The café situated on the lower promenade deck was sumptuously appointed, in keeping with its practical purpose to supply light refreshments at any time during the day.
The music room on the upper promenade deck, with its original decorations, cheery open fireplaces and many cozy nooks and corners, was the acme of comfort and luxury, while the smoking room, library and other public rooms were in every respect in keeping with the high standard maintained throughout the ship.
The Empress of Ireland had been on the Atlantic service of the Canadian Pacific Railway for eight years, and was regarded as one of the finest ships on the Canadian route to England. Comfortable, fast, and considered to be as safe as any ship afloat, she was a favorite with travelers.
WEEKLY LIFE-SAVING DRILL
The usual life-saving drill took place every Thursday when the boat was in port. Every man on board was mustered, and instructed in case of accident what he should do and where he must report for service. It was very interesting to see the life-boats manned, lowered and rowed around the ship, also to see the great collision mat quickly put over an imaginary hole in the side of the ship, and to watch the men rush with hose bucket and blankets to put out an imaginary fire. There was no hesitating or inattention: every man seemed to understand just what was expected of him and performed his part with precision and pride.
WATER-TIGHT COMPARTMENTS TESTED
In this safety drill the water-tight compartments were closed and opened a number of times to test their mechanism and to see if they are working properly. All of the life-boats, of which there were enough, to accommodate both passengers and crew, were kept provisioned with biscuits and water enough to last several days.
THE LOSS AND INSURANCE
Incidental to the loss of the Empress of Ireland is the loss of the mails. The Toronto shipment alone comprised fifty-one bags of letters and fifty-eight of papers, while eight hundred and five registered letters went down with the ship. The money orders carried on the ship, as nearly as could be estimated, amounted to $160,000.
Both the Empress of Ireland and her cargo were fully covered by insurance, mostly in English and Continental companies, Lloyd’s being assessable for between 45 and 50 per cent of the whole loss. The only Canadian company affected, as far as is known, is the Western Assurance Company, for $12,000 on a shipment of bullion from Cobalt to London.