Titanic owners not worried, declare vessel unsinkable

NEW YORK, April 15, 1912 (UP) -- The White Star line officials, after a conference lasting an hour, issued an official statement in which they stated that the great liner was unsinkable, and that there was no reason to believe that she either had or could founder. They declared the interruption to the wireless communication was not significant of danger.

The statement was signed by Vice President P. A. S. Franklin and was as follows:

"While we are not in direct communication with the Titanic, we are perfectly satisfied that the ship is unsinkable. That no more wireless messages are coming from the may be due to atmospheric conditions or something like that.

"The ship is reported to have gone down several feet by the head. This may be due to water filling the forward compartment and the ship may go down many feet by the head and still keep afloat for an indefinite period."

Throughout the morning the White Star offices in New York were besieged by friends of passengers on the big liner who wanted definite information. The telephones were kept busy with inquiries. To all White Star officials extended assurances that the vessel was afloat and that the passengers were not in danger.

The Titanic was scheduled to sail from New York on her return trip on next Saturday, and so great was the desire to travel on the new vessel that 600 bookings had been made in the first cabin, including Gov. Dix and wife.

The Titanic is 262 feet longer than the biggest vessels on the great lakes--the barges Col. James M. Schoonmaker and William P. Snyder, Jr.,--owned by the Shenango Steamship & Transportation Co., Pittsburgh. The barges are each 517 feet long. In beam the liner measures 92 feet and the barges 64 feet. The depth of the lake vessels is 33 feet. The Titanic is 175 feet from the keel to the top of the fennels. The tonnage of the Titanic is 45,000; that of each barge 14,000.