SS ''Princess Alice'', formerly PS ''Bute'', was a British passenger
paddle steamer
A paddle steamer is a steamship or steamboat powered by a steam engine that drives paddle wheels to propel the craft through the water. In antiquity, paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, where the first uses wer ...
that sank on 3 September 1878 after a collision with the
collier on the
River Thames
The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...
. Between 600 and 700 people died, all from ''Princess Alice'', the greatest loss of life of any British inland waterway shipping accident. No passenger list or headcount was made, so the exact figure of those who died has never been known.
Built in
Greenock
Greenock (; sco, Greenock; gd, Grianaig, ) is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council areas of Scotland, council area in Scotland, United Kingdom and a former burgh of barony, burgh within the Counties of Scotland, historic ...
, Scotland, in 1865, ''Princess Alice'' was employed for two years in Scotland before being purchased by the Waterman's Steam Packet Co to carry passengers on the Thames. By 1878 she was owned by the
London Steamboat Co and was captained by William R. H. Grinstead; the ship carried passengers on a stopping service from Swan Pier, near
London Bridge
Several bridges named London Bridge have spanned the River Thames between the City of London and Southwark, in central London. The current crossing, which opened to traffic in 1973, is a box girder bridge built from concrete and steel. It r ...
, downstream to
Sheerness
Sheerness () is a town and civil parish beside the mouth of the River Medway on the north-west corner of the Isle of Sheppey in north Kent, England. With a population of 11,938, it is the second largest town on the island after the nearby town ...
, Kent, and back. On her homeward journey, at an hour after sunset on 3 September 1878, she passed Tripcock Point and entered
Gallions Reach
Gallions Reach is a stretch of the River Thames between Woolwich and Thamesmead. The area is named for the Galyons, a 14th-century family who owned property along this stretch of the river,Hidden London http://hidden-london.com/gazetteer/ga ...
. She took the wrong sailing line and was hit by ''Bywell Castle''; the point of the collision was the area of the Thames where of London's raw
sewage
Sewage (or domestic sewage, domestic wastewater, municipal wastewater) is a type of wastewater that is produced by a community of people. It is typically transported through a sewer system. Sewage consists of wastewater discharged from residenc ...
had just been released. ''Princess Alice'' broke into three parts and sank quickly; her passengers drowned in the heavily polluted waters.
Grinstead died in the incident, so the subsequent investigations never established which course he thought he was supposed to take. The jury in the
coroner
A coroner is a government or judicial official who is empowered to conduct or order an inquest into Manner of death, the manner or cause of death, and to investigate or confirm the identity of an unknown person who has been found dead within th ...
's
inquest
An inquest is a judicial inquiry in common law jurisdictions, particularly one held to determine the cause of a person's death. Conducted by a judge, jury, or government official, an inquest may or may not require an autopsy carried out by a coro ...
considered both vessels at fault, but more blame was put on the ''Bywell Castle''; the inquiry run by the
Board of Trade
The Board of Trade is a British government body concerned with commerce and industry, currently within the Department for International Trade. Its full title is The Lords of the Committee of the Privy Council appointed for the consideration of ...
found that the ''Princess Alice'' had not followed the correct path and her captain was culpable. In the aftermath of the sinking, changes were made to the release and treatment of sewage, and it was transported to, and released into, the sea. The
Marine Police Force
The Thames River Police was formed in 1800 to tackle theft and looting from ships anchored in the Pool of London and in the lower reaches and docks of the Thames. It replaced the Marine Police, a police force established in 1798 by magistrate ...
—the branch of the
Metropolitan Police
The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), formerly and still commonly known as the Metropolitan Police (and informally as the Met Police, the Met, Scotland Yard, or the Yard), is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement and ...
that had responsibility for policing the Thames—were provided with
steam launches, after the rowing boats used up to that point had proved insufficient for the rescue. Five years after the collision ''Bywell Castle'' sank in the
Bay of Biscay
The Bay of Biscay (), known in Spain as the Gulf of Biscay ( es, Golfo de Vizcaya, eu, Bizkaiko Golkoa), and in France and some border regions as the Gulf of Gascony (french: Golfe de Gascogne, oc, Golf de Gasconha, br, Pleg-mor Gwaskogn), ...
with the loss of all forty crew.
Background
SS ''Princess Alice''
Caird & Company
Caird & Company was a Scottish shipbuilding and engineering firm based in Greenock. The company was established in 1828 by John Caird when he received an order to re-engine Clyde paddle-tugs.
John's relative James Tennant Caird joined the company ...
of
Greenock
Greenock (; sco, Greenock; gd, Grianaig, ) is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council areas of Scotland, council area in Scotland, United Kingdom and a former burgh of barony, burgh within the Counties of Scotland, historic ...
, Scotland, launched the passenger
paddle steamer
A paddle steamer is a steamship or steamboat powered by a steam engine that drives paddle wheels to propel the craft through the water. In antiquity, paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, where the first uses wer ...
''Bute'' on 29 March 1865. She entered service on 1 July 1865. The ship was long and at the
beam
Beam may refer to:
Streams of particles or energy
*Light beam, or beam of light, a directional projection of light energy
**Laser beam
*Particle beam, a stream of charged or neutral particles
**Charged particle beam, a spatially localized grou ...
, and measured 432
gross registered tons. ''Bute'' had been built for the Wemyss Bay Railway Company, for whom she carried passengers between
Wemyss Bay
Wemyss Bay (; ) is a town on the coast of the Firth of Clyde in Inverclyde in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. It is in the traditional county of Renfrewshire. It is adjacent to Skelmorlie, North Ayrshire. The town and villages have alway ...
and
Rothesay
Rothesay ( ; gd, Baile Bhòid ) is the principal town on the Isle of Bute, in the council area of Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It lies along the coast of the Firth of Clyde. It can be reached by ferry from Wemyss Bay, which offers an onward rail ...
. In 1867 she was sold to the Waterman's Steam Packet Co. to travel on the
River Thames
The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...
; the company renamed the vessel ''Princess Alice'', after
Queen Victoria
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...
's
third child. In 1870 she was sold to the
Woolwich Steam Packet Company and was operated as an excursion steamer; the company later changed its name to the London Steamboat Company. In 1873 the ship carried
Naser al-Din Shah Qajar
Naser al-Din Shah Qajar ( fa, ناصرالدینشاه قاجار; 16 July 1831 – 1 May 1896) was the fourth Shah of Qajar Iran from 5 September 1848 to 1 May 1896 when he was assassinated. He was the son of Mohammad Shah Qajar and Mal ...
, the
Shah of Persia, up the Thames to
Greenwich
Greenwich ( , ,) is a town in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is situated east-southeast of Charing Cross.
Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich ...
, and became known to many locals as "The Shah's boat".
When ''Princess Alice'' was acquired by the Woolwich Steam Packet Company, the company made several alterations to the ship, including the installation of new boilers and making the five bulkheads watertight. The vessel had been inspected and was passed as safe by the
Board of Trade
The Board of Trade is a British government body concerned with commerce and industry, currently within the Department for International Trade. Its full title is The Lords of the Committee of the Privy Council appointed for the consideration of ...
. In 1878 another survey by the Board of Trade allowed the ship to carry a maximum of 936 passengers between London and
Gravesend
Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, situated 21 miles (35 km) east-southeast of Charing Cross (central London) on the Bank (geography), south bank of the River Thames and opposite Tilbury in Essex. Located in the diocese of Ro ...
in calm water.
SS ''Bywell Castle''
The
collier was built in Newcastle in 1869 and was owned by Messrs Hall of Newcastle. Her
gross registered tonnage was 1376, she was long and at the beam; her depth of hold was . The
master
Master or masters may refer to:
Ranks or titles
* Ascended master, a term used in the Theosophical religious tradition to refer to spiritually enlightened beings who in past incarnations were ordinary humans
*Grandmaster (chess), National Master ...
was Captain Thomas Harrison.
3 September 1878
On 3 September 1878 ''Princess Alice'' was making what was billed as a "Moonlight Trip" from Swan Pier, near
London Bridge
Several bridges named London Bridge have spanned the River Thames between the City of London and Southwark, in central London. The current crossing, which opened to traffic in 1973, is a box girder bridge built from concrete and steel. It r ...
, downstream to
Sheerness
Sheerness () is a town and civil parish beside the mouth of the River Medway on the north-west corner of the Isle of Sheppey in north Kent, England. With a population of 11,938, it is the second largest town on the island after the nearby town ...
, Kent, and back. During the journey she called at
Blackwall,
North Woolwich
North Woolwich is an area in the London Borough of Newham in East London. It is located on the northern bank of the River Thames, across the river from Woolwich. It is connected to Woolwich by the Woolwich Ferry and Woolwich foot tunnel.
De ...
and
Rosherville Gardens
Rosherville Gardens was a 19th-century pleasure garden in a disused chalk pit in Northfleet, Kent, England. After being laid out in 1837, it stood for seventy years, and was finally closed to the public just before the First World War.
Structu ...
; many of the Londoners on board were travelling to Rosherville to visit the
pleasure garden
A pleasure garden is a park or garden that is open to the public for recreation and entertainment. Pleasure gardens differ from other public gardens by serving as venues for entertainment, variously featuring such attractions as concert halls, ...
s that had been built 40 years before. As the London Steamboat Co. owned several ships, passengers could use their tickets interchangeably on the day, stopping off to travel on or back on different vessels if they wanted; for tickets from Swan Pier to Rosherville, the cost was two
shilling
The shilling is a historical coin, and the name of a unit of modern currencies formerly used in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, other British Commonwealth countries and Ireland, where they were generally equivalent to 12 pence o ...
s.
''Princess Alice'' left Rosherville at about 6:30 pm on her return to Swan Pier; she was carrying close to her full capacity of passengers, although no lists were kept, and the exact number of people on board is unknown. The master of ''Princess Alice'', 47-year-old Captain William Grinstead, allowed his
helmsman
A helmsman or helm (sometimes driver) is a person who steering, steers a ship, sailboat, submarine, other type of maritime vessel, or spacecraft. The rank and seniority of the helmsman may vary: on small vessels such as fishing vessels and yacht ...
to stay at Gravesend, and replaced him with a passenger, a seaman named John Ayers. Ayers had little experience of the Thames, or of helming a craft such as ''Princess Alice''. Between 7:20 pm and 7:40 pm, ''Princess Alice'' had passed Tripcock Point, entered
Gallions Reach
Gallions Reach is a stretch of the River Thames between Woolwich and Thamesmead. The area is named for the Galyons, a 14th-century family who owned property along this stretch of the river,Hidden London http://hidden-london.com/gazetteer/ga ...
and come within sight of the North Woolwich Pier—where many passengers were to disembark—when ''Bywell Castle'' was sighted. ''Bywell Castle'' usually carried coal to Africa, but had just been repainted at a
dry dock
A dry dock (sometimes drydock or dry-dock) is a narrow basin or vessel that can be flooded to allow a load to be floated in, then drained to allow that load to come to rest on a dry platform. Dry docks are used for the construction, maintenance, ...
. She was due to sail to Newcastle to pick up coal bound for
Alexandria
Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...
, Egypt. Harrison was unfamiliar with the conditions, so employed Christopher Dix, an experienced Thames
river pilot
A maritime pilot, marine pilot, harbor pilot, port pilot, ship pilot, or simply pilot, is a mariner who maneuvers ships through dangerous or congested waters, such as harbors or river mouths. Maritime pilots are regarded as skilled professional ...
, although he was not obliged to do so. As ''Bywell Castle'' had a raised
forecastle
The forecastle ( ; contracted as fo'c'sle or fo'c's'le) is the upper deck of a sailing ship forward of the foremast, or, historically, the forward part of a ship with the sailors' living quarters. Related to the latter meaning is the phrase " be ...
, Dix did not have a clear view in front of him, so a seaman was placed on lookout.
![Final route of the SS Princess Alice](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2b/Final_route_of_the_SS_Princess_Alice.svg)
On leaving Millwall, ''Bywell Castle'' proceeded down river at five knots; she kept roughly to the middle of the river, except where other craft were in her way. Approaching Gallions Reach, Dix saw ''Princess Alice''s red
port
A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ham ...
light approaching on a course to pass starboard of them. Grinstead, travelling up the river against the tide, followed the normal watermen's practice of seeking the
slack water
Slack water is a short period in a body of tidal water when the water is completely unstressed, and there is no movement either way in the tidal stream, and which occurs before the direction of the tidal stream reverses. Slack water can be esti ...
on the south side of the river. He altered the ship's course, bringing her into the path of ''Bywell Castle''. Seeing the imminent collision, Grinstead shouted to the larger vessel "Where are you coming to! Good God! Where are you coming to!" Although Dix tried to manoeuvre his vessel out of a collision course, and ordered the engines to be put into "reverse full speed", it was too late. ''Princess Alice'' was struck on the starboard side just in front of the paddle box at an angle of 13 degrees; she split in two and sank within four minutes—her boilers separating from the structure as it sank.
The crew of ''Bywell Castle'' dropped ropes from their deck for the passengers of ''Princess Alice'' to climb; they also threw anything that would float into the water for people to hold. Other crew from ''Bywell Castle'' launched their lifeboat and rescued 14 people, and crews from boats moored nearby did the same. Residents from both banks of the Thames, particularly the boatmen of local factories, launched vessels to rescue who they could. Many of the passengers from ''Princess Alice'' were unable to swim; the long heavy dresses worn by women also hindered their efforts to stay afloat. ''Princess Alice''s sister ship, ''Duke of Teck'', was steaming ten minutes behind her; she arrived too late to rescue anyone left in the water. Only two people who had been below decks or in the saloon survived the collision; a diver who later examined the saloon reported that the passengers were jammed together in the doorways, mostly still upright.
About 130 people were rescued from the collision, but several died later from ingesting the water. ''Princess Alice'' sank at the point where London's sewage
pumping station
Pumping stations, also called pumphouses in situations such as well drilling, drilled wells and drinking water, are facilities containing pumps and equipment for pumping fluids from one place to another. They are used for a variety of infrastru ...
s were sited. The twice-daily release of of raw sewage from the sewer outfalls
Abbey Mills, at
Barking
Barking may refer to:
Places
* Barking, London, a town in East London, England
** London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, a local government district covering the town of Barking
** Municipal Borough of Barking, a historical local government dist ...
, and the
Crossness Pumping Station had occurred one hour before the collision. In a letter to ''
The Times
''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...
'' shortly after the collision, a chemist described the outflow as:
Two continuous columns of decomposed fermenting sewage, hissing like soda-water with baneful gases, so black that the water is stained for miles and discharging a corrupt charnel-house odour, that will be remembered by all ... as being particularly depressing and sickening.
The water was also polluted by the untreated output from
Beckton Gas Works
Beckton Gasworks was a major London gasworks built to manufacture coal gas and other products including coke from coal. It has been variously described as 'the largest such plant in the world' Winchester C (Ed), ''Handling 2,000,000 tons of coa ...
, and several local chemical factories. Adding to the foulness of the water, a fire in
Thames Street earlier that day had resulted in oil and petroleum entering the river.
''Bywell Castle'' moored at Deptford to await the action of the authorities and the inquest. That night Harrison and Belding, the
first mate
A chief mate (C/M) or chief officer, usually also synonymous with the first mate or first officer, is a licensed mariner and head of the deck department of a merchant ship. The chief mate is customarily a watchstander and is in charge of the shi ...
, wrote the
ship's log
A logbook (a ship's logs or simply log) is a record of important events in the management, operation, and navigation of a ship. It is essential to traditional navigation, and must be filled in at least daily.
The term originally referred to a bo ...
to describe the event:
At 6:30 left the West Dock, Millwall, in charge of Mr Dicks, pilot; proceeding slowly, the master and pilot being on the upper bridge ... Light air and weather little hazy. At 7:45 pm proceeding at half speed down Gallions Reach. Being about centre of the Reach, observed an excursion steamer coming up Barking Reach, showing her red and masthead lights, when we ported our helm to keep over towards Tripcock Point. As the vessel neared, observed that the other steamer had ported, and immediately afterwards saw that she had starboarded and was trying to cross our bows, showing her green light close under the port bow. Seeing collision inevitable, stopped our engines and reversed full speed, when the two vessels collided, the bow of ''Bywell Castle'' cutting into the other steamer, which was crowded with passengers, with a dreadful crash. Took immediate means for saving life by hauling up over the bows several men of the passengers, throwing rope's-ends over all round the ship, throwing over four lifebuoys, a hold ladder and several planks, and getting out three boats, keeping the whistle blowing loudly all the time for assistance, which was rendered by several boats from shore and a boat from a passing steamer. The excursion steamer, which turned out to be ''Princess Alice'', turning over and sinking under the bows. Succeeded in rescuing a great many passengers and anchored for the night. About 8:30 pm the steamer ''Duke of Teck'' came alongside and took off such passengers as had not been taken on shore in the boats.
Aftermath
Recovery of the dead
![The Great Disaster on the Thames - Recovering Bodies from the Wreck of the Princess Alice](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/83/The_Great_Disaster_on_the_Thames_-_Recovering_Bodies_from_the_Wreck_of_the_Princess_Alice.jpg)
News of the sinking was telegraphed back to the centre of London, and soon filtered through to those waiting at Swan Pier for the steamer's return. Relatives made their way to the London Steamboat offices near
Blackfriars Blackfriars, derived from Black Friars, a common name for the Dominican Order of friars, may refer to:
England
* Blackfriars, Bristol, a former priory in Bristol
* Blackfriars, Canterbury, a former monastery in Kent
* Blackfriars, Gloucester, a f ...
to wait for more news; many took the train from
London Bridge
Several bridges named London Bridge have spanned the River Thames between the City of London and Southwark, in central London. The current crossing, which opened to traffic in 1973, is a box girder bridge built from concrete and steel. It r ...
to
Woolwich
Woolwich () is a district in southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich.
The district's location on the River Thames led to its status as an important naval, military and industrial area; a role that was maintained throu ...
. The crowds grew during the night and into the following day, as both relatives and sightseers travelled to Woolwich; additional police were drafted in to help control the crowds, and deal with the remains that were being landed. Reports came in of corpses being washed up as far upstream as
Limehouse
Limehouse is a district in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in East London. It is east of Charing Cross, on the northern bank of the River Thames. Its proximity to the river has given it a strong maritime character, which it retains throug ...
and down to
Erith
Erith () is an area in south-east London, England, east of Charing Cross. Before the creation of Greater London in 1965, it was in the historical county of Kent. Since 1965 it has formed part of the London Borough of Bexley. It lies nort ...
. When bodies were landed, they were stored locally for identification, rather than centrally, although most ended up at
Woolwich Dockyard
Woolwich Dockyard (formally H.M. Dockyard, Woolwich, also known as The King's Yard, Woolwich) was an English Royal Navy Dockyard, naval dockyard along the river Thames at Woolwich in north-west Kent, where many ships were built from the early 1 ...
. Relatives had to travel between several locations on both sides of the Thames to search for missing family members. Local watermen were hired for £2 a day to search for bodies; they were paid a minimum of five
shillings
The shilling is a historical coin, and the name of a unit of modern currencies formerly used in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, other British Commonwealth countries and Ireland, where they were generally equivalent to 12 pence or ...
for each one they recovered, which sometimes led to fights over the corpses. One of those picked up was that of Grinstead, ''Princess Alice''s captain.
Because of the pollution from the sewage and local industrial output, the bodies from the Thames were covered with slime, which was found difficult to clean off; the corpses began to rot at a faster pace than normal, and many of the corpses were unusually bloated. Victims' clothing also began to rot quickly and was discoloured after immersion in the polluted water. Sixteen of those who survived died within two weeks, and several others were ill.
Inquest
On 4 September Charles Carttar, the
coroner
A coroner is a government or judicial official who is empowered to conduct or order an inquest into Manner of death, the manner or cause of death, and to investigate or confirm the identity of an unknown person who has been found dead within th ...
for West Kent, opened the
inquest
An inquest is a judicial inquiry in common law jurisdictions, particularly one held to determine the cause of a person's death. Conducted by a judge, jury, or government official, an inquest may or may not require an autopsy carried out by a coro ...
for his region. That day he took the jury to view the corpses at
Woolwich Town Hall
Woolwich Town Hall is an early 20th-century town hall located in the historic Bathway Quarter in the centre of Woolwich, South East London. Until 1965 it was the seat of local government of the Metropolitan Borough of Woolwich, after which it ...
and Woolwich Pier. There were more bodies on the northern bank, but this lay outside his jurisdiction. Charles Lewis, the coroner for South Essex, visited the Board of Trade and the
Home Office to try to have the remains in his jurisdiction moved to Woolwich to allow one inquest that could cover all the victims and hear the evidence in only one location, but the law meant that the dead could not be moved until the inquest had been opened and adjourned. Instead, he opened his inquest to formally identify the bodies under his authority, then adjourned proceedings until after Carttar's case had come to a conclusion. He issued burial orders, and the remains were then transferred to Woolwich.
During low tide, part of ''Princess Alice''s rail could be seen above the waterline. Plans to raise the ship began on 5 September with a diver examining the wreckage. He found the vessel had broken into three sections—the fore, aft and boilers. He reported back that there were still several bodies on board. Work began the following day to raise the larger fore section, which was long. This was beached at low tide—2:00 am on 7 September—at Woolwich; while she was being pulled ashore, ''Bywell Castle'' steamed past, leaving London, but without her captain, who remained. The following day large crowds visited Woolwich again to view the raised section of ''Princess Alice''. Fights broke out in places for the best vantage point, and people rowed up to the wreck to break off souvenirs. An additional 250 policemen were drafted in to help control the crowds. That evening, after most of the crowd had gone home, the aft section of the ship was raised and beached next to the bow.
Because of the accelerated rate of decomposition of many of the corpses, the burials of many of those still unidentified took place on 9 September at
Woolwich cemetery in a mass grave; several thousand people were in attendance. The coffins all carried a police identification number, which was also attached to the clothing and personal items which were retained to aid later identification. The same day over 150 private funerals of victims took place.
The first two weeks of Carttar's inquest were given over to the formal identification of the bodies, and visits to the wreck site to examine the remains of ''Princess Alice''. From 16 September the proceedings began to examine the causes of the collision. Carttar began by bemoaning the media coverage of the event, which suggested strongly that ''Bywell Castle'' had been in error and should take the blame. He focused his proceedings on William Beechey, the first body to have been positively identified; Carttar explained to the jury that whatever verdict they reached on Beechey would apply to the other victims. Numerous Thames boatmen appeared as witnesses, all who had been active in the area at the time; their stories of the path taken by ''Princess Alice'' differed considerably. Most pleasure craft coming upriver on the Thames would round Tripcock Point and head for the northern bank to take advantage of more favourable currents. Had ''Princess Alice'' done that, ''Bywell Castle'' would have gone clearly astern of her. Several witnesses stated that once ''Princess Alice'' rounded Tripcock Point she had been pushed into the centre of the river by currents; the ship then attempted to turn to port, which would have kept her close to the river's southern bank, but in doing so cut across the bows of ''Bywell Castle''. Several masters of other ships moored nearby who witnessed the collision agreed with this series of events. ''Princess Alice''s chief mate denied that his ship had changed direction.
During the inquest evidence was taken from George Purcell, the
stoker on ''Bywell Castle'', who, on the night of the sinking, had told several people that the captain and crew of the ship were drunk. Under oath he changed his claims, and stated that they were sober, and that he had no recollection of claiming that anyone was drunk. Evidence given by other members of ''Bywell Castle''s crew showed it had been Purcell who had been drunk; one crewman said that "Purcell was like the generality of firemen. He was rather the worse for drink, but not so bad that he could not take his watch". Evidence was also taken concerning the state of the Thames at the point the ship sank, and of the construction and stability of ''Princess Alice''. On 14 November, after twelve hours of discussion, the inquest released its verdict; four members of the nineteen-member jury refused to sign the statement. The verdict was:
That the death of the said William Beachey and others was occasioned by drowning in the waters of the River Thames from a collision that occurred after sunset between a steam vessel called the ''Bywell Castle'' and a steam vessel called the ''Princess Alice'' whereby the ''Princess Alice'' was cut in two and sunk, such collision not being wilful; that the ''Bywell Castle'' did not take the necessary precaution of easing, stopping and reversing her engines in time and that the ''Princess Alice'' contributed to the collision by not stopping and going astern; that all collisions in the opinion of the jury might in future be avoided if proper and stringent rules and regulations were laid down for all steam navigation on the River Thames.
Addenda:
# We consider that the ''Princess Alice'' was, on the third of September, seaworthy.
# We think the ''Princess Alice'' was not properly and sufficiently manned.
# We think the number of persons onboard the ''Princess Alice'' was more than prudent.
# We think the means of saving life onboard the ''Princess Alice'' were insufficient for a vessel of her class.
Board of Trade inquiry
Running at the same time as the coroner's inquest was a Board of Trade inquiry. Specific charges were laid against Captain Harrison, two of the crew members of ''Bywell Castle'', and against Long, the first mate of ''Princess Alice''; all had their licences suspended at the start of the hearing. The Board of Trade proceedings began on 14 October 1878 and continued until 6 November. The board found that ''Princess Alice'' had breached Rule 29, Section (d) of the Board of Trade Regulations and the Regulations of the Thames Conservancy Board, 1872. This stated that if two ships are heading towards each other, they should pass on the port side of each other. As ''Princess Alice'' had not followed this procedure, the Board found ''Princess Alice'' to blame and that ''Bywell Castle'' could not avoid the collision.
The company that owned ''Princess Alice'' sued the owners of ''Bywell Castle'' for £20,000 compensation; the owners of ''Bywell Castle'' counter-sued for £2,000. The case was heard in the Admiralty Division of the
High Court of Justice
The High Court of Justice in London, known properly as His Majesty's High Court of Justice in England, together with the Court of Appeal of England and Wales, Court of Appeal and the Crown Court, are the Courts of England and Wales, Senior Cou ...
in late 1878. After two weeks, the judgment was that both vessels were to blame for the collision.
As no passenger list was kept on ''Princess Alice''—or a record of the number of people on board—it was not possible to calculate the number of people who died: figures vary from 600 to 700. ''
The Times
''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...
'' reported that "the coroner believes that there are from 60 to 80 bodies unrecovered from the river. The total number of lives lost must thus have been from 630 to 650". Michael Foley, in his examination of disasters on the Thames, observes that "there was no proof of the final death toll. However, around 640 bodies were eventually recovered". The sinking was the worst inland disaster on water in the UK.
The
Mansion House fund for the victims had been opened by the
Lord Mayor of London
The Lord Mayor of London is the mayor of the City of London and the leader of the City of London Corporation. Within the City, the Lord Mayor is accorded precedence over all individuals except the sovereign and retains various traditional powe ...
in the aftermath of the sinking; by the time it closed it had raised £35,000, which was distributed among the victims' families.
Consequences and later events
![Princess Alice Steamer Memorial](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1b/Princess_Alice_Steamer_Memorial.jpg)
During the 1880s London's
Metropolitan Board of Works
The Metropolitan Board of Works (MBW) was the principal instrument of local government in a wide area of Middlesex, Surrey, and Kent, defined by the Metropolis Management Act 1855, from December 1855 until the establishment of the London County ...
began to purify the sewage at Crossness and Beckton, rather than dumping the untreated waste into the river, and a series of six sludge boats were ordered to ship effluent into the
North Sea
The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...
for dumping. The first boat commissioned in June 1887 was named ''Bazalgette''—after
Joseph Bazalgette
Sir Joseph William Bazalgette CB (; 28 March 181915 March 1891) was a 19th-century English civil engineer. As chief engineer of London's Metropolitan Board of Works, his major achievement was the creation (in response to the Great Stink of 1 ...
, who had
rebuilt London's sewer system. The practice of dumping at sea continued until December 1998.
Until ''Princess Alice'' sank, the
Marine Police Force
The Thames River Police was formed in 1800 to tackle theft and looting from ships anchored in the Pool of London and in the lower reaches and docks of the Thames. It replaced the Marine Police, a police force established in 1798 by magistrate ...
—the branch of the
Metropolitan Police
The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), formerly and still commonly known as the Metropolitan Police (and informally as the Met Police, the Met, Scotland Yard, or the Yard), is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement and ...
that had responsibility for policing the Thames—relied on rowing boats for their work. The inquest into the sinking of ''Princess Alice'' found that these were insufficient for the requirements of the role, and that they should be replaced by
steam launches. The first two launches entered service in the mid 1880s; eight were working by 1898. The
Royal Albert Dock, which opened in 1880, helped to separate heavy goods traffic from smaller boats; this and global adoption of emergency signalling lights on boats both helped avoid future tragedies.
After 23,000 people donated to a
sixpenny fund, a memorial
Celtic cross
The Celtic cross is a form of Christian cross featuring a nimbus or ring that emerged in Ireland, France and Great Britain in the Early Middle Ages. A type of ringed cross, it became widespread through its use in the stone high crosses er ...
was erected in Woolwich Cemetery in May 1880.
St Mary Magdalene Woolwich
St Mary Magdalene Woolwich is an 18th-century Anglican church dedicated to St Mary Magdalene in Woolwich, southeast London, England.
History
Christianity in Woolwich goes back to the Early Middle Ages. In 2015 Oxford Archaeology discovered a ...
, the local parish church, also later installed a stained glass memorial window. In 2008 a
National Lottery grant funded the installation of a memorial plaque at
Barking Creek
Barking Creek joins the River Roding to the River Thames. It is fully tidal up to the Barking Barrage (a weir), which impounds a minimum water level through Barking.
In the 1850s, the creek was home to England's largest fishing fleet and a Vic ...
to mark the 130th anniversary of the sinking.
''Princess Alice''s owners, the London Steamboat Co, purchased the wreck of the vessel from the
Thames Conservancy
The Thames Conservancy (formally the Conservators of the River Thames) was a body responsible for the management of the that river in England. It was founded in 1857 to replace the jurisdiction of the City of London up to Staines. Nine years la ...
for £350; the engines were salvaged and the remainder sent to a
ship breaker
''Ship Breaker'' is a 2010 young adult novel by Paolo Bacigalupi set in a post-apocalyptic future. Human civilization is in decline for ecological reasons. The polar ice caps have melted and New Orleans is underwater. On the Gulf Coast nea ...
. The London Steamboat Co were bankrupt within six years, and their successors went into financial difficulties three years after that. According to the historian
Jerry White, along with competition from the railways and bus services, the sinking of ''Princess Alice'' "had some impact ... in blighting the tidal Thames as a pleasure-ground". ''Bywell Castle'' was reported missing on 29 January 1883 sailing between Alexandria and Hull; it carried a cargo of cottonseed and beans. In February 1883 newspapers carried a final report:
It is believed that the steamer ''Bywell Castle'', which ran down the saloon boat ''Princess Alice'', off Woolwich, some years ago, has been lost in the Bay of Biscay, in the gale which proved fatal to the ''Kenmure Castle''. The ''Bywell Castle'' carried a crew of 40 men and her cargo consisted of Egyptian produce.
See also
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List of disasters in Great Britain and Ireland by death toll
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List of maritime disasters in the 19th century
A maritime disaster is an event which usually involves a ship or ships and can involve military action. Because of the nature of maritime travel, there is often a substantial loss of life. This list covers those disasters where 30 or more lives we ...
*
Marchioness disaster
The ''Marchioness'' disaster was a collision between two vessels on the River Thames in London in the early hours of 20 August 1989, which resulted in the deaths of 51 people. The pleasure steamer ''Marchioness'' sank after being hit twice by ...
Notes and references
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External links
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Thames Police Museum record
{{DEFAULTSORT:Princess Alice
1878 in England
Maritime disasters in Kent
Maritime incidents in September 1878
Port of London
Shipwrecks of the River Thames