The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1914-06-04
TERRIBLE DISASTER IN
ST. LAWRENCE RIVER,
STEAMSHIP EMPRESS OF IRE.
LANDRAAdMED BY YCOLLIERA AND
ATHOUSAND LIVES LOST.

Canadian Pacific Liner, Empress of
Ireland" when she sailed yesterday
from Quebec for Liverpool, 954 were
lost when the liner was rammed by the
Danish collier, "Storstad,' and sank
off Father Point, in the St Lawrence
river, before daylight today, ac-
cording to revised reports late to-
night. Only 433 are known to have
been saved.
Of the 81 6rst-class passengers
the latest figures show 29 to have
been saved. Of the 153 in the sec
ond cabin 29 were rescued; of the
715 third class passengers there are
lO1 survivors, while 297 of the crew
of 432 were brought ashore.
These figures account for the 396
survivors landed here and taken by
train to Quebec, where they arrived
tonight. There remained here 81
rescued persons. unclassi6ed, COM
pleting the total of 433 known sur
Vivors.
Immediately the ships crew re-
covered from the shock of the COL
lision, when it was seen that the liner
had received vital blow, a wireless
IS o S" call was sounded.
The hurried appeal was picked up
by the Government mail tender La
dy Evelyn" here and the Government
pilot boat Eureka, at Father Point,
and both set out to the rescue. So
deep was the hurt of the Empress,
however, and so fast the thrush of
waters that long before either of
the rescue boats could reach the
scene the liner had gone down. Only
tioating wreckage and few life
boats 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 Storstad's impact with her or
had been forced from exposure in
the ice-chilled waters to loose their
hold on bits of wreckage and had
drowned.
Only few persons were picked
up by the Storstad, which was badly
crippled herself, and these were
brought here by the collier. together
with rhot, saved by the Eureka and
Lady Evelyn. Twenty-Five of the
rescued died from injury or ex-
posure.
The others, most of whom had
jumped into the boats or plunged
into the water from the sinking liner
scantily clad, were given such cloth
ing as the town could supply, and
later those that could travel were
placed on board a train and started
for Quebec, where they arrived to-
night.
Accounts agree that in the brief
space of time-not more than four
teen minutes-between the shock of
the collision and the sinking of the
liner there was little chance for sys-
tematic marshaling of the passeng-
ers. Everything indicates that hun
dreds probably never reached the
decks. Few women were among
the saved, not more than dozen,
the lists make it appear.
The stewards did not have time
to rouse the people from their
berths," one survivor told Capt
Bollinger, of the rescue ship Eureka.
Those who heard the frenzied
calls of the officers for the passeng-
ers to hurry on deck rushed up,
piled into the boats, which were
rapidly lowered, and rowed away.
Many who waited to dress were
drowned"
EXPLOSION ADDS TO HORROR.
The horror of the interval during
the time the Empress of Ireland was
rapidly filling and the frightened
throngs on board her were hurrying |
every effort to escape before she
sank. was added to by an explosion
s,L.oL o,,;ol,l,, follouad tho collision |