“When he backed away I shouted to him to stand by. I did not hear any explosion, but when a ship goes down like that there is bound to be a great deal of air, and the air pressure causes that.”
“How many boats were there on the Empress?”
“Between thirty and forty. There were boats enough for everybody. She had boats for more than 2,000 people, and there was not that number aboard.”
TESTIMONY OF JAMES RANKIN
James Rankin, a passenger from Vancouver, B. C., and a marine engineer, said:
“I was aroused by the noise and ran out. There was a big pitch to the deck. I really cannot tell you how the accident occurred. I heard the whistle blow when I reached the deck. There was a heavy fog and you could hardly see fifty yards. Five minutes after the collision the fog lifted. The boats on the lower side were in the water and four or five of them got away and saved many people.
“I think that if the collier had kept her bow in the hole she had made in the Ireland’s side, she would have been able to make the shore and probably have saved every one.
“The behavior of the officers on the Empress was beyond all praise. They did everything they could. The engineers remained below until they could get no more steam and the lights went out.”