NEWS OF THE WEEK.
'WITH much sorrow we record a terrible shipping disaster —comparable with the loss of the ' Titanic '—which 'WITH
occurred in the St. Lawrence in the early hours of Friday week. The liner 'Empress of Ireland,' belonging to the Canadian Pacific Company, was struck in a fog by the Norwegian collier Storstad,' and sank within a few minutes. According to the latest figures, 1,024 persons lost their lives out of a total company of 1,467. Only 443 were saved, and among those were more than 200 of the crew. It should be pointed out at once that the fact that so large a proportion of the crew were saved is to be explained by the rapidity with which the vessel foundered. Most of the crew were on deck; the passengers were nearly all in their cabins. Owing to the heavy list of the ship it was impossible for many persons even to reach the decks. The chief officer was killed by one of the boats crash- ing across the deck when the vessel heeled over. Most of the boats could not be launched. Among the passengers who were drowned were Sir Henry Seton-Karr and Mr. and Mrs. Laurence Irving.
