Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1914-06-01
SKIPPER !
BLAMED FOR DISASTER
CAPTAIN OF EMPRESS OF IRE.
LAND rEsTlFlEs AT coRo-
NEa's INQUEST.
NoRsrAp's NAVIGATOR
FAILED TO HEED SIGNALS

SoilISIon Observation-Disclosures 10 Ne0P
Engines Going Might Have Saved
All Lives If misunderstanding Ad-
journed.
Rimouski, Quebec, June f-While
final tabulations of the casualties in
the sinking of the Inflated steamer
Empress Of Ireland were being made
showing that 400 of her passengers ana
crew had been rescued and 964 had
persisted, Captain Henry George Ken
dali of the liner was telling his story
OF the disaster at an inquiry conducted
by Coroner Pinaud here.
Captain Kendall iii substance de-
clared that he had taken all possible
precautions against a collision. HIS
ship had been stopped. he gave the re-
quisite signals when the Danish collier
Storstad, which death the blow
| which sent the Empress to the bottom,
was still two miles away. but the col
Ter had kept on thru the fog which
settled down soon after the two vessels
sighted each ether and had rammed
the empress of Ireland While the lat
ter vas virtually motioniess. Then. de-
spite his plea 10 the master of the col
lier that ne run his engines full speed
ahead to keep the hole in the liners
side plugged with the Storstads bow.
said Captain Kendall, the Danish yes
sci backed away. the water rushed in
and the Empress sank.
Sighted the Collier.
Captain Kendall VINO stuck 10 the
bridge Of mis- ship 10 the last and after
being picked UP 10y life boat aided in
saving a boat LOAD of Growing per-
sons 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 Thursday night al Father Point
near which the disaster OF yesterday
morning occurred
We then proceeded fun speed" CON
tinued Captain Kendall. After pass
ing Rock Point gas buoy ! sighted the
steamer Storstad. il then being Gear.
The Storstad WAS then about one
point twelve degrees on my starhoard
bow. At that time saw a slight fog
coming gradually from the land and
knew it was going TO pass between the
Storstad and myself. The Storstad was
about two miles away at that time.
| Then the fog came and the Strstad's
| lights disappeared. / rang full speed
astern on my engines and stopped my
| snip.
/ Storstad Answered Signal.
| AT the same time blew three short
blasts on the steamers whistle. mean
ing, am going full speed astern.' The
| Storstad answered with the whistle,
| giving ne one prolonged blast.
II then looked over the side OF my
! ship into the water and Saw my
! ship was stopped. stopped my engines
and blew two long blasts meaning My
ship was under way. hut stopped and
has no way upon i4i He answered me
with one prolonged blast The sound
was then about points upon my star
board bow.
1T vas still foggy looked out to
where the sound came from. About
two minutes afterward saw red and
green lights. He would then he abou,
one ships length away from me.
shouted n him thru the megaphone II
ger Of collision VAS inevitable; AZ the
same time I put my engine fun speed
ahead With my helm hard arort witt
the object of avoiding, If possible, the
shock Almost al the same time M
came right in and cut me down In 6
Inc between the tunnels.
Collier Backed Away.
~ shouted 70 ,he Stointad to keer
fta he J,
made He then backed away The SHY
began to fill and listed over rapidly
When he struck me. 7 had stopped m,
engines. then rang full speed ahead
again when I saw the danger was SC
great, with the object of running he
On shore to save the passengers am
ship. Almost Immediately the engine
, stopped. the ship filing and going owe
| all the time, starboard.
Il had. in the meantime. given order
| to get the 1ifeboa:s launched. | rushed
along the starboard side of the boa
deck ard threw sripes out of number
/. 8. , and . boats: then l went bacl
to the bridge again, where ] saw tn
, chief officer rushing along the bridge
, / told him to tell the wireless operate
at once to send out distress signals
| He told me that this had been done.
t said: Get the boats ont as quick a
F, possible That was the last I saw o
! the chief officer Then in about thre
to FIVE minutes after that the shil
e turned over and foundered. I was sho
e into the sea myself from the bridge an
taken down with the suction.
r Captain Rescued.
, The next thing 1 remember wa
E selling piece Of grating. How lon
3 was on 1t I do not know, but hear
f some men shout from life boat, ther
is the captain; let US save MIN.
They got to me and pulled me i
the boat. The boat already had abou
thirty people in it. I did my best wit
i the people in the boat to assist in saw
e ing others. We pulled around an
: picked UP twenty-five more in the boa
and also put about ten around the sid
3 in the water with ropes around thei
: wrists. hanging on. Seeing that W
: could not save any more. we pulled I
d the storstad, which was then about
:, mile and a half away. then got
, these people on board the storstad an
a left her with six Of the crew and wen
back and tried TO save more. When
got there everybody had gone. w
d searched around and could not see any
body alive so we then returned to tn
g.