1851 — Mar 02, Steamer Oregon boiler explosion/fire, Miss. River, Island No. 82, AR-20-21

–20-21 Blanchard estimated death toll.*

— 70 Democratic Expounder, Marshall, MI. 3-14-1851, p. 2.
— 60 Berman, Bruce D. Encyclopedia of American Shipwrecks. 1972, p. 184.
— 60 Nash, Jay Robert. Darkest Hours. 1977, p. 682.
— 60 Springer, Adele I. “Principal marine disasters since 1831.” Page 246 in U.S. Congress.
–>40 Adams Sentinel, Gettysburg, PA. “Steamboat Explosion…” 3-10-1851, p. 3, col. 4.
— 23 Daily Sanduskian, OH. “Terrific Steam-Boat Explosion.” 3-12-1851, p. 2.
— 21 Lytle and Holdcamper. Merchant Steam Vessels of the [U.S.] 1807-1868. 1952, p. 236.
— 21 Way’s Packet Directory, 1848-1994: Passenger Steamboats…MS River System. 1994, 357
— 20 Lloyd’s Steamboat Directory and Disasters on the Western Waters. 1856, p. 197.
— 18 Fisher/McCord. “Steamboat Explosions…Fifty-Five Years.” In Scharf 1883, p. 1108.
— 18 Gould, E. W. Fifty Years on the Mississippi… 1889, p. 437.

* Blanchard estimated death toll: We choose to rely on Lloyd for the low-end of our estimated death-toll range in that he provides a listing of twenty fatalities. We rely on Lytle and Holdcamper as well as Way for the high end (21) of the estimated death toll in that both are generally reliable sources. We could not locate newspaper reporting that identified enough victims to enable us to get an impression that the death toll was indeed much higher that 20-21.

Narrative Information

Berman: “Oregon. Mar 2, 1851. Exploded. Mississippi River. 60 lives lost.” (Berman 1972, 184)

Lloyd: “The terrific explosion of the Oregon took place near island No. 82 in the Mississippi river, at one o’clock, P.M., on March 2d, 1851. All the boilers exploded at the same moment, carrying away the forward cabin, and killing, scalding or mutilating about sixty persons. The boat was heavily laden at the time, and carried about one hundred pas¬sengers.

“Dinner was just over, and most of the passengers were in the social hall and on the forward guards. Immediately after the explosion the boat took fire, and burned to the water’s edge. But for the timely as¬sistance of the steamer Iroquois, which was about a mile off when the accident took place, all on board must have perished, as the Oregon was an unmanageable wreck in the middle of the channel. Capt. Lee, of the Iroquois, hastened to the assistance of the Oregon, but was obliged to stop to make some repairs. He succeeded, however, in reaching the Oregon, just as the flames were bursting through the hurricane deck. Men, women and children, almost surrounded by the raging flames, were collected on the after-part of the wreck….

“The captain of the Iroquois ran his boat aft of the Oregon; a communication was then made by placing ladders on the lower deck of the Iroquois and resting against the Oregon’s upper deck; and on these ladders all the people on the wreck who were able to exert themselves, passed on to the Iroquois….

“The cabin servants, who were at dinner, were nearly all killed. Eight…firemen, who were dining in the cabin at the same time, likewise perished. The clerk’s office was entirely blown away, with all’ the .books and papers of the boat. Owing to this circumstance, the names of comparatively few of the passengers who were lost can be ascertained ; and hence the list of killed must be regarded as very in¬complete.” [Provides listing of 20 fatalities.] (Lloyd 1856, 195-197.)

Way: “Oregon. SW p wh b [Sidewheel packet, wood hull, built] New Albany, Ind., 1849. 582 tons. 275x35x8….Owned and commanded by Capt. Ed Montgomery in Louisville-New Orleans trade. She was downbound at Island 82, Mar. 2, 1851, the passengers just finishing noon dinner, when she exploded, took fire, and sank in the channel. The Iroquois was wooding about a mile distant and came to aid, taking dead and wounded to Memphis. Twenty-one lives were lost. Capt. Montgomery was in command.” (Way’s Packet Directory, 1848-1994: Passenger Steamboats… Mississippi River System. 1994, p. 357.)

Newspapers in Chronological Order:

March 4: “New Orleans, March 4. The magnificent steamer Oregon, from Louisville to New Orleans, burst a boiler on Saturday, the 1st instant. The Clerk was killed, the Captain severely injured, and 30 were missing. The boat is supposed to be a total lose.” (Ohio Repository, Canton. “Steamboat Explosion – Loss of Life.” March 12, 1851, p. 3.)

March 7: “Louisville, March 7, P.M. The steamer Oregon, bound hence to New Orleans, when passing through chute at Island 82, in the Mississippi, about one o’clock, P.M., on the 2d inst., burst her boilers….

“The clerk’s office was entirely blown away with all the books and papers of the boat, and George Brown, the first clerk, was in the office at the time, and was killed. The cabin crew were at dinner and were all killed except the steward. Eight white firemen were also killed, but it is impossible to give a correct list of the number or the names of those lost, the books being gone….

“The Bulletin came up soon after the occurrence, and undertook to extinguish the flames with her engine, but did not succeed.

“Mr. Williams and other passengers on the Bulletin, rendered great assistance, and remained on board the Iroquois until she reached Memphis, where the wounded were taken to the hospital. It is said that the cabin floor of the Iroquois was covered by persons blackened, bruised and literally skinned, many of whom were in the agonies of death, eleven of whom died before the boat reached Memphis.” (Daily Sanduskian, OH. “Terrific Steam-Boat Explosion – Great Loss of Life – Full Particulars.” Mar 12, 1851, p. 2)

March 7: “Louisville, March 7, 1851. The Courier Extra says the steamer Oregon bound down from Louisville to New Orleans, when passing through the chute of Island 82, about 1 o’clock P.M., on the 2d inst., burst her boilers with a tremendous report, carrying away the forward cabin and upper deck, killing and scalding at least 60 persons. She was heavily laden and had on board from 80 to 100 passengers. The passengers had just finished dinner, and were generally collected in the hall and forward guard, at the time of the explosion. She took fire immediately after and burnt to the water’s edge; and, being in the channel of the river, and under full headway at the time, would have consumed all on board, but for the assistance of the steamer Iroquois…

“Upon seeing the explosion, Captain Lee of the Iroquois, gave orders to go to their relief, which was delayed but a few minutes, by the cylinder head being off – with one of her engines she was along-side in a few moments. The Iroquois then in an instant reached the Oregon, as the flames burst through the hurricane roof – men, women and children were collected together on the after part of the boat, without means of getting away, but by jumping into the river – the flames surrounding them, and the steps carried away by the explosion.

“The shrieks of women, and frenzy of men, ready to leap overboard into the river to escape a more horrible death by fire, and groans of children dying, together with piteous lowing of cattle, was a scene calculated to arouse the deepest feeling of our nature. Captain Lee ordered the Iroquois to run her bow aft of the Oregon; and ladders being placed from the upper deck of the Oregon to the lower deck of the Iroquois, all on board that were able to walk, were taken on board; but with the greatest danger of the Iroquois taking fire. Captain Montgomery was the last man to leave the wreck, which he did just as the Iroquois was backing away….” (Zanesville Courier, OH. “Further Particulars of the Oregon,” March 7, 1851, p. 2, col. 4.)

March 9: “New Orleans, March 9. The loss of life on the Oregon is greater than was supposed; 70 persons at least missing and probably lost.” (Democratic Expounder, Marshall MI. 3-14-1851.)

March 10: “The steamer Oregon exploded her boiler on Monday last, near New Orleans, and was afterwards totally destroyed by fire. Above Forty persons lost their lives by this calamity, some by being injured by the explosion, others by burning, and others jumped overboard and were drowned….It is supposed they were mostly emigrants.” (Adams Sentinel, Gettysburg, PA. “Steamboat Explosion…” March 10, 1851, 4, col. 4.)

March 19: “.…about sixty persons killed and wounded….The wreck now lied in deep water, near the ill-fated John Adams. The loss of life, as yet, has not been correctly ascertained. The steamer Iroquois received twenty-five of the wounded on board, eleven of whom died before reaching Memphis. The Oregon was owned and commanded by Capt. Edward Montgomery, upon whom the loss falls heavily. She was nearly a new boat; and had gained a good reputation in the Louisville and New Orleans trade.” (Weekly Wisconsin. Milwaukee. “Full Particulars of the Oregon Explosion,” Mar 19, 1851, 7.)

Sources

Adams Sentinel and General Advertiser, Gettysburg, PA. “Steamboat Explosion and Great Loss of Life.” 3-10-1851, p. 3, col. 4. Accessed 10-12-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/gettysburg-adams-sentinel-mar-10-1851-p-3/

Berman, Bruce D. Encyclopedia of American Shipwrecks. Boston: Mariners Press Inc., 1972.

Daily Sanduskian, OH. “Terrific Steam-Boat Explosion – Great Loss of Life – Full Particulars.” 12 Mar 1851, 2. At: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=6393239

Democratic Expounder, Marshall, MI. [Steamboat Oregon Boiler Explosion]. 3-14-1851, p. 2. At: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=120360025

Fisher, Captain S.L., and Captain James McCord. “Steamboat Explosions for Fifty-Five Years.” In Scharf, J. Thomas. History of Saint Louis City and County, From the Earliest Periods to the Present Day: Including Biographical Sketches of Representative Men. In Two Volumes, Illustrated. Volume II (Chapter XXVII. Navigation on the Mississippi River). Philadelphia: Louis H. Everts & Co., 1883. Digitized by Northern Illinois University, NU Libraries Digitization Projects at: http://lincoln.lib.niu.edu/cgi-bin/philologic/getobject.pl?c.4487:4.lincoln

Gould, E. W. Fifty Years on the Mississippi; or, Gould’s History of River Navigation. St. Louis: Nixon-Jones Printing Co., 1889, 750 pages. Digitized by Google. Accessed 2008 at: http://books.google.com/books?id=udyywXOVBvsC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

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

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=8&size=125

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.

Ohio Repository, Canton, OH. “Steamboat Explosion – Loss of Life.” March 12, 1851, p. 3. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=3962536

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.” Washington: U.S. Government 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

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.

Weekly Wisconsin, Milwaukee. “Full Particulars of the Oregon Explosion,” March 19, 1851, p. 7. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=120024548

Zanesville Courier, OH. “Further Particulars of the Oregon,” March 7, 1851, p. 2, col. 4. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=13916302