Evening star., 1914-07-11
STORSTAD BLAMED
FOR SHIP DISASTER
Sinking of Empress of Ireland
Laid to Collier by Wreck
Commission.
THIRD OFFICER TUFTENES
HELD TO BE RESPONSIBLE
Smaller Vessel Changed Her Course
After Fog Settled, According
to Findings.

QUEBEC. Quebec. July 1.-THE col
lier Storstad is held to blame for the
Empress of Ireland disaster May % in
the findings of the wreck commission.
handed down today. The commission
holds that the disaster was due to the
Storstad's change of course ordered by
the third officer without instructions
from the first officer. who was in
charge of the collier at the time
The Empress was sunk in the St.
Lawrence with loss of more than
1000 lives
The inquiry into the disaster was begun
in Quebec June 10 by commission COM
posed of Lord Mersey, formerly presiding
justice of the British admiralty court; Sir
Adolfo Routhier of Quebec and Chief JUS
tice Mcleod of New Brunswick. The
commissioners were assisted in their work
by Commander Caborne of the British
royal naval reserve. Prof. John Welsh of
Newcastle. England; Capt Demers of
the Dominion wreck commission and En-
gineer Commander Howe of the Ca
madam naval service. Commander Ca
borne and Prof. Welsh were nominated
by the British board of trade. Lord Mer-
sey also presided over the inquiry into
the Titanic disaster.
The GOLFERS third officer found respon-
sible is Alfred Tuftenes. He was on the
bridge when the crash occurred.
Regret Blaming Individual.
I'VE regret says the finding. Ito have
to impute blame to any one in connec
ton with this lamentable disaster. and
We should not do so if we felt that any
reasonable alternative was left to us.
We can, however. come to no other con-
clusion than that Mr.. Tuftenes was
wrong and negligent in altering his course
In the fog, as he undoubtedly did, and
that he was wrong and negligent in
keeping the navigation of the vessel in
his own hands and in failing to call the
captain when he saw the fog coming on.
1T is not to be supposed that this dis
aster was in any way attributable to any
special characteristics of the St Law
renee waterway. 1t was a disaster which
might have occurred in the Thames, in
the Clyde. III the Mersey or elsewhere, in
Similar circumstances.
such is the conclusion at which we
have arrived on the question as to who
Was to blame for it. But the question
of much greater public interest and inn
portance remains to be considered, viz. :
Why the ship sank so quickly, and what
steps. if any. can be taken to prevent the
terrible consequences which SO often fol-
low such disasters
Officers Stories at Odds.
The main difference between the Off
GERS (the officers of the Empress and the
Storstad. respectively is to be found in
the description of the way in which
the two vessels were approaching each
other at the time the Empress of Ireland
changed her course, after having obtained
an ofing from Father point.
THE witnesses from the Storstad say
they were approaching so as to pass
red to red. while those from the Empress
of Ireland say they were approaching so
as to pass green to green. The stories
are irreconcilable and We have to de-
terr2ine which is the more probable
Times, distances and bearings vary so
much even in the evidence from wit
nesses from the same ship that 1t Is i'm
possible to rely or to base conclusions
upon them. We have, therefore, thought
it advisable to found our conclusions al
most entirely upon the events spoken
of by the witnesses and upon their
probable sequence in order to arrive at a
solution of the difficulty.
After carefully weighing the evidence
We have come to the conclusion that
Mr.. Tuftenes was mistaken if he supposed
that there was any intention on the part
OF the Empress of Ireland to pass port
to po:t or that she. in fact. by her lights
manifested the intention of doing so, but
II appears to US to be a mistake which
would have been of no consequence If
both ships had subsequently kept their
courses.
Changing of Course Sole Factor.
Shortly after the ships came into the
position Of green to green. as claimed
by Capt. Kendall. or red to red. as
claimed by Mr.. Tuftenes. the fog shut
them out from each other. and 1t is while
they were both enveloped in this fog that
the course of one the other was
changed and the collision brought about.
From the evidence adduced on behalf of
both vessels 1T is plain that before the
fog and when they last saw each other
there was no risk of collision II each
kept her course. Therefore the question
as to who is to blame resolves itself
into simple issue. namely. which OF
the ships changed her course during
the fog.
There Is. in our opinion. no ground for
saying that the course of the Empress
of Ireland was ever changed in the sense
that the wheel willfully moved: hui
as the hearing proceeded another explain
alton was propounded. namely, that the
vessel changed her course. not by reason
of any willful alterations of her wheel
but in consequence of some uncontrol
liable movement which was accounted fol
at one time on the hypothesis that the
another by the theory that having re
gard to the fuilness of the stern of the
Empress of Ireland. the area of the
rudder was insufficient. Evidence wa:
called IN support of this explanation.
The principal witness on the point a:
to the steering gear was man named
Galway. one of the quartermasters on the
Frrpress of Ireland He said that he re
ported the jamming incident to Williams
the second officer on the bridge twho wa.
drowned. and to Pilot Bernier He sale
he also mentioned the matter to Quarter
master Murphy. Who relic, I'd him at mid
night of the disaster. Pilot Bernier ant
Murphy were called and they denied tha
Galway had made any complaint " hat
ever to them about the steering gea
Galway's Evidence Unreliable.
Galway gave his evidence badly ant
made SO unsatisfactory a witness that W,
cannot rely on his testimony.
Some evidence was called. however
to confirm Galway. This was the evi
dence of three men and the pilot from
another Norwegian collier called tn,
Alden. at the time under charter to tht
Dominion Coal Company. which was Tn
eharterer Of the Storstad These Wit
nesses spoke of having passed the EN-
press of Ireland on her way down tn,