The Washington herald., 1914-05-31
NO UNIFORMED OFFICERS
s ON DECK AS SHIP SANK I
Survivor sf Empress u eBd Tragedy Says None Of Crew
Was IN Sight Is Passengers Struggled for Lfe-vvid
Description of Mad Battle with Cerpses and
s. Wreckage Under Water-Deny Fog Story.

I Army party. 1T was grind rather than
| q crash, and the Storstad struck us al
most amidships. The grinding and rip
ping lasted about half q minute"
Lawrence Irving, son Of the late Henry
Irving, lost his life In an attempt to
save his wife.
Few of those who came out Of the
| tragedy alive had such q stirring expert
ence as befeil Mr.. and Mrs. Thomas H.
Greenway, Of the Salvation Army band.
= weIcemed His Death.
1T gave up all thought ofrsaving my
self. and welcomed the thought Of
DEATH" said Mr. Greenway. Il was In
the water with life preserver on. and
once started to undo the straps 50 that
my body would sink. Little dbl know
then that my wife was hoating In the
water almost at my side.
"An officer notified US to go on deck
| Immediately after the collision" said
Mrs. Greenway. I'VE threw on q few
wraps and went outside without feeling
nervous or alarmed. When We reached
| the deck people were rushing about and
shouting and in the confusion 1 became
separated from my husband. i found
myself in the water with life preserver
on. prayed ferventIy for the deliver
ence of my husband and myself. but ]
did not see him until long afterwards"
Mr.. and Mrs. Greenway were on Sheir
honeymoon. having been married In
Toronto last week.
Band Sergt. John Fowler. of Vancouver.
who was saved. told a thrilling tale Of
being carried down in the vortex when
the ship sank. He had to struggle with
corpses and wreckage TO regain the sur
face.
Il couldn't sleep well and was look
ing through the port hole of my state
room when suddenly big black ship
doomed up out of the mist and fog"
said Fowler. Before 1 fully realized
what had happened the water began to
come into my cabin. Rushing out of my
stateroom I made my way up the main
companionway. / saw a girl with a
baby in her arms and a child Of about
six years following her. She implored
me to show her how to put on a life
preserver. SO I stopped and buckled q
life-belt around her. waited on board
the Empress until the water closed over
her decks then / jumped, but I was too
late. The suction carried me down and
down until / thought my lungs and ear
drums would burst.
Bodies Bamp Into Liner.
Bodies cold and ciammy bumped into
me. but I could not think of that in my
dreadful battle for life. Once a big,
husky man threw his arm around me
while we were still under the water and
L had to fight to. break his grip. Oh.
-it-was dreadful. that mad battle against
an unseen foe amidst those corpses and
that wreckage beneath the waters Of the
st. Lawrence. The pain was greater
than anything had ever known and it
oo hafn II md hoo
POPPED through the surface The first
breath Of fresh air was better than
anything ! had ever known. I was ex-
hausted when a lifeboat picked me up"
Edward Shannon, q fireman, told of the
courage of Capt. Kendall.
Capt Kendall stood upon the. bridge
throughout all the terrible scene. direct
ing affairs just as coolly as though moth
ing had happened" said Shannon.
with a megaphone to his mouth, the
captain ordered his men to swing life
boats overheard and to see that the
women and children got away first He
was upon the bridge when the vessel
went under water"
Clinton R. Burt, an automobile manu-
facturer of Toronto. telling of the death
of Irving, said:
THE last glimpse I had of Irving was
when he was trying to save his wife. He
might have saved himself but for his
bravery and devotion to Mrs. Irving.
fell into the water and heard voice
crying near by. It was a young girl, who
later turned put to be Miss Townsend, of
New Zealand. helped her and We were
soon picked up
]. Patrick, of Toronto, told how he
swan among drowning men and women
who clutched at him and raved in their
terror Of death.
Patrick. I tried to get hold of a little
boy. but he was insane from fear and
struggled so 1 had to let him go.
THE ship pitched heavily just before
she disappeared as though she was roll
ing In death agony. The water put out