and both held the Leyland Liner
Californian accountable for not coming to the aid of Titanic, after many obvious signals
for help. In November of 1914, an International Safety Of Life At Sea (SOLAS) conference
was held in London and lasted until January of next year. Now, instead of boats based on
tonnage, there would be boats for all. The crew had to be trained for working the
stations, as Titanic's personnell did not know how to use the davits, and lifeboat drills
were to take place shortly after a ship leaves port. However, the last requirement was not
strictly enforced until the tragic burning of Ward Line's Morro Castle in 1934. Shipping
lanes were moved further south away from the dangers of ice. Ships were required to keep a
24-hour watch. The International Ice Patrol was set up to monitor ice movement, and on
every April 15, a wreath is dropped on the site of the Titanic's grave, where over 1,500
souls were lost.