The R.M.S. Titanic and Washington, D. C.: One Hundred Years: 1912 to 2012 - People, Government Process and Precedent, Investigations, and Locations

By Maureen Zottoli

One hundred years has gone by since R.M.S. Titanic foundered and the subsequent hearings were brought to Washington, D.C. This book is a unique resource to the Washington, D.C. portion of the historical story of R.M.S. Titanic. Included are locations of interest for tourist, student or seasoned historian to see bits of Titanic history around town, no matter how brief the visit.

Some of the surviving crew and officers stayed in DC during testimony and were provided a tour.

Some of the passengers made their homes in the DC area.

This book provides a look at where these folks lived/stayed and also a look at those within the three branches of government who would play a role in the investigation, hearings, and even the subsequent cases brought to the Supreme Court.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Jun 23, 2016
• ISBN: 9781524624200

Maureen Zottoli

Living most of her life in the Washington, D.C. area, the author enjoyed compiling this collection relating to Titanic in DC for serious historians. She worked in the Library Clipping Service of the National Geographic Society, and recently retired from the FBI after nearly 27 years of service.

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© 2016 Maureen Zottoli. All Rights Reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or

transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 08/25/2016

ISBN: 978-1-4685-4371-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5246-2420-0 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2012901441

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Table of Contents

Introduction   R. M. S. Titanic

Chapter 1   Looking At Titanic with 1912 Eyes

Chapter 2   Looking At Communications with 1912 Eyes

Chapter 3   Looking At 1912 thru 1985 Eyes

Chapter 4   Taft and the United States Executive Office

Chapter 5   The Executive Branch – Federal Departments

Chapter 6   Hearings and the United States Legislative Branch of Government

Chapter 7   Witnesses in the Washington, D.C. Area

Chapter 8   Homes, Residences and their Residents

Chapter 9   Documentation and the Library of Congress and National Archives

Chapter 10   Memorials and Monuments

Chapter 11   Art, Music, Theater and Literature

Chapter 12   Non-passenger Residents and Experts and Places To See

Chapter 13   Limited Liability and the United States Judicial Branch of Government

Appendix A   References and Recommended Reading

Appendix B   Introduction and Thanks

Appendix C   Fodder for the Titanic-Californian Debate

Appendix D   End Notes

Dedication

The author dedicates this book to her family.

In loving memory of her father, Pat Noble.

And in memory of Elaine, Kathryn, Bob, John, Molly, Chuck and Don.

And to Ray, Mary, Adam, Katie, Jeff, Audrey, Elora, Edie, Jake, Linda, Bryan, Sean, Alexiss, Barbara, Hank, Misha, Scott, Olivia, Lyra, Aaron, Darci, Josephine, Pat, Diana, and Sally.

And to David, John, Stan, Kay, Bill, Carrie, Eric, Jaden, Hailey, Evan, Eden, Will, Lily, and Judah.

Copyright 2016 Maureen Zottoli.

Copyright claimed is exclusive of the following images:

Photocopy of Titanic Disaster Hearings S. Res. Cover Sheet

Rear Admiral French Ensor Chadwick

President Theodore Roosevelt

Guglielmo Marconi

President William Howard Taft

First Lady Helen Taft

Vice President James Schoolcraft Sherman

Postmaster General Frank Harris Hitchcock

Secretary of War Henry Lewis Stimson

Attorney General George Woodward Wickersham

Secretary of the Navy George von Lengerke Meyer

Secretary of Commerce and Labor Charles Nagel

Secretary of the Treasury Franklin MacVeagh

Secretary of State Philander Chase Knox

Presidential Military Aide Major Archibald Willingham Butt

Russell Senate Office Building Caucus Room Photograph

Senator Simon Guggenheim

Congressman William Joseph Cary

Speaker of the House Congressman James Beauchamp Clark

Senate Sergeant-At-Arms Daniel Moore Ransdell

Secretary of the Senate Charles Goodwin Bennett

Senator William Alden Smith

Senator Francis Griffith Newlands

Senator George Clement Perkins

Senator Furnifold McLendel Simmons

Senator Duncan Upshaw Fletcher

Senator Jonathan Bourne, Jr.

Senator Theodore Elijah Burton

Hotel Continental Building

National Hotel Building

Ebbitt House Building

Robert Williams Daniel

President Taft, Aide, and member of his cabinet

Map of Arlington National Cemetery

Maps of Fort Lincoln Cemetery

Mount Vernon

Photocopy of Volume 34 of the Supreme Court Reporter: Cases Argued and Determined

Cover Sheet

Supreme Court Chief Justice Edward Douglass White

Supreme Court Associate Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes

President Ronald Reagan

The author and her daughter snapped the other photographs contained within this book. And the author used pencil or mixed media for the remainder of the original work contained in this book. The author’s daughter assisted with preparing the images with correct resolution.

The author has worked on this book for seventeen years to bring topics surrounding the Titanic that took place in the Nation’s Capital to everyone. Every effort has been made to give credit to written work and images properly. If you see anything that you take issue with, please bring it to the attention of the author and every effort will be made to correct in future editions of this book. The author would especially like to thank my friend Tracey for all of her supportive reviews and comments along the way. Dave Gittins for his review, edit suggestions, and advice.

Reference made to the Bureau of Investigation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, or the United States Department of Justice in this publication does not constitute or imply the endorsement or recommendation of this publication by any agency of the United States Government. The views and opinions of author expressed herein are not those of the Federal Bureau of Investigation or the Department of Justice. Therefore, name, seal or initials of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Department of Justice or any U. S. Government agency shall not be used in any manner for advertising, promotion or publication endorsement purposes.

Introduction

R. M. S. Titanic

Brief Summary

The R. M. S. Titanic was the largest ship of its time. It sank on its maiden voyage after a glancing blow with an iceberg.

Titanic’s precious cargo: its passengers from all over the world.

Built in Ireland, it was American-owned. In 1912, John Pierpont Morgan bought the White Star Line, owner of Titanic, and added it to International Mercantile Marine (IMM).

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Image 2: R.M.S. Titanic. M. Zottoli.

The Revenue Tax Act of 1913 established a national personal income tax. In the late 19th century and early 20th century, wealthy families, such as the Morgan family, had provided millions of dollars to the young country in the form of bonds to relieve the debt caused by the Civil War. These families also looked into investments into countries such as China. These investments were solicited or often encouraged by Washington to levy a particular political point or sway a country into favor with the young United States. These families were considered heroes by some and money hungry fiends by others.

The railroads made many of these families wealthy. The trains offered the safest means to cross North or South America. But work was actually near completion on the Panama Canal to allow swift passage back and forth from the Atlantic to the Pacific, when Titanic was being conceived. Not only were Morgan’s investments in Central America going to suffer, but the entire railroad business could be severely impacted. It was around this time that Morgan bought into the Titanic. And it was also around this time that newspapers were filled with stories and claims, and rumors of claims, of trusts and anti-trust investigations. Secret Service, train robbery investigations, and the new Department of Justice, Bureau of Investigation were in newspaper articles. Who were these investigators? The Senator from Michigan, Senator William Alden Smith, who headed the American investigation into the Titanic disaster, deputized men from Michigan to work as investigators for him. When the newspapers referred to DOJ investigators, were they referring to investigators within the newly established Bureau of Investigation from within the Department of Justice or were these Michigan law enforcement men sworn to investigate and serve subpoenas for Senator Smith his Michigan deputized men? What were they investigating? There were rumors of false radio messages and reinsurance to hold down losses. Would the DOJ investigate these rumors?

At the time of the sinking, the only material things of value saved from Titanic were some lifeboats brought aboard Carpathia. Limited Liability reduced significantly the amount claimants could split in any suit to the value of thirteen lifeboats, plus the fares and freight money for Titanic’s voyage. (About $96,000) The Southern District of New York was called upon to decide for these claimants. The international make-up of the passengers, the operation by the United Kingdom, the major ownership by the United States, an accident in the middle of the North Atlantic that did not involve another ship - all of these established a precedent. The Southern District of New York called upon the Supreme Court to decide. With the appeal to the Supreme Court, the District of Columbia would again be the site where America would gather experts and witnesses to examine the sinking of Titanic, only this time to settle the issue of liability.

The Washington Post and the Evening Star were two of the local DC newspapers reporting on the events of 1912 and the years that followed. Associated Press had a Washington Bureau.

Many people connected to the Titanic made Washington, D. C. area their home. Major Archibald Butt, the military aid to President Taft, had a home in Washington, D. C. Colonel Archibald Gracie IV, a wealthy historian, also owned a home in DC. Butt was lost in the disaster. Gracie was a Titanic survivor, attended all of the U. S. Inquiry hearings and wrote his own account of the events of the sinking published in 1913, after his death in December 1912.

Other passengers also called Washington, D. C. home and some had businesses here.

Some folks say, The ship sank, get over it! Or they ask, "Why study Titanic?" It is important to study it, because it is a major disaster that crossed international lines and with all the fancy gadgets and amenities of its time, Titanic did not have the lifeboat capacity to accommodate all of its passengers. Did other United States government processes come into play in the days surrounding the sinking that could have been improved? Even with all of the changes in government over two administrations there were still duplicate entities performing similar tasks. Both Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and William Taft had attempted to eliminate duplication in government. Some important government processes were still redundant. To study Titanic and the days after its sinking can help us learn not only more about the sinking and its aftermath, but also about the federal government and how its three branches serve its people and how to affect important changes when things are skewed. Yet something as small as duplicate entries for call letters assigned to registered radios appear to have been overlooked. Or did our form of government dictate what could and could not be changed?

Wireless was in its initial stages back in 1912. It was a novelty. The benefits of wireless technology to provide warnings of ice may not have been realized. Wireless was there for the passengers’ amusement and in 1912 was not considered a useful navigational tool. A monument to Guglielmo Marconi, its inventor, is located in DC. In the 21st century, Mr. Marconi’s wireless technology as an emergency communications device would come into play during the 9/11 hijackings as passengers informed us of what was unfolding aboard United flight 93 by way of simple cell phone calls home. Even now 100 years after the sinking, historians still examine the telegrams of April 14-15, 1912, messages home, for clues to what happened.

Today people think it bizarre that the U.S. Senate addressed such ridiculous issues as the failure to rescue folks possibly trapped in watertight compartments just below the surface. There was a misunderstanding about the watertight compartments aboard Titanic. People imagined their loved ones trapped in a box at the bottom of the sea with no way of escape. There were also rumors of locked gates between classes. Were there gates to keep first class passengers safe aboard ship that prevented third class passengers from reaching safety? Depending upon who was asked, the stories were told of third class passengers who were kept from being rescued, as well as stories of those who sat in public rooms and never tried to escape or to save themselves.

This tragedy touched nearly every country of its day, all classes, and was examined by all three branches of the U. S. government with most of the executive branch seeking to find answers. It was the precursor to the more public investigations and hearings like Watergate. Titanic hearings were the first to be held in the Senate Caucus Room in the Russell Senate Office Building. In the end the investigations, hearings and legal proceedings into its sinking touched all three branches of the United States government and in the end improved our way of government for the future.

One first class child died. About fifty-percent of third class under the age of seventeen died. This outraged many U. S. Senators and Congressmen.

Americans were lost. Some of the lost were United States Government employees. All U. S. Postal Workers aboard Titanic were victims. There is a Smithsonian Museum in DC that often features Titanic exhibits about the postal workers (British and American). One postal employee made the DC area his home.

Many of the first class passengers had traveled regularly for business and pleasure. They were familiar with many of the members of the crew, ship protocols, and knew a stopped ship was not normal and would know enough to check things out. And they probably knew who to ask. The third class were made up of people who were moving (carrying everything they owned) and more than likely were traveling by ship for the first time. Routine and familiarity may have been the single thing that divided survivor from victim in many instances. Did this make the first class passengers safer by default? Was there a lack of safety for all?

Titanic is one of the few historical disasters that tested safety rules of the time and resulted in major changes. The Ice Patrol, mandatory emergency drills, and lifeboat accommodations for all came out of this inquiry. It resulted in the reorganization of the federal government of the United States. But was the reorganization truly the result of the sinking of Titanic or did Titanic validate a need that was already being pursued and facilitate a process already in the making?

There are countless experts on the subject of Titanic. The author does not claim to be an end-all expert on the topic of Titanic. What started as a tour guide of Titanic-related sites located within the DC area was modified into a deeper research project. The author pursued many of the questions and the issues commonly discussed regarding the United States government and the investigation into the sinking. So, using federal processes and basic group think, the author merely presented a glimpse at the people, stories, and events regarding Titanic that have roots in the Washington, D.C. geographical area and invite others to locate information that supports their area of expertise.

The author presents the results of her research in this book as a beginning to start a fresh study of Titanic or to try to understand a United States hearing and the government process or just history. The hope is that it will whet the reader’s appetite to learn more about Titanic and the U.S. Government process.

The theories and opinions expressed in this book regarding the activities of the Department of Justice and its Bureau of Investigation, although solidly researched, are still solely the author’s and do not reflect any official statement by the Department of Justice or the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

This book attempts to stick to only the Washington, D. C. portion of the Titanic story. It is written leaving details of the ship structure and all the other people impacted by Titanic from other areas to the experts in those fields. There simply was nothing available to use as a single point of reference for someone just starting to study the ship regarding Titanic history relating only to Washington, D.C.

The author found Washington, D. C. to be an awesome city, filled with art, music, history, sports, conventions, museums, and monuments, but there simply were no tour maps or photographs of the points of interest located here in regards to Titanic. It was frustrating to the average visitor with limited time to locate Titanic memorials and museums, because they had to locate someone who knew where the points of interest were located before even trying to visit them.

So, in 1999, the author started on an effort to photograph and research the information required for a tour guide of Titanic points of interest. Once that effort began, the author became interested in studying claims of newspapers that DOJ detectives were involved in the investigation regarding the sinking, reinsurance issues, ice reporting problems, and possible Department Justice and the BOI (a precursor to the FBI) involvement.

The author urges you to have fun with this book. Look for memorials and historical places, but more importantly learn about the capital and government (circa 1912) of the United States while you learn about Titanic.

Titanic in Washington, D. C., circa 1912, in Brief

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Image 3: Tidal Basin. Photo by M. Zottoli

Washington, D. C. in 1912 was a fast-growing city of over 300,000 residents. President William Howard Taft resided in the White House, New Yorker Henry Birkhardt Harris’ production of the play Snobs had just opened at the National Theater, and the city’s famous cherry trees, a gift from Japan, had just been planted beside the Tidal Basin. The Lincoln Memorial would not be completed for two more years and Union Station was only five years old. Against this backdrop, the drama of the sinking of the world’s largest ship and the investigation into the disaster would be played out.

The theater and art world, along with the military and civilian government agencies of the United States would all be impacted by the sinking. The United States federal government utilized all three branches (Judicial, Legislative, and Executive) to address the Titanic saga. The President held a Cabinet Meeting that was represented by the departments of the Executive Branch: War, Navy, Commerce and Labor, and Justice. In addition, there was a Presidential issued