GOVERNOR: Flattening trend of Coronavirus APEX Continues. “Definitely in decline.” New Cases Still Average 2,000 a Day. 630 Deaths Yesterday. Will Organize NY labs into cohesive Testing Effort. THEN GOVERNOR RESPECTFULLY FLATTENS TRUMP.

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WPCNR CORONAVIRUS CUOMO REPORT. By John F. Bailey. April 17, 2020:

It was a “Q. & A” like no other.

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo took the President of the United States apart.

When asked his reaction to President Donald Trump’s statements, quoted by a reporter, that Governor Cuomo asked for more supplies, hospital construction that he didn’t need, Mr. Cuomo calmly laid out the facts for the President.

He said he, Cuomo, had followed the federal government projections as late as March 13, showing the Peter Navaro memo on the screen,  declaring that “2.4 million to 21 million Americans would be hospitalized.”

In exacting, calm detail Governor Cuomo walked the President through the President’s administration predictions. He ended up his  15 minute analysis and rejection of the President’s statement that Mr. Cuomo’s coronavirus effort was always wanting more.

Mr. Cuomo called for the President, since his own CDC, Corona Virus Task Force, and Peter Navarro predictions were wrong, he should fire them.

The press room appeared in shock. Too shocked to ask to ask a question.

One reporter asked why the Governor said this. The Governor said “Because this is a pivotal moment. I don’t want to go through the race for testing materials as he went through in the search for ventilators.” He said I need two things, tests and state funding.

The President’s remarks and the Governor’s didactic, logical recitation of the progression of dire government forecasts, resounded word by word like pindrop after pindrop after pindrop , each weighing a ton, exploding in the carpeted Red Room.

It was in sharp contrast to the good news the Governor shared at the top of the meeting.

The apex of the coronavirus continued on the way down overnight.

The Governor was still concerned about the continuing average of 2,000 new cases a day. The Governor urged people to “Learn from this” and move ahead to better ways of working when businesses recover.

He announced an effort to coordinate efforts of the state’s testing labs to work as a team in processing coronavirus tests that would be similar to the way he and his team organized the Coronavirus Coordination Center in Albany that allocated resources and patient movement between the states hospitals.

He announced a new executive order mandating nursing homes to provide information on coronavirus infectees to persons with loved ones in those homes calling in concern. Melissa DeRosa, Secretary to the Governor said nursing homes across the state have not been complying and that was the reason for the executive order coming.

The governor Cuomo analysis of the President’s remarks, was an amazing unexpected event.

I was reminded of Sportscaster Jack Buck’s description of Kirk Gibson’s 2-run pinch hit winning homer with 2 out in the 9th in the First Game of the 1988 World Series, against the Swingin’ A’a that when Mr. Buck in awe, as Kirk Gibson fist-pumping jogged around the bases, in wonder yelled, “I don’t believe what I just saw!”

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Stanford Health Call for Help

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WPCNR THE LETTER TICKER. April 16, 2020:

Fairfield County is currently the center of the COVID-19 outbreak in Connecticut. Stamford Health is at the frontline of this unfolding COVID-19 crisis caring for our family, friends and neighbors who are contending with this incredibly infectious disease.


On behalf of Stamford Health, Westfair would like to ask for your immediate help
With their frontline health care workers at the hospital around the clock and often unable to go home or get to a store, they would appreciate any donation of the following items: 
Food Essentials 

  1. Non-perishables (grains, rice, oats, pasta, nuts, granola bars)
  2. Canned foods (beans, tomatoes, pasta sauce, tuna, soup, fruits)
  3. Bottled water 

Non-Food Essentials 

  1. Toilet paper
  2. Paper towels
  3. Tissues
  4. Shampoo
  5. Body wash
  6. Hand soap, sanitizers, and disinfectants
  7. Laundry detergent, dish detergent & soap

If you would like to donate, please contact Chris Riendeau or Andy Bissellee of Stamford Hospital Foundation and they will make arrangements for pick-up or delivery. 
Chris Riendeau – 203-276-5977 or criendeau@stamhealth.org Andy Bisselle – 203-276-2533 or abisselle@stamhealth.org
Donations can also be made at a safe and secure, curbside drop-off zone located at Stamford Health’s Tully Health Center – 32 Strawberry Hill Ct. Volunteer staff will be available to accept donations Monday through Friday from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. 
Please note that items should be in their original, unopened packaging. On behalf of everyone at Stamford Health, thank you. 
Sincerely,Chris Riendeau

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IF CORONAVIRUS POSITIVE PERSONS INFECT 2 PERSONS EACH — NEW YORK WILL SEE OUTBREAKS ALL OVER AGAIN. GOVERNOR CUOMO KEEPS NY PAUSE RULES IN EFFECT THROUGH MAY 15. MASK UP IN PUBLIC. ISSUES INSIGHTS BUSINESS SHOULD LOOK AT. HOSPITALIZATION RATE HEARTBEAT OF RECOVERY.

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GOVERNOR CUOMO DEMONSTRATED THE ESSENCE OF WHY NEW YORKERS SHOULD CONTINUE SOCIAL DISTANCING, WEAR MANDATORY MASKS IN PUBLIC — SHOWING THE EXPONENTIAL EFFECT OF ONE CORONAVIRUS INFECTED PERSON GIVING THE VIRUS TO 1 PERSON OR 2 PERSONS, COMPARING IT TO WORLD WIDE OUTBREAKS. CURRENTLY NEW YORK HAS LOWERED THE INFECTION RATE TO .90 PERSONS AND HE IMPLORED NEW YORKERS TO MASK UP AND KEEP LOWERING IT AT HIS NEWS CONFERENCE TODAY. (Albany Feed)

WPCNR CORONAVIRUS CUOMO REPORT. By John F. Bailey. April 16, 2020 UPDATED 3:30 PM EDT WITH DETAILED VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS UPDATED WITH CASES BY COUNTY 5:45 PM EDT

NEW! CASES OF CORONAVIRUS IN WESTCHESTER BY COMMUNITY PUBLISHED 9:15 PM EDT

Governor Andrew Cuomo showed New Yorkers in graphically dramatic terms by comparing New York current infection rates today to the infection rates that other major outbreaks had and emphasizing how slim the margin of error, the edge that New York going ahead to keep the infection rate down.

He noted in the video leading this article that if a coronavirus infected person infected 1 other person, the infection rate will rise, and if that one infected person infected two other persons, New York will see more outbreaks and relive the entire experience of the last 45 days, with closures and distancing rules put back in place.

The governor said that reasons so many experts were wrong in their estimates of number of infections and deaths prepared for New York were because they used the usual infection rates. The governor pounded home the message that New Yorkers understood the facts of the disease and chose to comply with the state efforts to control the spread of the disease.

He extended the current NY Pause strategy through May 15, at which time he said he would look at the data to decide whether or not to proceed with a reopening.

He explained that testing figures provide a false positive in that the number of people tested are people who think they may have coronavirus, pointing out that “the more you test, the more cases you have.” The only real measure of the growth of the disease is the hospitalization rate that measures the number of persons actually sick enough to require being into the hospital.

INFECTION RATE IS EVERYTHING. GOVERNOR CUOMO ON KNOWING YOUR INFECTION RATE AND WHAT IT MEANS.

The Governor detailed issues, he feels businesses have to address before and after any reopening. Continuing his advisory yesterday on how businesses would reopen. In the video below he gives a rundown on situations to address as they reopen:

INSIGHTS ON ISSUES BUSINESSES NEED TO LOOK AT AS THEY PREPARE TO REOPEN

In the “Q & A” session afterwards, the governor set up a new format for answering questions, selecting a different reporter in random sequence and not by the loudest voice.

In that “Q & A,” the Governor said the state had lost 7.5 Billion (an estimated $10-15 Billion) in revenues and the state was not in a position to help cities, towns, and counties with shortfalls, saying “We cannot do it. We’re not in position to help anyone.”

He criticized congress and said he has made the New York delegation aware of the need to address the need for more aid to states. “They tell me well we have to get to ‘yes,’ but you’re not helping the country. It doesn’t matter if you get to ‘yes’ and don’t help the country.”

The Governor criticized the New York Times for inaccurately reporting that unexplained causes of death in nursing homes added to the death total this week when Mayor DeBlasio of New York City commented on the unexplained deaths. Melissa DeRosa, Secretary to the governor said the these were deaths attributed as probably due to the coronavirus which made complications the “probables” had worse. The New York State Commissioner of Health Howard Zuckerman explained the role the coronavirus often causes organ shutdowns in persons with previous conditions.

The Governor said New York State is sending 100 ventilators to the state of New Jersey, which has not reached the apex stage of its coronavirus growth.

Melissa DeRosa said the unemployment claims processing at the New York Department of Labor, after one week of a new call-in policy in effect had processed 925,600 applications of 1.2 million applications in 5 weeks. She said all last year the state had received 300,000 applications. She attributed the remain applications to awaiting verification of items left off the application.

THIS JUST IN AT 9 PM FROM WESTCHESTER : CURRENT COUNT OF CORONAVIRUS CASES BY COMMUNITY IN WESTCHESTER COUNTY.

The Governor reported 606 deaths were reported from coronavirus Wednesday, bringing the number of persons who have died in New York State to 11,977.

He confirmed 8,505 Additional Coronavirus Cases in New York State – Bringing Statewide Total to 222,284

The following is the current count of coronavirus counts by County (Metropolitan New York counties in bold):

CountyTotal PositiveNew Positive
Albany58133
Allegany280
Broome16714
Cattaraugus320
Cayuga360
Chautauqua240
Chemung701
Chenango732
Clinton461
Columbia993
Cortland241
Delaware471
Dutchess2,08537
Erie1,85099
Essex120
Franklin130
Fulton251
Genesee782
Greene741
Hamilton30
Herkimer433
Jefferson481
Lewis81
Livingston321
Madison1050
Monroe93248
Montgomery320
Nassau27,7721,057
Niagara21612
NYC123,1464,844
Oneida2493
Onondaga46213
Ontario653
Orange5,888172
Orleans341
Oswego442
Otsego440
Putnam5732
Rensselaer13713
Rockland8,752278
Saratoga2314
Schenectady2458
Schoharie200
Schuyler60
Seneca180
St. Lawrence931
Steuben1543
Suffolk24,182904
Sullivan43713
Tioga272
Tompkins1161
Ulster76128
Warren814
Washington464
Wayne491
Westchester21,828881
Wyoming340
Yates71
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Who Will Pay for Tests? States or Federal Government

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WPCNR CORONAVIRUS REPORT. From the Governor Cuomo Press Office. April 16, 2020:

Wednesday night, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo was a guest on CNN’s Cuomo Prime Time to discuss New York’s ongoing effort to combat the corona virus. The program revealed that apparently the Federal Government at this time is unwilling to fund the amount of money to pay for increasing the ability of private labs to process an exponential volume of tests. Here is that discussion:


Governor Cuomo: 
That’s a legitimate issue. I knew you would get to one sooner or later. Look, the way I think of it is, when is it over, over? It’s over, over when you have a vaccine. Then people know the virus is dead. That’s 12 to 18 months, so the question is how do you get from here to 12 to 18 months? Well, maybe they’ll come up with a medical treatment, convalescent plasma, et cetera. Yeah, maybe. Otherwise, we have to get from here to 12 months, 18 months. We have to start to phase in the opening of the economy while we’re watching the public health consequences and the number of hospitalizations, et cetera. 

Testing is the best mechanism for you to get through this 12 to 18 months. Now, why doesn’t the President want to go near testing? Because testing is a quagmire. No one can do it. No one can bring it up to scale quickly. It is very complicated. I have spent days and days on this. Government doesn’t really do testing, it’s really a private lab function. To now take testing and ramp it up to where you have to bring it, Chris, is an impossibility. 

Chris Cuomo: Help me understand, because when people hear you say, “nobody can do it,” why? Why is it so hard? Is it about not having enough tests? Not enough people? Not enough labs? Why can’t America do it when we can do everything? 

Governor Cuomo:  It’s all of the above. It’s all of the above. Can we do it? Yes. Can you do it in one month? Well, no. So everybody’s reaction is hands off because this is now going to be the blame game. Well, there wasn’t enough testing. Who’s to blame? That’s why the President said 11 times, after I said 11 times, the states can’t do the test. You’ve never heard me say, “I’m not capable. I give up.” I don’t like to say it. It’s not who I am, it’s not what I believe. I said it because I want to make sure we’re clear: I can’t do it. I can’t bring it to scale. This gets very complicated. It was all of the above. They don’t have enough manufacturing equipment, they don’t have enough vials, they don’t have enough swabs, they don’t have enough machines. The private labs don’t have the capacity. They need testing agents that don’t even come from this country. There’s a whole international supply chain to this. 

To grab hold of this is very problematic and we just went through this situation of how do we build ventilators in 14 days. That turned out to be very complicated. This testing is now what ventilators was in this new phase. I said I can’t do it. President said the states must do it. The states are saying, “we can’t.” This has to be justified, this dispute. It’s not even a dispute. The truth is nobody can do it well. You can’t bring that industry to this volume, this scale, nationwide. We can’t have 50 states – what’s happening now, is I’m competing against all the other states for those private sector companies that have some capacity. 

I’m trying to buy tests. I called Governor Pritzker. There’s a company in his state that does these tests and they’re one of the leading companies. I said, “How do we do this? I don’t want to compete with you.” But every state is now competing and the federal government. This is madness. We did this with ventilators. It can’t be 50 states scrambling and bidding for the same product from the same 10 companies in the country. It can’t be. 

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“STOPPING THE SPREAD IS EVERYTHING.” NY APEX EASES DOWN. STILL 2,253 NEW CASES REPORTED YESTERDAY. GOVERNOR: MUST WEAR FACE MASK IN PUBLIC FRIDAY

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THE APEX EASES ON DOWN SLOWLY

DETAILS REOPENING “MUSTS”

NO LAB CAPACITY TO ANALYZE MULTI-MILLIONS IN TESTS NATIONWIDE

BUSINESS OPENINGS BASED ON ESSENTIALITY

WPCNR GOVERNOR CUOMO CORONAVIRUS REPORT. By John F. Bailey. April 15, 2020:

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo detailed how New York will come back today in a program that emphasized stopping the spread, making sure the spread is stopped, and described a structured reopening plan driven by faster testing, and careful analysis of the essentiality of businesses that would open in sequence.

He said the Apex of infections in New York State had eased in a definite downward trend, but noted that though incubations of persons (going on ventilators) had declined, 2,253 new hospitalizations of persons with corona virus were reported.

THE JUMP IN HOSPITALIZATIONS YESTERDAY CONCERNED THE GOVERNOR
Number deaths Tuesday, 752, bringing the total persons who have died in the state to 11,636. The governor characterized the death rate as “flat” .
He said the state would categorize nursing home deaths, not attributing all deaths to coronavirus(though WPCNR notes the rise in nursing deaths corresponded directly to the spread of the coronavirus). Nursing homes are nowrequired to tel persons with loved ones there if they have covid-19 cases there.
The Governor confirmed 11,571 additional cases of novel coronavirus, bringing the statewide total to 213,779 confirmed cases in New York State.

To emphasize the need to stop spreading the Governor announced a new executive order making it mandatory persons going out in public had to wear a face mask, which could be made out of  cloth and cover the nose and mouth. The order is to be effective this Friday, April 17.

The Governor provided how he felt the New York “Bridge to Normal” would proceed. The first was massive testing of persons coming back to work. Testing essential workers and health care providers first. Then employees coming back to work in essential businesses. (more on that later in this ariticle.)

He said: “When you relax that social distancing, you could very well see an increase in the infection rate. So it’s all a calibration to the public health. But it’s going to be a gradual increasing of economic activity in calibration with the public health, public health standards. The single best tool to doing this gauging, right, is large-scale testing. Test, trace and isolate.”

He also announced the New York State Health Department had developed an antibody test, which can be administered by a pinprick taking blood from a person who has recovered from the coronavirus.

The state is asking the Food and Drug Administration to authorize the new antibody test for use beginning next week. With approval the state could conduct 100,000 tests a week. The Governor also said the state wanted to use saliva tests.

However the massive testing needs analysis, which suggests another problem:

New York’s 228 labs will process most of the NY tests, the governor said, and they would also help analyze tests in Michigan and Maryland which are other states being hard hit. He announced he has started the New York ventilator sharing policy he had promised two weeks ago.  He is sending 100 New York State ventilators to Michigan and 50 to the state of Maryland to handle the outbreaks gripping those states.

GOVERNOR POINTED OUT PRIVATE COMPANIES LIMITED ABILITY TO HANDLE MILLIONS AND MILLIONS OF TEST ANALYSES.

The Governor said the nation does not have the laboratory capacity to analyze the tests of all 50 states to give states a handle on the virus states of penetration. He pointed out the federal government has to act to set up more lab testing facilities, to speed the testing states not facing high coronavirus spread yet will rapidly fill out private labs, and probably have to pay a premium for test analysis in bidding wars. The governor said states are “broke,” that the federal government has to  spend to set up those labs, that the states cannot handle the testing capacity they need.

Getting Business Back Into the Lineup

The governor gave insight into how businesses would be selected to be opened. He outlined a process that involved which businesses would be deemed essential, based on the service/business provided, and the number of essential public workers were needed, police,fire, health, ambulances, etc. The essential businesses would open first: testing persons in the city who returned to work to see if they were infected. Next another tier of essential businesses not so essential as the first would be allowed to open. Testing would continue.  What businesses were considered the most essential were not specified.

Questions in the press “Q. & A.” center on the “Must Wear Face Masks” State Order, focusing on how it could be enforced. The Governor said that you wear the mask off, but if you were approaching someone or a group of people on a street crossing so to speak, you had to put the mask back up. Asked about penalities, the Governor said there would be none to start, but he would see how compliance was before he specified penalties.

The Governor said:

“Stopping the spread is everything. How can you not wear a mask? I hope New Yorkers will do it because it makes sense.”

Below is the county-by-county listing of where the cases are Metropolitan area counties are in BOLD FACE.

the virus, the geographic breakdown is as follows:

CountyTotal PositiveNew Positive
Albany54813
Allegany280
Broome1537
Cattaraugus320
Cayuga363
Chautauqua241
Chemung695
Chenango713
Clinton450
Columbia9612
Cortland231
Delaware461
Dutchess2,048114
Erie1,75183
Essex120
Franklin130
Fulton242
Genesee760
Greene737
Hamilton30
Herkimer401
Jefferson470
Lewis70
Livingston310
Madison1051
Monroe88434
Montgomery320
Nassau26,7151,465
Niagara2047
NYC118,3027,837
Oneida24617
Onondaga44918
Ontario621
Orange5,716138
Orleans332
Oswego421
Otsego440
Putnam57113
Rensselaer1244
Rockland8,474139
Saratoga2273
Schenectady2372
Schoharie200
Schuyler60
Seneca180
St. Lawrence920
Steuben1514
Suffolk23,278816
Sullivan4249
Tioga251
Tompkins1153
Ulster73343
Warren770
Washington422
Wayne480
Westchester20,947756
Wyoming342
Yates60
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MAIL FOR YOUR ABSENTEE BALLOT APLICATION NOW TO VOTE IN JUNE 23 PRIMARY FOR NY ASSEMBLY DISTRICT 97 AND CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 17

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Mail your request for Application to Board of Elections 25 Quarropas Street, White Plains NY 10601. or visit the office at 25 Quarropas Street in person to fill out application. Absentee Ballots will be mailed out May 23. The Governor has approved voting by Absentee Ballot can be used to vote in the June 23 election to avoid going in person to the polls because of the corononavirus danger.
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LETTER FROM MAYOR ROACH–WEAR MASKS VISITING STORES, BUSINESSES/

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WPCNR THE LETTER TICKER. APRIL 15, 2020:

I  have issued a new emergency declaration that requires individuals to wear a face covering when working at, visiting, or patronizing a business in the city of White Plains.

The face covering does not have to be a mask but must cover your nose and mouth. The use of face coverings does not change the social distancing requirements but rather is intended to augment them. Details are available on our website.


If you have recovered from the coronavirus, you are encouraged to donate your plasma. Please see the NY blood center’s website at: https://nybc.org to fill out the donor request form. The demand is high and you may save a life.

RideConnect of Family Services of Westchester has set up a shopping program for older adults to help keep them safely at home. Volunteers get a client’s grocery list, do the shopping and drop the groceries off at the client. If you need help shopping for groceries or medications, call them at (914) 242-7433.

Remember we are standing together by staying apart!

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Letter from the Governor

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WPCNR THE LETTER TICKER. April 15, 2020:

April 14, 2020. 
Remember: Our actions determine our destiny. This virus spreads in ways we now understand via person-to-person transmission that can be airborne. We know that we can actively prevent its spread by staying home, by wearing face coverings when we are out of the house and by standing six feet away from others in public.

New Yorkers should be proud that we have flattened the curve and we are continuing to do so every day. But this is far from over: The moment we become lax, the virus will take advantage. We must stay the course. Here’s what else you need to know tonight: 

1. Some positive news — and some terrible news. For the first time since we began recording the data, the total number of hospitalizations has dipped down in New York State. We also saw a drop in the number of intubations for the second day in a row. That’s the good news; it shows that what we are doing is working. But the tragic news is that we lost 778 New Yorkers to this virus yesterday(Monday). The number of daily fatalities has been essentially flat — but at a horrifying rate. We mourn every New Yorker we’ve lost.  

2. I am calling for a fair federal stimulus bill for New York. Congress must appropriate an additional $500 billion specifically for states and territories to meet the states’ budgetary shortfalls that have resulted from the unprecedented public health crisis. In the absence of this, states will have to confront the prospect of significant reductions to critical services, hampering public health and the economic recovery. 

3. Due to Coronavirus, there is a shortage of blood and blood donations are desperately needed. New York State is working with blood banks to ensure safe social distancing protocols are being followed. Learn how and where you can donate at ny.gov/donateblood

4. Other ways you can help. In addition to giving blood, there are many ways New Yorkers can help with the state’s coronavirus response, from donating goods and services to contributing to the state’s First Responders Fund to volunteering. And you can continue to help us just by social distancing and acting responsibly. Learn more here

Tonight’s “Deep Breath Moment”: In order to liven up mundane chores, people around the world are finding some levity by dressing up while taking out the trash. From wearing unicorn costumes to wedding dresses, people are getting creative to make social distancing a bit more uplifting. If you were forwarded this email, you can subscribe to New York State’s Coronavirus Updates here. 

Ever Upward, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo
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LAST NIGHT, THE RMS TITANIC STRUCK AN ICEBERG AT 11:40 PM. 2-1/2 HOURS LATER SHE SANK, DROWNING 1,500 PASSENGERS. 108 YEARS AGO

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WPCNR MILESTONES. By John F. Bailey. April 14-15, 2020.

She began her voyage, four days ago, 108 years ago, April 10, 1912.

She carried over 2,200 passengers and crew and was the largest ocean liner of her time ever built.

They were the rich and famous, the poor and hopeful.

She was guaranteed unsinkable.

Her owners, the White Star Line, wanted to set a new speed record for crossing the Atlantic.

Her captain had been warned their northerly course would take it through an iceberg field.

On April 13, a Saturday evening, 108 years ago, sailing  under a crisp clear,calm starlit sky at 11:40 PM after an evening of partying aboard ship, prior to arrival in New York on Sunday, the ship sideswiped an iceberg.

She was the Titanic.

She was the ship of dreams.

Today, she is the ship of nightmares as her hundreds of passengers from all walks of life perished together in the ruthless sea. The cold fateful, unforgiving frigid  indifferent eternity of the sea.

The Titanic’s fate was a lesson that changed maritime laws.

Two and a half hours after the iceberg collision the Titantic sank at 2:20 A.M., early the morning of April 15, (this morning) on that night to remember.

This is an excerpt from  the testimony of a survivor, Emily Maria Borie Ryerson watching from a lifeboat desperately trying to row away from the suction of the sinking ship, at the 1912 U.S. Senate SubCommittee Hearing on the Titanic sinking:

“The order was given to pull away. Then they rowed off—the sailors, the women, anyone – but made little progress; there was a confusion of orders; we rowed toward the stern, someone shouted something about a gangway, and no one seemed to know what to do. Barrels and (deck) chairs were being thrown overboard.

“Then suddenly, when we (in the lifeboat) still seemed very near, we saw the ship was sinking rapidly. I was still in the bow of the boat with my daughter and turned to see the great ship take a plunge toward the bow, the two forward funnels seemed to lean and then she seemed to break in half as if cut with a knife, and as the bow went under, the lights went out; the stern stood up for several minutes, black against the stars, and then that, too, plunged down and there was no sound for what seemed like hours, and then began the cries for help of people  drowning all around us, which seemed to go on forever.”

Dorothy Gibson, the silent screen actress and survivor – from her testimony before the committee—observed from a lifeboat– in an excerpt from her testimony before the same committee, said:

“Suddenly there was a wild coming together of voices from the direction of the ship of the ship and we noticed an unusual commotion among the people huddled about the railing. Then the awful thing happened, the thing that will remain in my memory until the day I die.

The Titanic seemed to lurch slightly more to the side and then the fore. A minute, or probably two minutes, later she sank her nose into the ocean, swayed for a few minutes and disappeared, leaving nothing behind her on the face of the sea but a swirl of water, bobbing heads and lifeboats that were threatened by the suction of the waters.”

The Titanic’s fate was traced to the negligence and reckless disregard of the risk of sailing at 22 knots through an icefield, and 16 lifeboats for 2,200 persons, insufficient number of lifeboats.

And in recent years, analysis of the hull plates recovered from the wreck of the ship on the ocean floor indicated a faulty, economical brittle bolt selection in constructing  the hull.

The White Star Line owner J. Bruce Ismay, onboard that night,  callously saved his own life by slipping into a lifeboat.

Ismay in a statement, denied telling the Captain of the Titanic to set a new speed record and denied telling the Captain to increase the ship speed in the ice field region.  Also said he just happened to be near a lifeboat about to be lowered and no more women and children around to board, and that was why he got into the lifeboat.

So much for corporate responsibility and guilt of any kind, even then.

Not much has changed in corporate world over the decades since this night and morning to remember.

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