Show I I O OI Official Statement by the I I President of Steamship Line I MONTREAL MONT May Hay My 23 Sir r 2 Sir Thomas Thoms Thoms Shang president o of ot the tho Canadian Pac Pacific railway Issued Isue the following statement state m meat ment nt The h because of ot the th great et loss Iota of ot life J Ii 1 the most roost serious in the I history of the tho to St. St St Lawrence Lawrenc route Owing to t the tho distance of nearest toTe telo- I graph or telephone stations from tho the scene cen I of or the weck wreck there tere is AH an n unavoidable de deI delay delay de- de I lay lay In Jn securing official details but bt we wo weI I expect R a report from Captain Kendall In inthe th the th cu course e of the te afternoon Was Wu Wa Stopped Sp la in i Fog og From the te facts fact as we e have hAe them it IK apparent that about abut 2 o'clock this mornIn mornIng morn- morn lag Ing In the Empress of ot Ireland when stopped in a dense denso fog foff tOI was rammed raed on the te port pore ride M by the tha Norwegian collier comer in such uch aue a manner maner aa as to t tear the ship t from om Lh the te middle to the screw thus thua tu making the she e watertight bulkheads with which she was provided useless Tho vessel settled down In fourteen minutes Tho The accident occurred at a when hen the to passengers were in bed be and time tl interval before the steamshIp went dOllS down dOl was lS not nOl sufficient to enable enable tho the officers officer to arouse the tho passengers and ODd get them into the tho boats bOt of which there were sufficient sufficient suf sur- to t accommodate a very ver much larger larser larer number of people than those on board br In IncludIng Including In- In eluding the passengers and crew cres' That ht such uch an on accident should be POSe pos In the time St. St Lawrence and to a 8 vess vessel 1 of the te class cas of the Km Empress press of ot Ireland with ith e every ery ry possible precaution taken by b bythe 1 th the owners owner oner to Insure safety for for passengers a and the vessel s 's l. l is 1 deplorable eTho e. e Tho The saddest feature o of the disaster is is of at course curse tho the great eat loss of or life R and nd the tho heartfelt 1 sympathy of o everybody connected connect connect- ed with Ith the company ROCS goes gos out to the relatives rela rela- t tives and friends of those who met death deth in the tho te ill 1 fated taU steamship |