La Grande evening observer., May 29, 1914, Image 1

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AN INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER PRINTS THE NEWS THE DAY IT HAPPENS
volume xni.
LA GRANDE OREGON, FRIDAY, MAY 29, 1914.
NUMBER 297.
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IK
111 LESS THAN 20 MINUTES
Collier Storstadt Rams Out-bound Lin
er Which Was Trying to Avoid
- a Collision
WIRELESS APPEALS END WITH CRY, SKIP IS CONE
sbsss .' i C
Disaster Occurs Where Gulf is Forty Mites Wide
and Relief Slow in Arrival With Boats
' ',
Quebec, May 29. The Canadian-Pacific
Ireland, bound from Montreal to Liverpool was sunk early today in a colhs
sion with the collier Storstadt in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. '
The ship had more than 1400 aboard and, according to some accounts
received here early today,, about 400 were staved." Other versions place the
number as.low as 337,, Serch of.thiaurvivors has not been abpndoneAr-;.
The disaster occured in a dense fog off Father Point. As nearly as
could be learned from early reports, Captain Kendall of the Empress Ireland,
hearing the Storstadt's siren, but being unable to locate the collier, hove
the Empress to. .
Soon after the Storstadt, deeply laden, crashed into the liner headon and
the Empress keeled over heavily. According to messages from Captain An
derson of the Storstadt, she went down in 19 minutes. The Kendall flashed
the distress signal by wireless giving hurried details of the accident but the
message was interupted with the two tragic words, "ship gone," and the
wireless was-silent.
The Storstad was badly damaged but she launched some boats hurried
ly while the Empress succeeded in getting some away. These .were all
heavily loaded. Kendall was rescued from his own bridge.
In the meantime government boats, the Lady Evelyn and Eureka,
speeded to the scene from Father Point, but the gulf is 40 miles wide where
the disaster occurred and by the time they arrived the Empress had sunk. .'
Quebec, May 29. Responding to
wireless appeals for help, the tug
Strathcona was dispatched to assist
the Storstadt up the river. It ap
pears that none of the crew on board
the collier were hurt.
LAW OFFICER ACCUSED.
Justice of the Peace Pierce of Haines
Placed in Jail.
Baker, May 29. Charged with of
fenses of almost unmentionable char
acter, Justice of the Peace Frank E.
Pierce of Haines was arrested in this
city last evening by Sheriff Ed Rand.
A warrant for his arrest was issued
early in the forenoon and the town
marshal of Haines, came to Baker to
consult with officials regarding the
case, left las evening to place Pierce
under arrest, Pierce, however, had
come to Baker and early in the even
ing was taken into custody by Sheriff
Rand. He was lodged in the county
jail, where he will be held pending
his preliminary hearing, which will be
held before Justice of the Peace Hub
bard at 2 o'clock this afternoon.
Pierce is charged with contributing
to the delinquency of two young girls
and, according to the authorities, they
have a very strong case against him,
aided by the confession of the girls.
The details of Pierce's alleged rela
tions with them are unfit for publi
cation 'and are of a most revolting
nature.
Prof. Maxwell Improved.
Prof. Maxwell, is reported to be 3
far improved that he can leave the
local hospital and return to his home
in Elgin tomorrow.
S
.. . ' t i
Trans-Atlantic' liner Empress
"I'll Beat Levinsky," Says Dillon.
Indianapolis, May 29. "I will
fight to put Levinsky out, I shall try
to do it the first round and in every
round after that if it takes ten
rounds," said Jack Dillon today. Dil
lon and Battling' Lovinsky meet to
night in a ten-round bout before the
immense crowd here for tomorrow's
Ion and Battling Levinsky meet to-
beating I gave him at Butte was due
to the high altitude having weakened
him," said Jack. "I can see no ex
cuse for him this time."
Dillon was the favorite for tonight,
though he -was to meet a man nearly
ten pounds heavier than himself. He
will weigh in at about 163,' while his
light-heavyweight opponent will bal
ance the scales at about 172. Dillon
s a much stronger fighter at this
weight than when forced to the mid-
"HI WILL
Washington May 29. Secretary
Bryan stated positively today to the
cabinet that mediation could not fail
to settle the entire Mexican trouble.
For the first time he went on record
in making a statement saying that the
danger of recourse to arms is past.
According to this it may be taken
for granted that the United States
will not have occasion to invade Mex-
, ico.
lie outlined the exact status of the
Ill
1TM
Shipped Home In
His 'Own Casket
GEORGE W. ASH FORD
. ! MENINGITIS.
DIF3
OF
WAS TAKEN ILL MONDAY
Oregon Casket Company Salesman
Victim of1 Disease.
To be returned to Portland in one
of the caskets which he left Portland
to sell to local undertakers, was the
fate of George W. Ashford, aged 61
of Portland. Mr. Ashford was taker,
ill while selling caskets for the Ore
gon Casket Company of Portland. He
"made" La 'Grande last Monday, and
was taken ill soon after, dying yes
terday of meningitis. .
A nephew, Mr. Niece, is to take the
body back to Portland. Mr. Ashford
was one of the best known salesmen
in the state. ' .
dleweight limit of 158. In two pre
vjus fights the Hoosier has won de
cision from Levinsky. One was in
Rochester, a newspaper decision, and
the other in Butte from the referee!
! Others on the card tonight are Chick
Haves of Indianapolis and Johnny
Sinclair of ' Cleveland, bantams, and
Pat McMahan and Chip Murphy, fast
local feathers, Following this card,
the curtain will be again drawn on
boxing here under the strict censor
ship of Mayor Bell.
Cochran' Family Here.
Mr. and Mrs. Chas. E. Cochran and
wife and children, and Mrs. Copple
of Corvallis, sister of Mrs. Cochran,
and Miss Ethel Rieth, stenographer in
the legal department of the O.-W.,
arrived in the city this mornjng and
will be the guests of Mr. and Mrs;
Geo. T. Cochran. Mr. Chas. Cochran
will assist in the argument of a mo
tion on the part of the attorneys for
the defense in the case of Heuston
vb. Dora and H. L. Underwood, which
is up for argument this afternoon,
and will also be a speaker tonight at
the Commercial club luncheon which
begins at 6:30 sharp. . - '
No Baseball Tomorrow.
Owing to inability to get a team
here for tomorrow there will be no
baseball game here for Decoration
day. But Union is coniing strong on
Sunday and promises to put up- the
best game of the year.
Bull Mooser Visits Portland.
K. Dyal, local Bull Mooser and
furniture dealer goes to Portland, to
day to hob nob with Brother Moose
Coe, look after business interests and
for an outing generally.
SETTLE WHOLE
negotiations, ' and ' declared that no
conflict in tlfe plans can occur that
can not be overcome. ' r .
Carranza Sends Letter.
Niagara Falls, May . 229.Wuan
Urquidi, a member, of the Washing
ton Constitutionalist Junta arrived
from Carranza with a message of in
portance to the mediators. He would
not divulge the contents' of the let -
- ter.
1
BRYAN
AEOUT
HY OFFICERS
OF SALVATION
IS
OFFICERS AND DELEGATES ON
WAY TO LONDON CONFER
ENCE ON SHIP.
MERE HANDFUL OF WOMEN
AMONG THt SURVIVORS
Ship's Crew Largely Rescued While
Many Passengers. Are Rushed to
Death in Their Berths When Crash
Comes Some Die from Exposure
After Being. Put Into Boats.
Quebec, May 29.- Salvation army
ranks suffer terrific losses by the
disaster to the Empress of Ireland.
Ori board the ill-fated ship were large
crowds of officers and delegates en
route to the London conference, and a
big majority of the . drowned, are Sal
vation Army Officers and members.
Local headquarters or the "army"
were consequently the hot-bed of an
xiety this forenoon, and great crowds
gathered at ship headquarters and at
the army barracks to learn definite
ly about the wreck. The "army" rank
and file .of much of Canada was rep
resented by delegates aboard the
ship. -
Commissioner Rees of Toronto was
aboard the; Empress of Ireland. . He
was head of the Salvation Army in
Canada and New Foundland.
Washington People Aboard.
' Tacoma, May 29. Miss Eva Earle
of Tacoma was a passenger on the
boat. Her fate is not known.
Bellingham, May 29. Two Belling
ham men were aboard the liner Nels
Erickson, bound for Bergen "Norway
and Peder Bjordal, for Gotenburg,
Sweden. "
Prominent Personages Die.
Quebec, May 29. Nearly all of the
most prominent Salvation Army of
ficials in Canada were aboard. Lau
rence Irving, son of Sir Henry Irving,
Sir Henry Seton Kerr, are among the
ship's passenger list. Their fate is
unknown, for they have not been re
ported rescued.
Few Women Are Saved.
Montreal, May 29. Women prin
cipally make up the death list it is
said. A dispatch received here af
firms that few women, only 12 in
i f actwere rescued, yet this s hardly
believed here. . The number is entire
ly too small, oit of proportion it is
reasoned, to the probable number
saved. . '
Crew Principally Saved.
The same dispatch asserts that
most of the survivors are members of
the crew. They were on- duty, most
of them, and were in position to get
into the few boats that were launch
ed, while those below and in their
berths had -little time to get on deck
and find boats.
Many Die In Berths. ,
Survivors say . that ' many were
crushed to death or injured seriously
in their berths "when the crash came.
The collision was so terrific that the
waters piled into the",hold drowning
men and women in their berths where
1 1
, (Continued on Page 8.;
ARMY V
7 ABOARD
JOHN L. BILLARD, MYSTERIOUS
MILLIONAIRE.
John L. Billard, aged seventy, a
mysterious millionaire, was called to
the witness stand in the Interstate
Commerce Commissron investigation
of the New York, New Haven, and
Hartford Railroad in Washington vthe.
other day. He told little about him
self..,. ;v.' ;..' .'."
: Mr. Billard had made a profit of
$2,743,000. He swore that no officer
of the New Haven shared in a cent of
this. Asked for the books of the
Billard company, he . said he didn't
know where they were. Asked for
his personal books, - he said he had
burned them. '
CITY TO HALT
ITS BUSINESS
HOLIDAY TO BE OBSERVED BY
PUBLIC OFFICES.
Old Soldiers to Carry Out Program
and Strew Graves, of Heroes.
La Grande is laying preparations
for a fitting observation of Decora
tion day.
Individuals will tomorrow remem
ber relations dead with flowers and
visitations to graves, but what is of
a more public nature will be the
ceremonial in honor of soldiers dead
Bcnks, the courthouse, postoffice and
land office go onto holiday sched
ule. The main observation will cen
ter around the activities of the vet
erans. .
The postoffice will send out neith
er rural nor city deliveries and the
off fee will be open from 9 to 10 a. m.
The G. A. R, post and the W. R. C
will meet at the I. O. O. F. hall at
9:30 and start to the cemetery, at
j 10 o'clock. They will return to -the
nan at noon ana tne w. k j. win
give the "old boys" a "feed. -' . ' ';
In the afternoon, at 2:30, the vet
erans, their wives and friends in gen
eral are to meet at the M. E. church
and there the decoration day program
will consist of the following numbers
. A pipe organ solo; Star Spangled
Banner, !by the audience; opening
prayer by J. W. Oliver, post adjutant
Lincoln's Gettysburg address read by
Harold Nutter; solo by Mrs. J. F,
Corbet; address by Rev. I. B. Self
of Wallowa: solo by Miss Eileene
Peare; recitation, a tribute to the un
known dead. Miss Mildred Bush
song, America, by the congregation,
I
LATE FIGURES
PLACE DEATHS
AT UNDER 700
ESTIMATES OF RESCUES IS
' REACHED WHEN RESCUE
BOAT TOUCHES SHORE. .
MANY OF THE RESCUED
- MANGLED BY THE CRASH
Fourteen' Hundred I and Thirty-seven
on Board , and One , Boat Brings
About 400 Ashore While the Col'
lier is Said to Have Big Crowd of
,; Rescued Passengers on Her.
; Quebec, May 29. Late this after
noon doubt arose about the number
of survivors aboard the Storstadt
which has not yet landed. If the re
port saying there were 360 survivors
on her is not true,' the total death list
will be brought up just that many.
Quebec, May 29. Information at 3
o'clock this afternoon was to the ef
fect that the Empress of Ireland took
678 down with her. According to the
Canadian Pacific officials, the ship
fiad 77 first, 206 2nd and 504 3rd class
passengers, and a crew of 650, a to
tal of 1437. ,
The Lady Evelyn and the Eureka
landed 399 survivors at Rimouski and
the Storstadt is reported to be bring
ing 360 here. It is surmised that the
figure of 650 and 678 is roughly cor
rect '
Of the survivors, many are said
to be badly mangled by the collision.
CHIEF NURSE ILL.
Miss Helen Foster In Critical Condi
tion in Local HbspitaL
Miss Helen Foster, head nurse and
superintendent of the Grande Ronde
hospital, is critically ill. She under
went an operation last evening. Miss
Ames, a Good Samaritan hospital
nurse is taking her place during her
illness. . ; .
L
E
WON'T CONVENE
RUMOR CONCERNING CALL FOR
SPECIAL SESSION.
Governor Denies Any Such Intention
and States Surprise.
Saelm, May 29.-Governor West
denied that he intended to call a spe
cial session of the legislature. How
the information became voiced abroad
EG LW
was a mystery to the governor, who
declared he had not dreamed of it .
He was reported to have intended
calling the solons together for some
special amendments to the constitu
tion and to enact laws which he ia
said to have considered especially inu
portant