New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1914-06-03

Rimouski, Que, May 3O-Only 433
persons are known to have been saved
Of the 1887 on board the Canadian
Pacific liner Empress of Ireland,
which sank in ninety feet of water
Friday within fifteen minutes after
being rammed amidships in the upper
reaches of the ST. Lawrence river.
The probable death list stands at 954.
Looming up through the river mists
as the Empress of Ireland was lying
to, waiting for the fog to lift or day
to break, the Danish collier StOrstad
crashed on into the side of the big
Canadian liner, striking her about
midway of her length and ripping her
side open clear to the stern.
The crash occurred not far from
the shore off Father Point, $50 miles.
from Quebec, which the Empress of
Ireland left bound for Liverpool, and
ten miles from this point on the st.
Lawrence. In reality, therefore,
though the liner was heading for the
sea and the collier coming in from it,
the disaster was not one OF the ocean,
but OF the river
VICTIMS PERISH IN
SIGHT OF THE SHORE
Unlike the Titanics victims the
Empress of Ireland's lost their lives
within sight of shore-in land locked
| waters.
Immediately the ships crew recov-
cred from the shock of the collision
and it was seen that the liner had
received vital blow a wireless IS.
o. So call was sounded.
The hurried appeal was picked up
by the government mail tender Lady
Evelyn here and the government pilot
boat Eureka at Father Point and both
at once set out to the rescue. So
deep was the hurt of the Empress of
Ireland, however, and so fast the in
rush of waters that long before either
of the rescue boats could reach the
scene the liner had gone down.
Only floating wreckage and a few
lifeboats and RATS from the steamer,
buoying up less than third of those
who had set sail on her. were to. be
found The rest had sunk with the
liner, had been crushed to death in
the Storstadts impact with her, OF
had been forced from exhaustion and
exposure in the ice chilled northern
waters to loose their holds on the
wreckage that had supported them
and had drowned.
COLLISION SERIOUSLY
cRlPPLEs COLLIER
Only few persons We're picked uL
by the Storstad, which was crippled
seriously herself by the collision;
these were brought here by the col
4 lier, together with those saved by
the Eureka and the Lady Evelyn
Twenty-Five of the rescued died from
injury or exposure.
|. The others, most of whom ha(
, jumped into the boats or plunged int
Z the waters from the sinking line
scantily clad. were given such cloth
! ing as the town could supply ant
! later those that were well able t,
!, travel were placed on board q trail
and started for Quebec.
Accounts agree that in the brie
space of time not more than fourteen
} minutes between the shock Of tn
collision and the sinking of the line
Y there was little chance for systemati
nlarshalling OF the passengers. In
Y deed, everything indicates that hun
] dreds Of those on the steamer prof.
! ably never reached the decks. Yer
] few women were among the saved
!. not more than dozen, the lists max
Z 1t appear. s
1t all happened SO quickly the
we did not really know what was 81
ing on and nobody had time to CT
' women first, I" one Of the passenge'