Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-07-04
DROWNED BY THE SCORE.
A NEWLY LAUNCHED STEAMER
CAPSIZES IN THE CLYDE.

Probabilities that the Daphne's Vic
Tins viii not Fall Short of a Hum
dred-Many WOrkmen Caught Below
the Decks-GhastIy Scenes Pictured
by the Divers.
LONDON, July 3.-Intelligence has
reached this city of an unusual and terri
bic calamity during the launching of a
steamship at Glasgow TODAY. The vessel
to which the disaster happened was the
steamer Daphne. While she was being
launched she fell oyer on her side, pre-
cipitating a number of people into the
water.
The Daphne, which was constructed
for the cOasting trade, is a vessel of 500
tons burden. Two hundred WOrkmen
were on board of her when she capsized.
The accident occurred in the middle of
the river Clyde after the launching.
near Renfrew, five miles from Glasgow.
Traffic in the Clyde is suspended. owing
TO the interruption to navigation by the
capsized vessel. The steamer left her
ways at very fast rate, and when she
gained the water she rolled from side to
side. The persons on board fearing that
she would capsizo, ushed to and fro. and
the vessel finally keeled over and nearly
disappeared beneath the water.
majority of those on board were saved bv
tugs and small boats, many of them in
the last stages of exhaustion. 1t is known
that there were fifty persons below in the
Daphne when the vessel went over. and
they must have all been drowned. The
cause OF her capsizing was that she had
TOO much top weight, Steamers are drag
glng the water tor the bodies of the vic
tins.
The Daphne had all her machinery on
board. She turned upside down before
she sank. The accounts of the number of
persons ON board and the number lost
continue to vary widely. Several bodies
nave been found at the foot of the ways.
Divers are searching for other bodies.
Fifty-two names are published as those
OF missing persons. AS visitors were ad-
mltted to view the launch it is believed
that some OF them whose names are at
present unknown are among the missing.
Many dead bodies are visible through the
port holes of the ship. There was a
RAPID eDD tide, and it is feared that many
bodies were carried out to sea. There
were large number of boys on board.
Foreman Joiner; who had charge of twenty
workmen, says that he has seen only three
OF his men since the accident. The pas
sage by the sunken ship is unimpeded
for small vessels, but is dangerous for
large Atlantic steamers.
According to the statements of wit
nesses and survivors of the disaster the
vessel left the slip too rapidly, causing
her stern, which entered first, to sink
down in the water. She was then caught
by the strong current of the river by
which, as well as by her top
weight, she was caused to keel
over so far that the water
entered her port. A diver states that the
companionway of the Daphne is blocked
up by a solid mass of bodies, one upon an
other, 1t appears that the men who were
at work below when the ship went
over rushed from their work and became
lammed in the passage way. Some of the
bodies still have tools in their hands. A
diver thinks that there are still in the YES
sci at least as many corpses as have al
ready been recovered. Forty-one bodies
had been found last night when darkness
StOnnnd the Snarch