Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1914-06-12
CAPTAINS SHIFT
WRECK BLAME
England and Canada 10 Hold
Joint Inquiry.
CAPTAINS BLAME EACH OTHER
Accounts of Collision Told by Com
manders of Empress of Ireland ana
the Storstar Are Conflicting.

There is to be a rigid investigation
of the sinking of the Canadian Paclnc
railway liner Empress OF ireland III
the St. Lawrence river, near the eh'
trance to the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Oh
Friday morning.
The imperial government and the
Dominion authorities have joined III
endeavoring to fix the blame for the
collision between the liner and the
Norwegian collier Storstad, which mas
cost the lives of more than 9OO per
sons and sent the Empress OF ireland
to the bottom.
In the preliminary Investigation the
Canadian officials find themselves con-
fronted by a situation in which the
respective commanders OF the EN-
press of Ireland and of the Storstad'
Captain H. G. Kendall and captain
Thomas Andersen, give the lie to eacn
other.
Full responsibility for the disaster
is placed squarely upon the shoulders
of the other by each of the men. only
a formal and searching inquiry IS ex'
pected to arrive at the truth.
Captain Kendall in his testimony
before the coroner at Rlmouskl de-
clared that he had taken all possible
precautions against collision. HIS
ship had been stopped, he gave tho
requisite signals when the Storstad
was still two miles away, but the col
lier had kept on through the fog,
which settled down after the two YES
sells sighted each other, and had ram
med the Empress of Ireland while the
latter was virtually motionless.
Then, despite his plea to the master
of the collier that be run his engines
full speed ahead to keep the hole In
the liz er's side plugged with the Stor'
stad's bow, said Captain Kendall, the
vessel backed away, the water rushed
in and the Empress sank.
Captain Andersen had remained 81
lent on the subject of the collision un'
til reaching Quebec. After he had
made reprot to representatives OF
the Dominion Coal canmpany, char
terers of the yessal, and -ef the owners
of the steamer, a statement based on
his declarations to them was given
out.
According to the statement, when
the Empress of Ireland was sighted
and fog shortly afterward enveloped
both vessels, fog signals were eX'
changed and the Storstads engines
were stopped. When she lost sight OF
the Empress of Ireland in the river
niats the latter's course had been set
so that the vessels would pass eacn
other safely. The StorstaIs course re
NAMED unaltered, the statement adds,
but when the Empress of Ireland was
next seen she was close at hand on
the port bow of the collier, "and was
making considerable headway."
AS for the charge that the Storstad
backed out of the hole she had torn
in the Empress of Ireland, the state.
ment declares that it is not true. Her
engines were ordered ahead to hold
her against the liners side, but the
headway the Empress of Ireland was
under twisted the GOLFERS stem out
of the cash, it is added. AnG not only
did the collier remain as near the
scene of the collision as was safe
but every one of her boats were low
cred, despite her own damaged condi'
ton, and saved some $50 of the liners
passengers and crew.