Norwich bulletin., 1914-06-01

VI diuplcu III ana lWlSleQ around at an i acute angle to port and a gap show ing on the port side foot above the water line in mute evidence. of the tragedy in which she has figured, the Norwegian collier Storstad limped into the harbor this afternoon. A few min utes later a warrant of arrest, taken out by the Canadian Pacific railway,
 was nailed to her mainmast by order Of W. Simpson Walker, K. C.. regis
 trar of the Quebec admiralty. By what authority do you come on board my vessel and place it under arrest?" asked Captain Anderson, com- l mander of the collier.
 By authority of the British em- pire," curtly replied the deputy sher- tiff, who was commissioned to execute the warrant and who forthwith pro- ceeded to aff1x the warrant in the cus- tomary place.
 No sooner was the vessel moored than the work of unloading her cargo of some 7,500 tons of coal started and were it not for the battered condition or her bows it would be difficult to Imagine that the collier had but few hours previously taken part in one of the worst marine disasters in the history of Canadian navigation. The officers and men, however bore traces of the narrowing experiences through which they had just passed. When questioned on the subject of the disaster they were averse to enter ing into conversation
 Captain Anderson immediately the collier doclxed, went iINo conference with Captain Owe Lange American chief of the Maritime Steamship com
 pany of Norway and John J. Griffin, 1 attorney for the company both of 1 whom had come on from New York to 1 get the report of the captain and sail ors first hand and to look into the
 situation.
 
 Statement Based on Officers Reports. Captain Anderson declined at first
 to discuss the disaster declaring that
 he would make a statement later in
 the evening. Subsequently, a state ment based on Captain Anderson's s re-
 port as well as the reports of other
 officers to MeSsrs. Lange and Griffin was given out
 According to the captain and officers
 contrary to what has been stated by
 the captain of the Empress of Ireland.
 the Storstad did not back away after the collision. On the contrary she
 steamed ahead in an effort to keep
 her bow in the hole which she had
 dug into the side of the Empress
 The Empress, however, according to
 and bent the Storstads bow over at
 an acute angle to port. After that
 the Empress was hidden from the view
 of the Storstad and despite the fact
 that the Storstad kept her whistle
 blowing she could not locate the Elm
 press until the cries of the victims
 in the water were heard. The captain i absolutely denied that he was a mile
 or so away from the Empress after his
 vessel struck the liner The Storstad
 had not moved. It was the Empress which had changed position, he de- clared.
 /! According to the report made by the captain to the owners, immediately ! the collision occurred, he heard Cap tain Kendall shout, calling on him not l to pull away.
 l T won't,'' shouted the Storstadt captain, as loud as he could. After that the Empress disappeared from the l Storstad-s view.
 The statement is as follows: The fact that the Storstad has only
 today reached port has made it i'm l possible heretofore to give an authen- tic statement on her behalf All con-
 nected with the Storstad deplore most deeply the terrible accident which has
 uable lives. It is not with any de-
 sire to condemn others. but simply be- cause it is felt that the public is en-
 titled to know the facts, that the fol- lowing statement Is put forward
 'sThe vessels sighted each other when ! was seen off the port bow of the Stor- stad. The Empress of Irelands green
 or starboard light was visible to those
 on the Storstad. Under these circum- stances the rules of navigation gave 1 the Storstad the right of way
 The heading of the Empress was
 then changed In such a manner as to put the vessels in a position to pass safely Shortly after a fog enveloped
 first the Empress and then the Stor- stad.
 Fog signals were exchanged, the l Storstads engines were at once sfowe ed I and then stopped Her heading re- mained unaltered. Whistles from the Empress were heard on the Storstad
 port bow and were answered The ] Empress of Ireland was then seen i through the fog. close at hand on the ] port bow of the Storstad. She was ! showing her green light and was mak- l ing considerable headway.
 ! sAThe engines of the StoTstad were l at once reversed at full speed and her 1 headway was nearly checked when the 1 vessels came together
 l Collier Did Not Back Away. 1 Tt has been said that the Storstad ! should not have backed out of the hole made by the collision. She did not do i so. As the vessels came together the Storstad's engines were ordered ahead !, for the purpose of holding her bow against the side of the Empress and thus preventing the entrance of. water | into the vessel.
 ..The headway of the Empress, how ever. swung the Storstad around in