Incidents of the Princess Alice Disaster.

Thames Star, Volume IX, Issue 3055, 29 November 1878, Page 1

Incidents of the Princess Alice Disaster.

FINDING THE BODIES

A correspondent says :—"I left Woolwich pier in the harbour-master's yacht, and just as we were starting a small boat, •with four men inside,'passed ahead of us, towing behind them a corpse. Captain Fitzgerald perceived it was a woman, and indignantly de i anded what the wherrymen meant by it, ' towing a woman's body as though it were a d.cad dog ?' and angrily ordered the rowers to stop and take it into the boat. As they seemed disinclined to do thus, the yacht set off up the river after them: In a few seconds we were alongside the wherry. The,men, seeing they could not escajpe the harbour-* master's anger, rested on their oars, and one.pf. them at the stern began hauling inthe,rope, while the whole party, abashed 'at being caught in their act of inhumanity, cried apologetically in a .chorus that ' they had passed the police, and the police had let them do it.' 'I don't care,' retorted Captain. Fitzgerald, • what the police allow; if you don't put it aboard I will convey it to the quay in my own steamer.' While this altercation had been going; on,the bokt had got close to the paddle-wheel of the yacht, and the crew of the latter were abJe to help the wherryman pull "the body over the side into the boat.. Tfce corpse was apparently that of a middle-aged, woman, respectably dressed in a light muslin material, and with a lace neckerchief dragged round her shoulders. Her hair was intensely black, and on her hand.were three gold rings." FEENCH SYMPATHY WITH THE BUFFBBEBB.

A letter has been received by the Lord Mayor of London from the Comedie Francaise, of which the following is a translation, enclosing a cheque for £50:— " Milord,—-A disaster has fallen upon a portion of the population of London. A subscription has, been opened through your lordship in. aid of the necessitous families who have been made the. victims of the catastrophe. The Societaires of the Comedie Francaise, preserving an appreciative recollection of the good help which was rendered, to them in 1871, hasten to bring their tribute to this subscription. I am, directed by them to remit their offering directly into jdn lordship's hands. I beg you, therefore, in. their, name, to receive the annexed subscription, —lam, milord, your most obedient servant, Emile Peehin, Administrator." The names of MM. Coquelin, Fibrey, Launay, and several other actors follow. SEAECHING THE WBECK. Many bodies were found upon -the forward portion of the wreck, imprisoned in the cabin, which the water had closed by jamming the door to at one end» while an iron bulkhead kept the other end fast. A poor woman, dressed n black silk, had a little boy. clinging round her neck, whose tin trumpet was entangled in her draggled hair. The body of a soldier of the 11th Hussars was also found under a table. There, were thirteen women, all well dressed, four men; including the soldier, four young girls, and two infants. One of the young women was believed to be the barmaid of the fore cabin. She had £3 in her pocket. After these bodies had been recovered the tide rose, and the workers had to leave their labor. At a later hour they returned. Five more bodies were then obtained, making twenty-eight in all. A quantity of.Thames mud had already been deposited in the cabin, which in a month's' time would have been completely full of it. It was ,the muddy state of the ; Thames which made the recovery of. the dead especially difficult. The diver employed at the , wreck could not see through the great, glass eyes with which his grotesque helmet is provided. All his work was done.by feeling and groping. Several bags were found, one containing the money taken by the steward. In the tnud, was also discovered the likeness of a girl, which, from the newness of the gilt work, forming the^frame,. had evidentlybeen taken by some cheap itinerant photographer at Sheerness or Gravesend on the •' day of the disaster. When the water had cleared off, the fore cabin presented a " terrible scene of havoc. A portion of the flooring in the centre had bulged up, draggled coats and shawls lay dripping against the broken sides of the seats, and the floor was covered with a promiscuous mass of bottles, plates, glasses, knives and forks, purses, and umbrellas. The stench arising from the inside of the w.reck was of a most .horrible nature, but the Thames police ahdfttUers engaged work manfully and expeditibusly. They found that the door of the forecabin had been closed, apparently by the inrush of the waters, and this no doubt prevented many of the unfortunate passengers from reaching the upper deck. All these bodies as recovered were taken to the Woolwich Dockyard. :> A NABROW ESCAPE. < Mr Edward Leaver, of High street, Lambeth, his father, his brqther Benjamin, aged nineteen, sister Ruth, fifteen, and Albert, seven, went down to Sheerness by this steamer. They were all in ihe saloon, rounding a point near the Beckton Gas Works, when Mr Leaver, jun., heard a cry, •' She'll be into us." He looked through the saloon windows and saw .the Bywell Castle coming straight on. It was a terrible smash. He ran out on deck. The scene he describes as truly awful, and seeing a rope thrown from the steamer he took off his coat and availed himself of the timelyhelp; The sailors then dragged him on, board. He was afterwards transferred to the Duke of Teck steamer. He wishes it to be distinctly understood, as some unfounded reports have gone abroad concerning -the conduct of the captain and. sailors of the Bywell Castle, that they, did all in their power to help the unfortunate people struggling in the river. At this time he thought his father had gone down, and he came home to break the sad tidings to his mother. However, ifc fortu-

nately turned out that his father, being a good swimmer, paddled about until he. was picked up by a boat and taken to the infirmary. His three brothers were all drowned. , ;,v CTTBIOSITY OF THE PUBLIC. The excitement of the public and their interest in this terrible disaster - hay© been very great. The boats and trains .to Woolwich were crowded for days, and the captains were compelled at the piers down the river to refuse to receive any addition to the numbers of .their passengers down stream. Some 250 additional constables were sent down from town to provide against the expected influx of visitors. At the railway stations great crowds pressed round the ticket-windows, and great delays arose, as train after train was filled up, while numbers, more were left upon the platforms, notwithstanding that the company ran trains as frequently as possible. The crowds that lined the banks of the river especially at the spot where the wreck lay, were larger than have been seen previously seen there, and even on the opposite bank tb.ey congregated in great numbers, while a perfect fleet of boats cruised with continually renewed freights of sightseers round the wreck, supported by the derricks over which waved the ominous green flag of the Thames Conservancy. All the vessels in the river and the river steamers continued to carry their flags half-mast high during the week. BEEEAVEMENTS. ! At Kentish Town 'great sympathy is felt for the family of Mr Ward, of 48, Grafton street, whose sister, Miss Louisa Sophia Ward, and daughter, Miss Louisa. Ward, were lost in the collision. The former took her niece with her for a trip .down the river, and both perished. Mrs Forsdike, of.the express Coffee-house, Walworth road, and her three sons, the eldest of whom was sixteen years of age, were all lost in the wreck. A service of prayer was held in the Walworth road Chapel in memory of several members of its congregation who lost their lives. Amongst other painful bereavements is that of the family of Mr Bird, of the Marquis of Granby, Granby street, Hampstead road. On the morning of the occurrence Mrs Bird, who is aboat -forty years of age, left home with her five children, all girls, and, ■in answer to a question from a neighbour as to where they were going so early, stated that she had determined to take her family out for a trip to Sheerness, and to give them a day's pleasure. Not one of the bodies of this family have as yet been recovered. A long list of similar casualities to these might be given.