New Britain herald., 1914-05-30
355 Persons Saved After Empress of Ireland Sank 1900 Bodies
  Landed at Rimouski
Vivid Details of Terrible
 "." e# d. Tragedy Related By Sur vivors Who Landed at Quebec Last Night.

Quebec, May 30.-More than 1000 persons lost their lives when the Canadian Pacific steamship Empress of Ireland sank in the St. Lawrence early Friday morning after the liner had been rammed by the Danish collier Storstad.
 Figures compiled by the Canadian Pacific Railway. company and made public today indicated that 1,032 per sons in all had perished. Their list follows: . -s#...
 3S5 Persons Saved.
 First class passengers saved 1S; second and third class passengers saved 1S1; crew saved 206; total 355.
 The number of passengers carried by the Empress of Ireland: First class, ST; second class, 153; third class, 715; crew, 432. Total 1887.
 Up to an early hour today over three hundred bodies had been landed at Rimouski.
 Dead Piled in Tiers.
 The dead were piled in tiers, mak- ing 1t impossible to closely scrutinize the bodies for purposes of identifica- ticn Women and children are plenti- fully represented in the grim pile, among them one mother with her child pressed closely to her breast.
 The tender Lady Grey has been designated as a funeral ship and is expected to reach Quebec late today with the bodies of the dead so far re- covered. An army of carpenters and undertakers who worked all night are still busy converting one of the large freight sheds on the harbor front into temporary morgue for the reception of bodies
 Storstad Reaches Port
 The collier Storstad, which rammed the ill-fated Empress of Ireland, ar rived here shortly after 1 o'clock this morning accompanied by the wreck ing steamer Strathcona and anchored Tn mid-stream. A press boat went out, but newspapermen were refused per mission to go aboard. 1t was learned, however, that she had saved many of the Empress passengers.
 The Storstad has a hole fifteen feet square in her bows. She is waiting for orders to say whether she will dock here or go to Montreal.
 Deck at Right Angles.
 6LOTleS or the JOSS or the fInlpreSS of Ireland brought to Quebec last night by the survivors gave vivid de- tails of the most terrible tragedy in the annals of the St. Lawrence. Soon after the ship was rammed she careened until her deck stood at right angles to the water. She slid slowly into the water and it was only possible to launch five boats in the brief interval before she finally sank. Captain Kendall was on the bridge when the collision occurred. When the steamer sank he was washed away, later to be picked up by one of the boats. Thus far he has vouch- safed no public statement except to say that he would have preferred ~to o go down with his ship Passengers who observed him during the fright full few minutes after the ship Was struck speak in his praise and de- clare he did his full duty.
 Crushed to Death.
 Chief Officer Steed, it Is stated, was killed by boat falling on him while working to help the passengers escape.
 Commissioner Rees of the Saliva ton army, stood on the deck of the doomed vessel trying to persuade the peOpl0 IO keep COOL ieHQlng d helping hand to many. When he ship was almost under water one of his men shouted to n1m to jump for his life. He replied he would stand by his wife and children, and sank with the words, 70 God Thy Will be done" on his lips.
 Father Saves Son.
 One of the touching sights on the survivors train was that presented by Philip Lawler. With his wife and son he had left his home in Brant- ford, Ont, where they had lived for the last seven years, to visit his old home at Keightly, Yorkshire, F. 'a- land. The mother went down with the ship, while the father, after a desperate struggle, managed to sLve his son, Herbert and himself. He was injured when the explosion oc- cured and, with his head swat led in bandages and bowed with grief, he sat, disconsolate figure at his sons side. The boy who is about x seventeen years old, when asked about the wreck. said.
 T was awakened by shouts and water rushing into the third class