LINER SINKS IN TEN MINUTES

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2164, 1 June 1914, Page 7

LINER SINKS IN TEN MINUTES

NEW ZEALANDERS AMONGST THE MISSING. MANY SALVATION ARMY DELEGATES PERISH. , Montreal, May 29. Tho Canadian-Paoific Company admits that only 337 woro saved out of a total of 13G7, tho remainder either having .boon drowned or else killed by the im-

paot. Sir T. Shaughnessy, president of the C.P.R. Company, declares that tho disaster is tho worst in the history of tho St. Lawrence. Tho passenger list included many Australians and Npiv Zealanders who camo across by the Canadian-Australian steamer Niagara in April, including Colonel, Mrs., and Miss W. R. Blomfield, of Auckland; Miss C. Townsend; and Mr. E. Byrne and Mr. G. Byrne, of Brisbane. There were also many Canhd&in mom. hers of tho "Salvations Army on board, en route to> Conference in' London, including most of tho head officials. Quebec, May 29. The rescued 1 include Mr., Mrs., and Miss Byrne, Brisbane.' Captain Kendall escaped. The fate of Mr. Lawrenco Irving, the actor-manager, ivho was also on board, is not known. Later. Mr. Lawrence Irving's death is practically certain. ' ' There is hope of Colonel Blomfield having been saved. " Scores of prominent Solvation Army officers, including Commissioner Rees (Canada), have been lost. ' Twenty-two are reported to have died "from injuries. A melancholy interest attaches to an incident on the wh'aTf when the ill-fated liner left Quebec. The brass band of the Salvation Army played "God Bo With You Till "We Meet Again." Colonel Garstin, of the Salvation Army, asserts that 900 persons were drowned. The Empress of Ireland was commanded by Captain Kendall, R.N.R., who commanded the steamer Montrose when the murderer Orippen was captured on board that vessel. Ho was picked up.

MANY CONTRA MCTORY MESSAGES. London, May 29. The majority of the Empress of Ireland's officers and _ crew belonged to Liverpool, where distressing 6cenes occurred. Tho office of the shipping company is bosieged all day long. Prayers wero offered up at the Salvation Army headquarters for the safety of the missing Salvationists. Renter's Agency'states that Lloyd's and tho shipping companies all confirm tho loss of at least six hundred persona. Sensational News. There was renewed' sensation an London and Liverpool at 6 o'clock this evening, when tho Canadian-Pacific Com.pany published reports from* the captains of tho Lady Evelyn and tho Eureka, stating that no lives had been lose, that they landed four hundred persons, and wero returning to pick up tho balance of the passengers and crew in tho lost ship's lifeboats. .The facts are still doubtful, cablegrams contradictory of one another arriving in any order.

"Times" and Sydney "Sua" Serrlces. (Rec. May 31, 6.5 p.m.) London, May 30. Perhaps the saddest scene at Liverpool in connection with the disaster was when a woman, wearing mourning, entered an insurance office with a claim on her dead husband's policy. She heard the Commissionaire describing tho collision, and inquired the name of tho steamer. On hearing the namo of the liner she fainted. Her son was a sailor. A POPULAR SHIP. ELABORATELY EQUIPPED FOR LIFTS-SAVING. Queboo, May 29. The insurances on the Empress of Ireland total £400,000, and there is £50,000 on tho cargo. The vessel was one of the most popular ships in tho Canadian trade. Sho was double bottomed, and divided transversoly by ten bulkheads, so that at normal draught any two adjoining compartments might be flooded without endangering her safety. The vessel carried sixteen lifeboats, capable of seating 764 persons; twenty Englchardt collapsible boats, seating 920, and four 3erthon boats, seating 170; also 2212 adult and 150 children's life-jackets. A STRANGE COINCIDENCE. SISTER SHIT IN A PREVIOUS DISASTER. Vancouver, May 29. The Storstad is a sister ship to the collier Helvetia, which was sunk by the Canadian-Pacific Company's Empress of Britain in the samo spot on tho St. Lawrence in July, 1912.

fhe fears conveyed In Saturday's brief cable message In "The Dominion" of a grave,shipping disaster in the Rfver St. Lawrence, involving heavy loss of life, are confirmed by the dreadful news which we publish to-day. A marine disaster of appalling magnitude has resulted from the collision, in the dead of night, and in a dense fog, of a Norwegian collier, the Storstad, with the Canadian Pacific Railway Company's passenger ex- • press liner Empress of Ireland. The collier struck the liner, which was hove to in ths fog, directly amidships, and tore a great yawning hole in the vessel's side. The doomed steamer immediately heeled over, and from her slanting deck the passengers who struggled up from below were thrown into tho icy water. The vessel sank in ten minutes, and there was no timo for organised salvage work. Scenes of the wildest confusion followed, and many pitiful scenes were recorded. The officiaL account of the disaster sefs out tho loss'of life as . follows:— On Board. Saved. First-class 87 18 Second and third ... 868 131 Crew 432 206 Total 1387 355 Drowned or killed 1032 Lieut.-Colonel \y. R. Bloomfield, Mrs. Bloomfield, and Miss BloomfielcT, and' Mrs. Wynn Price, all of Aucklaand, wors drowned. Miss Townshend, of Auckland, is amongst the survivors. The Salvation Army lost the whole of its Canadian Field Force, including Commissioner Rees.

By Tdesrapli—Press Association— OoDyileM

Quebec, May 29. Reports now -arriving from Rimouski, Father Pointy on tlio St. Lawrence River, make it appear that the disaster to tho Canadian-Pacific liner Empress of Ireland took placo just before dawn; The linor was hove-to in a dense fog when the bow of a Norwegian collier, the Storstad (6028 tons) appeared out of the darkness, struck the Empress of Ireland amidships, and tore a hole in the vessel's side which' reached right to the screws. (It was previously cabled that the Empress of Ireland had collided with the Red Star -'liner Hanover). AGONISING SCENES. The'liner sank iii ten minutes.' "The sceno immediately after, tho collision baffles description,!* states one account. "Shrieks from the passengers, rudely awakened from their slumbers, the hoarse cries of the captain and officers, and the wailing of the women, mingled with the nishing of the water -into the gulf opening into the boat." There was littlo timo to launch the boats. Tho passengers were unable to dress, and were ihing overboard in their nightclothes into tho icy waters. , The crew hurled themselves over the side of tho vessel, when the terrific impact of the collision shooK them out of their bunks, and most of them escaped.' A good deal, of wreckage was torn off the vessel's side, and many, including both_ passengers and orew, clung to tho Coating fragments until rescued. Tho v women suffered most. They were unablo to leap overboard as the men did, and most of them stayed quietly in their cabins or were drowned while attempting . to ascend tho eompanionway. The Storstad was badly \ damaged about the bows, but stood by, her crew doing its' utmost to rescue the struggling survivors. ' — — . . . s.ols.i" The tragio "5.0.5." distress signal, naming tho ship and stating that there was fear of tho immediate sinking of the liner, sent out by the' wireless operator, readied tho Government steamers Lady Evelyn and' Eurek.i, which immediately steamed at full speed to the sceno of tho disaster. The absanoo of any further call is oxplained by the fact that tho vessel sank almost at once. Tho wireless operators jumped overboard and were saved. SAVING THE SURVIVORS. Quebeo, May 29. Tho disaster, occurred in thick darkness, but despite, the awful suddenness of the tragedy, nine lifeboats we're loaded and pushed off into the river. At tho earliest dawn tho boats were seen hovering around the spot, but there wero no signs of tho steamers. Tho rescuing steamers soon arrived' oh the scene, and picked up the survivors, many of whom were maimed, their arms and legs being broken. One woman ewam to the Lady Evelyn and died from tho effort immediately afterwards

Four hundred and twenty of a total of fourteen hundred of tne- crew and passengers were taken from tllo lifoboats to Rimouski by the Government steamers, Lady Evelyn and Eureka. Captain Kendall was half an hour in the water before being rescued. 1 Twelve bodies lie on the wharf at Rimouslri. Thoy are those of persons fatally hurt by the collision, but who escaped in the lifeboats and died therein. Wreckage strews the St. LawTence River. The Storstad, after standing by and assisting: in the rescue, work, "afterwards proceeded to Quebec. She landed onlv a handful of survivors, and soveral bodies. Most of the survivors stood on tho wharves almost naked. Tho tompera» ture was 36deg. The majority are in a state of collapse. Tho terrifying rapidity of the disaster apparently affected their brains, and tbey are -unable to give a coherent account, except that they were awakened by the shock. Scores jumped into tho perishingly cold water when tho collision occurred. Tho funnels of tho Empress of Ireland aro visiblo at low tide.

TOLL OF THE DISASTER.

DISTRESSINC SCENES AT LIVERPOOL.