The Victoria Day Disaster - Shipwrecks and Sea Dogs

On May 24, 1881, the steamboat Victoria was transporting passengers on the Thames River between London, Ontario, Canada and Waterworks Park in nearby Byron. It was a beautiful spring day, and the Victoria had already made several round trips, taking locals back and forth along the river on their holiday excursions. When another steamboat, the Forest City, became grounded, and another, the Princess Louise, provided assistance, the Victoria was left to transport the remaining passengers.

Around 5:00 pm, the Victoria made its final stop at Waterworks Park, where a throng of passengers awaited a boat to take them back to town. The boat was designed for 220 seated passengers, and another 250 or so standing passengers. But over 600 rushed into the boat, eager to get home.

The boat became unstable, listing and rocking back and forth. Shortly after departing, passengers rushed to one side of the boat to see two rowers racing each other. The rocking of the boat dislodged its boiler from its mounting, and it crashed into the support stanchions supporting the upper deck. The upper deck crashed down on those below, and the Victoria quickly sank. An estimated 180-200 passengers were killed in one of the worst maritime tragedies in Canadian history.

Gallery

A paddlewheel steamboat with two decks on a river. — The steamboat Victoria was a flat-bottomed, sternwheel paddlesteamer.

A photo of a double decker steamboat leaving the dock — The Last Voyage of the Victoria, May 24, 1881.

A drawing of a sunken steamboat, with another waiting in the background. — An illustration showing just the upper portion of the Victoria visible, with the Princess Louise nearby.

A depiction of the sinking Victoria in the shallow waters of the Thames.

The blue plaque in Springbank Park commemorating the Victoria steamboat disaster. — This blue Ontario Heritage Plaque in memory of the accident is located on the south side of the Thames River, near the site of the wreck.

The recovered anchor of the Victoria rests next to the blue Ontario Heritage plaque.

A calm river lined with trees. — Springbank Park is a beautiful linear park along the Thames River in London, Ontario.

Sources

Simner, Marvin L. London’s First Summer Resort: The Waterworks Region in Springbank Park. The London and Middlesex Historian, Volume 25. Western University, Psychology Department. 2016.

https://www.heritagetrust.on.ca/plaques/victoria-boat-disaster-1881