The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1914-06-05
CANADIAN LINER
SUNK BY COLLIER
PASSENGERS DROWNED IN SIGHT
or SHORE WITHOUT HAVING
a CHANCE TO ESCAPE.
OF Total o. 1882 Persons on Board
sus 433 Were saved, Many Of
Those Rescued Suffering Fright.
fui Injuries.

=
Rimousli. Quebec ~0f a total OF /,
ss7 persons on board tho Canadian
Pacific liner Empress OF ireland when
she sailed May 2s from Quebec for
Liverpool. 954 were lost when the lin
er was ramed by the Danish collier
Storstad and sank on Father Point In
the 81 Lawrence river before day
light May ~.
OF the eighty.seven firatclass
passengers. the late figures show
twenty-nine TO have been saved. OF
the 1853 In the second cabin. twenty.
nine we're rescued; or the 715 third.
class passengers there are i01 sur
vsyors. while 237 of the crew Of 432
were brought ashore.
These figures account for the sg6
survivors landed here and taken by
train 20 Quebec, where they arrived
Friday night. There remained here
thirty.seyen rescued passengers, un-
classified, excepting the 4s3 known
survivors.
SO deep was the cash In the strick.
en- liners side inflicted by the sharp
prov OF the heavy laden collier and
80 fast was the thrush OF the sea, that
although the FIRST rescue steamer
reached the scene within twenty min
utes after the meeting OF the two YES
sells the liner already had gone
down.
The wireless could hardly have
worked 70 better effect or the re-
Spouse been prompter. Yet within
sight OF shore, In land-locked waters,
with help close at hand, nearly 1000
persons lost their lives when fog oh.
scured the vision OF the river navIga-
tors and the vessels. zone virtually at
standstlll MS measure of precau.
ton, and tho other, from all accounts,
moving at not more than moderate
speed. crashed together
Investigation Of the cause of the
disaster Is to be started promptly
The story OF the storstad. which, af-
ter picking up q few OF the survivors
and landing them here, resumed with
crumpled bow her way up the river,
has not been told From the evidence
Of officers on the Empress, however,
the liner had come to halt IN the fog
and was blowing her whistle as a
warning OF her presence.
The fate OF the smartly equipped
aud speedy liner. the queen OF her
fleet. seems to have been fastened by
the unintentional withdrawal OF the
Storstad's bow from the cash she
had inflicted In the passenger vessels
side AS the waters rushed in the
liner quickly inclined sidewise At a
sharp angle. the sen enveloped the
boilers and an explosion followed that
ripped apart stlll further the vessels
tides and sealed her doom.
Passengers who had crowded the
spper works. hoping for rescue, were
1lown into the water. many beeing IN
stantly killed. Others who had IS.
capped death or injury m the splinter
Ing Of wood and smashing OF steel,
met their fate below decks. without
chance for their lives Most OF the
passengers we're asleep when the crash
came. When the warning was sound
ed many could not realize that dan.
ger was present, with the steamer still
IN river waters. the surface calm and
the shore near at hand
Some turned over In their berths,
survivors stories indicate, and started
70 so 10 sleep again. But soon the
sudden listing Of the steamer arous-
ed them. too late even to get out OF
their statsrooms. much, less to gain
the decks and reach the lifeboats.
When the survivors were brought
ashore here by the rescue craft--the
Eureka and the Lady Evelyn. both
government yessels--the town opened
It's arms 70 receive and succor them.
The French Canadians literally turned
their homes inside out to give every
possible aid TO the scantily clad rem
nant Of the liners human cargo
Captain Kendall of the Inflated
steamer stod on his bridge as the
ship went down. One OF the boats
from the liner picked him up and
be directed Its work OF saving others
until the craft was loaded. The cap
tain was injured in the crash and suf,
fered from exposure. but his speedy
recovery is expected.
Liner Begins Maiden Voyage.