Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-07-11
BLAME STORSTAD
FOR SHIP HORROR



But the question of much greater
public interest and Importance re-
mains 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 follow such disasters.
1.-THE main difference between the
two stories (of the officers of the
Empress ard the Storstad respective
ly) is to be found in the description
of the way in which the two vessels
were appr aching each other at the
time the Empress of Ireland changed
her course, after having obtained an
offing from Father Point.
1.-The witnesses from the Storstad
say they were approaching so as to
pass red to red, while those from the
the Empress of Ireland say they were
approaching so as to pass green 10
green. The stories are irreconcila-
ble and we have to determine which
is the more probable. Times, dis
tances and bearing vary so much
even in the evidence from witnesses
from the same ship that 1t is i'm
possible to rely or to base conciu-
sions upon them. We have, therefore,
thought it advisable to found our
conclusions almost entirely upon the
events spoken to by the witnesses
and upon their probable sequence In
order to arrive at a solution OF the
difficulty.
AFTER carefully weighing the evil
dence we have come to the conciu-
sion that Mr.. Tuftenes was mistaken
If he supposed that there was any
intention on the part of the EN-
press of Ireland to pass port to port,
or that she, in fact, by her lights
manifested the intention of doing SO,
but it appears to us to be a mis-
take which would have been of no
consequence If both ships had SUD-
sequently kept their courses.
Change of Course Fatal.
shortly after the ships came into
the position of green to green, as
claimed by Captain Kendall, or red
to red, as claimed by Mr.. Tuftenes.
the fog shut them out from each
other, and it is while they were both
enveloped in this fog that the course
OF one or the other was changed
and the collision brought about.
From the evidence adduced on be-
half of both vessels it is plain that
before the fog, and when they last
saw each other, there was no risk
of collision If each kept her course
Therefore the question as to who is
to blame resolves itself into sim
Die 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 En-
press of ireland was ever changed
in the sense that the wheel was will
fully moved; but as the hearing pro-
ceeded another explanation was pro-
pounded, namely, that the vessel
changed her course, not by reason OF
any wilful alterations of her wheel
hut in consequence of some uncon-
trollabIe movement which was ac-
counted for at one time on the
hypothesis that the steering gear was
ont of order, and at another by the
theory that, having regard to the full
ness of the stern of the Empress of
Ireland, the area of the rudder was
insufficient. Evidence was called In
support of this explanation.
Criticize Galway's Testimony.
"The principal witness on the point
as to the steering gear was a man
named Galway, one of the quarter
masters on the Empress of Ireland
He said that he reported the jam
ming incident to Williams, the sec
ond officer on the bridge (who was
drowned) and to pilot Bernier. He
said he also mentioned the matter tc
Qnartermaster Murphy, who relieved
him at midnight of the disaster. Pilot
Bernier and Murphy were called and
they denied that Galway had made
any complaint whatever to them
about the steering gear.
Galway gave his evidence badly
and made SO unsatisfactory a wit.
ness that we cannot rely on his ties.
however, to confirm Galway. Thi.
was the evidence of three men ane
| the pilot from another Norwegian col
| lier called the Alden, at the time un-
| der charter to the Dominion Goa
Company, who were the charterer.
| of the Storstad.
These witnesses spoke Of having
passed the Empress of ireland OF
| her way down the river. about 9:2
on the evening of the 18th of May
and they said she was swinging am
steering badly, changing from red t,
green several times. The witnesses
do not speak of any behavior of tn
vessel which would suggest jam
| ming and it is to be believed tina
/ the allegation that the vessel sheere,
| from side to side on this occasion i
| entirely different from the allegation
| of Galway that the wheel damned.
ION the whole question of the steer
! ing gear and rudder we are of opin
ion that the allegations as to thei
conditions are not well founded"