The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-05-30
BUT FEW WOMEN AMONG THOSE
KNOWN TO HAVE BEEN SAVED:
SOME SURVIVORS AT QUEBEC
Collier. Which Rammed Liner Narrowly Escapes Sink
ing; She Is Said to Have Been Going Full
Speed in the Fog.

Ing. They agree pretty accurately that
nearly everybody save officers and
members of the crew was asleep Mt n
few minutes before o'clock in the
morning.
Passengers Thrown From Berths.
There was a terrific shock as the
Storsdad hurled her ponderous weight
against the Empress--a shock that
threw passengers from their berths.
Then there was long. grinding, rend-
Ing crash as the Storsdad's bow cut
deep into the liners vitals. Instantly.
1t seemed to those who told the story
to-day. there was nightmare of
sounds, cries of fear and agony that
were too awful to be real. All lights
went out at the first crash. More than
l.4OO persons were fighting for life in
the darkness
Bomford and others who managed to
win a way to the top deck saw scores
leap into the sea. They saw hundreds
trying to crawl up decks that were
sloping precipitously. lose their balance
and fall backward into the rising water.
Passengers who couldn't get to the few
lifeboats in time seized chairs, anything
loose they could find and leaped into the
river. Very many persons persisted in
the cold water while clinglng to bits OF
wreckage and praying for help.
1t is impossible to say tonight how
many were ground to death when the
Storsdad's bow ripped through tiers Of
staterooms. Many Of the survivors
were brought ashore suffering from
broken legs or arms or deep cuts or
bruises. Many died after reaching
Rimouski.
Liner Sinks In - Minutes.
Big and powerful as she was. OF 14.5oO
tons register and displacng 10000 tons.
the Empress went to the bottom
stone sinks. Fourteen minutes after the
collision there was nothing on the sur
face of the st. Lawrence save the life
boats drifting with the tide. n litter Of
wreckage and the crippled collier back
ing away into the fog. one of the
was the inability Of the Storsdad TO
rescue many of the Empress's people.
Her officers were afraid for a few
minutes that she would sink. Her bow
was crushed to the water line and she
took in a great deal OF water. but she
was able to continue on her way up tho
st. Lawrence to Rimouski and land a
few survivors from the Empress that
her crew had taken from wreckage or
who managed to swim to her in the fog.
The world got the first news of the
disaster from j. McWilliams, the
Marconi operator at Father Point. Me-
Williams was asleep at 1 :52 A. NJ. when
the relief operator hammered al his
door and told him that the Empress If
Ireland was sinking. He ran to his key
and tried to call the ship, but he could
get no answer. There had been time
only for an S. o. S. to the Father Point
station and to ships that might be in
reaching distance. McWilliams notified
Manager Whiteside of the Father Point
station and Mr.. Whiteside as rapidly as
possible got word to the Government
steamers Eureka and Lady Evelyn
lying at the Rimouski wharf. These
boats got up steam at once and started
down the river. Capt. Boulanger Of the
Eureka arrived at the scene of the
collision Just before daylight. The Lady
Evelyn with Capt. Poulich had three
miles more to steam and arrived Just
after dawn.
The Work of Rescue.
As the steamers came up they saw
under the lifting fog nine llfeboats and
the crippled collier These were visible
to McWllliams. who was searching the
river with glass. The Government
steamers worked rapidly and took on
the survivors from the lifeboatc and a
few persons who were clinging to bits
Of wreckage. One woman whose