River Dee ferryboat disaster

Thirty two people drowned in the mouth of the River Dee, Aberdeenshire, Scotland when their ferry boat capsized.

[1] The city of Aberdeen lies at the mouth of the River Dee in North East Scotland.

In 1876 the Royal Burgh of Torry was distinct from Aberdeen and was found on the south bank of the river.

At the time of the accident, the big ferry boat was operated by a pulley system, attached by a rope to each river bank.

It was fitted with a large wheel and two friction rollers for the wire that was strung across the river and would carry eight tons.

[2] The ferry was licensed by the city council to carry thirty two people, however this was an old agreement and had not been updated for the new, larger wire-boat.

The previous day the wire-boat was not run for a time due to the fast current, and journeys were made by row boats instead.

Policemen had been drafted in by Alexander Kennedy, the tacksman and leaseholder of the ferry route because the day was expected to be busy.

He testified that he thought the wire-boat would be laid up for about an hour to allow the current to slow when the tide slackened.

Other small craft came to the aid of those in the water, but the larger ferry boats were too high on the beach to be launched quickly.

A full list of missing and rescued people was published in the Aberdeen Journal on 12 April.

Witnesses reported that the river was flowing very fast, and that the wire-boat was more at risk than those being rowed across the water.