A terrible catastrophe happened at H.M.S. Albion by the Duchess of York. Blackwall last week at the launching of As the great vessel glided from the slip there was an enormous backwash and the tush of water was so great that it submerged a platform which was crowded with men, women, and children—it carried away and' the unfortunate spectators wera washed into the water with the' result that 34 were drowned. Most strangely the Duke and Duchess did not hear ofthe accident until after their return. home as the shrieks of the poor drowning creatures were simultaneous with the cheers of thousands who were watching the ship leave the slip, while bands were likewise playing. Their dismay when they heard of the awful tragedy they had so neatly wita may be better imagined than described.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.