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Show TITANIC UP Ii ENGLAND Case Promises to Overshadow Over-shadow All Previous Tribu7ials London, May 2. Lord Mersey in his capacity as wreck commissioner, and flc associates who will advise him In his questioning on tho technicalities technicali-ties of nautical affairs, today held tho first session of the Board of Trade Iu-qulry Iu-qulry Into the loss of the Whit? Star steamer Titanic. In point of Interest to the public and. the Importance of) Us results on tho laws governing tho1 mercantile marine, tho Investigation promises to ovcrshodow all previous tribunals of a' similar character. From the 2G quosllons which the attorney at-torney general announced would be taken up, it becamo evident the inquiry in-quiry would cover practically tho same gronnd aa tho investigation by tho committee of tho American senate, sen-ate, but would be conducted more in accordance with the proceoduro of a court of law and deal definitely with st.-.td cages. HlgUl JueyflojiG, Fir Rufus Daniel iea,tJ?fald, 0ul4 p. 'ate to happen-' happen-' 5n-6 b(.foiejh0 ditrr. si to warnings warn-ings gien to the Titanic and the reuniting re-uniting piccautlona takou: ton (o ,tho casualtj itgeif and consequent events; oue to the equipment and construction construc-tion of the venspl ami the last to the rules of the merchant shipping 'act. A tweniy-i0ot motiel of tho Titanic carrying 16 miniature 1 teboats'and a big chart of the nOrth'Atlantlc wore prominently displayed before tho Investigators In-vestigators In front of the platform which they occupied were seated 100 members of tho bar representing various va-rious interests involved and 100 newspaper news-paper men. The only reference to the American investigation was Sir Rufus' Ru-fus' announcement that owing to the detention of many witnesses for the senatorial Inquiry In the United States, the testimony would not bo presented in a logical order. The seamen who arrived from New York on the Lapland first were called as witness to tho construction and ,j equipment of the Titanic. Lord Mer-zoy Mer-zoy recognized Thomas Scanlan, member mem-ber of parliament for tho north division divis-ion of Sltgo, who appeared for tho Seamen's Firemen's union and an attorney at-torney for the Merchants' Servjce Guild and took under consideration the application for representation of the Seafarers' union, the Ship Constructors' Con-structors' association and the Mercantile Mercan-tile Officers' union. An adjournment was then taken, (Continued on Pago Eight.) . I (Continued from Page One.) The scene of the hearing was tho armory of tho Scottish Rifles, which, with -Its broad drill floor, with two rows of. galleries, affords accommodations accommoda-tions for several hundred persons When the inquiry opened not nioro than 100 spectators were present and the majority of those were women Because the acoustics proved to bo poor Lord Mersey recommended that the board of trade provide another room. Sir Rufus said during the hearing: "I desire on behalf of the govern-i govern-i mont to pxpress the deepest sympathy for nil those who mourn the loss ot relatives and friends among the passengers, pas-sengers, tho officers and crew of the I Ill-fated vessel The accident ex ceeded In magnitude and In harrowing harrow-ing incidents any accident In the history his-tory of the mercantile marine. I can-3 can-3 not forbear paying a tribute to those whoso devotion to duty and heroic j self-sacrifice maintained the best'tra- ni dltlons of the sea." i i Sir Robert Finlay, chief counsel for J the White Star Steamship company, r seconded these remarks, rejieatlnfj that "the disaster had given an opportunity op-portunity for a display of heroism and devotion to duty which had maintained maintain-ed the best traditions of the mercantile mercan-tile marine ' |