New Britain herald., 1914-05-29

Rimouski, Que, May 29.-The twin screw Canadian Pacific liner Empress of Ireland, carrying ~1,4S7 persons, passengers and crew sank in tire darkness before dawn today in the St. Lawrence river near here, with a loss of perhaps more than one thousand and surely not less than 700 lives Early estimates of the dead varied from 67S to more than HOO. Dispatches from various quarters throughout the forenoon were con- flicting, some saying all the passen- gers were believed to have been saved.
 The vessel bound from Quebec for Liverpool, with 75 first, 206 second and 504 third class passengers, was cut wide open by the collier Stor- stad, and sank within twenty min utcs in nineteen fathoms of water. f those saved the majority appeared to be members of the crew or from the steerage. Many were badly in tured and twenty-two died after be : ing picked Up. $. Ir..' .Ha.##.
 The crash occurred about o'clock this morning off Father Point, Que, village brought into prominence when Dr. C-iDpen. the London mur- derer, was caught. The collier, bound for Quebec. struck the Elm press of Irc'and on the port side about the middle of the ship She literally tore her way back almost to the liners screws, leaving rent through which the water poured in such a deluge that she sank beforc many of tho passengers were aware of what had happened.
 Wireless Calls Heard.
 Brief wireless calls for help sent out by the MarcoEi operator were heard by the pilot boat Eureka here. ten miles from the scene, and the Eureka, followed by the Lady Eve lyn, mail tender, put on forced steam anu made all speed for the spot. It was these two boats that found ahoat what few life-boa were launched fir, mthe stricken ship and picked up the survivors they contain ed. Three hundred and thirty-nine were saved by the Lady Evelyn and slxty py the Eureka. Among those saved was Captain H. c. Kendall of the Empress
 Most of the first class passengers apparently perished.
 In the pa tial list of survivors avail
 
 appeared the name of only one sa = loon passenger, that of G. W. C.. Hem derson, add ess net given. Among those in the srt cabin were Sir Henry Seton Karr, noted English lawyer and big gamc hunter, and Laurence irving, son of the late Sir Henry IT, Ning and his wife, Mabel Hackney UT party of 40 Salvation Army members on board. only twenty were rescued They had left Quebec yes- teroay bound for the armys interna uonai conference In London.
 Ihe water that poured into the snlps engine room caused an ex- Ploslon and this forced many to iunon E'Tnest Hayes an assistant purser told of leaping from the upper promenane deck. He climbed into No. life boat. The boat maneuvered about the wreck for time and found Captain Kendall clinging to a piece of wreck age. He had jumped just before the Empress went down.
 w. Davis of Montreal one of the few aurVivors able to talk coherently after hrst landing said he and his wife had, not been awakened by the impact of the collision and knew nothing of the accident until water began to rush F.. wife to the boat deck but the big shin had already listed and it was impos- sible to launch boat. Together they crawled on their hands and. knees up the sloping deck of the liner. The vessel was rapidly sinking. His wife was swept from his grasp. Both were carried by the suction into the river They clung to a piece of wood and were rescued. The wife was uncon- scious. ..@# sts ...e.
 J. W. Longley a rancher at Canford, B. C., calmly sat on the deck rail and went down with the sinking ship. He held his breath, came up grabbed the side of life boat, held to it and was rescued by the Eureka.
 William Measures, 8 Salvation Army man, crept along the rail of the promenade deck and stepped in the !. water. He swan to life boat and was rescued. &
 So quickly did the Empress sink that those passengers fortunate enough to get into the life boats found themselves garbed only in their