The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1914-06-12


hull far below the water line. Into that
rent the water poured with force of
Niagara.
The bow of the Storstad smashed
it's way through berths on that side
of the ship, killing passengers sleeping
in their berths and grinding bodies to
pieces.
Reaching the stern of the big liner.
the Storstad staggered off in the dark
ness, her bow crumpled by the impact.
Her commander was ready few min
utes later, when he found his ship
would float to aid the crippled and
sinking Empress, but he was too late
to save the majority of those on board.
The Empress of ireland recoiled al
most on her starboard beam ends from
the blow of the collier and passengers
were flung from their berths against
the walls of their staterOOms.
Many were stunned and before they
had time to recover were carried to
the bottom with the ship.
Keeling from the blow the ship be-
gan to settle almost Immediately as
the water rushed into the big rent.
From the forward cabin, however,
men and women in night attire STUN
bled along the corridors and up the
companion way to the promenade deck
the deck below, the one on which
the boats rested.
Swarm to Deck.
Up they swarmed on deck in their
night clothing to find the ship heeling
away to port and the deck slanting at
degree that made it almost impos-
sible to stand even clinging to ratings.
There was no time to observe the
rule Women first" in this disaster,
for those nearest the boats scrambled
to places in them.
But even as they were being
launched, while the wireless still was
calling IS. o. S. there came terrific
explosion that almost rent the ship in
twain.
1t was the explosion of the boilers
struck by the cold water. A geyser Of
water shot upward from the midship
section, mingled with fragments Of
wrackage, that showered down upon
the passengers still clinging to the
rails forward and upon those struggling
in the water.
The explosion destroyed the last
hope of the ships floating until succor
could arrive, for the shock had
1 r6 CT hr11lr hno n
walls that had up to then shut out
the torrents invading the after part.
| The water rushed forward and the
Empress of Ireland went swiftly to
her DOOM carrying down with her hun
dreds Of passengers who stood on her
slanting deck, their arms stretched up
ward and their last cries choked in
the engulfng waters.
Intense darkness covered the waters
when the Empress of Ireland made
that final plunge, but the fog lifted a
few minutes later and then came the
first faint streaks of dawn.
1t lighted waters strewed with
wreckage and struggling passengers,
who strove to keep afioat
The crippled Storstad, which had
wrought this tragedy of the waters,
had lifeboats out picking up as many
survivors as possible.
Women clinging with one hand to
little ones. while with the other they
tried to keep clutch on pieces of wreck
age, were picked up by the lifeboats
and carried on board the rescuing yes
sells.
Captain Kendall, daZed and unable
to give any coherent account of the
loss of his ship was found clinging tc
a broken spar.
Storstad Seized for Debt
Montreal, Que, June 1.-Three de
velopments of unusual interest marked
the arrival of the Storstad in Montreal
The first was the statement of off
GERS high up in the ships command
that the collier was going full speed
astern at the time of the disaster: the
second was the seizure by admiralty
court officers on behalf of the Cana
dian Pacific railroad, the owners o.
the Empress, for an alleged debt O
SO GOO. 900: and the third was the state
ment by Captain Anderson OF the col
lier that nothing official would b,
given out until the many lawyers wht
had congregated had prepared it.
Will Head knights TempIar