1850 — May 7, Steamboat Columbus flue collapse, MS River, Island 4 ~Columbus, KY– 15

— 15 Lloyd’s Steamboat Directory and Disasters on the Western Waters. 1856, p. 285.
— 15 Twaintimes. 1850.
— 15 Way’s Packet Directory, 1848-1994: Pass. Steamboats…MS River System. 1994, p. 106.

Narrative Information

Lloyd: “Columbus – The steamboat Columbus collapsed one of her flues, May 7th, 1850, near Island No. 4, on the Mississippi. Eight deck passengers and two firemen were scalded to death, and five other persons were drowned.” (Lloyd’s Steamboat Directory and Disasters on the Western Waters. 1856, p. 285.)

Twaintimes: “1850….Steamboat Columbus collapsed flue (15 dead), 7 May.” (Twaintimes. 1850.)

Way: “Columbus. SW p wh b [Sidewheel packet, wood hull, built] Jefferson, Ind., 1850. 542 tons. Ran St. Louis-New Orleans, Capt. Post. Collapsed a flue near Island 4, Mississippi River, May 7, 1850. Eight passengers and two firemen killed, and five others drowned. The Magnolia towed her to Cairo for repairs. Off the lists in 1856.” (Way 1994, 106)

Newspaper

May 8: “Cairo, May 8. – Eight miles below this place, about 4 o’clock this morning, the Columbus collapsed a flue, which killed four persons and scalded and wounded eighteen persons – deck hands and passengers. No injury was done to the boat. The Columbus was from St. Louis.” (Illinois Daily Journal, Springfield, IL. “By This Morning’s Mails.” 5-10-1850, p. 2, col. 4.)

May 20, Adams Sentinel: “On the 7th inst., the steamer Columbus, bound from New Orleans to St. Louis, collapsed one of her flues, by which one man was instantly killed, and some 10 or 12 persons were scalded. Several leaped overboard and are supposed to have been lost. The Magnolia towed the Columbus to Cairo. Among the passengers by the Magnolia is the family of the late General Worth, U.S.A. – Louisville Journal 9th.” (Adams Sentinel, Gettysburg, PA. “Another Steamboat Explosion…Loss…Life,” 5-20-1850, p. 4.)

Sources

Adams Sentinel and General Advertiser, Gettysburg, PA. “Another Steamboat Explosion and Loss of Life,” 5-20-1850, 4. At: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=3108065

Commission of Engineers, War Department. Alluvial Basin of the Mississippi River. Message from the President of the United States. In U.S. House of Representatives (43d Congress, 2d Session, Executive Document No. 127), 1875. Accessed 8-20-2020 at: https://archive.org/details/alluvialbasinofm00unit_0/mode/2up

Illinois Daily Journal, Springfield, IL. “By This Morning’s Mails.” 5-10-1850, p. 2, col. 4. Accessed 8-20-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/sangamo-journal-may-10-1850-p-2/

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

Twaintimes. 1846-1856. Accessed at: http://twaintimes.net/page3.html [No longer operable.]

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.

Wikipedia. “Battle of Lucas Bend.” 8-18-2020 edit. Accessed 8-20-2020 at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Lucas_Bend