'Canada's Titanic' finally getting its due

Clinging to the side of a doomed ocean liner, Leonard Delamont wrapped his lifebelt around his mother, kissed her goodbyeand jumped into the glacial waves of the St. Lawrence River.

The young man, never to be seen again, was among 1,012 killedthat foggy night when the Empress of Ireland was hit byafreighter near Rimouski and plunged beneath thesurface in just 14 minutes.

Dubbed "Canada's Titanic," the sinking on May 29, 1914, stands as one of the country's worst maritime disasters, though asurprising number of Canadians have never heard of it.

Compared to the famous story of the Titanic luxury liner thatsank two years earlier, the Empress of Ireland's tale has remainedin the shadows.

100thanniversary approaches

But experts on the ship's history believe the Empress is finallygetting its due as the 100th anniversary of the tragedy approaches.

The vessel will be commemorated in the coming days with therelease of Canada Post stamps, a pair of silver coins from the RoyalCanadian Mint, the launch of anexhibit at the Canadian Museum of History,the unveiling of amonument and several memorials around thecountry.

A lot of Canadians don't know about it and I guess I would beone of them if I didn't have a family connection,-JuneIvany, decendant of Empress of Ireland passenger

Descendants of those aboard the Empress, like Delamont's niece,hope the centenary will help further boost public awareness aboutthe liner and its victims.

"A lot of Canadians don't know about it and I guess I would beone of them if I didn't have a family connection," said June Ivany,who plans to attend Empress events this week in Rimouski, Que., nearthe wreck site.

"It is part of Canadian history and so much is played up aboutthe Titanic. Why not make people aware of our maritime disasters?"

The deadly collision represents only part of the historicalsignificance linked to the steamship, which played a key role inCanada's immigration boom during her years in service, from 1906 until the 1914 tragedy.

Sailing for a new life in Canada

Over those years, around 120,000 European immigrants sailed onthe prestigious liner to a new life in Canada.

The federal government has estimated about a million Canadianstoday or about one in 35 can trace an ancestor to this ship.

Others believe the number is a more modest ratio of one in 60.

But despite its importance the Empress has long been overshadowedby two higher-profile transatlantic sinkings of the same era thatalso claimed more than 1,000 lives: the Titanic and the Lusitania.

The Titanic struck an iceberg in 1912, killing around 1,500people, while a German U-boat torpedoed the Lusitania in 1915,killing nearly 1,200.

The horror of the Empress disaster and the tales of survival weresplashed on front pages around the world, but weeks laterinternational attention had shifted to the outbreak of the FirstWorld War.

As the years passed by, families affected by the Empress disaster like Delamont's clan avoided discussing the incident to sparethemselves from the painful memories.

"When I was growing up, you didn't talk about it," said Ivany,who also shared her family's story in a posting on a websitededicated to the anniversary.

465 suvivors

All four of Delamont's relatives aboard the Empress, including his mother Seraphine, were among the fortunate 465 who survived.

Ivany said aside from hearing about her uncle's sacrifice, she also learned about her aunt Elizabeth's experience amid the chaosthat surrounded the sinking ship.

"(She) had her hair ripped out by other people in the water,"Ivany said of an experience that haunted Elizabeth for the rest ofher life.

"She would never even get in a bathtub and was terrified ofwater."

Changed the course of history

The sinking also changed the course of history for victims'families.

Donna Parker says she wouldn't be alive if it weren't for theEmpress disaster.

Parker's grandfather, Will Clark, lost his first wife, Lavinia,and their nine-year-old daughter, Nellie. She said they had beentravelling without him because he had stayed home to work.

Her grandfather later remarried and had two children, eightgrandchildren and many great-grandchildren.

"I guess the thing that really affects me is that it's aterribly tragic story, and yet my family would not be here if itweren't for that," said Parker, an Ancaster, Ont., resident who also plans to participate in memorial activities in Rimouski.

"It was our early history ... I just think those peopleshouldn't be forgotten."