Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1881-05-27
THE COLLAPSED STEAMER.
Additional Particulars Of the Ter.
rible Disaster.

Addlt1onal Particulars Of the Ter
rible Disaster.
LONDON, ONT, May 26.-The Num-
Der of passengers on board the Vic-
torla at the time of the disaster is
now estimated at 700, burden out
of al proportion to the strength and
capacity of the vessel. Shortly after
passing Woodland Cemetery, and
when the boat began to rock the
crown surged from one side to tie
other with each oscillation, rather
enjoy tng the motion instread of be-
ing in any way alarmed One of the
passengers stated that a number of
youths on the upper deck took
delight in keeping up d rocking
motion by moving from side to side,
while others shouted gleefully: Let
her sink; we will only have to wade
ashore" It is said by some, though
denied by others, that the officers in
charge endeavored to induce the
passengers to remain quiet, but their
efforts were unavailiug. The crowd
surged from side to side, and with
each movement the vessel took
in an increa-ing amount of water
on the lower deck to the terror of
some and the delight of many more
of those below. A few seemed to
foresee danger. Suddenly the posi-
ton became alarming, when nearly
opposite Cove Bridge. Water to the
depth of foot or more rushed in on
the south side OF the boat, and the
crowd surged again to the north,
the board slowly following the
movement by lurching over to that
side. This time the vessel almost
turned on her edge, and the deck
floor be anne elevated to an angle not
far from perpendicular. All at once
the supports of the upper deck
gave way with q terrible crash.
On account of the unnatural pos,r
tion and great weight imposed over
the railing the people tumbled in
hundreds head-long into the deep
water, and to make the terror more
terrible the whole Of the upper deck
and supports went crashing down
upon the wretched victims, tearing
and bruising the struggling mass,
and enguIfing them in a dreadful
watery tomb. Many of the bodies,
when they were afterwards taken
from the water, were found to be
terribly bruised and mangled from
the crash of the timbers which came
down from the upper deck, and in
many eases tie features bore evi-
dence of desperate struggle which
must have taken place.
A visit to the scene shows the
Victoria to be complete wreck, the
lily constructed vessel being literally
broken into pieces. It is said, on
good authority, that her boiler was
not properly secured to the deck,
and that it shifted with the rocking
Of the boat. Hardly any portion of
the vessel is visible above water.
Capt Rankin, who was in command
of the Victoria, says he believed the
vessel would have recovered herself,
only for the boiler going over, and as
1t went It carried away the main deck,
and that let down the upper deck
with the crowd on it. The afte1-
part of the boat went down
but the fore part came 10 the
surface and the boat was spread
about six feet apart. The result was
that many of the passengers were
imprisoned between the water and
top deck, which came down above
them, but they had b eathing space
OF foot or so, which wou d have
saved many had not OF ers persisted
IN climbing on the foating deck,
thus crushing it down and smother
ing those underneath. The Victoria
was a fat bo tom, scow.shaped
at both ends and regist, red
to carry 400 passengers C4ptan
Rankin does not think there were
more than $50 on board. He at
tributes the disaster to the fact that
the vessel leaked badly, and says that
boy sent down to the engineer just
before the accident reported half an
arms length of water in the hold.
Capt Rankin says he was praying
earnestly that the boat might reach
the sand bar, where he intended TO