The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1914-06-01
CONFLICTING STORIES
OF THE CAPTAINS

OF The CAPTAINS
Kendall of the Empress Lays Blame
on the Storstad's Commander.
Anderson Says He Couldn't Help
It
Rimousk, Que, May 30.-While
final tabulations of the casualties in
the sinking of the steamer Empress
of Ireland were being made yester-
day, showing that 403 of her passen-
gers and crew had been rescued and
964 had persisted. Captain Henry
George Kendall of the liner, was tell
ing his story of the disaster at an in
quiry conduced by Coroner Pinaud.
Captain Kendall declared he had
taken all possible precautions
against a collision. His ship had
been stopped and he gave the requi-
site signal when the Danish collier,
Storstad, which sank the Empress,
was two miles away, but the collier
kept on thru the fog that settled
down soon after the two vessels
sighted each other and had rammed
the Empress while the latter vir-
tually was motionless, then despite
his plea to the master of the collier
that he ran his engines full speed
ahead to keep the hole in the liners
side plugged with the Storstad' s
bow, said Captain Kendall, the DAN
ish vessel backed away, the water
rushed in and the Empress sank.
Captain Kendall was on the bridge
when the collision occurred. When
the steamer sank he was washed of,
later to be picked up by one of the
boats, apparently to his great regret.
Thus far he has vouchsafed no pub
lie statement except to say that he
would have preferred to go down
with his ship. Passengers speak in
his praise and declare he did his full
duty.
Chief Officer Steed was killed by a
boat falling on him while working to
help passengers to escape.
Laurence Irving, actor and son of
Sir Henry Irving, according to sur
vivors, died while trying to save his
wife. Mr.. and Mrs. Irving went
down with the ship, locked in each
others arms.
Did Their Duty
Survivors all agree on outstanding
points of the disaster. It was so
quick that there was no time for in
telligent concerted action Hundreds
of women might have been saved had
they not stopped to dress. Though
the crew members predominated in
the saved, no word of reproach for
them has been heard. 1t was point
ed out that many were on deck, on
duty, and that those who 1eaped af-
ter helping such passengers as they
could were able to swim.
Most of the first and second cabin
passengers were caught in their beds
by the rush of water.
When the survivors reached Que
bee, where they were being given
every possible care, attention again
turned to Rimouski, where efforts to
recover the bodies of victims are in
progress. Last night the number of
bodies landed here passed the three
hundred mark.
Storstad's Commander is Reticent
Quebec, May 31-The collier
Storstad, that ripped open the liners
side, arrived at Quebec yesterday,
and proceeded to Montreal, to which
port her cargo of coal is consigned.
Captain Anderson, while refusing to
give out any extended statement,
says that the collision had been due
solely to the denseness with which
the fog shut down upon the vessels.
He added that after the crash he
picked up more than 800 persons, in
fact most of those saved. Later they
were transferred to the Lady Evelyn
and the Eureka. The collier had in
her bow, above the water line, hole
large enough to admit three men
erect. Her port anchor was missing
having been dragged away and sunk
with Tho EmnraSS