THE TABLET
A Weekly Newspaper and Review
D u m VO B IS G R A TU L AM U R , AN IM O S E T IA M ADDIM U S U T IN INCCEPTIS V E S TR IS CON S TAN TER M AN EA Y IS .
From the B r ie f o f His Holiness Pius lX . to The T ablet, June 4, 1870.'
Vol. 52. No. 2004. L ondon, S e p t e m b e r 7, 1878.
p*«* Sd. bv post
[R e g is tered a t th e G en e r a l P ost O f f ic e a s a N ew spaper.
C hronicle o f t h e Week
Paqe
The Chatham and Dover Railway Accident. — The Collision off Woolwich.— Catholics and School Boards.— Release of Fenian Convicts.— Mr. Mundella at Sheffield. — The Eurydice.— Thiers’ Anniversary. — The Anniversary of Sedan.—The German and Dutch Schisms.— The Kissingen Negotiations. — The Rhodope Commission. — Batoum. — The Campaign in Bosnia.— Gorres Association.— The Prince Imperial.— Boulogne Harbour. — Caste in India. — Bathos. — Nubar Pasha and our Asian Protectorate . . 289
CONTENTS.
L ea d e r s :
Page
The Thiers Anniversary .. .. 293 The Eve of the Reichstag ._. 293 The Handicap School Race in
Ireland . . . . .. .. 294 Accidents . . . . . . _ . . 295 On Certain Inconsistencies of
Ritualists.— IV. . . . . . . 296 Conques and the Premonstratensians 297 R ev iew s :
The Quarterly Review . . . . 298 Sir Walter S c o t t .........................299 S hort N otices ;
Poverty in India .. . . . . 299 Unravelled Convictions . . . . 299 Fickle Fortune . . . . . . 300
Short N otices (Continued):
The Pan-Anglican Synod before
Page
“ St. Augustine’s Chair.” .. 300 Mosses .. .. .. .. 300 Alphabetical Handbook for Eng
land and Wales . . .. .. 300 Magazines for September.. . . 300 C o r r e s pond e n c e :
Has Dr. Pusey been Misrepre
sented ? . . . . .. .. 301 Perversions of Ecclesiastical His
tory . . . . .. . . 301 St. Patrick’s Institute for Boys . . 301 Barnet ........................ .. 301 Board Schools . . . . . . 302 St. Michael’s, Birmingham . . 302 The Sisters of the Good Shepherd,
C a r d i f f ........................ .. 302
I r e lan d :—
Letter from our own Correspondent . . . .
Page
303
R ome :— Letter from our own
Correspondent . . . . . . 305 D io cesan N ews Westminster......................... . . 30S
Beverley . . .. .. .. 307 Hexham and Newcastle . . . . 307 L i v e r p o o l ...................................... 307 Foreign N ews ;—
France . . .........................308 G e r m a n y ...................................... 308 New South Wales . . . . .. 309 The Insurrection in New Cale
donia . . . . . . . . 309 General N ews . . . . ... 310
RAILWAY ACCIDENT. T
CHRONICLE OF THE WEEK . THE CHATHAM AND DOVER
HE history of the week is saddened by the occurrence of two terrible accidents in the vicinity of the tronised at water. The metropolis, both in holiday excursions, this period of the first in point of time connexion with the so extensively payear by land and was the railway accident at Sittingbourne, which has resulted in the death of five persons, and the infliction of injuries more or less severe upon some forty others. It appears that an ordinary fast excursion train from Ramsgate to London while passing through Sittingbourne station came into collision with some trucks of a goods train, which in place of being shunted on to a siding, were by mismanagement sent on to the up line in front of the train just then coming into sight. The fatal error having been committed, there was no time to remedy it, or do anything to avert the awful consequences. The engine of the advancing train struck the goods trucks sideways, cutting one of them completely through, and being itself thrown off the metals, and brought to a stand still by the front wheels being imbedded firmly in the earth. The train of carriages attached to it was completely wrecked, those nearest the tender being entirely demolished. The distressing scenes usual after a railway collision followed, and the banks of the railway were soon covered with the passengers who had been rescued from the debris, many of whom were shockingly mutilated. On Monday the inquest upon the bodies of the five persons killed in this sad accident was commenced, and the jury have returned a verdict of manslaughter against the two guards of the goods train, the negligence attributed to the one consisting in his giving the signal to the driver of the goods train to back his engine and give the trucks the necessary “ knock ” without previously seeing that the points had been properly set, while the other appears to have moved the points which ought not to have been touched.
THE COLLISION
off WOOLWICH.
The terrible accident on the London, Chatham and Dover Railway was closely followed by a still more dreadful disaster on the river. On Tuesday evening the saloon steamer
Princess Alice, while returning to London from Sheerness with a full freight of passengers, was run into and sunk by the screw collier Bywell Castle. The tale of this appalling catastrophe may be told in a very few words. The ill-fated vessel had reached a bend in the river about a mile below Woolwich, and was steaming slowly against an ebb tide, when a large iron screw' steamer hove suddenly in sight, and within a few seconds the two vessels had come into collision. The Bywell Castle struck the Princess Alice heavily on the
New Series, V ol. XX. No. 513.
port quarter, immediately in front of the paddle box, literally cutting her in half and causing her to sink in deep water within the space of a few moments. The scene that ensued was indescribably awful, and must have made upon those who witnessed it an impression never to be effaced. In the first accounts it was surmised that after the terrible occurrence the Bywell Castle had proceeded on her course without any effort to render assistance. Happily that was not so. She stopped at once, lowered her boats, threw over her life buoys, and took all measures possible for the saving of life. There happened to be a few shore boats in the vicinity, which rendered all the assistance they could. Unfortunately it was but little that could be done, the greater number of the ill-fated excursionists being as it were imprisoned, as was the case of the crew of the Eurydice, and borne down in the sinking vessel. The steamer Duke of Teck, belonging to the same Company, was on the scene in about ten minutes after the catastrophe; but when she arrived the only service she could render was to bring on shore the few survivors and the dead bodies which were on board the Bywell Castle. In those few moments hundreds of human beings had been hurried into eternity. The loss of life is fearful, and probably unparalleled in the record of similar misfortunes. It was at first estimated at 500, but there is too much reason to fear that even that large number falls short of the reality. Only about a hundred are known to have been saved, while it is estimated that more than 700 persons were on board the Princess Alice when the collision took place. An event so terrible in its surroundings, and involving so great a loss of life, is well calculated to move the public mind to feelings of awe, and assumes the proportions of a national calamity. No one can estimate the sufferings of so many homes suddenly made desolate, and no doubt public sympathy will come promptly to the aid of those who may require assistance. There will be of course an inquest, and a strict inquiry into the cause of the accident, and the important question of how far it was preventible, and who is to blame for the occurrence of the collision, and the enormous loss of life which followed. As to the cause of the collision itself the first thing that suggests itself to the mind is, that one or other of the vessels must have disregarded the “ rule of the road,” and thereby incurred the responsibility of the awful consequences which ensued. No doubt this point will be cleared up. At present we have the statement entered in the log of the Bywell Castle, which is to the effect that, “ seeing the excursion steamer coming up Barking Reach, showing her red and masthead lights, we (the By well Castle) ported our helm to keep over towards Tripcork point. As the vessels neared we observed that the other steamer had ported, and immediately afterwards saw that she had starboarded, and was
