Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1914-06-05
ing in their berths and grinding bodies

ness, her bow crumpled by the impact.
Her commander was ready few min
utes later, when he found his ship
would float, to aid the crippled and
Sinking Empress. but he was too late
to save the majority Of those on
| board.
| The Empress of Ireland recoiled al
most on her starboard beam ends from
the blow of the collier and passengers
were flung from their berths against
the walls of their staterooms.
Many were stunned and before they
mad time to recover were carried to
the bottom with the ship.
The vast torrents pouring into the
great cash on the port side, aft, filled
the corridors and flooded every state
room abaft the midship section inside
of four minutes.
There was never a chance for the
helpless ones in the after cabins and
staterooms of the liner With her
port side laid open for half it's length
from the midship section to the stern,
a sieve had more chance to float than
the Empress Of Ireland, and the
trapped passengers In that section
were doomed from the moment the
Storstad struck.
Keeling from the blow the ship be-
gan to settle almost Immediately as
the water rushed into the big rent.
From the forward cabins, however
men and women in night attire STUN
bled along the corridors and up the
companionway to the promenade deck
the deck below the one on which
the boats rested.
Swarm to Deck
Up they swarmed on deck in their
night clothing, to find the ship heeling
away to port and the deck slanting at
degree that made 1t almost impos-
slble to stand even clinging to rail-
ings.
Men and women, shrieking, praying,
crying for aid that was fated to arrive
too late, fell over one another in that
last struggle for life on board the
doomed Empress of Ireland.
Frenzied mothers leaped overheard
with their babies In their arms. 9th
ers kne't on deck and tried to pray In
the few moments left to them Some
were flung overheard by the heeling
OF the sinking ship and some broke
their legs or arms in trying to reach
the lifebcats.
Above the din of the struggle on
the great promenade deck could be
heard Captain Kendall shouting COM
mands for the launching of the life
boats. Several were launched In the
10 minutes that the ship ffoated.
There was no time to observe the
rule Women first" IL this disaster.
for those nearest the boats scrambled
to places in them.
But even as they were being
launched. while the wireless still was
calling IS O. S." there came terrific
explosion that almost rent the ship in
twain.
Places Blame on Collier.
Rimouski, Que. June 1.-Testifyfng
before a coroner's jury on Saturday,
Captain Kendall Of the Empress of
Ireland placed the blame for the dis
aster on Captain Andersen of the col
lier Storstad. The testimony Of the
Empress commander showed that he
had done everything possible to avoid
a collision and to save lives after the
crash came His ship had been
stopped, and he gave the requisite sig
nails when the Storstad was still two
miles away, but the collier had kept
on through the fog, which settled
down soon after the two vessels sight
ed 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
collier backed away, the water rushed
in, and the Empress sank.
Denied by Andersen.
Quebec, June Capt. Thomas An
dersen Of the collier Storstad denies
l0aC ne was 10 DIaulG IOF L06 disaster
the Empress of Ireland, and contra
diets Captain Kendall's statements,
He and his officers say the Storstad
did not back away after the collision,
On the contrary, it steamed ahead in
an effort to keep its bow in the hole
it had dug into the side of the Ers-
press.
The Empress, however, according to
the Storstad's officers, headed away
and bent the Storstad's bow over at
an acute angle to port After that the
Empress was hidden from the view Of
the Storstad, and, despite the fact
that the Storstad kept it's whistle
blowing, it could not locate the EN-
press until the cries Of some of the
victims in the water were heard.
Captain Andersen absolutely denied
that he moved a mile or so away from
the Empress after his vessel struck
the liner.
According to the report made by
| Captain Andersen to the owners, i'm
mediately the collision occurred. he