The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1914-07-31
ST0RSTAD |SBLAMED
FOUND RESPONSIBLE FOR EN-.
PRESS OF IRELAND DISASTER
IN WHICH 1000 DIED.
FORMER CHANGED COURSE
commission Also Declares That IL Is
Practically Certain That Some of the
suikheads of Sunken Vessel Were
NOT Closed at Time of Accident.

Quebec, July 13.-The collier Stors
stad is held to blame for the Emnress
OF ireland disaster. in the findings OF
the wreck commission, handed down
on saturday. The commission holds
tnat the disaster was due to the Stors.
taos change of course ordered by the
thlrd officer without instructions from
'he nrst officer, who was in charge of
the collier at the time.
The Empress was sunk in the ST.
Lawrence May %, with a loss of more
than one thousand lives.
NotabIes Conduct Inquiry.
Inc inquiry into the disaster was
begun in Quebec on June 16 by a COM
mission composed of Lord Mersey. for
merry presiding justice of the British
admiralty court; Sir Adolpho Routhier
OF quebec and Chief Justice Mcleod
OF New Brunswick. The commission
ers were assisted in their work by
commander +. w. NJ Caborne of the
British Royal Naval reserve, Prof
John Welsh of New Castle, England:
captain Demers Of the Dominion
wreck commission, and Engineer Com
mander Howe of the Canadian naval
service. Commander Caborne and
Professor Welsh were nominated by
the British board of trade. Lord Mer-
sey also presided over the inquiry into
the Titanic disaster
Hold Tuftenes Responsible.
The Golfers third officer found re-
sPonsible is Alfred Tuftenes. He was |
on the bridge when the crash oc-
Cured.
We regret" says the finding. ito
nave to impute the blame to anyone
IN connection with this lamentable dis
aster, and We should not do so if we
1elt that any reasonable alternative
was lett to us. We can, however, come
10 no other conclusion than that Mr..
Iuftenes was wrong and negligent in
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 failing to call the captain
wnen he saw the fog coming on
After carefully weighing the evil
ience we have come to the conclusion
mat MI Iuftenes was mistaken if he {
supposed that there was any intention
On the part of the Empress of Ireland
% pass port to port, or that she in fact
oy her lights manifested the intention l
il doing so; but it appears to us to be $
| mistake which would have been of
10 consequence if both ships had SUBJ c
equently kept their courses. c
Change Caused Crash.
Shortly after the ships came into y
he position of green to green, as :,
laimed by Captain Kendall, or red to ;,
ed, as claimed by Mr.. Tuftenes, the
og shut them out from each other ;,
nd 1t was while they were both en- T
eloped in this fog that the course of
ne or the other was changed and the =
olllsion brought about. From the evil =,
ence adduced on behalf of both ves- :,
els 1t is plain that before the fog and :,
hen they last saw each other there y
as no risk Of collision If each kept =,
er course. Therefore the question as :. :,
who is to blame resolves itself into -
simple issue. namely, which of the 3
hips changed her course during the -
'g. o'
There is. In our opinion, no ground "
II saying that the course of the EN- ~
'ess of Ireland was ever changed in
e sense that the wheel was wilfully III
owed; but as the hearing proceeded VI
lother explanation was propounded. W.
imely, that the vessel changed her III
purse not by reason of any wilful al ne
rations of her wheel, but IN conse- ID
fence of some uncomfortable move CT
ent which was accounted for at one
ne on the hypothesis that the steer. +
G gear was out of order, and at an
her by the theory that, having re- ST.
I'D to the fullness of the stern of the
npress Of Ireland, the area of the
oder was insufficient Evidence was
lied in support of this explanation.
'On the whole question of the steer CT
z gear and rudder we are of opinion I'd
at the allegations as to their condi. -
ms are not well founded" ",
bill