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| Empress of Ireland, 1908 |
On May 29, 1914, the Canadian Pacific ocean liner Empress of Ireland sank in the St. Lawrence River near Rimouski, Quebec, following a collision with the Norwegian coal carrier, the Storstad. The ship sank within 15 minutes, claiming the lives of 1,010 of the 1,477 passengers and crew.Canadian Pacific hired a salvage company to retrieve mail and valuables. The cover shown below is an example of mail that was salvaged and forwarded.
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| To Bristol, England Stamp washed away Faint duplex cancellation Recovered by divers handstamp in green ink |
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| Recovered by divers from wreck of Empress of Ireland |
Ottawa Dead Letter Office Handstamps
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| October 24, 1914 |
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| December 10, 1914 |
Canadian Museum Of Civilization : Empress of Ireland Exhibition 2014
The Canadian Museum of Civilization announced on October 29, 2012 that it had acquired the most comprehensive collection of artifacts and archival material related to the sinking of RMS Empress of Ireland, and was planning an exhibition in 2014 to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the tragedy.
Bath Postal Museum