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The Tragic Story of the Empress of Ireland, and Other Great Sea Disasters

Chapter 2: FACTS ABOUT THE WRECK OF THE EMPRESS OF IRELAND
By Logan Marshall
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About This Book

A contemporary, factual narrative reconstructs the collision between a Canadian ocean liner and a Norwegian collier that caused the liner to sink in minutes, combining officer statements, survivor testimony, and press reports. It chronicles the immediate crisis—fog, impact, wireless calls, lifeboat launches—and the rescue and recovery efforts, lists of survivors and the dead, and memorial services. The volume profiles notable passengers and rescuers, presents photographic and drawn illustrations, and places the disaster in a wider maritime context by recounting other shipwrecks, comparing safety practices, and surveying shipbuilding developments and life-saving technology.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGE
Introduction 9
I. The Empress of Ireland Sails to Her Doom 13
II. Captain Kendall Blames the Storstad 29
III. Captain Andersen’s Defense 33
IV. Miraculous Escape of the Few 37
V. The Stricken Survivors Return 44
VI. Heroes of the Empress Disaster 64
VII. The Surgeon’s Thrilling Story 71
VIII. Ship of Death Reaches Quebec 74
IX. Solemn Services for the Dead 83
X. Crippling Loss to the Salvation Army 92
XI. Notable Passengers Aboard 110
XII. List of Survivors and Roll of the Dead 118
XIII. The Storstad Reaches Port 125
XIV. Parliament Shocked by the Calamity 132
XV. Messages of Sympathy and Help 134
XVI. Placing the Blame 140
XVII. Empress in Fact, as in Name 156
XVIII. The Norwegian Collier Storstad 161
XIX. The St. Lawrence: A Beautiful River 163
XX. The Tragic Story of the Titanic Disaster 175
XXI. The Most Sumptuous Palace Afloat 178
XXII. The Titanic Strikes an Iceberg 186
XXIII. “Women and Children First” 197
XXIV. Left to Their Fate 221
XXV. The Call for Help Heard 231
XXVI. In the Drifting Life-Boats 235
XXVII. The Tragic Home-Coming 254
XXVIII. Other Great Marine Disasters 284
XXIX. Development of Shipbuilding 292
XXX. Safety and Life-Saving Devices 300
XXXI. Seeking Safety at Sea 307

FACTS ABOUT THE WRECK OF THE EMPRESS OF IRELAND

NUMBER of persons aboard, 1,475.

Number of persons saved, 397.

Number of persons dead, 1,078.

Total number of first-class passengers, 87.

Total number of second-class passengers, 256.

Total number of third-class passengers, 717.

Total number of crew, 415.

The Salvation Army Delegation numbered 150; of these 124 were lost.

The Empress of Ireland was a twin-screw vessel of 14,500 tons.

The vessel was built in Glasgow in 1906 by the Fairfield Company, Ltd., and was owned by the Canadian Pacific Railway.

The Storstad is a single-screw vessel, registering 6,028 tons.

The vessel was built by the Armstrong, Whitworth Company at Newcastle in 1911, and is owned by the Dampsk Aktieselk Maritime of Christiania, Norway.

CANADA MOURNS