At 01:56 local time Storstad crashed into Empress of Ireland's starboard side at around midships.

A gaping hole in her side caused the lower decks to flood at a rate alarming to the crew.

[6] Empress of Ireland lurched heavily to starboard and began settling by the stern.

Some passengers attempted to do so but the lifeboats just crashed into the side of the ship, spilling their occupants into the frigid water.

[8] The lights and power on Empress of Ireland eventually failed five or six minutes after the collision, plunging the ship into darkness.

Shortly afterwards at 02:10, about 14 minutes after the collision, the bow rose briefly out of the water and the ship finally sank.

Second class saw a considerably larger booking at just over half capacity with 253 passengers, owed greatly to a large party of Salvation Army members and their families, numbering 170 in all, who were travelling to attend the 3rd International Salvation Army Congress in London.

This complement reflected greatly the typical mix of steerage travellers seen on eastbound crossings aboard Empress of Ireland and her running mates on the North Atlantic which paralleled that seen on westbound crossings from Liverpool.

While on westbound crossings third class passengers were predominantly diverse mixes of immigrants, eastbound crossings saw equally diverse blends of former immigrants from both Canada and the United States returning to their native countries in Europe.

She brought the survivors first to Pointe-au-Père, but was redirected to Rimouski Wharf where doctors and relief supplies were waiting.

When Empress of Ireland lurched onto her side, he was thrown from the bridge into the water, and was taken down with her as she began to go under.

Swimming to the surface, he clung to a wooden grate long enough for crew members aboard a nearby lifeboat to row over and pull him in.

Upon first boarding Storstad, Kendall stormed to the bridge, and levied an accusation at Captain Thomas Andersen: "You have sunk my ship!

"[16] Amongst the dead were the English dramatist and novelist Laurence Irving and his wife Mabel Hackney; the explorer Henry Seton-Karr; Ella Hart-Bennett, the wife of British government official William Hart-Bennett; and Gabriel J.

When I heard the vessel’s siren blowing I jumped up in my bunk, took a lifebelt from the rack over me, and threw the others to the girls.

I was getting away from the swarm of people who were around the ship when a big man, wounded in the head, approached and clung to me.

[24] Frank Tower is an urban legend that claims to be a fireman aboard the Titanic, Empress of Ireland, and the RMS Lusitania.

[25] As reported in the newspapers at the time, there was much confusion as to the cause of the collision with both parties claiming the other was at fault.

[26] As was noted at the subsequent inquiry, "If the testimony of both captains were to be believed, the collision happened as both vessels were stationary with their engines stopped".

[27] Ultimately, the swift sinking and immense loss of life can be attributed to three factors: the location in which Storstad made contact, failure to close Empress of Ireland's watertight doors, and longitudinal bulkheads that exacerbated the list by inhibiting cross flooding.

[28] The International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) requires that any openable portholes be closed and locked before leaving port,[29] but portholes were often left open in sheltered waters like the St. Lawrence River where heavy seas were not expected.

When Empress of Ireland began to list to starboard, water poured through the open portholes further increasing flooding.

After exchanging further whistle blasts with Storstad, her masthead and side lights were seen by Captain Kendall about 100 feet away almost at right angles to Empress of Ireland and approaching at high speed.

The green light remained for an interval, and then Empress of Ireland was seen to make a change in her course.

At this moment, Empress of Ireland was about two miles away and Storstad's Chief Officer, Mr. Toftenes, assumed that it was Empress of Ireland's intention to pass him port to port (red to red), which the ships would do with ample room if their relative positions were maintained.

When he arrived, Andersen saw a masthead light moving quickly across Storstad's course from port to starboard whereupon he ordered the engines full speed astern.

After all the evidence that had been heard, the Commissioners stated that the question as to who was to blame resolved itself into a simple issue, namely which of the two ships changed her course during the fog.

They could come to "no other conclusion" than that it was Storstad that ported her helm and changed her course to starboard, and so brought about the collision.

After the official inquiry was completed, Captain Andersen was quoted as saying that Lord Mersey was a "fool" for holding him responsible for the collision.