The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1914-06-05

Cne wreck. fS $780,, t0
People standing on shore at Father
Point scanning the harbor with tele-
scopes saw the rescue steamers pick
ing up boats in the river and pre-
pared to give help to the survivors
They were sorely in need Of aid, as
most of them had on little clothing
and the temperature was near, the
freezing point.
When they had been given attention
the work of, receiving bodies was un-
dertakep. The rescue steamers them
selves had brought in nearly SO of
these and tonight after they had con-
tlnued their search a total of about
25O bodies had been recovered. One
woman and four men, still living but
unconscious, were picked up by the
steamers during the day. Few of the
bodies had been identified tonight.
Ihe wireless is given credit for saw
ing many hves. Responding promptly
% the IS. o. s." call, the steamer
Eureka an was on the spot approximately
Io ninuteS a1ter the disaster and the
Lady Evelyn but little later.
When the train came from tho
wharf bearing. survivors il was n
pit,tul sight to see them alight. Most
cf them wore very little .io,hrs
Many had to be carried bodily A
woman had broken leg and shoulder.
and man had two legs broken. Thev
were carried to the hotel opposite the
station. '
One woman, garbed only in a vest,
jumped from the Empress and swan
TO the Lady Evelyn. She was so ex-
nausted, however, that she died a
re" minutes after she was taken from
established
Both Marconi operators were res
cued. Edward Bomford. after he had
caught the Father Point Marconi sta
ton and called for assistance. was
saved by falling into a lifeboat.
The passengers were loud in their
praise of the pilot and captain of the
Lady Evelyn and Capt. Belanger of
the Eureka and their crews. An Of
them displayed the greatest bravery
1T was declared. A Mr.. McWilliams
OF Father Point was also active in
aiding the rescued.
Went Down Like Lead.
The stricken vessel sank as if she
were lead. An explosion, apparently
originating from her engine rooms.
hastened her end and those persons
VINO were able to make their wav
from their cabins found themselves on
a periously slanting deck. Many
leaped and were drowned. Others
We're fortunate enough to grasp
drlftwood or were picked up by life
poats. 1t is apparent that the great
hole torn in the ships side admitted
such q dtluge of water that MANY
must have been overcome i'm their
beds. o"
The rescued, fighting their way. ia
the l!feboats from the careening deck.
chnglng desperately to the rails or
leaplng blindly overheard, broke their
arms or legs or otherwise Injured
themselves so badly that % died after
being picked up.
No one aboard had time to seize
his belongings, much less to dress
Those found in the lifeboats were in
Cnelr night clothes. The women suf.
Tered most. Only few were saved.
according to the early lists, and indi.
catlops are that they lacked the
strength to combat conditions which
confronted them. There was not
time, as was the case on the Titanic
for calm deliberation and rigid oh
servance of the unwritten rule of the
sea, women first"
A party of Salvation Army mem.
bers en- route to London was almost
wiped out; Lawrence Irving, son of
the late Sir Henry Irving, is among
the missing and other prominent per.
sons In the first cabin were unaccount-
ed for.
When the rescue ships Eureka and
Lady Evelyn, reached the scene
shortly before daybreak they found
nine lifeboats from the Empress all
Jammed full and many of the occu-
pants wounded 1t was still dark.
Wreckage covered the river every
where. The Storstad, her bow badly
crippled. was still on the scene pick
ing up the living wherever she could
The explosion which followed the
collision forced many to jump. Err
nest Haynes, an assistant purser, told
OF ieaping from the upper promenade
decks. He climbed into No. 8 life
boat. The boat manaeuvred and
found Capt. Kendall clinging to