West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1914-06-04

WRECK PROBE TO
Be WARM FIGHT
Captains Accuse Each Other For
ST. Lawrence Disaster
INQUIRY STARTS NEXT WEEK

Friends Of Both Kendall and Ander.
son Are Lining Up and Admiralty
Court VIII Witness Bitter Struggle.
Anderson Says kendalrs Story 10
Untrue and Mrs. Anderson, Who
Was on Storstad. Defends Husband.
Montreal June 2.-The bitterest
fight in the history of admiralty courts
Is likely TO spring from the investiga.
tion of the st. Lawrence disaster.
Already marine interests, nayi
gators and officials are at issue, one
side charging that Captain III. G.. Ken.
dali OF the Empress OF ireland was 10
blame, the other accusing Captain
Thomas Anderson of the Storstad.
IL was officially announced that the
government investigation would be
held here beginning Tuesday, June
The investigation will be conducted
by board composed OF two judges OF
the Canadian admiralty, TO be appoint
ed by the dominion government, and
one representative OF the British
admiralty, appointed by the imperial
government.
Each commander almost unqualified
ly places the responsibility upon tho
shoulders of the other, Captain Ken.
dali maintaining that his ship was
practically motionless and that the
Storstad blundered into the Empress
despite repeated warnings.
Captain Kendall is supported in his
story by his officers and TO large ex.
tent by the survivors.
Captain Anderson declares that the
Empress was moving at "a good
speed" and that her rapid headway
prevented the Storstad from plugging
the hole.
Captain Anderson seemed to be in.
dignant over an official statement pur.
porting TO exonerate Captain Kendall.
Captain Kendall is sailor and |
don't want 10 say anything about him."
said the Storstad'S commander. THE
facts are these:
When Captain Kendall shouted
through the megaphone as the ships
were drawing near each other /
shouted back, but | did not have n
megaphone. l shouted as loud as 1
could. Our man on the lookout heard
me call. And l did not go full ahead.
kept my hand on tho telegraph to
the engine room and the very moment
we touched the other ship rang for
iull speed ahead. But the Empress
was going at good speed ahead and IL
was impossible for me to keen our
boat in tho hole. She was going fast.
she disappeared from this shin and
Tor a long time ] kept blowing my
whistle but / heard nothing till the
cries"
In reply to statements made by sur
vivors OF the Empress that most OF
them were saved by the Empress life
boats, Captain Anderson said:
i haven't got any words to talk
about that. / don't know what TO saw
II is so wrong that there's no use to
reply. II is beyond anything. beyond
all reason. Some people have said
strange things. They said was
smiling when l came in here. II I
was smiling then why should | be cry.
ing now?"
Captain Lindsay, wreck commits.
sioner OF the Dominion of Canada. be.
gan preliminary inquiry which will
probe into causes of the horror pre-.
liminary to full investigation by a
royal commission.
Captain Kendall of the lost liner. his
crew and Captain Thomas Anderson
OF the Storstad, with his crew and Of
ncers, also may tell their sworn
stories. II is barely possible that the
TWO captains, however. will not give
their testimony until later.
Mrs. Anderson, wife of the Stor.
stad's captain, gave all OF her clothing
to survivors, keeping only a blue cot.
ton dress which she wore when the
disaster occurred.
She asserted that three officers of
the Empress of Ireland refused to
leave the Storstad after being rescued
70 help save those afoat I'm the water.
After the crash" she said. 'T ran
upon the bridge where Captain Ander.
son was. Everything was dark and
quiet. There was no excitement
among the crew and I was cool.
said to my husband. Are we going 70
sink? and he said, I think So
N'NAN'i NAFf nllHOukn 1 IgIf llH0
It. ! said to myself, My place is here.
will die by my husband.
Captain Anderson told me he was
trying TO keep the Storstad in the
hole and that II the liner had not been
y eeding they would have stopped TO.
ssher for time at least.
Again / asked him II we were going
d. ~ and he answered, 7 can't tell
ySL' He said he thought the Empress
was all right.
Il think IL was FIVE minutes later
that heard screams and cries and 7
shouted 20 my husband: oh. they are
calling. At first II seemed as II the
cries were coming from shore. The
captain gave orders to 90 in that dL
rection and proceed very slowly.
Everywhere around me now could
hear screams. My husband gave
orders TO send out all the Hfeboats
and that could NOT have been te-
minutes after tho vessels had collided.
II gave all had to the passengers
and have only what l am standing up
In"