17

Empress in Fact, as in Name

THE EXPONENT OF SAFETY AND COMFORT—DIMENSIONS AND ACCOMMODATIONS—PROVISIONS FOR COMFORT AND PLEASURE—WEEKLY LIFESAVING 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 horsepower, and was capable of attaining a speed of 18 knots an hour, or approximately 20³/₄ 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 watertight 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 lifeboat 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 sumptously 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 Lifesaving Drill

The usual lifesaving 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 lifeboats 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.

Watertight Compartments Tested

In this safety drill the watertight compartments were closed and opened a number of times to test their mechanism and to see if they were working properly. All of the lifeboats, 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 805 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 percent 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
Total	$2,010,000