LONDON CONFERENCE ON SAFETY AT SEA
As a later result of the Titanic disaster a conference of maritime nations was called in London and a safety-at-sea treaty drawn up. The question of submarine signals between vessels, such as might have prevented the latter catastrophe, was discussed in the conference; but the treaty adopted does not require the equipment of ships with these devices.
An important decision of this conference was that a continuous watch should be kept by all vessels of over thirteen knots speed carrying more than two hundred passengers and making voyages of more than five hundred miles between two ports, and by all other passenger ships when more than five hundred miles from land, and by all cargo boats on voyages that lead them more than a thousand miles from land.
When everything possible has been done to prevent accidents, it remains to reduce to a minimum the life and property loss attendant on such accidents as will happen even to the best of ships and navigators. There are three important items to be considered in this regard: first, means of calling help from shore or from other vessels; second, devices for escaping safely from a sinking vessel; and, third, means of so constructing a vessel that it will not sink no matter how hard hit.