The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson, S.C.) 1914-1917, 1914-06-02
Survivors Tell of Escape
Details ee H!sswz They They Managed To
Get Away From Sinking Yes
eel end Were Rescued


Quebec. May 29.A-A train with ses
survivors from the sunken steamer
Empress OF Ireland reached here
shortly before 8 O'clock tonight. The
rescued on board numbered 29 first
class, 29 second class and 1O1 third
class passengers and 237 of the crew.
Thirty seven survivors were left at
Rimouski. which would make total
OF ESS saved. AS revised figures show
1887 persons to have been on the
steamer makes the, propaoie number
Sff lost G55f.
A full equipment of ambulances
was In readiness at Lewis when the
army medical service corps spe-
cial survivors train arriver there.
and the passengers were disembarked
and transferred to a. ferry steamer
waiting at a spciai wharf to facilitate
the transfer to Qnebec.
1t was a pitiful sight when the fer
ry steamer docked on the Quebec side
/ at $3.50 O'Clock tonfglat and the 396 sur
vivors disernbar rksds Their faces reg
istered the frfghtful experience they
nao gone through Few possessed a
compl sSoutfit ofSIsthing.
Among the % first cabin survivors
there were eight women and one child.
Among the twenty nine rescued from
the second cabin were eight women
and one child OF the s101 persons saw
ed from the steerage four were women.
To the ee5lne6s OF DIR. James r.
Grant, OF Victoria. B. c., ships surgeon
on the Empress. was credited the saw
lag OF many passengers taken out OF
thet .Eater5 whQ. prpbsslys pouId HaVe
Feriahed had they not received prompt
medical attention.S = s 1t 49, n
A graphic description of the scene
on board the Empress OF Ireland aR-
ter the collision was given by DR..
Grant.
II was in my cabin, he said, "ana
knew nothing of the Incident until the
boat listed so badly ] tumbled out OF
my berth. l tried 10 turn on the light
but there was NO power. I reached
the bolted door but the list ,waa 80
strong that 1t took mo considerable
time to open 1t. When finally I got
out and reached the passaseway, it
was 30 steep that my efforts to climb
mp We're rendered impossible.
Il then scranEed up and managed
h TO get my head through port hole.
but was unable to get my shoulders
through. At that time the, ship was
lying almost tlat lathe water ON her
starboard side. A passenger stand
ing on the side of ship managed to pull
me through the port hole.
AAbout a hundred passengers were
gathered on the side OF the ship at the
time bnt q moment after had Joined
them, the vessel plunged to the bottom.
+ "I next found myself "a tho water
and swan towards the tights or the
steamer StoFstadt and when nearly ex-
hausted was picked up by.n lifeboat.
On board the Storstadt was proyid-
ed with clothing When able I did
what could to 'halp the survivors"
- Only two children are known to
have been saved. A wonderful rescue
was. one OF theseslittle e eight year old
Oracle Hanaghan, daughter of the
leader ofitiies Salvation Army band.
Her father and mother were drowned.
Oracle was not told OF her Toss and
believed that her father and mother
would come to Quebec on the next
boat si,,. =
whsn asked how shs Was saved
Oracle replied: 20. 4 saSed myself"
The child was eatirelSs iinconeern-
ed, ko iifeboat was near when she
was thrown from the Empress. She
Eel2ed pieSe Of fiOating wood aid
later was pulled into liisb6at. i,
Major AtweIl Of Torops1 and his WIZ
wcfe aninrs those Bayed (,
81 got a life belt for my wife, !" said
Major AtweIl, Eve Junlpted into the
water together. We were carried un-
der three tlIles BY the suction OF the
fonndering vessel When we came
up the Third time saw . life boat near
and 4 ! swan % II, pplli1s ny wife af-
ter me. tf.S y. =, 81 x
s'S''lFheh We GOT On pn. the deck stherel
were very. few persons 70 be. seen, The
reason for this Is chat when the boat
had listed 10 one side the stairs from
tho sleeping apaTtrIents up to the
boat 1ecks we're almost impossible TO
mount As Lfushed feF the stairs the
water was pouring In In such volume
that e threatened to drown JUS befors
Ne,eouid mount the stairs. E. 4 4
Ill