The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1915-10-29
THE RIVER THAMES
.ondon's Great Artery, With Its
Crimes and Mysteries.
'RAPS FOR UNWARY VICTIMS.
Vsterside Houses With Floors Open
ing at the Push of a Lever to Drop
It's =Ieeoed Occupant Into Watery
Grsve--Ghost Boats of the River.

Its -leeced Occupant Into a Watery
Grsve-Ghost Boats of the River.
London's great artery. the river
'hames hides many a grim story un'
er its murky waters, some Of them
,enturies old, some Of them merely In
idents Of yesterday. Just as no other
iver mas quite the same wonder as be-
)ngs to the Thames, so no other river
! f, SO wrapped In mystery, so surround.
ID with stories of tragedy and crime.
Many Of the old waterside houses,
which rise sheer with the bank, con-
I lin rooms In which the floor Is built
irectly over the water-foors upon
vhich one could stand In apparently
! erfeCt safety while some one In an ad.
lcent room worked a lever which
caused the floor to open and his VIC
{ IN to drop into the river.
A gambling club Is said to have met
1 1 such room once year to play FOR
.eme endous stakes. The party played
On until one Of their members was
lined. Then the rest Of the men went
way in silence, while the ruined man
vent down into the dark waters.
One Of the old waterside houses at
Mapping, too, Is among the bits OF the
names with reputation for being
aunted. A flight of steps leads from
I lie house to the river, but these steps
re disused, and the door at the top
of them is walled up. Despite this,
often people passing by on the river
ft NIGHT time swear to having seen
two men come through the walled
{ DOR and down the steps. Then, after
lDwering some bundle into the wa
RS, they return to the house. The
lentity of the men and the contents
of their bundle remain among the in
soluble stories OF the Thames.
The Thames police force Of about
10 men Is employed to guard against
G II sorts of additions to the mysteries
C the Thames, and their task Is Of far
greater magnitude than might be casu-
ally imagined. Most imperative Is 1t
taat each member Of this force shall
e an expert swimmer and understand
tae right methods for dealing with
PERSONS rescued from the water.
A very large number Of persons are
wed from intentional and accidental
rowning I'm the river every year, an
verage number somewhere between
seventy and hundred. But the num-
er Of persons who are found drown
ID" strikes n still greater average-it
1 never less and often more than 100
il a year-besides which IL is well
/ nown that the waters of the river
{ ose above many persons OF whom
L sthing more Is ever seen or heard.
But If stones could speak the bridges
ross the Thames could tell many
| ltiful and grim life stories, especially
Waterloo bridge. which has such sad
o isociations as to have gained 1t the
)briquet Of "The Bridge Of Signs"
Incidentally, Waterloo bridge is an
her part Of the Thames which Is said
t. be haunted. 1t Is not so very long
S nee Il more than usually clear sighted
an went to the police with the infor-
n alton that he had seen woman jump
ON the parapet Of Waterloo bridge.
Q had been crossing the bridge late
he night, when he had noticed wo-
D an in black walking in front of him.
Iddenly he saw her make an appeal
4 gesture, but before he could reach
t e woman she had disappeared.
That was all. There was no splash
following her disappearance, and no re-
J lit came from the search which was
| n ade. Those who are familiar with the
story of the river said that the man
b I'd seen the ghost of Waterloo bridge
the tragic woman in black, of whom
n pthing is known save that she haunts
t London Bridge of Sighs."
Another mysterious thing about the
| 7 hames, which no amount of police su-
p ,rvision will destroy. Is the "ghost"
b lats which have been and are fire.
q lently seen in various parts Of the
r yer. 1t is a fact that river police pa
T. OILS have actually given chase to such
& lost ships. TO find there is nothing
s. bstantial to he found on reaching the
y ace where the ships had seemed to be.
J One Of the most curious stories of
Il Is kind is that of the mysterious boat
hich was seen making its way along
Il e water toward London bridge one
dly, about quarter Of century ago.
7 A. she neared the bridge there was a
Il emendous explosion, vivid burst Of
II hit, and then-nothing! Not so much
a splinter of wood remained OF the
b at which had been. and the story OF
II fingers from that day to this as one
o the hundreds of tragic unknown
q ings which form the secrets of the
h yer OF mystery.-London Answers.