1830 — Sep 16 or 17, sidewheel William Peacock steam pipe breaks, Lake Erie ~Buffalo, NY– 15

— 15 Blanchard estimated death-toll and note on date of loss.*

–15-30 Swayze. Shipwreck!…Directory of…3,700 Shipwrecks on the Great Lakes. 1992, p. 185.
— 15 Buffalo Journal. “Melancholy Disaster,” Sep 22, in Cleveland Weekly Herald, 9-30-1830, 2.
— 15 Mansfield, John Brandts (Editor). History of the Great Lakes (Vol. 1). 1899, p. 610
— 15 McNeil. “William Peacock…steam-pipe broke, 17 Sep 1830.” Maritime History…Great Lakes.
— 15 Thompson, Mark L. Graveyard of the Lakes. 2006, p. 95.
— 15 Western Historical Company. History of St. Clair County, Michigan, 1883, p. 434.
— 14 Mills. Our Inland Seas, their Shipping and Commerce for Three Centuries. 1910, 108.
— 14 Morrison John Harrison. History of American Steam Navigation, 1908, pp. 367-368.
— 10 Buffalo Journal editors, letter of Sep 17 published in Savannah Georgian, 9-30-1830, 9.
— 10 Cleveland Weekly Herald, OH. “Dreadful Steamboat Explosion.” 9-23-1839, p.3, col. 2.
— >10 Genius of Liberty, Leesburg, VA. 10-9-1830, p. 4, col. 1 (cites Niles, DC).
— 10 Sandusky Clarion, OH. “Postscript.” 9-18-1830, p. 3, col. 3.

* Blanchard estimated death-toll and note on date of loss. As one can see there is a range of reported losses – 10, 14, 15, and 15-30. We view the detailed losses described in the Buffalo Journal of Sep 22 to be definitive as to 15 deaths.

We have looked through a number of newspaper reports or mentions of this event in papers at the time (some of which we cite herein) and have found no report noting more than fifteen lives lost. Swayze does not cite the sources he used for his description and report of 15-30 lives lost, only that he had four sources. Finding no other sources ourselves noting more than fifteen lives lost, we cannot support this death-toll range.

As for the date of loss, we have highlighted below in yellow the conflicting dates, with some noting September 16 and others September 17. It is not the dating used by writers of books in years after this event that concern me. It is the conflicting dates of loss coming from Buffalo papers or from communication with members of the William Peacock when it made port after resuming its trip to the west, which give us pause. These reports differ in the dating of the loss – either the 16th or 17th. We cannot judge one as definitive and the other as inaccurate in some way, and have been unable to locate a source which would seemingly settle the matter.

Narrative Information

Mansfield: “…Events of 1830….September 16: Steamboat William Peacock, Captain Fleeharty, explodes, about four miles from Buffalo. Fifteen lives lost.” (Mansfield, John Brandts (Ed. and Compiler). History of the Great Lakes (Vol. 1). Chicago: J.H. Beers & Co., 1899, p. 610.)

Mills: “…the William Peacock was built by Asa Standart for the Lake Erie service. She was one hundred and two feet in length, nineteen feet, six inches beam, and seven feet, six inches depth. On September 16, 1829 [sic], a steam pipe burst in a gale, and fourteen passengers lost their lives.”
(Mills. Our Inland Seas. 1910, p. 108.)

Morrison: “In 1829, there was built at Portland harbor, Chautauqua County, New York, the ‘William Peacock,’ by Asa Standart…Length, 102 feet, 19 feet beam, and 7 feet 6 inches depth of hold. The vessel was originally fitted with a low-pressure engine, built at Troy, N. Y., but after running one season this was removed and one on the high-pressure principle, built by Stackhouse & Tomlinson, at Pittsburg, Pa., erected in its place, with four boilers under the deck. On September 16th of the same year, as the vessel was leaving Buffalo harbor for Detroit with a heavy head sea running, her steam pipe broke, there being no slip joint in the pipe, resulting in the loss of fourteen lives—all passengers….” (Morrison. History of American Steam Navigation. 1908, pp. 367-368.)

Swayze: “William Peacock. Wooden sidewheel passenger and package freight steamer of 120 t. [tones], launched in 1829 at Barcelona, NY…The small steamer William Peacock had the dubious distinction of being the first steamer on Lake Erie to be destroyed in a boiler explosion [sic]. On September 17, 1830, she was lying tied to her wharf at Buffalo [sic] when a violent explosion ripped her boiler and steam piping apart and set the ship ablaze [sic]. Several men in her engineering spaces sere scalded to death [?], and a number of passengers perished in the fire [sic]. Estimates of the death toll range from 15 to 30.” (Swayze. Shipwreck!…Directory of…Shipwrecks…Great Lakes. 1992, 185.) [Please refer to newspaper reporting of the time below which differs significantly in several respects from this reporting.]

Thompson: “The safety of passengers on steamboats was not a major issue until 1830. Some of the early steamboats grounded or sank, to be sure, but sailing vessels also had a long history of such casualties – they were accepted hazards for anyone traveling by ship. All that changed in June 1830, however, when the steamer Adelaide’s boiler exploded on a run across Lake Erie, killing three of those aboard. An even more serious accident occurred the following September when the boiler on the steamer William Peacock exploded shortly after she left the dock at Buffalo. The explosion killed fifteen person aboard the ship, mainly immigrants.” (Thompson 2006, p. 95.)

Western Historical Company: “William Peacock, 120 [tons], Barcelona, 1829 [built], exploded, killing 15 persons, on Lake Erie, 1830.)

Newspapers

Sep 17 letter published Sep 30: “The rumour, noticed yesterday, of the occurrence of a fatal steamboat disaster on Lake Erie, is confirmed. The following letter from the editors of the Buffalo Journal contains all the particulars which have yet been received: —

Office of the Buffalo Journal,
September 17th, 1830 – 4 o’clk., P.M.

‘Gentlemen – A terrible disaster occurred here this morning, the particulars of which so far as we have been able to learn them, are detailed below.

‘The steamboat William Peacock left this port at 9 o’clock, for Detroit, and when about four miles outside the light-house, a joint in the pipe, which conveys steam from the boilers to the cylinder, gave way, which instantly discharged the entire head of steam into a steerage cabin, which is upon deck. The apartment was thronged with steerage passengers, mostly women and children, and the scene which ensued is not to be described.

‘As the boat had just left port, the names of the passengers, generally, had not been entered; and no perfect list of the sufferers, therefore, can, at this time, be made. The following persons, or their families, are among the sufferers, viz:

Mr. Isaac Palmer, of Dover, Windham county, Vermont – four children scalded, two are already dead, the third dangerous, and the fourth slightly injured.

Mr. William Johnson, of the same place – one child dead, wife and one child dangerous.

Mr. John Parker, of York, Livingston county, N.Y. – three children dangerously scalded.

Mr. E. Davitz, a Swiss emigrant – wife and daughter dangerous, himself not dangerous.

‘This is all we can learn of names, with certainty, though the disaster is known to be more extensive. Two infant children were found dead, that have not yet been recognized, nor can their parents be found. Several passengers are confident that one man and one woman jumped overboard, the latter dreadfully scalded, and it is not improbable that the little sufferers were hers.

‘We have delayed writing until the mail is about to be closed, that we might collect as many particulars as possible – well knowing the anxiety that would be felt by friends, and the great uncertainty that usually attaches to flying rumors of a disaster like this.’

“Another letter states that at eleven o’clock, ten were ascertained to be dead and missing.

“The noise of the steam drowned the cries of the sufferers so that at first it was thought that no injury was sustained. The boat was full of passengers, and it is wonderful that so few were injured.” (Savannah Georgian. “Steamboat Disaster.” 9-30-1830, p. 9, col. 1-2.)

Sep 18: “Saturday [Sep 18], 10 o’clock, A.M. The steam-boat William Peacock, arrived here [Sandusky] this morning, and brings the melancholy intelligence, that shortly after leaving Buffalo, of Thursday morning last [16th?], one of her steam pipes burst, and eighteen persons were scalded – six of whom died immediately, and three more died soon after reaching Buffalo, to which place the boat returned after the accident. We understand that some – perhaps most of the sufferers – were emigrants. It is said that one woman who lost two children (twins) became frantic in consequence of her bereavement, and jumped overboard, and was drowned. These particulars are hastily collected, and may not be entirely correct.” (Sandusky Clarion, OH. “Postscript.” 9-18-1830, p. 3, col. 3.)

Sep 22: “We [Cleveland Weekly Herald, OH] last week mentioned the disaster of the Steam-Boat Wm. Peacock, but had not room to give the particulars, which we now take from the Buffalo Journal of the 22nd inst.

Melancholy Disaster. – After witnessing the continued navigation of Lake Erie, by steam, for more than ten years, it now falls our lot, for the first time, to record a most distressing casualty that has occurred on board one of the boats upon its waters.

The Steam-Boat William Peacock, Capt. Fleeharty, on Thursday [Sep 16] last, left port for Detroit at 9 o’clock A.M. with upwards of one hundred people on board, most of whom were emigrating to the wild regions of the west, when about four miles outside the light-house, the pipe which conveys steam from the boilers to the cylinder, gave way just above the deck, and within a small cabin occupied by steerage passengers. This apartment being near the boilers and consequently warm, was thronged by women and children, as the morning was raw and uncomfortable, and the entire head of steam was discharged among them so suddenly as to leave no time for escape….The sufferers were three children of Mr. John Parker of Livingston Co., in this state; the wife and two children of Mr. William Johnson, of Dover, Windham Co. Vt.; three children of Mr. Isaac Palmer from the same place; Mr. E. Davitz Swiss emigrant, his wife and daughter; Mrs. Curiveau and her two children; and a Mrs. Hopkinson, an elderly lady from Ohio. Of all these none are now living except Mrs. Davitz and Mrs. Hopkinson, both of whom were so slightly injured a to be now considered out of danger. Mrs. Curiveau, in the first agony of her suffering, spring overboard; and a man, whose name is unknown, followed her from fight alone, as he had not been injured. The bodies of these two have not been found – the remainder of the dead have all been interred here.

The total of this melancholy catalogue is as follows:

Dead, from scalding, 13
Do [ditto] drowned 2
Total 15
Slightly injured, and recovering 2

So Mournful and unexpected an event naturally caused much and deep sensation in the minds of our populace; and this, at the moment, engendered many rumors and surmises, to the prejudice of the owners of the boat and others immediately connected . All these rumors we have been at much pains to investigate, and so far as we can learn, the casualty is one of the class which occur in all pursuits of life, without a possibility of being foreseen or prevented. We examined the fractured pipe; it was slightly burnt in braying when made, but no inclination of this was visible upon the surface, nor do we see how the fact could have been known, even to the maker. Confident we are that when in its place, it was impossible for anyone to discover the approach of danger until the rupture actually commenced. The safety valve was within a few feet of the break, and the engineer had visited this but a moment before, at which time no defect was visible in the pipe that failed.

Every attention was paid to the sufferers, by the owners of the boat; and by our citizens generally; and the exertions of several of our professional Gentlemen have been constant an unremitted from the first. The boat was repaired the same day, and in the evening again sailed for Detroit.

Cleveland Weekly Herald
Thursday, September 30, 1830 [p.2, col. 4-5.]

(Buffalo Journal. “Melancholy Disaster,” Sep 22, in Cleveland Weekly Herald, 9-30-1830, 2, col. 4-5, transcribed by William R. McNeil in Maritime History of the Great Lakes.)

Sep 23: “The Steam-boat William Peacock left Buffalo on the 17th inst. With about 100 passengers, and when about three miles out, the flange of her connecting pipe, which came in close contact with the steerage cabin, gave way, and the whole volume of steam from the boiler entered that cabin where there were about 20 persons, mostly women and children. We have not room to give the details which are shocking. Ten persons are dead and more are expected to die; their names were Mrs. Curiveau & two children, Miss parker, Mrs. Johnson and two children from Dover, Vt. For Ohio; three children of Mr. Palmer; an old lady from Ohio, is injured, but will recover.” (Cleveland Weekly Herald, OH. “Dreadful Steamboat Explosion.” 9-23-1839, p.3, col. 2. Transcribed by William R. McNeil in Maritime History of the Great Lakes.)

Oct 9: “The steam boat William Peacock exploded on Lake Erie, near Buffalo, on the 17th last – or rather a joint in the pipe that conveyed the steam to the cylinder gave way, and discharge the steam among the passengers! – At least ten persons were instantly scalded to death, or were missing, and a number of others had suffered dreadfully.” (Genius of Liberty, Leesburg, VA. 10-9-1830, p. 4, col. 1.)

Sources

Genius of Liberty, Leesburg, VA. 10-9-1830, p. 4, col. 1. Accessed 1-4-2021 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/leesburg-genius-of-liberty-oct-09-1830-p-4/

Mansfield, John Brandts (Ed. and Compiler). History of the Great Lakes (Vol. 1). Chicago: J.H. Beers & Co., 1899. Google digitized. Accessed 1-4-2021 at: http://books.google.com/books?id=iHXhAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_v2_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q=&f=false

McNeil, William R. “William Peacock (Steamboat), steam-pipe broke, 17 Sep 1830.” Maritime History of the Great Lakes. Accessed 1-4-2021 at: https://images.maritimehistoryofthegreatlakes.ca/50774/data?n=6

Mills, James Cooke. Our Inland Seas, Their Shipping and Commerce for Three Centuries. Chicago, A. C. McClurg & Co., 1910. Digitized by Microsoft. Accessed 12-18-2020 at: http://www.archive.org/details/ourinlandseasthe00milluoft

Morrison, John Harrison. History of American Steam Navigation. New York: W. F. Sametz & Co., Inc., 1908, 653 pages. Digitized by Google. Accessed 1-4-2021 at: http://books.google.com/books?id=Q5tDAAAAIAAJ&printsec=toc&source=gbs_v2_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q=&f=false

Sandusky Clarion, OH. “Postscript.” 9-18-1830, p. 3, col. 3. Accessed 1-4-2021 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/sandusky-clarion-sep-18-1830-p-3/

Savannah Georgian. “Steamboat Disaster.” 9-30-1830, p. 9, col. 1-2. Accessed 1-4-2021 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/savannah-georgian-sep-30-1830-p-9/

Swayze, David D. Shipwreck! A Comprehensive Directory of Over 3,700 Shipwrecks on the Great Lakes. Boyne City, MI: Harbor House Publications, Inc., 1992.

Thompson, Mark L. Graveyard of the Lakes. Detroit, MI: Wayne State University Press, 2004.

Western Historical Co. History of St. Clair County, Michigan. A.T. Andreas & Co., 1883, 790 pages. Digitized by Google. At: http://books.google.com/books?id=77N6AAAAMAAJ