Repro ID: H4339
Title: Side view of the Atlas hospital ship during the big freeze of February 1895.
Description: In January and February 1895, a severe cold spell created huge ice flows on the Thames. Although the river did not freeze over, the ice played havoc with the workings of the port and other vital services that relied on the river. This picture shows the 'Atlas' hospital ship in Long Reach, where the Thames was 800 metres wide. The ice was so bad, the ambulance steamers could not move smallpox patients out to the hospital ships for over two weeks. Had a major smallpox epidemic broken out at the time, the consequences could have been disastrous for London.
Creator: Unknown
Date: February 1895
Credit line: National Maritime Museum, London
