PILOT NAULT TELLS STORY
It was not until he had landed from the Storstad that Pilot Nault, the man who navigated the vessel up the St. Lawrence from Quebec, would make any statement. Captain Andersen, his wife, who was aboard at the time of the collision, and the members of the crew were feeling extremely sorry about the accident, the pilot explained.
“When the survivors of the Empress were brought aboard the Storstad after being picked up in the few boats the collier had aboard, everything possible was done for them. Captain Andersen and his wife surrendered every bit of clothing they possessed to protect the survivors from the cold. They even had to improvise garments.
“The Storstad steered surprisingly well all the way up the river,” Pilot Nault went on. “With the assistance of the Lord Strathcona we had little difficulty in making eleven or twelve miles an hour.
“As far as we could ascertain from an examination on board, the ship had some twenty plates sprung forward, but aft of that she is not damaged. After we left Quebec we flooded her aft compartments in order to keep her head up. There is no water in her hold, and she stayed on an even keel throughout the trip.