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On this day in 1878:
The Sinking of the Princess Alice.
On September 3rd 1878, the steamer Princess Alice was making a daytrip from Swan Pier near London Bridge to Gravesend and Sheerness.
She was carrying hundreds of sightseeing Londoners
At around 7.40pm, she had completed most of the return journey.
As she turned into Galleons Reach. She was not far from the North Woolwich Pier, where many passengers were to leave the vessel.
The Bywell Castle, a far larger vessel of 890 tons, was leaving the area after a repaint.
The captain of the Princess Alice became confused about the collier's intended course. Suddenly he changed direction and brought the paddle steamer into the path of the oncoming collier.
When the ships were about 400 metres apart, the Bywell Castle reversed her engines as it's captain realised what was about to happen, but it was too late. The collier struck the Princess Alice near her starboard paddle wheel. The Princess Alice split in two and sank in under four minutes.
Confused by the collision and sudden sinking, the survivors found themselves in the dark, and in a river full of pollutants and sewage. Few Victorians could swim, and the clothes worn at the time made swimming even more difficult, especially for the women.
Nearly 500 bodies were recovered in the first week after the collision.
The exact number of deaths was never known, but it is thought that around 640 people died on that tragic day.