1838 — June 14, sidewheel Pulaski boiler explodes/sinks, SE of New River Inlet, NC–95-141

–160-170 The Georgian. Savannah. “Postscript. Awful Steamboat Accident!!!” 6-21-1838, p. 4.
–~142 Gentile. Shipwrecks of North Carolina – from Hatteras Inlet South. 1992, p. 151, 158.*
— 141 Berman, Bruce D. Encyclopedia of American Shipwrecks. 1972, p. 140.
— 141 Lytle and Holdcamper. Merchant Steam Vessels of the US, 1807-1868. 1952, p. 220.
–~141 Stick. Graveyard of the Atlantic: Shipwrecks of the North Carolina Coast. 1952, p. 40.
— 140 Simonds. The American Date Book. 1902, p. 97.
— 132 Gentile. Shipwrecks of North Carolina–from Hatteras Inlet South. 1992, pp. 151, 158.*
— 129 Ellms, Charles. The Tragedy of the Seas, 1841, p. 188.*
–~110 Morrison, John Harrison. History of American Steam Navigation. 1908, p. 442.
— 110 SC Historical Society. The SC Historical Magazine, Vol. 18, Nos. 2-3, 1916, p. 68.
— 101 Nash, Jay Robert. Darkest Hours. 1977, p. 680.
—<100 Howland. Steamboat Disasters and Railroad Accidents…[U.S.] (Revised). 1843, p. 47.* -- 100 Jones. “The Sinking of the Pulaski: Part I.” BlufftonToday.com. May 1, 2006. -- 100 Springer. Table “Principal marine disasters since 1831.” P. 246 in US Congress, House. -- 100 Wiard, Norman. The Cause of Boiler Explosions, etc. 1868, p. 8. -- 95 Heyl, Erik. Early American Steamers. Buffalo, NY: 1953, p. 353. *Note on Gentile’s approximation of 142 deaths: Writes on page 151: “On the morning of June 13, 1838 she left Savannah with ‘about’ ninety passengers and a crew of thirty-seven. That afternoon she docked in Charleston, staying only long enough to pick up an additional sixty-five passengers. If anyone debarked there it was not recorded. Thus there were approximately 202 people aboard the Pulaski as she headed north…” On page 158 he writes that “the verified total of survivors” was sixty. Sixty from 202 comes to 142. (However, see our next Gentile note on Gentile – his numbers add to 192, not 202.) *Note on Gentile’s estimation of people aboard and thus death-toll: The number of “approximately 202 people onboard” on page 151 is derived by adding the original passenger list of about 90, the 65 picked up in Charleston and “a crew of 37” (four more than Elms notes). This comes to a total of 192, not 202, thus it would appear that a mistake has been made and that his fatality count is 132. *Note of Ellms: This is our number. Ellms does not state the number of fatalities. He states, though, that there were about 90 passengers sailing from Savannah and that 65 more boarded in Charleston, for a total of 155 (though later he states that about 150 passengers were on-board). Ellms also notes that the crew numbered 33. Adding crew of 33 and passengers of 155, the total aboard would be 188 of whom we are told 59 survived, leaving 129 as fatalities. *Howland note: In title of chapter on the Pulaski he noted “nearly one hundred persons perished.” Noted in text that there were 59 survivors. Noted 90 passengers from Savannah and 65 from Charleston. Does not note the number of crew. Narrative Information (Alphabetical) Ellms: “The steam-packet Pulaski, Captain Dubois, sailed from Savannah on Wednesday, the 13th of June, 1838, having on board about ninety passengers. She arrived at Charles¬ton the same afternoon, and sailed the next morning with sixty-five additional passengers. In the afternoon, the wind freshened from the eastward, and produced a heavy sea, which retarded her progress, and required a full pressure of steam. At half past ten, the wind continued fresh, with a clear star-light, and there was every promise of a fine night. “At eleven o'clock, P. M., the starboard boiler exploded with tremendous violence, blowing off the promenade deck above, and shattering the starboard side about midships; at the same time the bulk-head, between the boilers and forward cabin, was stove in, the stairway to it blocked up, and the bar-room swept away. The head of the boiler was blown out, and the top rent fore and aft. In consequence of the larboard boiler and works being comparatively uninjured, the boat heeled to that side, and the starboard side was kept out of the water, except when she rolled, when the sea rushed in at the breach. The boat continued to settle rap¬idly, and in about forty minutes the water had reached the promenade deck, above the ladies' cabin. Previously to this period, the ladies, children, and the gentlemen, who were in the after part of the boat, were placed on the promenade deck. About the time the water reached that point, the boat parted in two, with a tremendous crash, and the bow and the stern rose somewhat out of the water; but the latter again continued to sink, until the water reached the prome¬nade deck, when it separated in three parts, upset, and precipitated all on it into the water. Many then regained the detached portions. The gentlemen, who occupied the forward cabin, took refuge on the extreme point of the bow, when the boat broke in two, and clung to it and the fore¬mast; others had placed themselves on settees, and the fragments of the wreck. “There were four boats belonging to the steamer; two being slung to the sides, and two placed on top of the promenade deck. The side boats were both lowered down, within five minutes of the explosion. In that on the starboard side, the first mate, Mr. Hibbert, Mr. Swift, and one other person, had placed themselves. In that on the larboard side, were Mr. J. H. Cooper, with Mrs. Nightingale and child, and Mrs. Fraser and her son, who were under his charge, Captain R. W. Pooler and son, and Mr. William Robertson, all of Georgia, Barney and Soloman, of the crew, and two colored women. By direction of the mate, two of the crew launched one of the deck boats and got into her; but as, from her long exposure to the sun, her seams were all open, she instantly filled, and Mr. Hibbert removed the men to his boat. “The boats met, when those in the second proposed to Mr. Hibbert to strike out for the land, as it had on board as many as it could with any safety carry. This he de¬clined to do, as he said he was determined to stay by the wreck till daylight, and had yet room for four persons. Both boats then continued to row around the wreck until the mate's boat had picked up as many as she could carry, when Mr. Hibbert yielded to the propriety of consulting the safety of those in the boats, by going to the land, as their further stay would endanger them, without affording any aid to their suffering friends; and they left the wreck at three o'clock, A. M. The boats took a north-west course, being favored by a heavy sea and strong breeze from the south-east. “At twelve o'clock they made the land, and at three, P. M., were near the beach. Mr. Hibbert then waited until the second boat got up, and informed them that those in the boat refused to row any further, and insisted on landing. Mr. Cooper united with him in protesting against the meas¬ure, as, from the heavy breakers which were dashing on the beach, as far as the eye could reach, it was obviously one of great peril. Being overruled, they submitted to make the attempt. The mate, who had previously taken the two col¬ored women from the second boat, then proposed to lead the way, and requested Mr. Cooper to lie off, until he had effected a landing, and was prepared to aid the ladies and children. The first boat then entered the surf, and disap-peared for several minutes, from those in the other boat, having been instantly filled with water. Six of the persons in her, viz., Mr. Hibbert, Mr. Swift, Mr. Tappan, Mr. Leuch¬tenberg, and West and Brown, of the crew, landed in safety. An old gentleman, supposed to be Judge Rochester, formerly of Buffalo, N. Y., Mr. Bird, of Georgia, the two col¬ored women, and a boat hand, were drowned. The other boat continued to keep off until about sunset, when, finding the night approaching, and there being no appearance of aid, or change in the wind, which was blowing freshly in to the land, and the persons in the boat having previously re¬fused to attempt to row any farther, Mr. Cooper reluctantly consented to attempt the landing. “Before the attempt, it was thought necessary, to, prevent the infant of Mrs. Nightingale, which was only seven months old, from being lost, to lash it to her person, which was done. Just as the sun was setting, the bow of the boat was turned to the shore; and, Mr. Cooper sculling, and the two men at the oars, she was pulled into the breakers. She rose with¬out difficulty upon the first breaker, but the second, combing out with great violence, struck the oar from the hand of one of the rowers. The boat was thus thrown into the trough of the sea, and the succeeding breaker struck her broadside, and turned her bottom upwards. Upon regaining the surf, Mr. Cooper laid hold of the boat, and soon discovered that the rest of the party, with the exception of Mrs. Nightin¬gale, were making for the shore: of her, for a few moments, he saw nothing, but presently feeling something like the dress of a female touching his foot, he again dived down, and was fortunate enough to grasp her by the hair. The surf continued to break over them with great violence; but after a struggle, in which their strength spent its last efforts, they reached the shore, utterly worn out with fatigue, hun¬ger, thirst, and the most intense overwhelming excitement…Besides this, the ladies and children were suffering from the cold. The party proceeded a short distance from the shore, where the ladies lay down on the side of a sand hill, and their protectors covered them and their children with sand, to prevent them from perishing. Meantime, some of the party went in quest of aid, and about ten o'clock at night the whole party found a kind and hospitable reception, shelter, food, and clothing, under the roof of Mr. Siglee Redd, of Onslow county…. “The forward part of the boat, after the separation, con¬tinued to float. On it were Major Heath and twenty-one others. It is impossible to convey, in words, anything more than a faint idea of the suffering they underwent, or of the many harrowing and distressing circumstances which oc¬curred during the four days they were on the wreck….[when they were rescued by] the Henry Camerdon bound from Philadelphia to Wilmington, N.C…. “During the morning, Major Heath and his company had seen another portion of the wreck, with several persons on it; and as soon as the captain of the Henry Camerdon was told of it, he sailed in the direction it had been seen, and shortly after came in sight. On this wreck, which was a part of the promenade deck, were Miss Rebecca Lamar, Mrs. Noah Smith, of Augusta, Master Charles Lamar, of Savannah, and Mr. Robert Hutchinson, also of Savannah. The two ladies were much exhausted, and Master Lamar was almost dead…. “Captain Hubbard is of opinion, with most of those who remained upon the wreck, that the boat in which the mate, Hibbert, escaped, might have been so employed as to have saved the lives of nearly all on board…. “The cause of the disaster was obviously the neglect of the second engineer, in permitting the water to boil off, or to blow off, in the starboard boiler, and then letting in a full supply of water on the heated copper. One of the hands saved, had, a few moments before the explosion, examined the steam gauge, and found it fluctuating rapidly, from twenty-six to twenty-nine inches. Another had just left the engine-room, when he heard the shrill whistling sound of high pressure steam, as the engineer tried the water cock; in a few seconds the explosion took place. Captain Dubois was seen asleep in the wheel-house, ten minutes before the explosion. “The number of passengers on board was about one hun¬dred and fifty: and the officers and crew numbered thirty-three. The whole number saved were fifty-nine, viz., on the two large portions of the wreck, thirty; in the two boats, commanded by the mate, Mr. Hibberd, and Mr. Cooper, sixteen; in the boat of Captain Hubbard and Mr. B. Lamar, five; on other small rafts, eight.” (Ellms, Charles. “The Melancholy Account of the Loss of the Steam-Packet Pulaski, off Cape Lookout, on the Coast of North Carolina, Occasioned by the Explosion of the Steam Boiler.” The Tragedy of the Seas, 1841, pp. 161-190.) Heyl: “Pulaski. 1837-1838 “Builder: John A. Robb (?), Baltimore, Md. …. “Hull: Wood 203' x 25'1 x 13'5. 687 Tons. …. “Owners: Savannah & Charleston Steam Packet Co., 1837-38. “The Pulaski was a large steamer for the period of time she was constructed in. The captain’s office was separated from the ladies’ cabin by a twenty-foot lobby or space. On both sides of the office were closets for line, china, glass-ware and the pantry; access to them being thru a five-foot passage. Aft of these closets, but also opening onto the passage, were two state-rooms, and back of these was space for the machinery. Along the outsides of the cabins on both sides of the hull were projections or guards, an extension of the main deck. After having been delivered from Baltimore, the Pulaski left Savannah on May 2, 1838 on her first trip to Baltimore, with a stop at Charleston. The fares were $35. – for the entire passage and $30. – for the Charleston-Baltimore trip. Meals were included in the passage price. “On June 13, 1838 the Pulaski left Savannah with ninety passengers, taking on sixty-five more at Charleston. During the night of June 13/14, when about forty-five miles south from Cape Lookout, the starboard boiler exploded, tore up the promenade deck and wrecked the starboard side amidships, as well as demolishing the bulk-head between the forward cabin and the boiler-room, the pantry and the bar-room. The hull very quickly broke into three parts, which, with the exception of the bow section, sank within forty minutes. The bow remained afloat for several days until sighted by the schooner Henry Cameron of Philadelphia, which picked up the survivors clinging to it. Thirteen were picked up by the schooner, while sixteen more saved themselves in the Pulaski’s two boats and thirty others safely floated to shore on two rafts, which had been hurriedly built as the steamer was sinking. However ninety-five lives were lost.” (Heyl, Erik. “Pulaski. 1837-1838,” p. 353 in Early American Steamers. Buffalo, NY: 1953.) Jones: “The sinking of the passenger steamship Pulaski is the Lowcountry’s 19th century version of the sinking of the Titanic. While the loss of life in the Pulaski disaster was only 1/10th of that of the Titanic, they both possess many parallel themes, such as the opulence of the vessels, the wealth and social status of passengers, eventual inquests and ultimate changes to maritime regulations. “The steamship Pulaski was built by Messrs. Ross in Baltimore, Md., and was a 680-ton side-wheeler, 206 feet long with a 25-foot beam and displacing 687 tons of water. It possessed three cabins with berths holding 116 passengers and four staterooms for family use and held a crew of 37 and 150 to 160 passengers. Constructed to serve as a passenger ship on the Eastern seaboard of the United States, it was hailed as a modern technological marvel in the maritime industry. An 1838 ad in the Georgian read: ‘No expense has been spared to have a vessel to answer the purpose she is intended to accomplish. Her engine, one of the best ever made in this country, (is) of 225 horsepower. Her boilers are of the best copper, and great strength. Her qualities as a sea vessel for ease, safety, and speed are superior to any steamer that ever floated on the American waters.’…. “…the best account of its sinking and the plight of its survivors in the aftermath would come from a survivor named Rebecca Lamar of Savannah. Lamar would provide a detailed account of the events that led up to the explosion of one of the ship’s boilers, literally ripping the vessel in half, and the aftermath that left the initial survivors fighting for their lives for four days until their rescue.” (Jones. “The Sinking of the Pulaski: Part I.” BlufftonToday.com. May 1, 2006.) Lamar: “June 14th, midnight: Simultaneously with the sound we were on our feet…. A man came along, the only one we saw, begging us to go on the upper side to help balance the boat. We asked him what was the matter. ‘There has been a collision, the boat is leaking, and I want someone to help bail her…’ We did not move, still waiting for my brother…. At last my brother came…. All called out ‘What is the matter?’ ‘I don’t know. Stay here. I will run and see.’ He returned pale and trembling, scarcely able to articulate the words, ‘The boiler has burst, the boat is sinking, and we shall be lost in five minutes.’…. soon we were [all] on the upper deck…. They [Mr. Huntington and my brother]… stripped the covering from one of the boats….Instantly I felt a blow on my chest and the sensation of drowning - the blow and the drowning were so simultaneous that it seemed but one moment….The steamer had suddenly parted, the machinery went to the bottom and the two ends stood up out of the water. The boiler in bursting had driven the planks out of the right side of the steamer. The water running in [had] caused her to tremble and careen to our side, and [had] prevented the men in the bow from reaching the ladies cabin…. “The water was so buoyant that as I rose upon a wave I could catch [sight] of struggling people around me….Soon [I] floated against something that resisted the touch and I saw the stern of the steamer from which I had been precipitated. I caught a stanchion, [and] braced my foot against another, my head downward, lying on the extreme edge, with the waves lapping partly over me. I was so exhausted I could not think…. “14th of Jun. The night was nearly spent; many had come on the wreck; all had found places and quiet now reigned around…. “The morning of Saturday - the air was chilly in the early morning, but we were always glad to see the light, yet disappointed to see in the far distance sails - so many sails - going from us. Yet it was more comfortable than if we had seen none, and I comforted myself by hoping that the next would be coming towards us…. “Monday June 18th…. [We saw] sails at a distance bearing away from us…. “June 19th, Tuesday morning….was aroused by Mrs. Smith, shaking me by the arm and calling me to look there, pointing to an object not far off. I saw a vessel, her sails all spread and filled, her hull painted black, and a dazzling sun shining on her canvas, making it look to my eyes as white as snow. I exclaimed, ‘How beautiful, how beautiful!’ and immediately relapsed [into] profound unconsciousness. To me she was only a thing of beauty. It was the schooner Henry Cameron from Philadelphia, Captain Eli Davis, Commander. All the living were rescued from the wreck, the dead were left. I recall not a moment after seeing the ship, yet to this day I often recall the image of the ship, at will, and its beauty…. “So far as I could ascertain there were 131 passengers, 54 saved, 77 lost.” (Lamar, Wreck of the Pulaski.) Lytle and Holdcamper: “Pulaski…687 [tons]…exploded…6-14-1838…New River Inlet, N.C. 141 [lives lost]. (Lytle, William M. and Holdcamper. Merchant Steam Vessels of the United States, 1807-1868. Steamship Historical Society America. 1953, p. 220.) Morrison: “In 1837 a company in Savannah had built in Baltimore the ‘Pulaski’ for service between Savannah and Baltimore, stopping at Charleston, of 687 tons, the largest of the coast-wise vessels at that time. This vessel, when on her third trip from Savannah, on June 14th, 1838, and when about 12 hours out of Charleston, met with a frightful accident from the explosion of one of her boilers, from want of skill by the engineer on duty, the vessel becoming a complete wreck, breaking in two pieces about an hour after the explosion and sinking with the loss of about 110 persons.” (Morrison, John Harrison. History of American Steam Navigation. 1908, p. 442.) South Carolina Historical Society: “….Joseph Edings Seabrook, baptized Jan. 19, 1825; he and his brother Robert were on the ill-fated Pulaskie [sic], which was lost off the coast of North Carolina on the night of June 14, 1838; Robert Seabrook was saved, but Joseph Edings was among the many lost. The Pulaskie was a new steamer, going between Baltimore, Charleston, and Savannah. She left Charleston on the morning of June 14 for Baltimore, with over 170 people, passengers and crew; most of her passengers were from Savannah, Edisto and Charleston. The disaster was caused by thee explosion of one of her boilers, and she sank in an hour after; not more than sixty of her passengers and crew were saved.” (The South Carolina Historical and Genealogical Magazine, Vol. XVII, No. 1, January, 1916, Charleston, SC, p. 68.) White: “A gentleman who was on board of this ill-fated steamer, has kindly furnished us with the following interesting narrative, entitled ‘A Memorandum of the Incidents of One Day at Sea.’ It was prepared for the sole use of his family, and it was only after earnest solicitation on the part of the author that he consented to furnish him with a copy for insertion among the ‘Historical Collections of Georgia.’ That it will be read with the most thrilling interest, we cannot entertain a doubt. The steam-packet Pulaski, Captain Dubois, left Savannah at eight o’clock on Wednesday morning, the 13th of June, 1838, with about ninety passengers, and a crew of thirty-seven persons. She arrived at Charleston the same afternoon and departed the next morning at six o’clock for Baltimore, with about sixty-five additional passengers. Of the passengers about forty-five were females, and from fifteen to twenty were children. As it was the period of the year when the usual summer migration from the South to the North was at its height, and as the Pulaski was a favourite boat, particularly in Savannah, the passengers consisted of some of the most respectable persons of the two States of Georgia and South Carolina, embracing, in several instances, every, and in many, most of the members of distinguished families. “Attracted by the reputation of the packet, the shortness of the voyage, and the circumstance that it would embrace ‘only one night at sea,’ many persons had come to Savannah from distant points to embark in the Pulaski. Among them may be particularly mentioned Judge Rochester, of New-York, from Pensacola, and a party of eleven persons from Florida, consisting of the Rev. Mr. Woart, lady and child, the Rev. Mr. _____, Dr. Stewart, lady and child, Mrs. Taylor, Mr. Stewart, and Mr. McCrea. From Savannah were Mr. G. B. Lamar, with his wife and seven children, being every member of his immediate family; Mr. Parkman, with three daughters and a son, Mr. Hutchinson, wife and two children, Dr. Cumming and lady, Mrs. William Mackay and two children, with many others…. (White, Rev. George. Historical Collections of Georgia: Containing the Most Interesting Facts, Traditions, Biographical Sketches, Anecdotes, Etc. “Loss of the Steamer Pulaski,” 1855.) Wiard: “The cause of the accident was determined as ‘low water in the starboard boiler,’ there being but twenty-six inches (13 lbs.) of steam carried at the time of the accident.” [Does not note source.] Newspapers June 18: “Heart-Rending Catastrophe.” “Loss of the Steam Packet ‘Pulaski,’ with a crew of 37, and 150 or 160 Passengers.” “On Thursday the 14th inst. the steamer Pulaski, Capt. Dubois, left Charleston for Baltimore with about 150 passengers, of whom about 50 were ladies. “At about 11 o’clock on the same night, while off the North Carolina coast, say 30 miles from land, weather moderate and night dark – the starboard boiler exploded and the vessel was lost, with all the passengers and crew except those whose names are enumerated among the saved in the list to be found below. “We have gathered the following facts from the 1st mate, Mr. Hibbert, who had charge of the boat at the time. Mr. Hibbert states that at 10 o’clock at night he was called to the command of the boat, and that he was pacing the promenade deck in front of the steerage house – that he found himself shortly after upon the main deck, lying between the mast and side of the boat – that upon the return of consciousness, he had a confused idea of having heard an explosion, something like that of gunpowder, immediately before he discovered himself in his then situation – he was induced, therefore, to rise and walk aft, where he discovered that the boat midships was blown entirely to pieces; that the head of the starboard boiler was blown out, and the top turn open – that the timbers and planks on the starboard side were forced asunder, and that the boat took in water whenever she rolled in that direction. He became immediately aware of the horrors of their situation, and the danger of letting the passengers know that the boat was sinking, before lowering the small boats. He proceeded therefore to do this. Upon dropping the boat, he as asked his object, and he replied that it was to pass around the Steamer to ascertain her condition. Before doing this, however, he took in a couple of men, he ordered the other boats to be lowered and two were shortly put into the water, but they leaked so much in consequence of the long exposure to the sun, that one of them sunk after a fruitless attempt to bail her. “He had in the interim taken several from the water until the number made ten. In the other boat afloat there were eleven. While they were making a fruitless attempt to bail the small boat, the Pulaski went down with a dreadful crash – an about 45 minutes after the explosion. Both boats now insisted upon Mr. Hibbert directing their course to the shore, but he refused their remonstrations replying that he would not abandon the spot until daylight. At about 3 o’clock in the morning, they started in the midst [? unclear] of the wailing of the hopeless beings who were floating around in every direction upon pieces of the wreck to seek land, which was about thirty miles distant. After pulling about 13 hours, the persons in both oats became tired and insisted that Mr. Hibbert should land; this he opposed, thinking it safest to proceed along the coast and to enter some one of its numerous inlets, but he was at length forced to yield to the general desire, and to attempt a landing upon the beach, a little east of Stump Inlet. He advised Mr. Cooper, of Ga. Who had command of the other boat, and a couple of ladies, with the children under his charge, to wait until his boat had first landed, as he apprehended much danger in the attempt, and should they succeed, they might assist him and the ladies and children. There were eleven persons in the mate’s boat (having taken two black women from Mr. Cooper’s). Of these, two passengers, one of the crew, and the two negro women were drowned, and six gained the shore. After waiting for a signal, which he received from the mate, Mr. Cooper and his companions landed in about three hours after the first boat, in safety. They then proceeded a short distance across Stump Sound, to Mr. Redd’s on Onslow county; where they remained from Friday evening until Sunday morning, and then started for Wilmington. The mate and two passengers reached here this morning (the 18th June) about 9 o’clock. “Thus have we hurriedly sketched the most painful catastrophe that has ever occurred upon the American coat. Youth, age, and infancy have here been cut ff in a single night, and found a common death under the same billow….” [Provides a long list of people who departed from Charleston, presumably most of them Charleston or other South Carolina residents.) “Persons drowned in landing. Mr. Bird of Savannah, Georgia. An old gentleman from Buffalo, N.Y. and recently from Pensacola. A young man name unknown. Jenny, a colored woman. Priscilla, a colored woman, stewardess.” (Savannah Republican, GA. “Heart-Rending Catastrophe.” 6-20-1838, p. 2.) June 19: “Office of the Courier, Charleston, June 19 – 8 A.M. “Postscript.” “Awful Steamboat Accident!!! “Loss of the Steam Packet Pulaski, and the Destruction of Between 160 and 170 Lives. “We have only time to give the following extracts of a letter, which we believe contains all the material facts. “Ten miles south of New River Inlet, N.C. June 16th, 1838. “Knowing the interest that will be felt in the fate of the Pulaski, I am induced to assume the painful duty of communicating to you the awful calamity which has befallen her. “At 11 o’clock on the night of the 14th inst. one of her boilers exploded with such violence as to destroy the whole of the midships of the boat, including so much of the hull, that the water rushed in with such violence as to sink her in three quarters of an hour. “Two small yawls with 23 persons, after remaining three quarters of an hour near the wreck to pick up as many of the sufferers as they could safely carry, succeeded in landing near this place yesterday evening after losing five of the number from the swamping of both of the boats in passing through the breakers. “The destruction of the Pulaski took place about forty-five miles south of Cape Look Out, and thirty from land. When we left the wreck we still heard voices of many persons floating on parts of it, and believe that many might have been saved, if any vessel passed that spot next day. Capt. Dubois and Pearson were probably destroyed by the explosion, as they were not seen or heard of when we left. “Mr. Hibbert, the first mate, who escaped in one of the boats, displayed coolness, judgement, and great humanity, and only left the wreck when it became certain that his further stay would endanger the lives of them in the boats, without benefitting the other sufferers. “The boat broke in the centre, soon after commenced filling, the forward part going down instantly, and the after part settling slowly for half an hour, the ladies who had taken refuge in the roof of their cabin were washed off as the stern went down. “Mr. Hibbert proceeds immediately to Wilmington to procure a steam boat of some other vessel to go to the point where the accident occurred, in the hope of picking up some of the sufferers. He requests you to communicate his safety to his family.” (The Georgian. Savannah. “Postscript. Awful Steamboat Accident!!!” 6-21-1838, p. 4, col. 2.) June 21: “We hasten to lay before our Readers all the information received in regard to a calamity which has befallen our city, and one, the parallel to which, we have never before been called on to announce….Our city has sustained a loss which years cannot efface. Many families have been suddenly whelmed in sorrow, and mourn the valued companions and bosom friends of yesterday, while our whole city sympathize, deeply sympathize with the survivors. “Other sections of our State, as well as our sister city – Charleston, are great sufferers on this melancholy occasion. The boat was uncommonly full, near sixty having, probably, embarked at Charleston – besides the large number from this city. “Some of our most respected and valuable citizens, principally engaged in commercial pursuits, and others retired from business, have we fear, met a watery grave, for many of them having most of, if not all the members of their families with them, they were compelled to share their fate….” (Georgian, Savannah. “Awful Calamity.”6-21-1838, p. 4, col. 2.) Sources Berman, Bruce D. Encyclopedia of American Shipwrecks. Boston: Mariners Press Inc., 1972. Ellms, Charles. The Tragedy of the Seas or, Sorrow on the Ocean, Lake, and River, from Shipwreck, Plague, Fire, and Famine. Philadelphia: Carey & Hart, 1841. Digitized by Google; accessed 2-14-2021 at: http://books.google.com/books?id=R6xS3DM_qVAC&printsec=frontcover&dq=The+tragedy+of+the+seas&cd=1#v=onepage&q=&f=false Gentile, Gary. Shipwrecks of North Carolina – from Hatteras Inlet South. Philadelphia: Gary Gentile Productions, 1992. Georgian, Savannah. “Awful Calamity.”6-21-1838, p. 4, col. 2. Accessed 2-15-2021 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/savannah-daily-georgian-jun-21-1838-p-4/ Heyl, Erik. Early American Steamers. Buffalo, NY: 1953. Accessed 12-28-2020 at: https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015024193131&view=1up&seq=6&q1=%22admiral%20dupont%22 Howland, Southworth Allen. Steamboat Disasters and Railroad Accidents in the United States (Revised and Improved). Worcester: Warren Lazell. 1843. Jones, Robert. “The Sinking of the Pulaski: Part I.” BlufftonToday.com. May 1, 2006. Accessed at: http://www.blufftontoday.com/node/5563 Lamar, Rebecca. Wreck of the Pulaski. Accessed 11-25-2008 at: http://74.125.47.132/search?q=cache:WluD5hHBDDAJ:hometown.aol.com/eleanorcol/WreckPulaski.html+Rebecca+Lamar&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=10&gl=us Lytle, William M., compiler, from Official Merchant Marine Documents of the United States and Other Sources; Holdcamper, Forrest H. (Editor, and Introduction by). Merchant Steam Vessels of the United States 1807-1868. “The Lytle List.” Mystic, CT: Steamship Historical Society of America (Publication No. 6), 1952. Accessed 8-16-2020 at: https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015018039084&view=1up&seq=7 Morrison, John Harrison. History of American Steam Navigation. New York: W. F. Sametz & Co., Inc., 1908, 653 pages. Digitized by Google. Accessed at: http://books.google.com/books?id=Q5tDAAAAIAAJ&printsec=toc&source=gbs_v2_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q=&f=false Nash, Jay Robert. Darkest Hours – A Narrative Encyclopedia of Worldwide Disasters from Ancient Times to the Present. New York: Pocket Books, Wallaby, 1977, 792 pages. Savannah Republican, GA. “Heart-Rending Catastrophe.” 6-20-1838, p. 2. Accessed 2-14-2021 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/savannah-republican-jun-20-1838-p-2/ Simonds, W. E. (Editor). The American Date Book. Kama Publishing Co., 1902, 211 pages. Google digital preview accessed 9-8-2017 at: http://books.google.com/books?id=JuiSjvd5owAC South Carolina Historical Society. The South Carolina Historical and Genealogical Magazine, Vol. XVII, No. 1, January, 1916, Charleston, SC. Digitized by Google. Accessed 2-14-2021 at: http://books.google.com/books?id=J8Gq3kWDdFAC Stick, David. Graveyard of the Atlantic: Shipwrecks of the North Carolina Coast. 1952. Google preview accessible at: https://books.google.com/books?id=jjZXyzPrhpgC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false The Georgian. Savannah. “Postscript. Awful Steamboat Accident!!!” 6-21-1838, p. 4, col. 2. Accessed 2-15-2021: https://newspaperarchive.com/savannah-daily-georgian-jun-21-1838-p-4/ United States Congress, House of Representatives. Hearings Before the Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries, United States Congress (74th Congress, 1st Session). “Safety of Life and Property at Sea.” Especially table “Principal marine disasters since 1831, compiled by Adele I. Springer, New York City. Washington: U.S. Gov. Printing Office, 1935. Accessed 8-9-2020 at: https://www.google.com/books/edition/Safety_of_Life_and_Property_at_Sea/l9xH_9sUuVAC?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq White, Rev. George. Historical Collections of Georgia: Containing the Most Interesting Facts, Traditions, Biographical Sketches, Anecdotes, Etc. New York: Pudney & Russell, Publishers, 1855. Accessed 2-15-2021 at: https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=yale.39002004771672&view=1up&seq=11 Also accessible at: https://books.google.com/books?id=DuZ3XCZ9D-8C&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=true Wiard, Norman. The Cause of Boiler Explosions, etc. Philadelphia: Stein & Jones, 1868, p. 12. Digitized by Google; accessed 2-14-2021 at: http://books.google.com/books?id=Xj0OAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false Of Possible Interest Charlotte Observer [NC] via the Spartanburg [SC] Herald-Journal. “1838 shipwreck of ‘Pulaski’ from Savannah was ‘the Titanic of its time.’ Divers just made an eerie discovery.” 6-20-2018. Accessed 2-15-2021 at: https://www.savannahnow.com/news/20180620/1838-shipwreck-of-pulaski-from-savannah-was-the-titanic-of-its-time-divers-just-made-eerie-discovery