NO PANIC ABOARD
I had full control of the crew, and they fought to the end. There was no panic among the passengers or crew. Everybody behaved splendidly. As the ship sank and the water rose the boats floated away. The people who were saved were saved by the Empress’ boats and by the wreckage.
The Storstad had three or four of her boats out and they pulled around and took people off the wreckage. They did not get many.
CHAPTER III
Captain Andersen’s Defense
By Captain Thomas Andersen
Commander of the Storstad
A TERRIBLE AFFAIR—STORSTAD’S RIGHT OF WAY—FOG SIGNALS—STORSTAD DID NOT BACK OUT—TO THE RESCUE—INJUSTICE TO CAPTAIN—PLEA FOR SUSPENDED JUDGMENT
A FOG bank settled down and we met. The Empress was struck amidship on her starboard side, listed and filled rapidly. When we got clear I ordered all boats lowered, and we succeeded in taking off between 350 and 400 people with our crew of twenty-seven men. We transferred them to the Lady Evelyn and Eureka, and they steamed with them to Rimouski. Then we limped along under our own power to Montreal. It is a terrible affair. We did all in our power.
The fact that the Storstad only reached port on Sunday, May 31st, made it impossible to give an authentic statement on her behalf before that. All connected with the Storstad deplore most deeply the terrible accident which has resulted in the loss of so many valuable lives. It is not with any desire to condemn others, but simply because it is felt that the public is entitled to know the facts, that the following statement is put forward: