The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1914-06-04

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
wreckage, that showered down upon
the passengers still clinging tc the
rails forward anr upon those strug-
CLING in the water,
The explosion destroyed the last
hope Of the ships floating until succor
could arrive, for the shock had
smashed the forward steel bulkhead
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 hundreds of
passengers who stood on her slanting
deck, their arms stretched upward and
their last cries choked In the engulf1ng
waters.
One Of the survivors, relating that
last tragic scene on the decks OF the
liner, said:
~ was asleep like most of the pal
sengers when the collision came.
There was a sickening crunching of
wood and steel and then q grinding,
ripping sound as the Storstad smashed
her way alouc the port side of our
ship.
Il knew that we had been struck
and rushed to the staterooms Of some
friends and shouted to them to get ur.
AS the ship was sinking. Stateroom
doors few open all along the corridir
and men and women began to rush for
the grand companion forward. Those
aft must have been drowned in heir
berths.
Darkness Is Intense.
"on dock officers Of the ship, par
italy dressed, were rushing about
arging passengers to be calm. Sailors
under orders we're trying IT, lauuch
,he lifeboats.
The darkness was intense and a
few minutes after reached the deck
the electric lights went out. At that
time there we're still hundreds of pas.
sengers below trying 70 grope their
way through the darkened corridors to
The companionway and reach the deck
Most Of them went down with tho
ship, for the corridors below fille1
right after the explosion of the toilers
Il leaped overheard iE despair just
aged to find Dit of wreckage to which
] clung."
Intense darkness covered the waters
when the Empress Of Ireland made
that final plunge. but the fog lifted a
few minutes later and then CANA the
first faint streaks Of dawn.
1t lighted waters strewed with
wreckage and struggling passengers,
who strove to keep af1oat.
The crippled Storstad. which had
wrought this tragedy of the wa,ars,
had lifeboats out picking up as many
survivors as possible.
The gray dawn revealed the govern
ment steamers Lady Evelyn and E,,-
reka near the scene of the disaster and
Fastening to aid.
Some of those in the water tried to
swim to the Eureka as she neared the
point where the Empress had gone
down. One woman. wearing only an
undervest, swan to the Lady Evelyn,
and was helped en- board. but died of
exhaustion soon afterwards.
The work Of rescue still was going
on when the sun arose in a cloudless
sky
Men and women were clfnging to
spars and bits of broken planks. Manv
of the survivors were injured Some
had broken legs. others fractured arms
and still others had been injured inter
nally in that last mad rush to get away
from the sinking liner.
Women clinging with one hand to
little ones. while with the other they
tried to keep clutch on pieces of wreck