The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1914-06-03
With Hundreds OF Sleep
ing Passengers.
EMPRESS OF IRELAND VICTIM
Was Rammed Amidships BY
Collier In the ST. Law.
renee River.
SURVIVORS BROUGHT ASHORE


Rimouski, Que. May 2a.-Sink.
ing in ninety feet of water within
fifteen m lUt.,s after being rainmed
amidships in, the upper reaches Of
the st. Lawrence river early to-day,
the Cana.Ia':. Pacific Liner N.mrI ess
OF Ireland carried down with her
more than 900 of her passengers
and crew-- OF the 1887 persons on
board he liner only AS are knr WI
70 have been saved, making the
probable death list 954.
Looming up through the river
- -mists, as the Empress of Ireland
was lying to. waiting for the fog to
lift or day to break, the Danish coli
Tier Storstad crashed bow-on into
the side of the big Canadian liner.
striking her about midway of her
length and ripping her side open
clear to the stern.
The crash occurred not far from
the shore off Father Point. so miles
from Quebec, which the Empress of
Ireland left yesterday afternoon
bound for Liverpool and ten miles
from this point on the st. Lawrence.
In reality, therefore, although the
liner was heading for the sea and
the collier coming in from it, the
disaster was not one of the ocean.
but of the river. Unlike the Titanic
victims, the Empress of Ireland's
lost their lives within sight of the
shore lin land-locked waters.
Immediately the ships crew re-
covered from the shock of the col
lision and it was seen that the liner
had received a vital blow, a wireless
IS. 0. s. call was sent out.
The hurried appeal was picked up
. by the Government mail tender Lady
Evelyn here and the Government
pilot boat Eureka at Father Point
and both at once set out to the res
cue. So deep was the hurt of the
Empress, however. and so fast the
thrush of waters, that long before
either of the rescue boats could
reach the scene, the liner had gone
down. Only floating wreckage and
a few lifeboats and RATS from the
steamer. buoying up less than third
of those who had set sail on her,
were to be found. The rest had sunk
with the liner. had been crushed to
death in the Storstad's impact with
her, or had been forced from ex-
haustion and exposure in the ice
chilled northern waters, to lose
their hold on bits of wreckage that
had supported them and had drown
ed
Only aNfew persons We're picked up
by the Storstad. which was badly
crippled herself by the collision; and
these were brought here by the col
lier.together with those saved by the
Eureka and the Lady Evelyn. !
Twenty-Five of the rescued died from
injury or exposure: of the others,
most OF them had jumped in the
boats or plunged into the water
from the sinking liner scantily clad,
were freely given such clothing as
the town could supply, and later
those that were able to travel were
placed on board train and started
for Quebec, where they arrived to-
night.
Accounts agree that in the brief
space of time--not more than four
teen minutes-between the shock of
the collision and the sinking of the
liner there was little chance for sys-
tematic marshalling of the passen-
gers. Indeed. everything indicates
that hundreds of those on the steam
er probably never reached the decks.
Very few women We're among the
saved, not more, than dozen. the
lists make it appear.
1T all happened so quickly that
we did not really know what was go
ing ON and nobody had time 10 coy
women first. one Of the passe"-
gers told Capt. Bellin ger, of the res
cue boat Eureka.
The stewards di' not have TIM (
to rouse the people from their !
berths." the survivor, AIDED. "Those
who, heard the frenzied calls OF the