Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1914-06-18
SHIP HORROR WAS
CAUSED BY SPEED.
officers of the storstad, Which
Rammed Empress of ireland,
Say Liner Was Max
ing Fast Time.

Quebec, June 1S.-The captain and
testified today at the Empress of Ire
land wreck inquiry and contradicted
in several particulars the statements
made on the stand yesterday by Cap
tain Kendall of the lost liner The
first officer, Alfred Tuftenes, who was
in command of the collier Storstad
when the collision occurred insisted
that there was no explosion and no
sheet of flame from the side of the
Empress when she was struck, as Cap
tain Kendall had described. The
first officer admitted he had not obey
ed instructions in failing to call his
captain from below when fog shut
down Just before the collision. 1t was
the speed of the Empress, he explained.
which caused the Storstad's bow TO
sink 12 feet into the side of the pas
senger vessel.
Tuftenes said he did not know
whether the master of the Storstad got
a bonus for Il speedy trip with coal FOR
the Dominion Coal company, between
Sydney and Montreal. Captain An
derson. of the Storstad. who was sit
ting in the rear of the court. was asked
about it and replied in the negative
The witness admitted that the ship
was unloaded at night at Montreal.
Saw Her Miles Away.
aTiine is apparently Important then?s'
commented the attorney.
Tuftenes conceded that it seemed to
be. He denied that the Storstad was
navigated in the fog for one hour and
half prior to first seeing the mast
head lights of the Empress. When the
lights came into view. he said. the EN-
press was about six miles away and
one and one-half points on the stor-
stad's bow. She was pursuing course
across the colier's bows.
Tufteres said he ordered the helm
aport and n little later hard aport.
Did you stop when the Empress
blew two long blastso" asked Aspinall.
II did not hear them.''
THAT would mean she was stop
ping?..'
1T would"
Ibid you expect your ship would an
| swer that hard aport heinz"
II did"
"Why didn't it?
THE engines were not working long
enough to give her headway?"
Kept on His Course.
The witness said the Empress, wher
| she came ou of the fog, was two ships
| lengths away. He agreed that if tht
| Empress was going 10 knots an hou,
and the Storstad only one knot al
| iicSA, CID iiC Seild tilcy were, II lODkSC
to him now as if they should have
| cleared safely.
81 thought was entitled to keer
my course and speed said the wit
| ness.
Serious said Mr.. Aspinall. "as a
sailor, is it your belief that you arc
entitled to do that in a fog"
Providing that | don't fun speed
but moderate speed said the witness
Your instructions were t. call tn,
captain directly fog appeared?"
| Yes"
why did you not obey instruc.
| tiens?' asked Lord Mersey
II did not think it necessary
Captain Kendall acknowledged that
| although he knew a collision was in.
evitable when the Sorstad came at the
Empress in the fog, it was not until i
had occurred that the order to clos,
| the bulkhads YVES given. by which tim,
4 three compartments had been exposed
to the sea.
Questioned by Lord Mersev as t.
why he stopped his ship when he hat
turned his green light to that of TIL,
Storstad in conformity with naviga
tion rules. Captain Kendall claimed Ii,
took the step as a safeguard measure
owing to the fog. He could not b,
induced By counsel for the Storstad c
S. Haight, OF Mew York. to admit tha
his boat could have drifted in from
of the Storstad Until the collier ha,
changed her course after the fog hid he
| from him. which was the case in hi
| OUiniOn