The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1881-05-27
CANADIAN CALAMITY.
FURTHER DETAILS OF THE HORROR.
'rhe Number Of Passengers ON Board
the Vessel Now Estimated at Seven
Hu"dred-hodies Bruised and
Ma"gIed Form the Crash of
Tfmbers-The Vessel Lit
orally Broken to
Pieces - Estimated
Number OF Lives
SACRIFICED.

London, Ont, May 26.-The number Of
passengers ON board the Victoria at the time
OF the disaster is now estimated at seven
hundred, burden out of all proportion 10
the strength aud capacity of the vessel.
Shortly after passing Oakland cem-
etery, and when the boat be.
gan to rock, the crowd surged from
one side to the other, with each oscillation
rather enjoying the motion instead of being
in any way alarmed. One of the passengers
stated that a number of youths took delight
in keeping up the rocking motion by moving
from side to side, while others shouted gloe !.
fully "let her sink, we will only have 10 wade
ashore" 1t is stated by some, though denied
by others, that the officers 10 charge
endeavored TO induce the passengers to re-
main quiet, but their efforts were unsvailing.
The crowd surged from side to side and with
each movement Of the vessel 1t took in AN
increased amount of water on the lower deck,
TO the terror OF some and delight of many
more. Of those below tcw seemed TO foresee
the danger. Suddenly the position became
alarming, When nearly opposite
Gave Ridge, water to the depth of a
foot or more rushed in the south side of tho
boat and the crowd surged again to tho north
side, tho boat slowly following tho movement
by lurching over to that side. By this time
the vessel had almost turned on her edge,
and the deck. floor became elevated to an
angle not far from perpendicular. All at
once the supports of the upper deck gave
way with u terrible crash on account
of the unnatural position and great weight
imposed upon tho ralings. People tumbled
in hundreds headlopg into deep water; and to
make the terror more terrible, the whole of
the upper deck and supports went crashing
down on the wretched victims tearing and
bruislnng the struggling mass and epgulfng
them in dreadful watery tomb. Many
bodies, when they were afterwards taken
lro;n Inc water, were found to be terribly
bruised and mangled from the
crash of timbers which came
down from the upper deck. In many cases
the features boro evidences 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 in pieces. 1t is
s"'"5 vi Soou ousholisy. tudt uoT UOiioTs WbTb
not properly secured to the deck, and
that they shifted with the rocking
of the boat. Hardly any portion of the yes.
sci is visible above water.
Captain Rankin, who WAS in command of
the Victoria, says he believes the vessel would
have recovered herself, only for the boiler
going over, and az it went carried the main
deck, and that tore down the upper deck
with the crowd. There were one hundred
persons on the lower deck. The after part IF
the boiler went down, but the fore part came
to the surface, and the boat 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 breathing space OF
foot or so, which would have saved many
had not others persisted in climbing on the
floating deck, thus crushing 1t down and
smothering those underneath.
The Victoria was fat bottom screw,
sharp at both ends, and registered to carry
four hundred passengers. Capt, Rankin docs
| not think there were more than four hundred
and fifty on board. He attributes the disas-
ter 10 the fact that the vessel was leaking
badly, and says that a boy, sent down to the
engineer just before tho. accident, discovered
half an arms length of water in the hold
Captain Rankin says he was praying earnest.
ly that the boat would reach q sand bar,
where he intended 10 beach her.