Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1914-06-04

proceed very slowly on account OF
damages sustained In the collision.
The Empress of Ireland was so badly
rammed that she sank in about nine
teen minutes. A big hole was cut un-
der her water line"
Details Of Horror Told.
Brief wireless dispatches were sent
from the Storstad which gave thrill
ing and graphic details of the disaster.
From the quickness of the time in
which the Empress of Ireland sank
some Of the passengers were caught
in their berths and drowned like rats
in trap. Others, in their night cloth
ing, rushed to the rail and flung them
selves into the sea without waiting tn
put on life preservers.
Both men and women were picked
up with children clasped in their arms
There was little opportunity for off,
GERS Of the Inflated steamer to put in
to effect the old rule of the sea, "Wo-
men and children first" The disaster
came so quickly and was 80 over
whelming that 1t was case Of every
person for himself In the darkness
with the stiffness of the sea all about
them, the victims went down to their
death.
One OF the survivors, on the dam
aged ship gave a brief and graphic de-
scription Of what had happened.
Was Asleep In Berth.
He said:
Il was asleep In my berth, when
was suddenly rolled to the floor by the
pitch of the ship. AS soon as awak-
ened ! heard the sickening crash Of
steel and timber rending our ship.
realized at once tina. we had been
rammed by another ship. rushed
from my stateroom, and even in my
fright and excitement | marked the
qutetness of the ship. In a few min
utes state room doors were filled with
pale faces, and men and women were
engaged in a wild scramble to get to
the decks.
Officers, partially dressed, were
running about the decks urging the
passengers to be calm. Others were
running to the boat decks to get the
lifeboats of. 1t was dark as pitch,
and this blackness was intensified by
the fact that the water soon got into
the engine room and stopped the dy-
namos, cutting Off the supply of cleo
trio light AS the lights sickened out
and died 1t added to the gloomy de-
pressiveness. From all parts Of the
deck arose cries. either men or wom-
en- passengers calling to their rela-
tives, or the officers of the ship shout
ing orders. The sea was not running
high. and yet the lash OF the water.
as it rose higher and higher on the
hull, made up sound that was ex-
tremely terrifying.
See Ship Through Fog.
Through the fog we could mistily
make out the figure Of the ship which
had run us down. She was imping
badly, and we did not know whether
she was going to the bottom or not
This feeling of uncertainty and the
likelihood that our neighbor might be
sinking with all on board aroused us
to still higher tension of excitement.
Both men and women dropped to
their knees upon the decks. Some
prayed aloud. Some buried their faces
in their hands and sobbed with a
frenzy born of despair and the pres
ence of DEATH"
Was Very Fine Vessel.
The Empress of Ireland was one Of
the finest vessels Of the Canadian
Pacific steamship service. She left
Montreal yesterday afternoon at 4:3O
o'clock under command of Lieutenant
Kendall, for Liverpool, England, carry
ing about 1000 persons.
The vessel proceeded up the St.
Lawrence at slow speed after leaving
Montreal, as the weather was thick
from both fog and the smoke OF for
est fires
The liner stopped at Rimouski to
take on mail
When the ships came together the
sharp prov Of the collier rammed an
enormous hole in the hull Of the liner
into which the water poured furiously.
Among those on board the stricken
liner were many prominent persons.
Cabled messages from London said
that brokers expected the influences
of the disaster to be reflected on the
stock exchange II 1t proved true that
influential financiers who we're pas
sengers on the ship were drowned.
Among the passengers was Sir
Henry Karr of London. There was
also a large delegation of officers Of
4Aa Caly hnaeA