1850 — May 23, steamboat St. Louis flue collapse, MS River, Jefferson Barracks, MO–10-16

–10-16 Blanchard estimated death toll.*

–26-28 Lloyd. Lloyd’s Steamboat Directory and Disasters on the Western Waters. 1856, p. 290.
–10-12 instantly
— 16 next day from scalding injuries.
— 17 Sheboygan Mercury, WI. “Seventeen Persons Killed – Forty-Eight Scalded.” 6-8-1850, 2.
–7 crew
–9 deck passengers
–1 cabin passenger (Mr. Plummer)
— 16 New Albany Daily Ledger, IN. “Explosion of the Steamer St. Louis.” 6-3-1850, p. 6, c1.
–9 drowning
–7 scalding (died onboard; 48 scalding injured)
–10-12 Way’s Packet Directory, 1848-1994: Pass. Steamboats…MS River System. 1994, 412.
— 12 Twaintimes. “1850.”

* Blanchard estimated death toll. In that our attempt to compile a listing of fatalities, after attempting a newspaper search several weeks out, derives only five names, we are skeptical of Lloyds estimate. It should be said, however, that it was frequently the case that people severely scalded from such steamboat accidents would die within a week to ten days – sometimes such deaths were more than the initial deaths. Thus we do not say Lloyd was incorrect, only that we have been unable to corroborate. There were several accounts of sixteen deaths, seemingly based on the same St. Louis newspaper report, though there were virtually identical accounts in some papers which noted seventeen deaths in the headline, but noted seven immediate scalding deaths and nine drowning deaths (which comes to sixteen). Given that this reporting was out of St. Louis, we think this to be credible (though not definitive), and thus use sixteen deaths as the high-end of our death toll. In that Way is generally a reliable source and in that we could identify only five specific deaths, we choose to use the low-end of Way’s 10-12 estimated death toll as the low-end of our death toll.

Narrative Information

Lloyd: “St. Louis. – The New Orleans and St. Louis packet St. Louis collapsed a flue when near the Jefferson Barracks, on the 23d of May, 1850, at ten o’clock at night, killing ten or twelve instantly, and scalding twenty-five others so badly that sixteen of them died the next day. They were mostly deck passengers, on their way to New Orleans. The St. Louis was a new and splendid boat, and on her first trip. Her engineer, Mr. Donahoe, was tried at St. Louis for manslaughter, but after a lengthy trial was acquitted. The St. Louis never proved a profitable boat after this accident.” (Lloyd’s Steamboat Directory and Disasters on the Western Waters. 1856, p. 290.)

Twaintimes: “1850. Steamboat St. Louis collapsed flue (12 dead – 25 injured), 23 May.” (Twaintimes. “1850.”)

Way: “St. Louis. SW p wh [Sidewheel packet, wood hull]. B [built] St. Louis, Mo., 1850. 937 tons. Reputed to measure 307 ft. long, one of the largest of her day. Ran St. Louis-New Orleans and collapsed a boiler flue at Jefferson Barracks, Mo., downbound on her maiden trip, May 23, 1850, at 10:00 p.m. Ten or twelve were killed and 25 others injured. The chief engineer was tried for manslaughter and after a lengthy trial was acquitted. The stigma of this accident turned her into an unprofitable boat. She was dismantled and became a wharf-boat in 1856, used at Memphis.” (Way’s Packet Directory, 1848-1994: Passenger Steamboats…MS Riv. Sys. 1994, 412.)

Newspaper

June 3: “The St. Louis papers of Thursday [May 30] contain the particulars of the explosion on the St. Louis, which occurred on Tuesday night last [May 28 (sic)], about three miles below St. Louis. It appears that the boat had been into Quarantine, and although having on board some 130 deck passengers, only 5 or 6 were detained at the island. The boat proceeded down stream to the end of the island, with a view of taking the main channel to St. Louis. While rounding the island, the extreme starboard boiler collapsed the flue fore and aft, dealing death and injury in both directions. Some thirty persons, who were uninjured by the steam, jumped into the river, of whom nine were drowned; the others swam ashore and were saved. Upon the decks seven were killed and forty-eight scalded….

“There are two conjectures as to the manner in which the explosion occurred; one of which is that the engineer raised the mud valve to allow some water to escape, and from some defect it failed to close, letting too much water out of the boiler. Another supposition is that as the boat rounded into the main channel and struck the current, she may have careened to the larboard side and thus exposed the flues to the effect of the heat and steam.

“The St. Louis was commanded by Capt. George Taylor, an old and experienced steamboat commander….An investigation is to be had.” (New Albany Daily Ledger, IN. “Explosion of the Steamer St. Louis.” 6-3-1850, p. 6, c. 1.)

Listing of Fatalities as Noted in Sources Cited

1. McLaughlin, Mrs. Elizabeth; deck passenger; drowned.
2. Plummer, Mr. J., cabin passenger from Louisiana; killed.
3. Unnamed slave of Mr. J. Plummer; killed.
4. Unnamed woman, slave of Mr. McClur (or Mrs. McClure); killed.
5. Unnamed slave of clerk or the boat (was on the deck), Capt. McCord; killed.

Sources

Lloyd, James T. Lloyd’s Steamboat Directory and Disasters on the Western Waters. Cincinnati, Ohio: James T. Lloyd & Co., 1856. Digitized by Google. Accessed at: http://books.google.com/books?id=JlYqAAAAYAAJ

Missouri Whig, Palmyra. “Another Terrible Steamboat Disaster.” 6-6-1850, p. 2, col. 1. Accessed 10-25-2020: https://newspaperarchive.com/palmyra-missouri-whig-jun-06-1850-p-2/

New Albany Daily Ledger, IN. “Explosion of the Steamer St. Louis.” 6-3-1850, p. 6, c. 1. Accessed 10-25-2020: https://newspaperarchive.com/new-albany-daily-ledger-jun-01-1850-p-6/

Sheboygan Mercury, WI. “Seventeen Persons Killed – Forty-Eight Scalded.” 6-8-1850, p. 2, col. 2. Accessed 10-26-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/sheboygan-mercury-jun-08-1850-p-2/

Twaintimes. 1846-1856. Accessed at: http://twaintimes.net/page3.html

Way, Frederick Jr. (Author and Compiler), Joseph W. Rutter (contributor). Way’s Packet Directory, 1848-1994: Passenger Steamboats of the Mississippi River System Since the Advent of Photography in Mid-Continent America (Revised). Athens OH: Ohio University Press, 1999.

Waukesha Democrat, WI. “Steamboat Explosion.” 6-11-1850, p. 2, col. 1. Accessed 10-26-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/waukesha-democrat-jun-11-1850-p-2/