The following is an account of the collision by a Shanghai resident who was a passenger on the Empress of Asi the accident occurred:
At about seven o'clock many of the passengers on the Empress of Asia were awakened by a jolt that shook the ship from stem to ster while the few who were on their feet at that early hour were thrown fol ently off their balance.
Curiously enough, few realized that the ship was in collision. There was a marked absence below deck of any sign of disaster. No whistles were blown; no shouting or roar of escaping steam—just a distant grinding crash and nothing more. The general impression of those who felt the impact was that the ship had grounded on a sandbank, and with that impersonal sense of security inspired by the "Empress" liners, most of the passengers turned over and went to sleep again.
From the deck, however, there was evidence enough of disaster.
FEINT. Exrussives The Tungshing was heeling over alongside and sinking rapidly " by the stern. She had been struck on the port side abaft the funnel, bow on, by the Empress of Asia, and such was the force of the impact that it was obvious that the Tun shing was doomed. Ten minutes after the collision the deck amid-was awash and the stern was completely submerged. Some of the Tungshing's boats had been carried away and were floating bottom up and the river was strewn with wreckage.
Cool Work by Tungshing Officers The officers of the Tungshing coolly directed the lowering of one of the other boats and a ship's raft was sent away—no easy matter with a heavy lst and a sinking stern. The lifeboat crew on the Empress were promptly at their quarters and the boat lowered and 18 appeared and the pas-scrambled into them or into the ship's boat in an orderly and quiet manner and boarded the Empress which was standing by. Most of the survivors were in night attire and some who had been immersed in the bitterly cold water were in a pitiful plight, shivering in blankets hurriedly provided for them. Onerof the unfortunate European scrambled aboard in nothing but pyjamas and was fitted out after a fashion by one of the European Passengers who was on deck.
Water was rapidly gaining on the Tungshing and clothing and effects were being thrown into the sampans alongside. The stern finally settled in the mud, with the after part completely submerged, and, when all had left, the Empress backed and: lay clear.
From first to last perfect order and quiet obtained and it was not till breakfast time that many of the Passengers on the Empress were aware that anything untoward had happened.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.