The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-05-27
by TELEGRAPH.
THE LONDON DISASTER.
Statement by the Captain of the
Steamer.
THE ACCIDENT ATTRIBUTED TO
DRUNKEN ROUGHS.
THE LONDON DISASTER.
The City in Deepest Mourning.

INC tItJ lH DtCpCSt hIOuth ihSs
LONDON, May 2G.-The bodies still unclaim-
ed are being enclosed in shells and removed to
drill shed where they can be visited by
friends in search of missing ones. Competent
witnesses who were on board, state that the
Inflated vessel was on her last return trip and
that the number on board was estimated at
7C0, q burden out of all proportion to the
strength and capacity of the vessel.
A visit to the scene shows that the Victoria
is complete wreck, being literally an ill-con-
structed vessel broken into splinters. 1t is
said on good authority that her boiler was not
properly secure and that it shifted with the
rocking of the boat. Hardly any portion OF
the vessel is visible above water.
Capt. sRankin, who had charge of the
Victoria at the time of the disaster. makes the
following statement:
We were on the last tip for the day. We
had not very heavy load going down, as
there was plenty of room on board, but when
we got to the wharf at Spring Bank, there was
large crowd waiting, and before | could get
the passengers off the boat they rushed on the
after part, jumping and climbing in every
direction. [ ordered them down Off the top
deck and main deck, and threatened that l
would not leave TIE wharf till midnight if
some of them did not get off, One gentleman,
Mr.. Powell of London East, said to me, 'You
are not going to put me off are you?" and /
said You had better get off" He did so and
is now alive. Very few paid any attention to
my orders, and only about Is or 20 went off the
boat
After we started a number of people on the
lower deck began singing and moving around.
Presently I noticed slightly different action
on the boat, and being unable to leave my
| post at the wheel L sent a boy down to the
engineer to ascertain if there was. any danger.
She was listing some to starboard and as l was
getting more anxious l sent the boy down
again. He returned with the word from the
engineer that unless we could straighten the
boat there was danger. l was looking for
ward to a sand bar about 200 yards ahead, on
which intended to beach the boat. That was
my determination because l was beginning to
get anxious, when couple OF row boats came
along side, the occupants of which were
racing, and the crowd rushed to the side to see
them. The engineer then sent word that we
would try to get the crowd aft because the
water was coming in. Just then the crowd
made rush to the port side, and as they did
SO the vessel took a lurch and went to port,
bow down. Then the boiler shifted its posi-
ton and went through the side believe the
vessel would have recovered herself only for
the boiler going over, and as it Went it carried
away the main deck and let down the top
| deck with the crowd above.
There were not ten people on the lower deck
because the space below was largely taken up
with the boiler and machinery. The after
part OF the boat went down, but the fore part
came to the surface and the boat was spread
passengers were imprisoned between the water
and top deck which came down upon them,
but there was breathing space of q foot or
so which would have saved many had not
others persisted in climbing on the floating
deck, thus crushing it down and smothering
those underneath. 1 rescued one man who
had been under this deck four minutes before
it went down, and did all I could to prevent
the people climbing on il. A great number
had presence of mind to swim out from under
| a OF hn old or md and ~, Itc
were saved in few minutes. All who were
! thus imprisoned were drowned. 1 then swan
to the shore and sent to the city with all
speed.
The tonnage of the boot was nineteen tons.
She was fiat bottom, scow shaped at both ends.
and registered to carry four hundred passen-
gers. do not think we had more than four
hundred and fifty, because there is not stand
ing room on the boat for that number, at eight
inches space to each person below the deck.
Stanchions from the main deck are the main
supports of the upper deck She was well
sanctioned but there were no braces. We
had life saving apparatus for four hundred
persons. The boat was going up slowly the
syphon and pony pump both working. 1 at
tribute the disaster to the fact that the vessel
leaked water, because when 1 sent the boy
down the engineer said there was half an
arms length of water in the hold. 1 was pray
ing earnestly that we might reach the sand
bar, where L intended to beach her until we
could get help.
Several interviews with rescued passengers
have been held but all the main facts have been
published. Several cases of robbing the dead
are reported.
Five additional dead bodies have been re-
covered. Many strangers are on the streets
from the country and neighboring towns.-In-
some cases whole families have been ubliter-
ated. The family of W. Hall loses five in one
house. Every coffin is in use and the dead are
being conveyed to the burying places by every
class of vehicles. The remains of VIM. Nc
Bride We're carried in light wagon and were
followed by procession mile long. CleIg y-
men who have worked nobly all through
are tired out and cannot reach the graves fast
enough. In many cases members OF different
families are put in one grave The different
societies are doing their utmost to facilitate
burials.
John R. Low, one of the upper deck passen-
gers says in considering the causes of the
disaster that not one of the least was the
efforts putforth by,a number of men, some of
whom were intoxicated, to create an excite
ment among the women and children before
the disaster by cries of "Get to the other side,"
''Get on life preservers, 'There she goes,''
etc. Feeling we'll able to take care of them
selves they seemed to derive some qualification
from the nervousness and excitement they
were producing among those who always are
most helpless when disaster comes
Mr.. Parish, manager of the company, states
that the accident was the result of overload
ing. He had not been able to ascertain from
the number of tickets sold about the number of
passengers on board, but estimated them at
from 800 to 600. The vessel, which cost about
$1,000 is a total wreck and good for nothing
The Victoria had gross tonnage of "A tons.
Registered tonnage, % tons. She was regis
tered on June d. 1880, in the name of Jane
Bnn Wastle, and she was mortgaged to Mr..
Parish, manager of the Thames Navigation
Company.
To-day this is city of the dead. Business
is practically suspended except such branches
as are connected with the arrangement of
funeral matters. In the poorer quarters of the
city the authorities have been giving away
cotfins. Medical men have nobly responded to
| calls made upon them. The mayor and NUM-
cipal authorities have put forth every effort
| to meet the emergency, and so far as money
and friendly aid can mitigate grief, nothing
will be lacking. At first sensitive nerves were
shocked at the sight of fair women and tender
children being carried through the public
streets on drays or in carts, but it was not I'M
til wholesale order had been given by the
mayor that sufficient pine could be found to
inclose the remains of the ones. There are
families here which have lost four or five mem
bers including their heads.
| An officerr in the Thames Navigation Com
pany stated to-day that the company had no
direct interest in the steamer Victoria and did
| not own stick of her timber She was run
| in connection with their line by an arrange
ment to pool receipts under separate
management. A high character for ability
was given to Capt. Rankin who left the COM
| pany 'sservice last season to Join the Victoria.
1t was said he was cautious and careful off
| Ger and If judgment and discretion had been
followed there would have been no accident.
! civic deputation arrived to-day from St.
| Thomas and ST. Mary, bearing memorials of
| deep sympathy. Some bodies lie as vet I'M