Dozing wireless operator ‘not to blame’ for Titanic deaths
WHEN the Titanic sank, the wireless operator aboard the only nearby ship dozed through distress calls.
But Cyril Evans, who manned the SS Californian’s telegraph, could not have saved the victims, experts say.
Evans, just 20, was condemned after going to bed at 11.30pm on April 14, 1912 – minutes before Titanic hit the iceberg that sank it.
A US inquiry later ruled that had he “remained a few minutes longer at his post” the Californian might have rescued passengers and crew.
Instead, the ship sat idle just a few miles from the disaster. It was left to
the Carpathia to come to Titanic’s rescue from some 60 miles away.
Now experts have found Evans – though he “failed in his duty” – could not have cut the death toll.
Historian Parks Stephenson said even in daylight the Californian took more than two hours to navigate
through ice to the scene. At night it would have taken much longer.
By the time it arrived the ship would have sunk and most of those in the water would have died of exposure, he found.
However, Mr Stephenson did accuse Evans of “negligence” for failing to warn the Titanic of ice. Earlier that fateful night he had been told to “shut up” by his counterpart on the Titanic while trying to alert the ship as he was interrupting another message. Evans also failed to mark his first message as for the captain’s attention and never resent it before going to sleep. “Here is where I accuse Evans of negligence,” Mr Stephenson said. “He went to bed, essentially failing to carry out his order to notify Titanic that Californian was stopped in the ice.”