If you think times are hard now read on....

[ChrisE]

In The Times today, in the weather section, there is an account of a collision off the Isle of Wight 90 years ago.

A troop ship, which had sailed up from Pretoria, was mown down by a liner in thick fog. The liner, three times the size of the troop ship, was going at full speed and not issuing any fog signals. It cut the troop ship in half which went down in 20 minutes and 600+ went to a watery grave.

The liner's master was found responsible and had his ticket removed for a year....

 

[Pinnacle]

.......only a year.......???? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[tcm]

Actually I didn't think times were hard these days. There was a telly program about the flooding of Norfolk in the early fifties. Hundreds of people just had their homes knocked over otherwise wrecked - with no couselling or benefits afterwards, they just dusted themselves off and carried on.

 

[reginaldon]

Counselling was unheard of until the last 20 odd years now even PCs who've witnessed some nasty event are offered it.

 

[Sans Bateau]

[ QUOTE ]
Hundreds of people just had their homes knocked over otherwise wrecked - with no couselling or benefits afterwards, they just dusted themselves off and carried on.

[/ QUOTE ]

Well did they just dust themselves off? I do sometimes wonder if the people of yesteryear were in fact so resilient. Whilst they may have publicly shown strength, when I consider my elderly relatives, there is a tendency for them to keep quiet and suffer in silence, it's what they did in 'those day'.

Didn't make the suffering any less though.

 

[tcm]

I am sure they suffered, and wasn't belittling that or anyothr event. But I don't think the idea even popped into their head that they could claim compensation, for example.

 

[Sans Bateau]

Hell no! Compensation was not even understood, I'm sure.

 

[tcm]

dunno about the uk, but friends who run a restaurant on the south coast of france had their shed-like extrnal bit of restaurant swept away by a storm a few years ago. Bit of campaigning and it was declared a Disaster Zone, hence nice EC grant, so they fixed it up themselves cheap and went on hol to the caribbean with the money. Heyho.

 

[tangofour]

Hell the troopship master should have been given a medal!

Anyone who can get a troopship from Pretoria to ANYWHERE needs some sort of commendation. Pretoria is about 600km in a straight line from the nearest ocean and thats ignoring the 2500' high mountains in the way ( on the upside, the downside is more like 4000, its a BIG escarpment ). I suppose he could have dragged the ship north to the Limpopo or perhaps even the Zambezi but I somehow doubt it even given the supply of cheap labour in South Africa 90 years ago Getting the boat 10000 miles and then getting hit by a damn pleasure boat after all of that must really have made his day!

 

[ChrisE]

Erm, senior moment there, for Pretoria read Cape Town...

 

[ParaHandy]

should think so, too ... efter Brits signed treaty of vereniging in 02 and hoiked them out of pretoria, i can't see an auld Boer like you getting something like that wrong .. erm ...

 

[ChrisE]

Lookee here, who rattled your zimmer?

 

[Slow_boat]

[ QUOTE ]
Actually I didn't think times were hard these days. There was a telly program about the flooding of Norfolk in the early fifties. Hundreds of people just had their homes knocked over otherwise wrecked - with no couselling or benefits afterwards, they just dusted themselves off and carried on.

[/ QUOTE ]

It's proof of global warming in action. Increase all taxes, that'll sort it.