APPALING SHIPPING DISASTER.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 1253, 2 June 1914, Page 3

APPALING SHIPPING DISASTER.

OVER A THOUSAND LIVES LOST.

Another tragedy of the sea involving great loss of life has occurred through the Norwegian collier Storstad (6028 tons) and the Canadian-Pacific liner Empress of Ireland (14,191 tons) colliding in the Lawrence River (Canada), when the Empress of Ireland was outward bound for Liverpool. The liner was cut almost in halves and sank in a very short time. There were 1377 people on board and of these only 355 were saved. Those lost include 138 Salvationists who were on their way to the Loudon Congress. The following New Zealand passengers were aboard: Colonel Bloomfield, Mrs Bloomfield and Miss H. Bloomfield, of Auckland ; Mrs F. W. Price Mrs Townshend and Mrs Hailey, of Gisborne. Ot these only Miss Townshend was saved.

An inquiry into the disaster has been opened at Quebec and Captain Kendall (of the ill-fated vessel) and Chief Engineer Sampson gave evidence, also Captain Anderson of the Storstad. The last named said the collision was entirely due to the fog.

THE TOLL OF THE SEA.

PREVIOUS OCEAN TRAGEDIES. The principal great ocean tragedies during the past 30 odd years are as follows : Dives Dost. Tararua, wrecked off Waipapa Point, New Zealand, April 28, 1881 130 Utopia, sank after collision with H.M.S. Anson, March, 1891 564 H.M.S. Victoria, sank after collision with H.M.S. Camperdown, June 22, 1893 359 White Star Naronic, disappeared on voyage to New York, 1893 80 Wairarapa, wrecked on the Great Barrier Island, October 29, 1594 126 Elbe, sunk at Lowestoft, January 30, 1895 334 Reina Regente, Spanish cruiser, wrecked off Cape Trafalgar, March 10, 1895 400 Calinia, wrecked off coast of Mexico, May 27, 1895 108 Drummond Castle, wrecked off Ushant, June x 6, 1895 24y Salier, wrecked off north coast of Spain, December 7, 1896 289 Aden, wrecked of? Socotra, June 9, 1897 92 Ea Bourgogne, sank after collision in Atlantic, July 4, 1898 54 6 Mohegan, wrecked on Manacles, October 14,1898 107 Stella, wrecked off Casquets, March 30, 1899 105 City of Rio de Janeiro, wrecked off San B'rancisco, February 22, 1901 122 Cobra, torpedo boat destroyer, sank in a gale on the Outer Dowsing Shoal, Lincolnshire, 1901 67 Asian, Turkish transport, wrecked In Red Sea, April 1, 1901 180 Govermorts, lost in cyclone, Bay of Bengal, May 6, 1902 739 EHngamite, lost off the Three Kings, in the north of New Zealand, November 9, 1902 40 General Slocum, burned, Long Island Sound, June 15, 1904 1,020 Norge. emigrant ship, wrecked on the Rockall Reef, June 28, 1904 637 Mikasa, Admiral Togo’s flagship, sunk by explosion in her magazine, September 10, 1905 599 Hilda, wrecked off St. Malo, November 19, 1905 128 Berlin, Great Eastern Harwich boat, driven by violent gale on to a pier at the Hook of Holland, and totally lost, February 21, 1907 141 Penguin, lost off Cape Terawhiti, near Wellington. February 12, 1909 70 Waratah, lost after leaving Durban, July, 1909 211 Yongale, lost off the Queensland coast, March, 1911 150 Titanic, lost after striking an iceberg, April 14, 1912 1,503 Koombana, lost in cyclonic storm, off the West Australian coast, March, 1913 100 Volturna, burned, mid-Atlan-tic, October 10, 1913 136