At an early hour on Saturday morning, owing to the
boisterous state of the weather, and tine insecurity of the moorings, a tier of colliers and other vessels in (lurch-hole tier, broke loose and went adrift, to the great dismay of tine crews of all the shipping in the River. The tier ran foul of ether ship., and did very considerable damage. One vessel lost her bowsprit, and another had her bulwarks stove in. The small craft were also injured to a great extent, and the greatest confusion and alarm prevailed. At noon the Pool was blocked up, and even steam- vessels going up and down the River were compelled to bring up and cast anchor. About two o'clock, the Thames Dublin steam-ship, while going down the river, was stopped by the obstruction, and almost got ashore at New Crane. It was two hours before she was able to pursue her voyage. The Enterprise, Hull steamer, was placed in a similar situation, and brought up on the south side of the river, at Rotherhithe Charch.
An inquest was held on Tuesday evening, on the body of two men and a boy, who were drowned by the upsetting of a boat run down by the Princess Victoria steam-packet off Greenwich, on Saturday morning. The evidence was, as usual, very contradictory. There were nine men, besides the boy, in the boat, which was a man-of war's launch, about six or seven tons burden. They were taking an anchor, some cables, and other things, from Woolwich, to be used in launching a packet at Deptford Creek, belonging to Government. William Freeman, one of the men in the boat, and father of the boy who was drowned, gave the following account of the accident— The boat was steered towards the north shore; and on arriving off Crawley's Wharf, at the eastern end of the Royal hospital, they saw the Princess Vic- toria steamer coming, and said to the man at the helm, " What do you mean to do?" and he asked all hands which way the steamer meant to go, whether to the southward or to the northward. Witness said, " You had better go to the northward and get in- shore, and then the steamer cannot come near us." The roan hesitated to comply ; and the steamer came within three of her lengths of them, when Kiugswurth (the master of the boat) took hold of the oar and swept the boat's head round to the north shore. Witness then stood up and waved with his hand fur the steamer to go the southward, bailing them at the same time as loud as he could halloo. There a as one man on the star-
board paddle -box, and witness kept his eye on him. Ile had his hands in his pockets, and appeared to take no notice of witnesses signals. Witness then
began to be alarmed, and Kingsworth told them to " give way " (pull hard); and they all pulled as hard as they could. They were then pulling direct to the northward, and the steamer came on and struck the gunwale of the boat on the larboard side, just before the afterthwart ; and she tilled and wet down Immediately. The steamer never altered her course at all.
Several witnesses confirmed this statement. One of the men on board tine Princess Victoria said— Ile beard the Captain, who was on the larboard paddle-box, call out to the boat to pull a-head. There was a seaman on the other paddle-box. When the Captain called, the boat's head was to the southward ; anal if they had continued going they would have gone clear ; but they put tine boat's head to the northward. Witness then waved his hand to them to the northward ; but the men jumped up in the boat and left off pulling ; and one man backed the lar- board oar, which banight the boat's bead upon the steamer and occasioned the accident which took place. Witness could not say what part of the boat was struck. The steamer was stopped before the collision took place some time : the callboy had called " case her," " stop her," and " back her," which was done before the collision : if it had not been so, not a man would have been left alive, and the boat would have been broken to pieces. The, Jury found a verdict of " Manslaughter" against Captain Ro- bert 1 embawn, of the Victoria; and a warrant was issued for his arrest.
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