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res. One man who had worked a | giffitx}; {fnxec?:gllfz steamfitting said it was fas. _ ried the mourners) were unable to cope with ; tened down by bolts, rather than being held the. situation. Sometimes mourners rode in | in place by iron bands. Stanchions supporting delivery wagons. ® f | the upper decks were held by spikes. 3 There were triple funerals and double In addition, the Victoria apparently damâ€" _ ones. : aged its hull by hitting a snag on the way up ()lnibip(;/olvidlfivet 1i)ersoznshâ€"al 1)9-};]ear-(;lod | from Springbank. gir ride of less than ours) her 10â€" | The \I/)icui'ia could safely accommodate 30(t) yearâ€"old brother, an older hrllllglrried sister, ‘ and in a pinch 400 passengers. That trip, i and the latter‘s two young children. \ â€"â€" earried 5(%, perhaps 600. As the boat proâ€" One priest, it was reported, conducted" ‘ . ceeded upstream, they moved from sideâ€"toâ€" services for victims; another remained on |_â€" side, careening the steamer each timeâ€"waâ€" duty at the cemetery to officiate at graveside " ter sloshing onto the lower deck. rites. Finally, they moved to one side to watch One elderly man came from Rochester, once more the occupants of passing small N.Y., to claim the bodies of his son, daughâ€" boatsâ€"two racing shells, Again the Victoria terâ€"inâ€"law and two grandchildren. Service, it careened. Constant movement had weakened was recorded, was held in. aâ€" "desolate the boiler supports. This time the boiler beâ€" house"‘ before the bodies were moved to _ _came loose, rolled over smashing the supâ€" Rochester for interment. | â€"_ports of the upper deck. _/ There was extensive newspaper coverage Hundreds tumbled headlong into the water, but neither of the London newspapers boastâ€" |__ trapped by the upper decks. Hundreds of othâ€" _ ed of its exclusive work. An exception was |__ers tossed into the river, fought their way mention by The London Advertiser that one | _ to shore. t Â¥a of its reporters was aboard the Victoria. He With one exception all the victims were was not identified in stories but a list of surâ€" | _ drowned or crus_hed to death by the wreckâ€" ‘vivors included the name "William Thompâ€" _ age. The exception was a middleâ€"aged man, son, Advertiser Reporter". Charles A. Matâ€" rescued at the time, but who died later from _ thews, night editor of the Advertiser, also | _ his injuries. He had been hurt internally. was a passenger, along with his wife and two There were legal proceedings as a CONS® _ ‘opidren. His wife and one child died in the | quence. An inquest was held but in the final tragedy. Lambert W. Payne, Free Press reâ€" | _ analysis nothing came of any of the proceedâ€" porter told of manning a pikepole the mornâ€" ing. 5 ing after the tragedy and of recovering the | The inquest jurors criticized nearly everyâ€" body of his colleague‘s (Matthew‘s) son. | _ thing possible. They found that the vessel A description of the Victoria, published at â€" â€" capsized because of water in the hold, and the time, gave this description: believed the water leaked in Un‘OUgh a hole A stern.“rhee], twoâ€"decker with hurricane stove in her bottom from an unknown cause roof, measuring over all from bow to stern | . (probably by hitting a snag or stone in the 80 feet, beam 23 feet, depth of hold three | _ siver); z feet, 10 inches. The boiler, 60 horsepower, 14 _/ That the boiler was not securely fastened:; feet in length, three and a half in diameter, That the stanchions between decks were with 90 tubs. | _ too slender and not properly braced; â€" The seats encircled both decks, affording y _ That the engincer was negligent in not _ accommodation for about 400. Height beâ€" seeing the hold was clear of water and in NOE _ tween decks seven to eight feet. The steamer telling the captain; F was supplied with lifeâ€"preservers. She was That the captain was to blame for serving registered at Port Stanley, with gross tonâ€" as both captain and wheelsman, and nage of 58, net of 38 tons. Cost was about § ’I‘l;attgh(;l;enwta};s n\07§ ?0 s_:ffiaent number of _ $5 99p, & ands a e Victoria. o ; i4 R (It is not generally known but the Thames Other stories called it of "‘match box conâ€" s :. i struction". that day c}axmed one .other v1ctuz3. A .12- W Free Press editonial said:â€"â€" year.old _ Richmond. Street boy â€" "suffered "It was a light construction, and built for cramps" while bathing in the North Branch y > A and lost his life. A companion was saved.) the most part of pine wood. It was, in truth, The tragedy effected nearly everyone in _ little else than a large scow, propelled by a the city or its suburbsâ€"the separate municiâ€" small steamâ€"engine, and carrying a large upâ€" palities of London East and London West and _ P°T deck, over which was erected a wooden the heavily populated, but not incorporated, roof, supported upon slender uprights. Under section of Westminster known as South Lonâ€" _ Ordinary circumstances the boat was safe don. In one block in the latter community, _ enhough. But it became imminently dangerâ€" six funerals were held from five homes. ous, when it had imposed upon it a top load There were few families who were not acâ€" estimated at 500 people. .. quainted with victims, many of whom were “{)1813 tlzg fat;golrtetmained[_stati;n;}ary it is hildren. probably that the latter portion of the tripâ€" £ '}‘he wellâ€"toâ€"do and the poor died in the disâ€" about one mfleâ€"would have beefl successfulâ€" aster. Victims included an exâ€"mayor and a . 1y performed but, unfortunately, that condiâ€" court official, as well as a 12â€"yearâ€"old domesâ€" tion was not observed. _ The passengers tie.. & seemed to enjoy the swaying of the boat to Some victims came from families ‘in and fro and some spoke of it as having ‘a â€" straightened circumstances. A rvelief fund _ teeter‘. The condition thus was that a slenâ€" was set up to help pay burial costs. Many derly constructed boat, intended to carry not Londoners were out of workâ€"a major indusâ€" _ more than 200 people, had a living freight of try had been burned out a few weeks earlier. 500. 5 The disaster occurred Tuesday evening. ‘"‘That it should sway and lurch was meâ€" First funeral services were held late on _ Chanically natural to the cireumstances, and Wednesday. The bulk, though, were held on _ When the motion, accelerated by the thoughtâ€" the ‘Thursday. From 7:00 in the morning un _ less conduct of some of the passengers, atâ€" til evening the corteges moved through the $é2§dBit12ha§12;’£’ g:e;nthe whole concern streets. x 2 * City works department employees had In going over, the frail timbers that had been pressed into service to assist regular _ NC!4 up the roof gave way, and, falling upon cemetery employees, in order to provide a zrl’leiléll%:lelilggrfki’t ;‘;”fl’ta“t‘e men»dwl?nll;flland sufficient number of graves. rap, and held them Undertakers sough%r assistance from disâ€" there. The collapse having begun was continâ€" trict centresâ€"both men and hearses. Someâ€"_â€"_ "°* and those packed on the main deck times drays were pressed into service to car. _ _ WC"C Similatrily entrapped to their deaths". ry the coffins; hacks (which customarily carâ€" (To be continued)