St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1881-06-03
The Steamboat Disaster.
WHOLE TOWN IN MoURNING-TERRI-
BILE SCENES-PARTICULA OF THE
OVERWHELMING DISASTER.

Five more bodies have been recov-
cred from the wreck of the steamer
Victoria, near London, Ont, making
243 i'll all. A passenger states that
several youths on the upper deck kept
the boat rocking from side to side,
shouting, ''Let her sink we'll only
have to wade ashore" 1t is stated that
the Nictoria's boiler was not properly
secured and that it shifted with the
rocking. Hardly any part of the wreck
Is above water examination shows
that the boat was badly built. Sam
uel Risley, the government steamboat
inspector of Toronto, reports that he
looked on the Victoria us safe for river
traffic. She was inspected twice last
year, in May and in October.
| The heat was intense mt London Thurs
day. The day was given to burying
the dead. Every kind of coffin was in
use, and the dead were carried to bury
ing places by every class of vehicle.
The remains of William Mcbride were
carried in light wagon, followed by a
procession mile long. Men can hard
ly speak to each other without break
ing down. The scenes in the afflicted
households are trying to the strongest
nerves. The clergymen, who have
worked nobly all through, are tired out
and cannot reach graves fast enough.
In many cases members of different
families are put in one grave. The
different societies are doing their ut
most to facilitate burials. From an
early hour Thursday the bells were
tOlling and funeral professions were
|
way to the several cemeteries. All
business places were closed and the
city wore Sunday look. No one
speaks or thinks of anything but the
calamity, and it has stunned all class
es. All day one could not walk Il
block without meeting some solemn
procession. There were many strang-
erS on the streets from the country and
neighboring towns. The feeling was
one of utter desOlation. In several
cases entire families, with one or two
exceptions, were drowned. An in
stance is that of James Coughlin,
whose children and grand children,
numbering five, are lying dead in the
house, and he is left alone. His
daughter Jennie was married to a
young man named Swazee the day be-
fore the accident, and the couple were
drowned. The family of w. Hall loses
five in one house. A memorial is to be
built in Mt. Pleasant cemetery.
Several cases of robbing the dead
are reported. Among the articles miss
ing is Il gold watch and Chain and the
gold necklace of young woman.
| Icamsters drove thriving trade in
removing bodies, and in some cases to
make money hurrying the cOrpses into
the houses and then going off for an
other load. One instance is given
where Il driver brought il body to ii
house, and finding no one in and the
door locked, threw the body through
the window and left it until the people
came home. In another instance Il
a whole family were lost, and the first
their ncighbors knew of the accident
was when one of the shipmates of the
father called for him to go to work and
found them all ShrOuded for the grave.
Capt. Rankin of the steamer declares
| that he tried his best to keep part of
the crowd on shore, but only few
needed his warning. Before the acci-
dent he saw IA sandbar 200 yards away,
where he intended to beach the vessel,
because he saw that she could never
stand such heavy load. just then IL
couple of racing row boats were passed,
and the crowd rushed to the side to
see them, and the disaster followed
When the boat sank many passengers
were imprisoned between the lower
and top deck, but they had Il breathing
space of Il foot or so, which would have
saved many had not others climbed on
the floating deck, thus crushing it
down and smothering those underneath.
The captain says that he saved one
man who had been under this deck for
four minutes. He thinks there were
not more than $50 passengers on board,
as there is not standing room in the
boat for that number ut eight inches II
person. He attributes the accident to
leaking, as there were eight inches of
water i'll the hold before the upset.
K. G.. Montgomery, one of the escap
ed passengers and Il London leather
dealer, tells different story. He says
that the steamer was greatly overload
ed, but is sure that all he saw were
quiet and orderly. AS soon as the boat
moved, however, she proved to be
deeply listed to the starbOard, and the
passengers on the promenade deck
were asked to move over to the port
side. Still the steamer did not straight
en- perceptibly, and again the passen-
gers were asked to move to port, al
though a large majority of those on the
promenade deck were already there.
At this time he looked down the com
paniOn-way and saw a considerable
depth of water on the main deck, which,
ls hsa fla FOL f,,r
traordinary listing of the steamer to
starbOard. Only Il moment or so be-
fore the disaster, the captain passed
through the crowd, remarking, "If you
don't keep over to that side you'll have
to swim for it," At this several more
of the passengers moved over to port,
and the boat suddenly rightcd and then
listed heavily to the port side, which
was not more than 40 feet from the
bank, and she went down at once. To
save themselves, those on the prone
made deck clutched the stanchiOns that
supported the awning overhead, but
these snapped, and second later the
supports of the promenade deck gave
way, and the whole wreck slid down
to the shore side of the hull into the
water. Mr.. Montgomery caught hold
of an iron rod in the awning, and, hold
ing to this, managed to keep his head
above water for some seconds. Below
the deck, which had sunk from under
him, he knew that scores were perish
ing, while the awning to which he was
clinging was rapidly sinking and bury
ing beneath it men, women and chill
dren. While he still held his head
above the water, he could feel the
drowning children clutching at his
legs. Drowning mothers grasped him