138 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1816. 



the river, and his apprentice ; 

 but, by some accident or neglect, 

 a piece of timber was lying across 

 the sterlings of one of the arches, 

 upon which the boat's head rose, 

 and from the violence of the cur- 

 rent she tilled astern, and in- 

 stantly disappeared. 



Further Account. — The whole 

 of the party were dissenters, of 

 the independent pei'suasion ; and 

 in their passage down the river 

 were singing a hynni in the most 

 melodious style, which attracted 

 the attention of some person who 

 was then on the bridge ; but be- 

 fore he coulil obtain a view of 

 the boat, a heart-rending shriek 

 announced some dreadful catas- 

 trophe : the alarm was instantly 

 given, and many boats with great 

 promptitude put off to the bridge, 

 but not a soul was to be seen. 

 The boat had struck with such 

 violence against a spar (which, 

 by the most shameful neglect, 

 had been left completely across 

 the |)assage of the arch, without 

 any notice being given to warn 

 boats or vessels of their danger) 

 that the whole paity were preci- 

 pitated into the tide, which was 

 then rurming ilovvn with great 

 rapidity, and sunk to rise no 

 more. The boat was found at 

 some distance from the bridge, 

 bottom upwards, and partly stove 

 in. After some time, the par- 

 ticulars of the event transpired, 

 and ihe following persons proved 

 to be the sufferers : — Mr. Mills ; 

 Mrs. Mills ; their child, Eliza, 

 about 2^ years ; Mr. T. Gilbert, 

 21 ; Miss E. Gilbert (as before 

 mentioned) J Miss Brock, 11, of 

 Chatham ; Miss Morson, 9, 

 daughter of INIr. Morson, attor- 

 ney j Miss South, 12 ; and Miss 



Machet, 12, Sheerness ; Miss 

 Desbois, 10; Miss Reynolds, 6; 

 and Miss Obery, 7, London ; 

 Miss Gouge, 12, of Sittingbourn; 

 Miss Matthews, 11, Chelmsford ; 

 and Thomas Lear, the waterman. 

 The agonies of the surviving re- 

 latives is indescribable, and the 

 event has spread a gloom not 

 merely in their families, but in 

 tlie whole neighbourhood : they 

 have, however, this great con- 

 solation, that from the general 

 tenour of their lives, they were 

 not unprepared to appear before 

 their Maker. The whole of the 

 bodies, except those of Miss Mat- 

 thews and Miss Desbois, have 

 i)een found by the unremitting- 

 exertions of the watermen. Most 

 of the bodies were much bruised 

 about the head, which mnkes it 

 more than probable that the major 

 part of them received a severe 

 blow from the murderous spar 

 previous to their being thrown in 

 the water. The time the accident 

 happenL'd was 25 minutes past 

 seven o'clock in the evening. 



Lear was a skilful waterman, 

 and much respected : the inha- 

 bitants have opened a subscrip- 

 tion for his family at the bank of 

 D. II. Day. Esq, Rochester. 



An inqviisition was held at a 

 public-house in Bull-court, Brick- 

 lane, AVhitechapel, before Mr. 

 IJnwin, one of the coroners, on 

 •view of the body of John Hadley, 

 a journeyman gunsmith, whose 

 death was occasioned by his own 

 act in blowing his brains out. It 

 appeared, on examination, that 

 the deceased was a widower, left 

 with three small children, in ob- 

 scure lodgings in that court, and 

 since peace his trade fell off, and 

 for the maintenance of his faiuily 



he 



