Disasterous Gems

McGonagall's most famous work describes a railway accident, and his name has been linked with disasters and catastrophes ever since. Whilst the poems on this site should demonstrate that his range of poetic subjects was much greater, the penchant for such calamities is clearly shown below:

Railway Disasters

Then, as now, the railway was one of the safest ways to travel. Rail accidents had a big impact, especially on McGonagall's career.

The Tay Bridge Disaster

Disasters at Sea

Travel aboard ship was a dangerous business in McGonagall's day. A veteran of a couple of long sea voyages himself, McGonagall would have been well aware of the perils of life aboard ship, whilst news of sinkings in Dundee's fishing and whaling fleets must have been pretty constant in the local papers.

The Wreck of the Steamer "London" while on her way to Australia The Wreck of the "Thomas Dryden" in Pentland Firth Grace Darling or The Wreck of the "Forfarshire" A Tale of the Sea The Wreck of the Barque "Wm. Paterson" of Liverpool Wreck of the Schooner "Samuel Crawford" The Burning of the Steamer "City of Montreal" The Wreck of the Whaler "Oscar" The Collision in the English Channel The Wreck of the Steamer "Stella" The Wreck of the Steamer "Storm Queen" The Wreck of the "Abercrombie Robinson" The Loss of the "Victoria" The Burning of the Ship "Kent" The Wreck of the "Indian Chief" The Wreck of the Barque "Lynton" An Excursion Steamer Sunk in the Tay The Kessack Ferry-Boat Fatality The Wreck of the Steamer Mohegan The Wreck of the "Columbine"

Fire Disasters

In an era reliant on gas lighting, fire was a constant danger. Dundee, with its warehouses full of textiles, was particularly threatened, and there were several spectacular conflagrations during McGonagall's time there.

The Clepington Catastrophe Burning of the Exeter Theatre The Miraculous Escape of Robert Allan, the Fireman Calamity in London The Burning of the People's Variety Theatre, Aberdeen The Disastrous Fire at Scarborough

Natural Disasters

The Great Yellow River Inundation In China
The Terrific Cyclone of 1893
The Pennsylvania Disaster

Other Disasters

The Sunderland Calamity
The Albion Battleship Calamity

McGonagall was also moved to write about several disasterous battles in his military works.