New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-05-31

,os,,ive that the crash came IN ciear
weather. Mcwiliiams. the marine OPP
orator at Father Point. declared tna'
the weather was fair at tho time OF inc
accident, and added that he had taikeo
with others who were as positive az me-
Insists Weather Was Clear.
f. s. Holloway, chief engineer OF the
canada g. Gulf Terminal Railway
whose mother went down with the EN-
press, reported from Rimouski tna' 10
had found eyewitnesses to the COLLISION
positive in their assertions OK ciear
weather.
storssad Captain sphinxlike.
CAPTAIN Anderson OF the storstad'
who brought his vessel by quebec TINS
morning, has been as silent as '"e
Sphinx. The Storstad, steamins AT h'e
knots. was surrounded by hotiiia OF
small boats and the captain was en-
treated to come upon the bridge, put
word was sent out that he was III IN
bed and coulu not po ui''
Daylight could be seen through the
buckled stem. the Jagged plates pelne
warped and rent some fifteen feet along
the forecastie. The crew was suriy ana
ordered the small boats away. In re-
Spouse TO entreaties for a statement
as TO how the collision occurred only
one word came from the battered
freighter-"fog' 1t was snapped over
the side with a bitterness bred OF pri-
walton and fatigue of sleepless nights
The Empress OF Ireland, IT was
learned officially to-day. was hit nara
on the starboard side, the stem OF the
Storstad plunging hard into her vitais
and ripping aft with a roar that woke
up every sleeping soul on board. Elec-
trio wiring gave way as steel tore
steel. and almost instantly the doomed
liner was in total darkness.
The vessels had sighted each other
when two miles apart. but one OF those
lurking fog patches such as beset the
transatlantic lanes rose up like a spec
tire, and from that hour until the crash
the safety of both craft depended
wholly upon sound.
Change Of Signals Confusing.
The Empress. keeping her course on
the south side Of the channel, dropped
her pilot at Father Point, and pro-
.ceeded toward midstream, meanwhile
sounding her fog signals. Until the pail
shut off their vision both masters had
been blowing the signals OF fair
weather. The fog changed all this, and
the blasts used in thick weather be-
came confusing. a condition largely re-
sponsible for the crash.
Representatives Of the Storstad In
sisted that from what could be learned
tonight without actual conference with
Captain Anderson the Empress sought
10 run across the bows Of the collier.
The Canadian Pacific officials do not
admit the responsibility for the disas-
ter and Captain Elliott Of the marine
department says that investigation
will show that the Empress was not
on the wrong course.
1T has been said" explained Cap
tain Elliot, that the Storstad backed
away Immediately after she hit the
Empress ard that for this reason the
Empress was permitted to NIL with
water more quickly than otherwise
would have happened and sank before
Che passengers could be rescued. AS A
fact, the prov Of the Storstad was torn
away from the Empress by the mo-
mentum Of the two ships
THAT fact is shown by the manner
in which the bow of the Storstad was
buckled and twisted and her anchors
driven through her own plates. The
Storstad stayed close to the Empress
as long as she could.
You see. the great difficulty lies in
the signals. Signals blown during
fog may easily be mistaken, and there
seems to be the real trouble that caused
the disaster"
Cox Edwards. the first survivor Il
die from exposure, succumoed I'M
evening. Both the sick and injured
Rimouski and the three survivors II
the local hospitals are in good hands
The Canadian Pacific sent to Rimousk
by special train five doctors and
number Of nurses with surgical appli
ances. bandages and medicine.
Photographs of the dead were takel
by railway photographers at Rimousk
in the course of the day to aid in tn
work OF identification. which, it is eX
pected, will i'm many cases be difficult.