One of the great tragedies on the Clyde occurred on Tuesday July 3, 1883, when the small steamer Daphne capsized during launch at the yard of Messrs Alexander Stephen & Sons, in Govan. For this article, I have transcribed the account of the tragedy from the Glasgow Herald from the following day as the most immediate response to the unexpected event and its impact on Clydeside. The first part is the editorial leader, the second the disaster as recounted by the reporters. The article finishes with some of the grim statistics and the conclusions of the subsequent inquiry into the incident. “Wednesday Morning, July 4.—The river Clyde was, yesterday was the scene of a terrible disaster, involving a lamentable loss of life. A small vessel, the Daphne, of about 500 tons, was being launched from the yard of Messrs Stephen & Sons, Govan, when, just as she entered the water, she heeled...