Lot 33W
A diorama waterline model of the paddle steamer Princess Alice
8 October 2014, 14:00 BST
London, Knightsbridge£500 - £700
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A diorama waterline model of the paddle steamer Princess Alice
hull from solid timber, painted black to the waterline and pink below, with gilt gunwale and rails. Varnished decks, with white paddle boxes and varnished superstructure. Open bridge and scale figures of crew. Set on a moulded, painted paper sea against a painted riverside backdrop, with an engraved label Model of the PS Princess Alice sunk in the river Thames Total loss of life 650 September 1878, the case
45x17x8ins(114x43x20cm).
Footnotes
The paddle excursion steamer Princess Alice launched in 1865, was the unfortunate subject of one of the worst maritime disasters on the Thames. Owned by the Woolwich Steam Packet Company, she made regular excursions from London Bridge to Gravesend and back, carrying hundreds of Londoners to Rosherville Pleasure Gardens. On the evening of September 3rd 1878 she was returning from a "moonlight trip" to Gravesend when she was in collision with the collier Bywell Castle in Gallions Reach near Woolwich. The paddle steamer was cut in two by the collier and sank in less than four minutes. Of the 700 passengers on board, over 640 perished in the polluted waters of the Thames, many of whom were never identified.