The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1878-09-05
FOREIGN NEWS.
The Princess Alice Disaster.
Further Details of the Dreadful
Accident.
Only One Hundred and Fifty People
Out Of Eight Hundred Saved.
The Vessel Sunk in Five Minutes.
The River swarmlng with Drowning
Victims.
Fearful Shrleks Of the Unfortunates
Calling In Vain for Help.
The Vessel Sunk in Five Minutes
ENGLAND.

LONDON, September 4.-The steamer
Princess Alice, which was run into and
sunk with such frightful results last even
ing by the Collier Bywell Castle, was one
Of the largest steamers OF the London
Steamboat Company. The Princess Alice
left Gravesend for London soon after 0
o'clock in the evening, and arrived within
sight Of the Royal Arsenal at Froodwick ut
about s o'clock. The Bywell Castle was
then approaching on the opposite course.
The two steamers were near the middle OF
the stream Just Off the City Of London
Gas Works at Breckton, almost the pre-
else spot where thefatal collision occurred
between the Metes and Wentworth, ten
years ago. What happened it is impossi-
bic to accurately. decide. All that is
known amid the maddening excitement is
that the screw of steamer struck the
Princess Alice on the port side, near the
fore sponsor, scene which has no
parallel on the river ensuing. A very
few persons clambered on the other vessel,
but nearly all rushed to the after part of
the Princess Alice rs her bow subsided
gradually under the water. The shrieks
were fearful and nothing could be done to
save her. There were dozen or more
life bouys on board and some boats were
swinging in the davits, but even II they
could have been got at they would have
been OF littleseryice under the circumstan-
ces.
Within five minutes the Princess Alice
keeled completely over and went down in
the deep water Some small boats hasten.
edto the scene and the Duke OF Teck, an
other steamer belonging to the same COM |
pany, which was also on its passage up
the river with q party OF excursionists,
went to the scene, but the river for one !
hundred yards was full OF drowning people |
screaming in anguish and praying for help, |
and as twas growing dark then not much |
could be done. It Is believed that not
more than one hundred and fifty persons |
out OF eight hundred on board the vessel
escaped.
The Princess Alice was a long and low
yersteamer, built for excursions down the
Thames, Of which the middle and poorer
classes OF Londoners were very fond; she
had saloons on the forward and after
decks, and her passenger carrying capaci-
ty was unusually large.
A great proportion OF the passengers
were on the upper or saloon deck, and
must have seen before hand their impend-
ing doom, but those in the stern OF the
steamer had no warning till they heard the
crash and found the passengers from the
forward part OF the vessel running to the
after part. Beyond the fact that the tide
was ut about two hours ebb, which would
enable the Princess Alice to ease up and
stop sooner than screw steamer, which
would be borne on the tide, it Is impossi-
BILE to discover any OF the circumstances
Immediately preceding the collision. Be-
fore the boats came in collision there were
cries from one to the other to keep out of
the way, but rs usual in such cases the ac-
cident was probably due to misunder-
standing.
The cause OF the Princess Alice disaster
Is believed to be that both vessels were
rounding sharp bend in the river, caused
by the projection OF point Of land,
whereon the powder magazine OF Wool
wich arsenal Is situated. In order to turn
this point the Princess Alice had crossed
over to the right bank Of the river and
was thus out OF her proper course. Her
lights were probably obscured by the
shadow Of the magazine, and being much
smaller and lower than the Bywell Castle,
the latter was upon her before danger was
perceived.