The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1914-06-01
SKIPPER DECLARES
WARNING UNHEEDED
If StOrstad Had Not Backed
Away After Collision, the
Liner Would Have Kept
Af1Oat

| Quebec, June E.-While final tabula-
tions of the casualties in the sinking of
the Inflated steamer Empress of Ireland
were being made Saturday, showing that
403 of her passengers and crew had been
rescued, and 964 had persisted, Captain
Henry George Kendall of the liner was
telling his story of the disaster at an in
quiry conducted by Coroner Pinault at
Rimouski, p. Q. Captain Kendall in sub
stance declared that he had taken all
possible precautions against a collision.
| His ship had been stopped; he gave the
requisite signals when the Danish collier
Storstad, which dealt the blow which
sent the Empress to the bottom, was
still two miles away; but the collier had
| kept on through the fog which settled
down soon after the two vessels sighted
each other and had rammed the Empress
of Ireland while the latter was virtually
motionless. Then, despite his plea TO
the master of the collier that he run his
engines full speed ahead to keep the hole
in the liners side plugged with the Stor-
stad's bow, said Captain Kendall, the
Danish vessel backed away, the water
rushed in, and the Empress sank.
Captain Kendall. who stuck to the
bridge of his ship to the last and after
being picked up by lifeboat aided in
saving boatload of drowning persons
from the wreck, took up his story OF the
disaster from the point at which the
Empress of Ireland. bound from Quebec
for Liverpool, had dropped her pilot on
Thursday night at Father Point, near
which the disaster of Friday morning oc.
CURED. 1--WE then proceeded full speed"
continued Captain Kendall. "After pass
ing Rock Point gas buoy | sighted the
steamer Storstad, it then being clear.
The Storstad was then about one point,
IL degrees on my starboard bow. At
that time | saw a slight fog bank com
ing gradually from the land, and knew
it was going to pass between the Stor-
stad and myself. The Storstad was
about two miles away at that time.
Then the fog came and the Storstad's
lights disappeared. / ran full speed
astern on my engine and stopped my
ship.
"At the same time ! blew three short
steamers whistles, meaning. i am GO
ing full speed astern,' The Storstad an
swered with the whistle, giving me one
prolonged blast. | then looked over the
side of my ship into the water and ! saw
my ship was stopped. / stopped my en-
gines and blew two long blasts meaning
My ship was under way, but stopped
and has no way upon her. He answered
me again and with one prolonged blast.
The sound was then about four points
upon my starboard bow.
at was still foggy. | looked out to
where the sound came from. About two
minutes afterward / saw his red and
Grbfu Ia xxn,,iJ Thor, ha nh
one ships length away from me. shout
ed to him through the megaphone to go
full speed astern, as I saw the danger
of collision was inevitable; at the same
time | put my engines full speed ahead
with my helm hard aport, with the oh
ject of avoiding, if possible, the shock.
Almost at the same time he came right
in and cut me down in a line between
the tunnels.
II shouted to the Storstad to keep full
speed ahead to fill the hole he had made.
He then backed away. The ship began
to fill and listed over rapidly. When he
struck me, ] had stopped my engines.
I then ran full speed ahead again, when |
] saw the danger was so great, with |
the object of running her on shore to
save passengers and ship. Almost inn |
the engines stopped. the ship |
filling and going over all the time, star
board
81 had. In the meantime, given orders /
to get the lifeboats launched. ! rushed |
along the starboard side of the boat deck |
and threw all the gripes out of Nos. |,
3, ) and boats; then went back to the
bridge again, where / saw the chief Off |
Ger rushing along the bridge, | told him