Beneath Dark Waters by Eve Lazarus
Reviewed by Heather McBriarty
In May 1914, the RMS Empress of Ireland embarked from Quebec City, on her 192nd crossing of the Atlantic, secure with her water-tight compartments and a complement of lifeboats far exceeding her needs. Less than 24 hours into the Ireland’s planned journey, while still in the safe waters of the St. Lawrence River, the fog rolled in suddenly, and a Norwegian coal carrier slammed into her side. More than a thousand passengers and crew died when the ship sank in less than fourteen minutes, a greater death toll than the Titanic or the Lusitania.
“This event – the worst peacetime maritime disaster in Canadian history – is nearly completely forgotten. Why?”
Most passengers were trapped in their cabins; only four of her 40 lifeboats could be launched as the massive ship heeled hard over, the cold waters of the St. Lawrence surging into an enormous gash in her side. And yet this event – the worst peacetime maritime disaster in Canadian history – is nearly completely forgotten. Why? And what happened, when both ships had seen each other before the fog filled in, and were on very different courses? Eve Lazarus, investigative journalist, and bestselling author sets out to tell the story of this long-forgotten disaster in her latest book Beneath Dark Waters: The Legacy of the Empress of Ireland Shipwreck.
Lazarus leads the reader through the events leading up to the sinking, from the hours just before boarding, through the elegant 1st class dinners and sing-alongs in the 3rd class lounge, and on into the star-filled night of 28 May 1914. She follows the trail of the passengers leading to the fateful voyage, and the legends that sprang up around it. From Captain Henry George Kendall – handsome, charming, not-yet-40 – who desperately wanted to go down with his ship and was left a suicidal wreck of his former self, to 7-year-old Grace Hanagan, who clung to her father’s back in the freezing water until he drowned. Then she found a piece of wood to keep her afloat until rescued by a lifeboat. The survivors, victims, and their stories are compelling reading.
Unlike the Titanic, there was no time for “women and children first” - a concept Lazarus points out was less common than we think - only every person for themselves. And yet, there are still stories of great heroism and sacrifice, not least that of the ship’s doctor, James Grant, who, despite his injuries, immediately tended to the survivors when they reached shore.
Lazarus bursts the myths that spread like wildfire through the press of the day, of survivors swimming miles to shore, of passengers hacking each other to death in a desperate bid to escape. Through firsthand accounts, letters, newspaper articles and inquiry records, she reveals many details and truths long hidden. Not to be forgotten, she gives a fair and balanced narrative to the side of the Norwegian ship, Storstad and her captain and crew who, despite valiant rescue efforts, were vilified in Canada. She takes the reader through the harrowing days of searching for bodies, the dangerous work of trying to retrieve those still on board, the mourning, and memorialization, the inquest, and the histories of those who did survive. Many of the young men would soon find themselves in the trenches of the Western Front, the outbreak of the First World War a valid reason why the tragedy of the Empress of Ireland faded so quickly from popular memory. But remembered she is by the city of Rimouski where the survivors and dead came ashore and where memorial services continue to this day. By the families of the passengers, and by the Salvation Army who lost hundreds of their members in the sinking.
This is a fascinating book, thoroughly engaging and well-researched. The reader is pulled through the narrative by the powerful current of Lazarus’ prose. Her deeply personal and detailed stories of those involved place a poignant light on the horrific losses suffered by hundreds of Canadian families. The list of passengers at the end - the all-too-few survivors highlighted - is heartbreaking and a fitting place to pause and reflect on this Canadian tragedy. Many of the victims still lie in the ship, now a federally protected National Historic Site of Canada, 30+ metres deep in the freezing, murky water of the St Lawrence River, their graves marked only by a rather small orange buoy.
About the Author
Eve Lazarus is a reporter, author, and the host and producer of the Cold Case Canada true crime podcast. Her books include the BC bestsellers Cold Case BC; Murder by Milkshake; Blood, Sweat, and Fear; Cold Case Vancouver; and Vancouver Exposed. She lives in North Vancouver, BC.
Book Details
Publisher : Arsenal Pulp Press (April 29 2025)
Language : English
Paperback : 344 pages
ISBN-10 : 1551529734
ISBN-13 : 978-1551529738