The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1914-06-18
LINERS CAPTAIN
TELLS OF DISASTER
Commander of Empress of Ire,
land on Stand.
ST0RSTAD'S SIDE IS GIVEN
Court Of inquiry Into Accident That
Cost One Thousand Lives Be.
gins Investigation at
Quebec.

Quebec.
Quebec. June 1.-THE court of in
quiry under the presidency of Lord
| Mersey, the distinguished British jur-
list, began its investigation of the dis
aster In the st. Lawrence river in
which the Canadian Pacific steamer
! Empress Of Ireland sank and more
than a thousand persons lost their
lives.
The inquiry is expected to center
about two main points, the question OF
the international rules governing col
lisions and the action taken by the
captain of the Storstad, the steamer
| which collided with the Empress OF
Ireland subsequent to the disaster. 1t
| is expected that counsel for the own
ers and officers of the Storstad will
| contend that when the two vessels
| sighted each other the Storstad was
| off the starboard bow of the Empress
of Ireland, and, according to the rules
of the sea, the Canadian Pacific liner
was bound to keep on her way,
Points May Be Made by Lawyers.
Emphasis also may be laid on the
fact that the faster vessel. the EN-
| press of Ireland was going down
stream and the Stortad coming up.
AS to events following the collision,
the representatives for the Storstad
will offer testimony to show that the
collier heard the cries of the drown
ing and whistled repeatedly to the
Empress, but received no reply and
Immediately lowered boats to engage
in the work of rescue.
The examination Of witnesses was
in charge OF Edmund l.. Newcombe
X. c., deputy minister of justice. The
Canadian Pacific. railroad, owners OF
the Empress. placed Its case in the
care of Butler Aspinall, X. c. London.
England, and several local lawyers.
| Counsel for Captain Kendall and the
Anne Geoffrion, X c., Montreal, and
A. G. NJ. Thompson, Quebec.
Outlines Foundering Of Ship.
The Storstad's owners relied on c.
A. Duclos, Montreal; ]. w. Griffith
and c. s. Haigh, New York. both mem
bers of the United States admiralty;
Norman Beecher, New York, and Ar
thur Fitzpatrick, Quebec.
Mr.. Newcombe opened by outlining
the salient features Of the laundering
of the Empress as at present known
1t had been very difficult, he said. for
| 70 oh
tain accurate figures of the death
list on account of the number of for
eigners on board, but 1t was now
placed at LOLA, with 463 saved
Mr.. Newcombe declared that the
case invited the most searching in
quiry not only to ascertain the imme-
date cause of the disaster. but, also.
II any lesson could be learned for fu,
ture advantage in shipbuilding and
navigation. The nature of the dam
age which the Empress had received.
he asserted, could not be proved
Capt. H. ]. Kendall of the Empress
and Capt. Thomas Anderson Of the
Storstad were both in court prepared
to testify.
Captain Kendall First Witness.
Captain Kendall was the first wit
ness called. He seemed cheerful and
showed no evidence Of the strain he
had been through.
Before Kendall was called, how.
ever, C. s. Straight of counsel for the
Storstad's owners, submitted a brief
giving their version of the disaster.
According to this version the Empress
on, the disaster occurring in a pocket
of fog.
Captain Anderson tried to keep the
Storstad in the hole the prov of his
ship made" said Straight. but his
ship was swung around at right
angles. The Storstads crew saved
a hundred passengers and manned en-
tirely one. of the Empress lifeboats
on its return journey and partially
manned another"
Captain Kendall on Stand.
Here is the gist of Captain Kendalls
story of the actual crash:
when the Storstad was right of
my side l called through the mega
phone for her to 60 full speed astern
. At the same time l sent my ship full
: speed ahead in an effort to get out o.
! the way. But the Empress was caugh
just between the tunnels. l ther
called to the collier to come on full
speed ahead to keep her bow In tn,
hole she had made. In the meantime
had ordered all the bulkhead
closed and sent officers to get the life
: boats ready. / left the bridge ant
ran along the boat deck. throwing thu
grips of the lifeboats. II the steam
had held up could have beached m.
; ship, but when the Storstad backe,
away the water rushed in and put GU
the fires. ordered the 8. o. s. sen
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