The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1914-06-04

:
Rimouski, Que-Final tabulations of
casulties in the sinking of the steamer
Empress Of Ireland made showed that
403 Of her passengers and crew had
been rescued and 964 had persisted.
Capt. Henry George Kendall of the
liner was telling his story of the dis
aster at an inquiry conducted by
Coroner Pinau1t here.
Capt Kendall in substance declared
he had taken all possible precautions
against collision. His ship had been
stopped and he gave the requisite sig
nal when the Danish collier Storstad,
which sank the Empress, was two
miles away, but the collier kept on
through the fog that settled down
soon after the two vessels sighted
each other and had rammed the En-
press while the latter vessel was mo-
tiOnless
Then the End.
Then, despite his plea to the mas
ter Of the collier that he run his en-
gines full speed ahead to keep the
the Storstad's bow, said Capt. Ken
dali, the Danish vessel backed away,
the water rushed in and the Empress
sank
Capt. Kendall took up his story of
the disaster from the point at which
the Empress of Irela I'd, bound from
Quebec for Liverpool, had dropped
her pilot at Father Point.
eve then proceeded full speed,'
continued Capt Kendall. after pass
ing Rock Point gas buoy I sighted
the steamer Storstad, it then being
clear.
THE Storstad was about one point
IL degrees, on my starboard bow I
saw slight fog bank coming grad
ual1y from the land and knew it
would pass between the Storstad and
myself. The Storstad was about two
miles away Then the fog came and
the Storstad's lights disappeared. I
stopped my ship.
AT the same time 1 blew three
short blasts on the steamers whistle,
meaning I am going full speed as
term The Stornstad answered.
II then blew two long blasts, mean
ing My ship was under way but
stopped and has now way upon her
He answered me again.
ut was still foggy. About two
minutes afterward l saw red and
green lights. He would then be about
one ships length away from me. ]
shouted to him through the mega
phone to go full speed astern. At the
same time l had my engine full speed
ahead with my helm hard aport with
the object of avoiding, if possible, the
shock. Almost at the same time she
came right in and cut me down in {
line between the tunnels
II shouted to the Storstad to kee1
full speed ahead to fill the hole hi
had made. He backed away. The
ship began to fill and listed over rap
Idly. When he struck me I had stop
ped my engines. I then rang full
speed ahead again, with the object O
running her on shore. Almost i'm
mediately the engines stopped, tn,
ship filled and going over all the time
Ordered Out Boats.
II had, in the meantime, given OF
ders to get the lifeobats launched
told the chief officer to tell the wire
less operator to send out distress sig
mails. He told me this had been done
l said: Get the boats out as quicl
as possible That was the last I say
of the officer. In about three to fiv
minutes after that the ship turne
over and foundered.
l was swiftly taken down wit
the suction. The next thing 1 re
member was Selling piece of grating
Some men pulled me into a lifeboa,
which already had about 80 peopl
in it,
eve pulled around and picked u
20 or rs more and put about 1
around the side in the water wit
ropes around their waists, hangin
on. We, then pulled to the Storstat
l got all the people on board tn
/, Storstad and then left her with 81
of the crew and went back Whe
we got there everybody had gone"
Order Ak for Boosters.
Columbus GA proclamation ha
been issued by the state agricultur;
commission calling upon Ihio farmer
to kill and market on June all roos
ers over one year old, in order tn:
young chickens of better breeds ma
have chance to develop
Act to Conserve Liberty Bell
Philadelphia. The liberty he
which was endangered by the rece,
widening of cracks, has been proppt
up with four jacks to prevent mo