Year: 1878

the Princess Alice.


LONDON, Sept. 4-The paddle-wheel excur
sion steamer Princess Alice, which was run
into and sunk with such frightful results las.
evening, while on her return from GraveSend
to London, by the screw collier Bywell Castle
was one OF the largest saloon steamers Of the
don at about IL O'clock yesterday morning
for GraveseId and Sheerness, many excur-
sionists being induced by the fine weather to
go @ Tor holiday trip: The vessel left Graves
in the evening. and arrived within sight of the
royal arsenal at Woolwich at about s O'clock
The Bywell Castle was then approaching on
near the middle Of the stream, just off the city
OF London gas works, at BecktOn, and below
the North WOOlwlch GardenS-almOst the pre-
Metis and Wentworth ten years ago. What
happened is impossible accurately to detail
All that is known amid The maddening excite.
ment is that the screw steamer struck the
Princess Alice on the port side, near the fore
stanchion. scene which has had no parallel
on the river ensued. A few, very few, persons
clambered on the other vessel but nearly all
rushed to the after part of the Princess Alice.
AS. the bow subsided gradually under the
water


THE sHRIEKs WERE FEARFUL


and nothing could be done to save life There
were dozen or more life buoys on board, and
some boats were swinging in the davits, but
even ii they could have been got at they could
have been of little service under the circum-
L
Alice heeled completely over, and went down
in deep water. Some small b)ats hastened to
the scene; and the Duke of Teek, another
steamer belonging to the same company,
which was also on the passage up the river
with party of eXcursionists, went to the res
cue, but the river for a hundred yards was
and praying for help, and as it was growing
dark then not much could be done.


About Six Hundred and Fifty Lives


Lost.


1t is believed that not more than one hun
dred and fifty persons escaped out of the
eight hundred aboard the vessel. The Prin-
cess Alice was long and low river steamer
Dulit f0r excursions down the Thames, of
doners are very fond. She had saloons on
the forward and after decks, and her paSSen-
ger carrying capacity was unusually large. A
large portion of the passengers last evening
were ON the upper or saloon deck, and must
have seen beforehand their impending doom !;
but those in the stern of the steamer had no
warning until they heard the crash and found
the passengers from the forward partof the
vessel running to the after part. Beyond the
fact that the tide was about two hours ebb
which would enable the Princess Alice to ease
and stop sooner than the screw steamer, which
would be borne on the tide, it is impossible to
discover any of the circumstances Immediate
ly preceding the collision. Before the boats
came in collision there were cries from one to
the other to keep out of the way, but as usual
in such cases the accident was probably due
to misunderstanding, the one miSiuterpreting
the intention of the other. All the rules of
sailing were cast to the winds i'm the moment
of peril; each taking the wrong course to
avoid each others bunder.


Cause of the Collision.


LONDON, Sept. 4.-The cause of the Princess
Alice disaster is believed to be that both yes
sells were rounding the sharp bend i'm the river
caused by the projection of a point of land
whereOn the powder magazine of the Wool
wleh arsenal is situated. In order to turn this
the right bank of the river, and was thus out
OF her proper course. Her lights were proba
bly, Obscured by the shadow of the powder
magazine. and being much smaller and lower
than the Rywell Castle, the latter was upon
her before the danger was perceived.