The Princess Alice

When the cargo ship Bywell Castle and the passenger paddle steamer SS Princess Alice collided while crossing the River Thames on September 3, 1878, between 600 and 700 persons perished in England. Both ships were found to be at blame for the collision after a subsequent investigation, and the tragedy inspired tighter guidelines for Thames navigation.

Even though it still has the dreadful record for greatest interior canal accident in Britain, the manner in which those unfortunate persons died makes it one of the most terrible maritime calamities. The Princess Alice went down at an area called Gallions Reach, right between two pipes that had just released thousands of tons of raw sewage into the water. It was well known that the Thames was a badly polluted, foul river.

"Both the taste and smell were something horrible... - having been down to the bottom and having rose again with my mouth full of it I could give a pretty excellent image of it - it was the most horrid water I ever tasted," one survivor recalled.

Date: September 3, 1878

Deaths: 600 ~700