The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1878-10-05 00:00:00

THE WRECK OF THE PRINCESS
ALICE.

The churchwardens and overseers of Woolwich had
1111 interview with Admiral Robertson, one of the
county justices for the district, on daturday, relative
!,0 the bill of costs which has te be signed by a justice
before presentation to the tounty treasurer for re-
tebursement, After some consultation Admiral
-nobertson gave his opinion in writing to the effect
that th:e law as to dead bodies "cast up by the sea,"
rWhlqk are a charge upon the county by custom and eta-
e, does not apply to the preecnt case, the expense of
IP,!hich, if his view be correct, must be borne by the parish.
bodies found in the rine have invariably been buried at
the cost of the county fund, but the point in doubt is
to the bodies now in queetion having been cast up
the water. It appears that by an Act of the pre-
reign the local authorities are made liable for ex-
?eases incurred by accidents occurring clearly within
Lill parochial boundaries, and it is argued that the
nncess Alice disaster is embraced in that category.
.43.h0u1d this be decided there will be further complica-
Qom; arising out of the circumstance that the accident
Occurred, according to the evidence, within the parish
of Plemstead, and that most of the expenses have been
Incurred by the parish of Woolwich.
Thera was not a single visitor at the Royal Dock-
7ord, Woolwich, on Sunday, which has now resumed
wonted quietude. Service has been resumed at
'as Dockyard Church, and Mr. Clark, a pupil of the
late Mr. Frederick Whomes, who was lost in the
Princess Alice, has been appointed in his place, and
tsulned his duties for the first time on Sunday.
king anvantage of the fine day, a large concourse of
Koraceas visited Woolwich Cemetery on Sunday, and
"ab wreck was also visited by some hundreds.
Inspector Payne has inventoried, classified, and
Lllrranged the unidentified property of deceased persons
(II one of the rooms of the Dockyard Armoury, where
Fole articles will in future for some time be kept under
ck and key, but shown to all applicants.
No more bodies have been discovered and search has
lansost been abandoned. The two portions of the
,Vreck were nearly submerged by the high tide of last
'aturday, but did not shift their position, and a great
'lnany persons who visited the spot were unable to get
'near owing to the reed bed being flooded for several
-11 ours,
Down to Saturday night the Lord Mayor had re-
ceived at the Mansion-house over £31,000 in aid of the
f,nnd for the relief of the sufferers by the recent
tchaster upon the Thames. This is admittedly a very
Qandsome response to the public appeal made in
their behalf, and it is surmised that nearly if not
quite enough has been subscribed to meet all require-
tnents. The Committee, however, are still beset with
QPplications, and there is no doubt that a very large
*tun of money will be absorbed from the fund in the
knking of due provision for the large number of
crPhans left. There is a strong feeling among the
committee in, favour of placing the children, by
Purchase if reecessary, in some of the great recognized
/stPhanagep.. and institutions rather than in the hands
°I Private persons for adoption. There are, however,
112 verat admirable offers of adoption, which may
mile:ply be accepted.
The inquest in reference to the sad disaster is ex-
-IPected to occupy two or three weeks longer, reckoning
lour days per week. No date is at present fixed for
I.he Board of Trade inquiry to commence.
, Several persons in search of missing friends visited
'cc Royal Dockyard, Woolwich, on Monday, and the
eAtematic arrangement of the property in the
Armoury—lent by Major W. A. Godley, Staff Officer
°f Pensioners for this district—was found greatly to
militate inspection. There were, however, no new
dentifications.
, In order to arrive at a correct estimate of the actual
4°BB of life caused by the crollision, the Commissioners
(1. Police have directed tkint returns shall be furnished
• all inquests which way take place in connexion with
case; but severr,:l deaths have ensued relative to
n▪
ich no inquests have been held, and the precise
4lnnber will, thereefore, always be in doubt,
There was another high tide on Monday, and the
41 blew way strong the greater part of the day,
tb.e two portions of the wreck of the steam-
• on ti' .0 Kentish shore remained unmoved on the
acn.

viz Liondon on Monday a meeting of the Committee
the fund now being raised at the Mansion-house for
tie .relief of the sufferers was held in the Venetian
La'lour. The fund was reported to amount down to
wait afternoon to £31,200. Sir Benjamin Phillips
atated that it would be in their recollection that the
'lrtb-committee had been authorized to investigate the
'farious cases, and to make such suggestions and
o:lvisional grants as they should deem proper.
• !I' had paid a great deal of attention to all the
eLairns as yet laid before them, and allotted various
.„14111:18 to the different applicants. They first of
,441 went through the applications of dependent and
4011-depenaient relatives and others, most of whom had
lltained great shock, and many had spent consider-
pie sums in travelling to and from Woolwich to
i!elltify the bodies, in burying them, in buying mourn-
• besides loss of wages. Having met these claims,
WickXch were but the fringe of their work, they had gone
to the cases of the widows without children, of
W ora there were but few, and to whom they had
tride grants 'varying from £250 to £lOO, according to
° Class of life in which they were placed. Next they
salt with the claims of widows with children, and there
leani they had set aside various sums for the widows,
eaving the cases of the orphan children for future
~
`°Pfid.eration. The next class again were the widowers
_wizo. and without children, and as most of those with
lilies elected to keep them rather than part with
`uPta into orphanages and other institutions, the Corn-
!nate° had been enabled to complete the cases by the
ti,stribution of commensurate grants. The Committee,
wino had sat almost daily, had thus appropriated
aDout £lO,OOO of their funds, and only two-thirds even.
of these cases had been gone through, leaving the re-
alainder of them, together with the claims of all the
Phans, which would absorb most of the fund, for
'lnure consideration. The Committee, in all these
triatters, had not made any hard.and-fast rule, but had
the
each case on its merits. They had appreciated
Ihe difficulties and the distress of the people upon the
one hand, and on the other had recollected that they
*ere guardians of public funds, and, as such, bound to see
that the money was wisely distributed. On the motion
a„tAlderman Sir Thomas Dakin, seconded by the Lord
4nayor-elect (Sir Charles Whetham), the Committee
approved the action of the sub-committee in the
.s._l2latters into 'which they had gone, and ordered the
uns to ha paid forthwith. The Lord Mayor-elect
11,11ggested that there should be some limit fixed, both
lor the :receipt of donations and for applications to he
'Pint iv , and the Committee undertook to consider this
P°l4.t. next Monday. The meeting then separated.
4,The only noticeable donations on Monday were
49 13s. 11d, from the Metropolitan Police, £.50
..(teoond instalment) from the borough of Maidk4one,
'ltough the Mayor, and £l2, the result of a cricket
atch between Jockeys and the Press.

.„The Times of Monday published the following excellent
estion :—"Sir,—While in town last week I had frequent
C'easion to pass the Mansion-house, and was much interested
watching the great number of people depositing money
the Lord Mayor's box for the relief of survivors of the
~!utcess Alice. I write to ask, why is not this ready, 'flex-
:Vl:lye, and unoffensive method of contributing to the
t of a national disaster established simultaneously in
iLe_r7 town throughout the country There are, doubt-
many hundreds of people in all our towns who would
equally glad to give their sixpences, shillings, and half-
if such a ready means were at hand. I would
1,„%▪ gritest that when the Lord Mayor of London opens a sub-
list, the Mayor of each town be invited to do the
An honourable emulation would thus be created, the
1/o._usc▪
.tion would be thorough, systematic, and national in
Character and this at a minimum of experise.—l am, Sir,
"Ira truly, J. HILLYAILD.
IS Western-hill, Durham, Sept. 23."