EMPRESS IN FACT, AS IN NAME
THE EXPONENT OF SAFETY AND COMFORT -- DIMENSIONS AND ACCOMMODATIONS
-- PROVISIONS FOR COMFORT AND PLEASURE -- WEEKLY LIFE-SAVING
DRILL -- THE LOSS AND INSURANCE
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.
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.
Following is the insurance on the Empress of Ireland:
Empress of Ireland (valued at) $1,750,000
Empress of Ireland (cargo) 250,000
Empress of Ireland (baggage and passengers'
effects) 10,000
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Total $2,010,000