sandbar by use of cables, which proved nearly impossible. Rankin called to the skipper of the Forest City, asking how long the vessel had been aground, to which he was answered that the vessel had been caught there about half an hour prior. The Princess Louise remained in London at the scene of the trouble to assist the Forest City, placing remaining responsibility of transporting passengers between the ports on the river on the Victoria, further spelling disaster in regards to overcrowding. Instead of awaiting scheduled departure, Rankin opted to immediately return to Byron to pick up more passengers, but not before trying to convince the Princess Louise to help ferry passengers back to London, to no avail. Rankin and his crew made some attempts to tell those awaiting ferries at the docks that his vessel was overcrowded, but little concern was taken by those boarding the vessels, and the Victoria became overcrowded almost right away. Locals were not worried about the vessels noticeable draught being lower than usual, and many joked about the river being too shallow for any danger to occur, and noting a previous apparent event where the Victoria had been grounded attempting to pass over a tin can lying on the riverbed. John Drennan, a reporter for the London Advertiser, was standing aboard the Victoria's lower deck when he stated his concern over the rocking of the vessel as she sailed. A father who was aboard with his two daughters overheard him, remarking that even if she capsized, passengers could simply wade ashore. Minutes later Drennan would see the man's daughters be swept under the sinking vessel. On the last voyage of the evening, the Victoria loaded her passengers at the Byron dock. Many were eager to get home to London, and opted to take the fifteen-cent boat ride up the river. The docks were packed full of people at the time. Upon casting out of the dock, she was already taking in small amounts of water in her hull, which washed over the lower deck. Passengers had begun to disembark even during the voyage, some of which upon noting the dangerous rocking of the vessel, dove into the river and swam ashore. The Princess Louise, which had finally turned back down the river to pick up more passengers in Byron, passed the Victoria in the river, and the Victoria's passengers rushed to the close side