Scrapboook containing newspaper clippings, magazine clippings, and other textual material, assembled by Dr. W. B. Chung, related to the life of the steamships Empress of Russia and Empress of Asia. Empress of Russia material includes clippings pertaining to the Canadian Pacific Railway Company's announcement of plans to build the ship in 1907, the ship's construction, its launching in 1912 and trial trips in 1913, as well as newspaper clippings from Victoria and Vancouver, British Columbia, newspapers regarding the arrival of the ship in these ports on her maiden voyage, June 7, 1913, and the ship's "record-breaking run across the Pacific" on this voyage. The scrapbook also includes newspaper clippings regarding the Empress of Russia's crew, noteworthy passengers, Asian passengers, vessel movements of 1937 and 1938, as well as a few newspaper clippings regarding the fire that destroyed the ship in September, 1945. In addition to clippings, the scrapbook also includes a menu for a 1936 dinner on board the Empress of Russia with birthday wishes to Commander G. Goold printed inside, and an original copy of a letter, dated March 25, 1913, to Mr. Brodie from the Manager of the British Columbia Coast Steamship Service, Captain J. W. Troup, at Liverpool, regarding the performance of the ship in its trial trips, the layout of the ship's interior, and the accommodation for Asian passengers. Empress of Asia material includes some newspaper clippings concerning the ship's service during the war of 1914-1918 as an armed merchant cruiser and a troop ship, including a few articles regarding its return of soldiers to Vancouver, British Columbia, in 1919, several newspaper clippings from 1937 pertaining to the ship's service during the Sino-Japanese War and its evacuation of refugees from Shanghai in 1937, and a newspaper clipping concerning a bomb dropped on the ship by Japanese aircraft in 1940. The scrapbook also includes several clippings of newspaper articles, some originally assembled by Chief Officer Donald Smith, regarding the destruction of the Empress of Asia by Japanese bombs in February, 1942, and Smith?s receipt of the Order of the British Empire in 1944. Also included is an onion skin copy of Smith's Chief Officer's Report regarding the sinking of the ship, excerpts of which appear in a few of the newspaper articles, signed by Smith with a handwritten note by him at the bottom reading "P. S. Singapore capitulated to the enemy on the 12th February, 1942." In addition to newspaper clippings, the scrapbook also includes a summary of the ship's log belonging to Captain George Goold, who commanded the ship in 1937 and 1938, a Canadian Pacific form for acknowledging receipt of a ticket for a trans-Pacific steamship voyage, an Empress of Asia menu for Christmas dinner in 1940, and a photograph of the Vancouver waterfront in 1934. Scrapbook pieces arranged chronologically by the collector, divided into two sections for the two different ships.
Chung, Wallace B.
