Today is the 91st anniversary of the sinking of the Empress of Ireland, a marine disaster that surpassed that of the Titanic.
A mere 14 minutes after the collision, she sank. And by the time the last nearly frozen survivor had been fished from the water, the death toll was staggering. Of the 1,477 on board, 1,012 lost their lives, including 840 passengers, eight more than had died when the Titanic sank.
This event has particular significance for The Salvation Army in Canada. The passenger list
included roughly 170 members of the Salvation Army heading to a big convention in London.
Among those lost were a number of the national Headquarters staff from Toronto and most of the members of the Canadian Staff Band.
