The Empress of Ireland, a Canadian Pacific steamship, went down in the St Lawrence River in 1914 after colliding with a freighter in fog.
Diver Phillip Beaudry, from Quebec, raised items from the wreck over 30 years, but was blocked from selling them while the Canadian Culture Export Review board assessed whether they represented valuable examples of Canadian history.
They decided they did not, so Beaudry is now free to sell his collection outside Canada if need be. A Florida collector is interested - although Beaudry is considering offers from two western Canadian museums. |
