After floodwaters had seriously weakened the Victoria Bridge in February 1896 the ferry Pearl under Captain James Chard was brought in to convey commuters across the Brisbane River. On 13 February, with floodwaters swirling fiercely downstream, Chard had considerable difficulty keeping his vessel under control; on one occasion the ferry actually brushed against the davits of the steamship Normanby which was anchored close by. Late in the afternoon the Pearl was filled to capacity as yet another difficult crossing was made, but this time disaster struck when the ferry hit the stern of the Normanby and Chard ordered the engineer to shut down the engines.
