The Sun.
London, England, 1864-12-02 00:00:00

Fatal Catastrophe at Glasgow.

On Wednesday
tight a melancholy accident occurred to
one of the harbour ferry boats at Glasgow, involving the
loss of 14 lives, and placing several other persons for the
time in serious 6 0
- Par-a
Y. These ferry boats, which belong
to the Clyde trustees, ply between the opposite sides of the
harbour, and are capacious vessels, licensed to carry 24 per-
sons besides the ferryman. About 6 o'clock on tho night in
question, one of the boats left the north for the south quay,
having on board, as far as can be ascertained, 21 passengers
and one ferryman, most of them being working men, who
had just finished the labours of the day and availed them-
selves of the ferry as affording a shorter route to their homes
—homes which many of the poor fellows were destined
never to see more. Th ere does not appear to have been any
women on board. The river, in consequence of the recent
rains, was mating in
heavy flood, and the tido was about
one-third ebb. A minute or two before the boat put out
from the quay the steamer Inverary Castle had passed the
place on her way up to her berth. The captain of this ves-
sel states that ho noticed the boat at the ferry steps, and
that at that time he was going dead slow. As he subse-
quently heard no cries it would appear that ho must have
been some distance ahead before the boat started. But be
this as it may, whether from the disturbance of the water
occasioned by the steamer) or from whatever other cause,
the boat had only proceeded a few yards from the stairs
when she was overtaken by a heavy wave, which dashed
over her
same gunwale, leaving her half-filled with water, and at
the uvtime
nsale
cau,sing
her to roll violently. The passengers
wore thrown into the utmost consternation, and many of
them made a sudden movement to one side of the boat. Pre-
sently another wave came over the gunwale, which, owing
to the irregular movement of the passengers, was probably
lower than it might otherwise have been, and the boat heeled
over to the port side and turned bottom upwards. Several
of the passengers, on seeing the boat beginning to sink,
jumped into the water and struck out for the north shore.
The others were submerged when the boat rolled over, seve-
ral of them being, no doubt, carried under her, and thus
placed in the most unfavourable circumstances for escape.
The boat did not sink, but turned right over and floated
bottom upwards down the stream, with several persons
clinging to her keel and gunwale. The cries of the unfortu-
nate people at once attracted attention on shore, and on board
of the vessels lying at the adjoining berths. The ferryman
in charge of the other boat plying on the station at once put
out, but by the time be got to the scene of the disaster the
swamped boat had floated out of sight, and none of the un-
fortunate passengers could be seen in the water. Another
boat was lowered, which, fielding no one in the water, seems
to have followed the swamped boat, and assisted in rescuing
the unfortunate fellows who were clinging to it. Four of
the passengers succeeded in reaching the shore, and under
medical treatment were to far restored in the course of an
hour or two that they were eble to be taken to their homes.
About 200 yards below the scene of the catastrophe another
of the ferrymen fell in with the 1 oat, and found three men
holding on by her keel, and one beneath immersed in the
water convulsively clutching the gunwale. The three men
who get keel were taken ashore little the worse, but
the
the fourth, a man about 50 years of age, died in the course
of the evening. The remaining 14 persons were drowned,
and np to a lets hour on Wedassday night their bodies lased
not been recovered.

ROYAL 'AMPHITHEATRE.. —Mrs Maoready ap-
peared on Monday night, and continues to play at this
theatre in Westland Marston's "Philip Augustus," or, as
it is now to bo called, Marie do Meranie," which abounds
in noble language and original thought, and which has at
least one very effective scene. As an after-piece " Dearest
Mamma" is played, and in the eccentric part of Browser
Mr Addison lavishes all his art in making up and all his
great power of comedy. The part is decidedly a creation.—
Liverpool Daily rose.

TILE UNITY BANK TNQUIRY.—Joseph Wakefield Terry
and Thomas Birch were again brought before the Lord
Mayor, to undergo further examination upon a charge of
having, they being respectively manager and secretary of a
public company called the Unity Joint-Stock Bank,
unlawfully made and circulated a written statement, to wit
a balance-sheet of the affairs of the said company up to 30th
June, 18G2, they well knowing the same to be false, with
intent to deceive and defraud the members and shareholders
of the company, contrary to the statute, &c.
Mr Sykes, the manager of the Western Branch of the
Unity Bank, was further examined with respect to the sol-

vency of the branch under his direction, and also as to the
balanse-sheet he had transmitted to the principal office of
the bank in Cannon•street in 1862.

In answer to Mr Sleigh, he said the directors at the
parent establishment were invariably put in possession of

every thing relating to the position of the Western Branch.

and that some of the directors very frequently visited the
establishment.

(The case was proceeding when we went to press.)

WESTMINSTER.
POVERTY AND CRIME.—Mary Ann Meggeson, a very
creditable-looking woman, apparently about 25 years of age,
was charged with wilfully breaking windows in the work-
house of St. Luke, Chelsea.
George Blandtord, porter, at the workhouse, said that the
defendant applied to him last night for lodging, He ad-
mitted her for the night into the ward appropriated for
tramps, and as soon as she got in she began to break the
windows. He was attracted by the noise, and on going
into the ward found them broken, but did not see the de-
fendant do the damage.
Mr Arnold asked whether there were any other persons
in the ward, and on being informed there were, inquired
how the witness knew that defendant was the person who
had done the damage P
The porter replied that he knew by the defendant's own
confession. She did not hesitate for a moment, when he
entered the ward, but said "I bruke the windows." The
amount of damage was 2s.
Mr Arnold (to defendaut)—What have you to say to
this ?
Defendant—They have turned me out without home
or habitation, and I broke the windows to get better provi-
sion.

Mr Arnold—They took you in to giva you a night's
lodging.
Defendant—What is a night's lodging? I cannot live
upon that nor upon what they give me. I have a bit of
dry bread given me at night and the same in the morning,
and then they turn me cut to wander the streets till night
again. On Wednesday week they admitted me into the
house, and I then entreated them to let me be a few days,
but they would not, and turned me out, and I have been
wandering about with a bit of bread at night and a bit of
bread in the morning only ever since, and I did this for a
place to put my head in and some food.
Mr Arnold—This is not the way to put yourself in the
right. I cannot allow the parish property to be wilfully
destroyed. I must commit you to prison for seven days,