THE Empress of Ireland and her sister-ship, the Empress of Britain, were in many respects fittingly called “the Empresses of the Atlantic.” They stood as a synonym for all that is best, safest and most reliable for the use of the traveling public. The Empress of Ireland was an example of the best in construction and a model of excellence and taste in furnishings. She was an exponent of the latest achievement in marine architecture, combined with all the newest devices for the comfort of passengers. A large, graceful ship, well proportioned, she was built to meet every possible requirement of the service and also was remarkably steady in rough weather.
DIMENSIONS AND ACCOMMODATIONS
The length of the Empress of Ireland was 550 feet, and her width 66 feet. Her gross register (a term used in marine nomenclature to describe the carrying capacity of a ship) was 14,500 tons; when loaded, her displacement (the weight of the volume of water displaced by a vessel when afloat) was 26,550 tons. She was equipped with twin-screw propellers, driven by triple-expansion, reciprocating engines generating 18,000 horse-power, and was capable of attaining a speed of 18 knots an hour, or approximately 20¾ geographical miles.
The Empress of Ireland contained accommodations for 350 first-cabin passengers, 350 second-cabin passengers, and 1,000 third-cabin passengers. Elaborate provision was made for the safety and comfort of the passengers.
Six transverse bulkheads divided her into seven water-tight compartments, and, before the Titanic disaster demonstrated that all safety devices have their weaknesses, the Empress of Ireland was regarded as approaching to the ideal of the unsinkable ship. After the Titanic disaster, the life-boat accommodation of the Empress, in common with that of all other big liners, was overhauled and extended.
The Empress was built at the Fairfield Shipbuilding Company’s works, Glasgow, and was regarded by seafaring men as being of thoroughly sound construction. She was not the largest ship running to Quebec, the Calgarian and Alsatian, of the Allan Line, being of about 18,000 tons.
PROVISIONS FOR COMFORT AND PLEASURE
There were five passenger decks, with a boat deck above. The upper deck was famous among travelers, affording a walk of about an eighth of a mile.
On the upper and lower promenade decks were a number of special rooms, single and en suite, with or without private baths.
The spacious dining saloon accommodated the entire complement of passengers and an attractive feature was the arrangement of small round tables in alcoves which were usually assigned to families or parties traveling together.