for failing to inspect the vessel before departing that day. The jury was convinced that the boiler had been improperly fastened to the deck, and that the stanchions supporting the upper deck and the hurricane roof were too slender, being made of pine and not properly braced. The verdict found little favour in the press. One of the harshest public criticisms came from a Toronto Globe editorial: "The verdict of the coroner's jury is by no means satisfactory. The death of Miss Cooper was entirely ignored and it is impossible to discover whether the jury believed she perished as the result of carelessness or negligence of individuals. The capsizing of the boat is said to have been caused by water in the hold, a finding that in our opinion is very ill-supported by the evidence." Both Rankin and Parish were arrested on manslaughter charges upon leaving the courtroom, but later released on a $3,000 bail each. The case came before the Middlesex Grand Jury at the fall assizes which opened in London on September 10, 1881. On September 22, the grand jury handed down its verdict, refusing to indict the men, freeing both Rankin and Parish. Decline of riverboats on the Thames The disaster made Londoners extremely reluctant to support the riverboat system in London, though vessels continued to run until the turn of the century. The wreckage of the Victoria was further destroyed during salvage efforts for human remains, and wooden portions of the vessel broke apart or rotted away. For years the huge steel-plated boiler which crashed through the Victoria's hull, rested on the riverbed, and was popular among youths as a jump-off point for diving into the river. On July 12, 1883, the first of the two worst floods in London's history swept the Princess Louise over Waterworks dam, breaking her to pieces and killing 7 people. In 1899, one of the last vessels operating the river: the propeller-driven double-decked Thames, was scuttled by use of fire and sank only feet in front of Waterworks Dam. Legacy One of the few reminders of the disaster is that of a blue Ontario Heritage Plaque which sits with the painted anchor of the Victoria on the south side of the river at the site of the sinking. The plaque is located along the Terry Fox Parkway. The surrounding area where the vessel sank is today the West London suburb