2-981-883 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

The Collision in Dover Bay: the Franconia backing from the Strathclyde, 1876. 'The Strathclyde, of Glasgow, an iron steam-ship bound from London to Bombay, was run into by the Franconia, a German steamer from Hamburg, going to Havre and New York. The Strathclyde sank in a few minutes...There were seventy persons on board...The captain, John Dodd Eaton, ordered the boats to be got out, but one of them was swamped, and many persons were thrown into the sea...[In] Captain Eaton's account of the disaster, in his evidence at the inquest...[he said] "She struck us stern on, between the beam and the quarter. The result of the blow was to cut into our vessel about four feet...Some of the gentlemen who were on the bridge were washed overboard as well as the boat with the ladies...No assistance whatever was rendered from the steamer that ran us down; not even a rope was thrown".' From "Illustrated London News", 1876.