Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-05-30
Vivid Details of Terrible
Tragedy Given by Survivors
Beinq Cared For in Quebec

OcHly Ooi Gu W w W0Soo>
oIJEBEC. May 30.-More than LOO
nSrsons lost their lives when the Cana
dian Pacific steamship Empress Of Ire
land sank In the st. Lawrence early FIJI
dsv morning after the liner had beef
r.nrned by the Danish collier Storstad
Figures complied by the Canadian Pacific
Railway Company, and made public to
dav. indicated that 1852 persons in al
had nerished Their list follows:
F1rst-class passengers saved. IS; secont
and third class passengers saved, l3l
crew saved. 206. Total. 355
The number of passengers carried by
tho Empress of ireland: First-class. 81
second-class. 1873: thlrd-class. il3' crew
AZ Total. 1.3SI-
with the survivors safe in Quebec
v-hers their wants and sorrows are oelne
given every possible care. attention "as
turned today to Rimoush where efforts
to recover the bodies of victims are II
progress .,,,
900 bodies have been landed there.
Dead Are Piled in Tiers.
Tho dead were piled In tiers. making
=, oossib,e to closely scrutinize the bodies
for purpose Of Identification. Few have
.o far been recognized. but this work
uas earnestly undertaken after daybreak
today There appear to be many foreign
.rs among the dead. Judging from pass
ports found on the bodies
Women and children are plentifully
-enresented in the grim pile. among them
one mother with her child pressed cioseis
to her breast -.
Those who witnessed the scene az
r,jnouski where the sad harvest OF tns
rescue ships was laid on the piers ana
sheds said the sight was heartrenoins;;
Many of the victims stared hea VeiiM a. :. y
with wide-open eyes: some with noTrol ~
tner, and others with an air OF puZLleu
,.nr,se There was hut little attempt
to cover the corpses and 1or the mus,
mart they lay practically as they nae
been taken out of the water. soHle ha4'
dressed and others nearly ndheu'
Constructing Temporary Morgue.
The tender Lady Grey has been desle-
mated as a funeral ship and IS eNpecteo
to reach Quebec late today Win inc
bodies of the dead so far recovereo- An
army of carpenters and undertaKers' WIZ
worked all last night, are stiii busy con
verting one of the large 1reisn. errS
ON the harbor front into "A tstipoi al
n1oreue for the reception OF BONES
The collier Storstad. which rammeo tne
Inflated Empress of Ireland, arrived mere
shortly after I o'clock TINS norhi tns 20 o.
cnmpanied by the wreckng steamer
Strathcona and anchored in mldstreari.
a press boat went out. but newspaper
men were refused permission 10 ooaIu;
It was learned. however tnat sne liz is.'
saved many of the Empress passengers.
The Storstad is badly damaged, having
a hole some fifteen feet square IN ner
how. She is waiting for orders 10 say
whether she will dock mere OF 20 ~ ~
Montreal Capt Thomas Anderson OF
the Storstad was asleep when the vessei
reached this port and had left orders not
to be disturbed
Survivors Give Vivid Details.
Stories of the loss Of the Empress OF
ireland brought to Quebec last night by
the survivors gave vivid details of the
most terrible tragedy In the annals OF
the St Lawrence. Some compared the
disaster to that which befell the Titanic
but pointed out that in the case OF the
Titanic there was time to prepare Tor
death, while with those who persisted on
the Empress there was little time for re-
Election or prayer In many cases. N
deed, survivors declare, death must have
come with merciful swntness ana oeiofe
the victims realized that their hour had
struck. .
From the accounts Of the saved 1t
seems that soon after the ship was
rarnmed she careened until her deck
stood at right angles to the water. She
slid slowly into the water. and 1t was
only possible to launch fve boats IN
the brief interval before she finally
sank.
Capt Kendall was on the bridge when
the collision occurred. When the steam
er sank he was washed away. later TO
parently to his great regret Thus far
he has vouchsafed no public statement,
except to say that he would have pre-
ferred to have gone down with his ship.
Nhe cd i'm
the frightful few minutes after the ship
was struck speak in his praise. and de-
clare he did his full duty.
Irving Stood by His Wife.
Chief omcer steed. 1t Is stated. was
killed by a boat falling on him while
working to help the passengers escape.
Laurence Irving, author and actor.
and son Of Sir Henry Irving. according
to survivors. died while trying to save
his wife. Mr. and Mrs. Irving we're last
seen on deck embracing each other
as If in farewell. They went down
with the ship locked in each others
arms.
Commissioner Rees of the Salvation
ARMY stood on the deck of the doomed
vessel trying to persuade the people to
keep cool. and lending helping hand
to many. When the ship was almost
under water. one of his men shouted
to him to jump for his life. He replied
he would stand by his wife and chill
dren and sank with the words 20 God.
Thy will be DONE" on his lips.
One of the touching sights on the sur
vivors' train was that presented by
Philip LAWYER. With his wife and son
he had left his home in Brantford. Ont.
where they had lived for the last seven
years. to visit their old home, Keitghly.
Yorkshire, England. The mother went
down with the ship. while the father
after desperate struggle, managed to
save his son Herbert. and himself. He
vas injured when the explosion occurred
and, with his head swathed in bandages
and bowed with grief. he sat a discon-
ISOLATE figure at his sons side The
boy. who Is about seventeen years old.
when asked about the wreck said:
Father Swan Beside Him,
Z was awakened by shouts and water
rushing into tho third class quarters. ]
Jumped mp dressed and took a life bolt.
Mother Is gone. for In tho rush which
ooom1ed after tho plunge. father waa
swimming beside ma He helped mo to