The capsize of the ferry ''Pearl'' occurred on Thursday 13 February 1896 in the

Brisbane River The Brisbane River is the longest river in South East Queensland, Australia, and flows through the city of Brisbane, before emptying into Moreton Bay on the Coral Sea. John Oxley, the first European to explore the river, named it after the Go ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, Australia. Many people died.

Background

The ferry was a temporary measure due to the loss of both of the bridges that crossed the river, the Victoria Bridge and the Albert Railway Bridge at

Indooroopilly Indooroopilly is a riverside suburb 7km west of the Brisbane CBD, Queensland, Australia. In the , Indooroopilly had a population of 12,242 people. Geography Indooroopilly is bounded to the south and south-east by the median of the Brisbane Riv ...

after the floods of 1893. Steamers were then commissioned to transfer traffic across the river between Brisbane’s Queen’s Wharf and Musgrave Wharf. The ferry was described as such:

The Pearl was a wooden screw-steamer of ten horse-power and forty-one tons register, gross. Her dimensions were: 58.7ft long, 15.1ft beam, and 5.1ft depth, and she was built in
New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...
in 1883. She had been engaged in the river trade, and between Brisbane and
Redland Bay Redland Bay is a coastal semi-rural locality in the City of Redland, Queensland, Australia. In the , Redland Bay had a population of 14,958 people. Since the first European settlers arrived in the mid-19th century, Redland Bay has remained a f ...
, and was formerly running between the city and Humpybong. The vessel was built with an upper and lower deck, and was licensed to carry about 120 passengers in the river.

Accident

On the afternoon of the disaster, at around 5pm, ''Pearl'' was re-crossing the river, which was flowing more strongly than usual due to floodwaters. To avoid a collision with another ship, ''Normanby'', the captain cut power but the ferry was pushed downriver into the anchor chain of '' Lucinda'', a government steam yacht anchored mid-river. The hull breached and the ferry quickly capsized, drowning those below deck and throwing those on deck into the water, resulting in the death of most of the 80-100 people believed to be on board. Nearby small boats, including those from other ferries and one from ''Lucinda'', raced to the site and rescued around 40 survivors, some of whom clung to the anchor chain, life buoys, or wreckage. Others retrieved bodies down river in the following weeks. An inquest was later held into the accident with blame focusing on the captain, James Chard (who survived), who may have been drinking.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pearl, ferry Brisbane River Disasters in Brisbane 1896 in Australia Shipwrecks in rivers