It was still foggy. I looked out to where the sound came from. About two minutes afterward I saw his red and green lights. He would then be about one ship’s length away from me. I shouted to him through the megaphone to go full speed astern, as I saw the danger of collision was inevitable; at the same time I put my engines full speed ahead, with my helm hard aport, with the object of avoiding, if possible, the shock. Almost at the same time he came right in and cut me down in a line between the funnels.
I shouted to the Storstad to keep full speed ahead to fill the hole he had made. He then backed away. The ship began to fill and listed over rapidly. When he struck me, I had stopped my engines. I then ran full speed ahead again when I saw the danger was so great, with the object of running her on shore to save passengers and ship. Almost immediately the engines stopped, the ship filling and going over all the time, on the starboard.
In the meantime I had given orders to have the life-boats launched. I rushed along the starboard side of the boat deck and threw all the grips out of numbers 1, 3, 5 and 7 boats; then I went back to the bridge again, where I saw the chief officer rushing along to the bridge. I told him to tell the wireless operator at once to send out distress signals. He told me that this had been done.
Photo by Underwood & Underwood, N. Y.
ONE OF THE SURVIVORS
Many of those rescued were injured either in the collision or the rush which followed it. This survivor’s wounds are being dressed by the surgeon of the lost ship, who also had a narrow escape.
Copyright by Underwood & Underwood, N. Y.
RESCUED CREW OF THE EMPRESS OF IRELAND