New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-05-31
Captain Shouted Through
Megaphone "Women and
Children Firstw
SCREAMS OF ANGUISH
DROWN HIS WORDS
One Man Tells How Bodies OF
Others Bumped Him While
Under Water.

4 y
Quebec, May 0.-Survivors Of the EN-
press Of Ireland. still dazed by their es-
cape from death, told something to-day
Of their experience in the fourteen min
utes between the time the liner was
struck by the storstad and. shattered by
collision and explosion. sank in the st.
Lawrence east Of Father Point.
In the Chateau Frontenac. the Sea-
mans Mission. the hospitals and on ships
where they are being nursed, they spoke
OF their dangers. There were stories OF
self.sacrihce. where men died that women
might live, OF battles in the water. Of
lifeboats falling on struggling men and
women.
While many OF the crew were saved
great number in comparison TO the num-
Der OF passengers who were drowned
there Is no accusation against members
! Of the crew. The decision of the surviv-
ing passengers Is that the boat sank so
quickly after the collision that there was
no time for the crew to do rescue work,
for those on deck were tumbled into the
water when the vessel turned on her
starboard side.
Couple Swan to Safety.
Mr.. and Mrs. Henry Freeman. Of Wis
consin. at the Frontenac, told OF their
dash for safety. In the dark they strus-
gled up the companionway. The boat
keeled. and. determined to die together,
they jumped into the water. They were
separated. but both could swim.
I'm the rush OF water following the
sinking OF the ship" said Mrs. Freeman,
I'VE were both dragged down. Just be-
fore the collision 1 had premonltion
that something dreadful was going to
happen. I lay there thinking OF it and
then / heard the whistles going and the
men running on deck"
! Charles Spencer, bell boy on the
Empress. told how Captain Kendall
saved him. when the crash came" he
said, IT ran down into the steerage to
wake up the boys there and get them to
go to the bulkheads and turn them. /
did not have much time because when |
reached there the water was two feet
deep and | could hardly get through it.
After woke up the boys below I ran
up to the boat deck where the men were
trying TO put the lfeboats overheard.
Captain Saved Two Boys.
"Ons OF the tunnels toppled into the
water and almost fell on lifeboat.
When the boat made a final lurch I
dived into the water. Captain Kendall
was near me. He helped me along
Harry Baker was near us and the captain
took him, too
| j. II. Price, who recently was awarded
medal for sallantry for jumping into
the water from the Devonan to save a
Volturno passenger. told this story:
Il saw the Storstad bearing down on
our starboard. l could see her masthead
lights then. but neither OF her side lights
Her course was somewhat across ours.
and I heard our bridge signal them to
starboard their helm. He did the same,
with our engines running full speed
astern. and stopped our Roadway.
Then / saw the Storstad sheer away
and her starboard light showed. But sne
kept coming on, and it was clear she was
going to hit us. She struck us just
about at the starboard gangway.
las the crash came / heard an order
from the bridge, All hands | dropped
the sea ladder and ran up to the bridge
to clear the emergency boat. which had
been swung overheard. ready for lower
ing. That was the only boat / think
that really got launched from the En-
press. and there was no one there to get
into 1t.
Everything Collapsed.
Terrible confusion followed. Every
thing gave way. i saw two or three men
carried overheard as great winches
broke their lashings and lurched into the
sea. People were scrambling up from be-
low and trying to get on the port side 10
keep away from the water. I saw a
spar in the water and made a dive for IT,
The spar and l were carried under the
water.
THE surface of the water when ] came
up was all covered with people, dead and
alive. some struggling and some bobbing
in the water. The only light came from
the fare Of some OF the automatic life
buoys which got free when the ship sank
| They sort of made a creepy light over II
all II was like bugs on a pool"
BY strange coincidence beside him at
the Seamen's Institute sat a survivor OF
the Volturno. at whose burning Price had
so calamity aided In the rescue work
This man was John Cope, first class
pantryman. He had served in the same
capacity on the Volturno He lost
brother and brother-in-law in the pres
ent disaster.
Thomas Williams, chief steward, second
class. just escaped being crushed by the
bow Of the collier. II was asleep in my
bunk" he said, when the collision &C.
CURED. / ran to the deck as quickly as
could get hold Of some clothes, but
when I reached there it had keeled over
so far that ! could not keep on my feet
] could not stand and had to dive on"
Says Only Swimmers Lived.
The Rev. James Wallet, an Episcopal
preacher of West Cliff-on-the-Sea Eng
land. said that only the persons who
could swim were saved. He had a re-
markAble escape, for he is nearsighted
and without his glasses could see nothing
"Only the strong swimmers were
saved" he said. I'VE were all asleep
heard the warning boots OF the vessel