William Masson went to get his colleague a drink of water. When he came back, the boat was already crossing the river. It was the only crossing that day he did not make. On 5 April 1876, the wire ferry that connected Aberdeen to Torry capsized at the mouth of the River Dee, drowning thirty-two people. Masson, the more experienced of the two ferrymen, had been worried about the overcrowding and the fast current. He had raised his concerns. No one had listened -- or so it was later claimed.
In 1876, Aberdeen and Torry existed in different worlds despite being separated only by the River Dee. Aberdeen was a Royal Burgh on the north bank; Torry, on the south, belonged to Kincardineshire and would not be incorporated into the city until 1891. The ferry between Pocra Quay and Torry had operated for centuries, a busy and profitable route that connected two communities with no other practical crossing. The big wire-boat worked on a simple pulley system, attached by a rope to each bank and pulled across the channel without engine, sails, or rudder. On calm days, it was efficient. On days when the Dee ran fast with rain and snowmelt, it was something else entirely.
Several days of rain had swollen the Dee, and snowmelt may have added to the current. The day before the disaster, the wire-boat had been taken out of service for a time because the flow was too strong, with passengers ferried by rowing boats instead. The wire ferry itself was 25 feet long, 8 feet wide, and 2 feet deep -- tested with sixty men standing, it floated, but with no room for anyone to sit, the weight rode high. On the morning of 5 April, Masson thought the boat would be laid up for about an hour while the tide slackened. He told his colleague Kennedy that the boat was too crowded. Kennedy would later say he did not hear the warning.
The overcrowded ferry entered the new channel of the River Dee, where the current ran fastest. What happened next was swift and terrible: the boat capsized, spilling its passengers into water that was tidal, swollen, and bitterly cold. Thirty-two people drowned. They were ordinary Aberdonians -- workers, families, people making a daily crossing they had made hundreds of times before. The disaster's causes were grimly predictable: too many passengers, a fast-flowing current, and a wire rope that investigators later found had been poorly spliced. Every factor was known. Every risk had been visible. No one had acted.
Plans for a bridge to Torry had been discussed for years before the disaster, but nothing had been done. The deaths of thirty-two people provided the final impetus. Queen Victoria Bridge was formally opened on 2 July 1881, funded partly by public subscription and partly by the Corporation of Aberdeen Council. The bridge provided the direct connection between Torry and the heart of Aberdeen that the ferry had never been able to guarantee safely. In 2005, a plaque commemorating those who died was erected on the bridge -- 129 years after the capsizing that made it necessary. The River Dee still flows beneath it, still tidal, still powerful, indifferent to the history it carries.
The disaster occurred near the mouth of the River Dee at approximately 57.14N, 2.09W, close to where Queen Victoria Bridge now stands connecting Aberdeen to Torry. The river mouth and harbour are clearly visible from the air. Nearest airport: Aberdeen (EGPD), approximately 5 miles northwest.