The Sun.
London, England, 1845-12-15 00:00:00

FEARFUL STEAM-BOAT COLLI-

SION ON THE RIVER.
At ten minutes to five o'clock on Saturday evening, as
the Emerald steam-packet was proceeding on her way
from London to Gravesend, her captain (J. Pindar) ob-
served a large steam .vessel directly a-head of him, com-
ing up the river. As she approached he and his men in
the bow of the Emerald hallooed out, but the steamer
kept in the same track. Captain Pindar's order to port
the helm was scarcely obeyed when the Emerald was
struck on her larboard quarter just before the paddle-
box, by the bow of the other vessel, which proved to be
the John Bull, Hamburgh packet. The paddle-box and
quarter of the Emerald were stove in, and the funnel was
cast down with a tremendous crash, producing a shock
throughout the vessel which, in the after-cabin, where
the writer of this notice was at the moment, flung the
passengers from their seats, and tumbled over and
amongst them the tables and everything thereon.
The confusion and dismay which followed is
indescribable. A rush was made to the cabin
door, buc the passage was blocked up by all
attempting to force their way up the stairs to the deck.
A cry of " Bring up the women ! Bring up the women !"
from the deck, added to the alarm and confusion, but at
length, owing to the self-possession of some of the gen-
tlemen and a few of the ladies, who made way and held
back, the whole of the cabin passengers were on deck
in a minute and a half alter the collision took place.
There the scene was terrific. The Emerald was believed
to be going down. The John Bull's bow was apparently
wedged into her larboard quarter, and the bowsprit of
that vessel, which was over the fore-deck of the Emerald,
was endeavoured to be reached by several of the male
passengers of the latter. Some succeeded in getting
into the John Bull in this way, and more clambered up
her bows. At this time both steamers had let off their
steam, and were drifting down with the tide. In their
state of entanglement they came athwart the bow of a
brig that lay at anchor nearly opposite Greys, but close
to the Kentish shore. The collision with the brig increased
the danger of the steamers, particularly the Emerald,
whose larboard cabins were stove in by the brig's‘tviiowbnhtoloil:it,en't
snr-
--it, which broke off in the collision and her fore-
s 4.11 for ward : withnn.c one,
tai
and
Emerald,
thets:7 rlgear,ieanflitlo,
abrrtbhmeoaet breaking
frnoigfga
topmast
fall the right a..
gentleman, on the deck O. _
as it would seem, attempted to g
John Bull tell off from
perhaps equal. At length thed
entangledt h e vessel s
together, came i caonndt atcht
e.
ahremthree
boardv e s sof wereeachini%tlio,na:
do;
wayno. w
fromb edn dropped,thethe passengers
Two men, in the first shock, were thrown overboard, but
traaklde,neoxffcepbty thhoesre
awhond gotla
doend b
at
r Gravesend.tj ol '
they were picked up. Each party blames the other for
the collision. The Emerald was not, it is said, in her
proper track with a going down tide, and, on the other
hand, it is averred that the John Bull was not only nit
on the proper side of the river going up with a down
tide, but that she had no lights up. That she had no
ltihq-el ure wpa iss
ncoe r tf
ea ign;
abnudt t
ehaee ehv evneisnsgel aosu ouonndml uhbt; e dslty'
e
with )er management, have avoided the other,

prop

The Earl of Aberdeen left town on Saturday afternoon
for Brighton.