A SURVIVOR'S ACCOUNT OF THE CANADIAN STEAMBOAT DISASTER.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3157, 10 August 1881, Page 4

A SURVIVOR'S ACCOUNT OF THE CANADIAN STEAMBOAT DISASTER.

The American papers give full details of I the terrible disaster to the steamer Victoria j which ocourred some days ago near London, I Ontario, jlr B. G-. Montgomery, a leather merchant, living in London, who escaped from the wreck, has given a very clear account of the occurrence. He jays he v.'<ui "on the promenade deck, and is sure all the people he saw were thoroughly quiet and orderly. There was no chasing about the boat nor pranks of any kind. As soon aa fck_ boat started, however, she proved to be dwply listed to the starboard, and the pas•engers on the promenade were requested to move more to the port side. Some of thorn did so, but still the steamer did not straighten up to any preceptible extent. th? rmssengera were requested to move over to the port side, although a large majority of those on the promenade deck were already over there. At this time Mr Mon'.fornery looked down the" companion way, and saw a considerable quantity of water on the main deck, which, as he feared, accounted for the extraordinary listing of the steamer to starboard. A short time after this and only a moment or so before the disaster, the captain passed through the crowd, remarking, "If you don't keep over to that (the port) Bide you'll have to swim for it." At this several more of the passengers moved over to the port side, and tho boat suddenly righted, and then listed heavily to the port side, which was not more than 40ft from the bank, and down she went with •stonishing rapidity. To save themselves those on the promenade deck clustered round the stanchions that supported tho awning overhead, but these snapped like pipestems ; a little later the supports of the promenade deck gave way, and the whole wreok slid down the port or shore side of the hull into the water. Mr Montgomery caught hold of an iron rod or bracket of some kind in the awning, and holding to this managed to keep his head ahove water for some seconds after the collapsed P'omenade deck beneath his feet had gone into the water. His position at this time was a terrible one. Below the deck which had sunk from under him he knew that tcores were perishing, drowning like rats in a hole, while the awning to which he was dinging was rapidly sinking and burying beneath it men, women, and children, whose piteous shrieks vent the air on everyside. With children clinging about their necks, they would beat the water madly with their arms, and, with eyes Starting from their sockets, utter shriek aftei shriek, until at last a half-smothered cry that ended in a sickening gurgle told that they had gone down beneath the waves. But even this was not the most horrible of Mf Montgomery's experiences. While he still held his head above the water, he could feel the drowning children, whose little heads were swept under water some seoonds before his own, clutching at hi 3 legs, in what ha well knew were their dying struggles. Drowning mothers grasped him franctically, and piteously implored his help. His coat, and waistcoat were almost torn from him. At last the awning sunk so low that he too went down overhead in the water, and then by a protracted and desperate effort, during which be was more than once on the point of giving up, he dragged himself hand over hand along tha iron rod to which he had been clinging, and finally crawled on the half-sunk hull of tho .teamer. "ne or two who clung to him were saved. As soon as he found himse'f on the wreck he caught a piece of rope lying near him and flung the end of it to a man whom he saw swimming on the starboard side of the wreck with a boy on his back. This man had jumped into the river with the boy jit3t as the wreck was falling in the opposito direction. The brave fellow was nearly exhausted as he was hauled to the side of the wreck, but be managed to gasp out, 'Save the boy.' They did save the boy and his gallant preserver too. Those working on the deck, including Mr Montgomery himself, now managed to raise up the awning of the upper di?ck, the edge of which still rested partially upon the sunken hull, and from beneath this many women and children were rescued alive, but below this again, and deeper in the water> lay the promenade deck, which had swept down beneath it scores and scores of victims. None of those could be reoysitated. He was sure that the steamer was overloaded, but he makes the graver statement that he is of opinion that the upset would not have been attended with half as fatal results had the steamer been properly constructed. Why, said he, she heeled over to tho port side, which was not more than 40ft. from the bank. Many, or, perhaps, nearly all, might have been saved had. it not been that they were •wept down by the sudden collapse of the flimsy upper works and buried m the wreck, where strong men and prattling ohildren were alike helpless. She went to pieces just as one would sweep a house of cards off a table.