1853 — Apr 11, steamship Jenny Lind boiler, San Francisco Bay ~Redwood City, CA –33-34

–33-34 Blanchard estimated death toll.*

–>50 Britton-Warren. “The Tragedy of the Jenny Lind.” KQED/NPR, No. CA, 4-11-2011.*
— 34 Blanchard compilation of names noted below as fatalities; not counting one ambiguous.
–>32 Historical Marker Database. “The Steamboat Jenny Lind Disaster.” 9-14-2020 revision.
–>32 Mountain Charlie 1850. “ECV 1850 Plaque: The Steamboat Jenny Lind Disaster.”*
— 31 Bowen, Jerry. “Disaster strikes the Sophie McLane at Suisun.” 5-15-2000.
— 31 Clifford. “Steamboat tragedy of 1853 killed 31.” Daily Journal, San Mateo, CA, 8-27-2018.
— 31 Lippincott’s Monthly Magazine 1888, 1889, p. 613.
— 31 Simonds. The American Date Book. 1902, p. 99.

*Blanchard estimated death toll. Our compilation of names noted in sources cited comes to 35, however we think that one (Edward Behn, could be a double-list for the name C. E. Adolph Behn, both from Germany), so we do not include in our tally. Thus our compilation is of 34 named individuals. A memorial plaque notes 32 named fatalities and notes “and others whose names shall never be known.” If 32 names are listed and it is noted there were other deaths it is a fair assumption, we think, to conclude there must have been at least 33 deaths. We therefore choose to 33 deaths for the low end of our estimated death toll and 34 (from our compilation) as the high-end.

From sources cited, we are aware of reporting of thirty-one deaths, even one which includes a photo of the memorial which shows 32 names and notes others not named died as well. All we can say is that such reporting started a very long time ago (at least 1889), and is picked up again and again and regurgitated.

*Britton-Warren: It is from this article that we get the location of near Redwood City: “The Jenny Lind was off shore from present-day Redwood City, just north of where the Dumbarton Bridge is today.”

*Mountain Charlie 1850: Shows 32 names from memorial plaque dedicated in 2013, and notes “and others whose names shall never be known.”

Narrative Information

Filion and Storm: [We put into alphabetical order and number the entries. If in light blue high-light, the name was not on the HMDB memorial plaque (which notes it does not have all names.]
State Date of Date of
Death Notice/ article
1. Bell (or Ball), William, 27 [or 29] WI Apr 15 Apr 27
2. Beaudichon [Baudichon ], A., 35 France Apr 27
3. Beaudichon [Baudichon], Mrs. A. [Athalie ], 32. France Apr 27
4. Beaudichon [Baudichon], Blanche, 1. France Apr 27
5. Beaudichon, Chas., 4 [or Charles, 5 ] France Apr 27
6. Behn, Adolph, 5 Germany Apr 13
7. Behn, C. E. A. [Adolph, 39 ], 35 Germany Apr 15 Apr 27
8. Behn, Edward, 40 [double entry? ] Germany Apr 14 Apr 15
9. Bosworth, Franklin [26 ] New Orleans LA Apr 27
10. Bradbury, John S., 30 [29 ] Guilford NY Apr 27
11. Brady, John, 25 New Orleans LA Apr 27
12. Carpenter, _____, [46 ] France Apr 27
13. Drake, L. [or S. ] F., 29 Portage County OH Apr 27
14. Emerson, Mrs. Charles [Rosilla Emerson, 32 ] Apr 27
15. Godden, Thomas B., 26 Patterson NY or San Jose, CA Apr 17 Apr 27
16. Hawkins, Jas., [or Jonas ] 30 Genoa NY Apr 13 Apr 27
17. Hoppe, Jacob B. (or D.), 37 San Jose CA Apr 17 Apr 27
18. Kimball, Mrs. Apr 12 Apr 13
19. Koll [or Kell ], Thomas, 23 San Jose CA Apr 13 Apr 27
20. Maccabee, Francis H., 27 New York NY Apr 27
21. Murphy, Bernard [35 ] Gilroy or San Jose CA Apr 27
22. Paige, Mrs. Sarah Ann, 34 Boston MA Apr 13
23. Paige, Miss Sarah Ann, 8 Boston MA Apr 13
24. Ripley, Noah, 50 Brooklyn NY Apr 27
25. Ripley, Mrs. [Mary Burtois Turk ], 30. Brooklyn NY Apr 13
26. Ripley, Annie F., 6 yrs. 10 mo. Brooklyn NY Apr 13
27. Ripley, Chas. E, 8 yrs., 3 mo. Brooklyn NY Apr 13
28. Ripley, Sarah F., 9 yrs. 10 mo. Brooklyn NY Apr 13
29. Shelton, S. C. (or C.A.) [Christopher A. ] Galveston TX Apr 13
30. Van Buren, Jeremiah, 26 [or 27 ] Greenland NY Apr 27
31. White, Chas., [Charles ] 45 San Jose CA Apr 27
32. Winlack, Miss J. [Jane ] B., 35 Scotland Apr 27
33. Winser, Caleb, 28 [or 30 ] Guildford NY Apr 27
34. Wyman, Roswell A., 33 [or 36 ] Racine WI Apr 18 Apr 20
35. Wymke, Franklin A., 36 IA Apr 19 Apr 27

(Filion, Ron and Pamela Storm. San Francisco Genealogy. Newspaper Vital Index: 1853.)

Lippincott’s: “1853. A steam-pipe burst on the Jenny Lind, from Alviso to San Francisco, thirty-one lives being lost.” (p. 613)

Newspapers

April 12: “We are again called upon to record one of those awful catastrophes, incidental to steam navigation carrying distress and dismay to the survivor’s and death and deformity to the sufferers. Yesterday, at about 12 1/2 o’clock as the steamboat Jenny Lind was on her passage to this city from Alviso [CA], just as she got abreast of the Pulgas rancho, the plate on the afterward of her boiler blew out, sweeping away, in its course, and followed by the whole body of steam, the cabin bulkhead head and the exhaustion pipe of the engine.

“It is but proper to previse this account by stating that the hand-hole is a small elliptical hole in the head of the boiler, for the purpose of cleaning it out when dirty, and is different from what is known as the man-hole, which is used to admit a person inside the boiler. It is secured by a crossbar, fastened down with screws. The greatest possible care is requisite in putting in this plate, which is frequently known to blow out, but scarcely an instance has ever occurred, where it has resisted the pressure on it for so long a time when defective. The exhaustion pipe being carried away at the same time, accounts for the excessive destruction on this occasion.

“The Jenny Lind was running at her usual rate of speed when the accident occurred. She had lately undergone extensive repairs, and was supposed to be in as good order as any other boat on the line. No blame has been attached, as far as we have learned, to any one connected with the boat, which will arrive here today, open to the inspection of the public.

“The terrible loss of life is owing to the fact that the major part of the passengers had just sat down to dinner, and were in a direct line with the boiler when the explosion occurred and the cabin bulk-head blows through. The whole number of scalded, as far as has been ascertained, amounts to fifty persons in all. There were at the time eight ladies on board, nearly all of whom were at table and are among the sufferers, and we are sorry to add, that all are either dead or probably will die.

“No passenger list has been obtained, owing to the fact that only the passengers from Alviso were registered on the boat’s books; those from San Jose were not put down. We have, however, succeeded in obtaining the names of the following persons: Mr. Noah Ripley, wife and four children; three of the children died before arriving in this city, and the other died soon after; both Mr. Ripley and his wife were in the agonies of death when our Reporter saw them, this morning at 1 o’clock. Thus a whole family has been swept away at one fell blow of the universal destroyer. Judge White, fatally scalded. Miss Wilnac [Winlack], a musical teacher, dead. Mrs. Page, fatally, and her child dead. Mrs. Kimball dead. Mrs. Emerson, dead. A lady whose name we could not learn, probably a French lady, dead. Mr. Murphy, of San Jose, dead. Mr. J. D. Hoppe, of San Jose, badly, if not fatally. Mr. C. A. Shelton, fatally. Mr. Claude Simon, Frenchman, badly. Mr. Bain, of North Beach, badly. Mr. R. A. Wyman, of Wisconsin, badly. F. F. Colyer, of Wisconsin, badly. A Goldsmith, slightly. George Simmons, badly. Mrs. Larrain, badly. Mr. Bell, badly. One Frenchman, name unknown, fatally. The cook slightly. Both stewards dead. One of the firemen, dead. One child, name unknown, dead. Quite a number of others whose names we were unable to obtain last night, were more or less injured. The loss of life thus far has been computed as eighteen, and the whole number injured by the disaster, at fifty. It appears that those only who were in the cabin at the time, or on a line with the volume of steam were injured; all those on deck, on the guards and forward of the boilers received no damage. The dinner bell had just been rung, the ladies were seated at their places and the gentlemen just taking theirs, when this horrible accident occurred. Had the explosion happened but five minutes previous it is said that not a soul would have been injured as the cabin was empty, all hands being on deck; no other part of the boat has sustained any injury, the cabin only having been blown to pieces.

“As soon as the accident had taken place and a boat could be landed, Mr. Clark and another gentleman went ashore at the Pulgas Rancho to obtain aid. Mr. C. hurried on to this city for medical assistance, there being none on board, while the other gentleman employed himself in carrying off oil, lint and everything else he could think of for the relief of the sufferers. No persons belonging to the boat, except the two stewards and one fireman, who are dead, and the cook, slightly injured, were among the sufferers. As soon as intelligence was received here [S.F.] two boats were immediately dispatched to the relief of the Jenny Lind and the unfortunates on board of her; but the passengers were all brought down by the Union….” (Daily Alta California. “Awful Steamboat Explosion!” 4-12-1853, p. 2.)

Sources

Bowen, Jerry. “Disaster strikes the Sophie McLane at Suisun.” 5-15-2000. Historical Articles of Solano County Online Database. Accessed 12-22-2020 at: http://www.solanoarticles.com/history/index.php/weblog/more/disaster_strikes_the_sophie_mclane_at_suisun/

Britton-Warren, Claire. “The Tragedy of the Jenny Lind.” KQED/NPR, No. CA, 4-11-2011. Accessed 12-24-2020 at: https://www.kqed.org/perspectives/201104110735/the-tragedy-of-the-jenny-lind

Clifford, Jim. “Steamboat tragedy of 1853 killed 31.” Daily Journal, San Mateo, CA, 8-27-2018. Accessed 12-24-2020 at: https://www.smdailyjournal.com/news/local/steamboat-tragedy-of-1853-killed-31/article_c9e4fffe-a982-11e8-b49a-fb0f754856d6.html

Daily Alta California. “Awful Steamboat Explosion! Thirty Persons Badly Scalded. ” 4-12-1853, p. 2. Accessed 12-24-2020 at: https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=DAC18530412.2.5&e=——-en–20–1–txt-txIN——–1

Filion, Ron and Pamela Storm. San Francisco Genealogy. Newspaper Vital Index: 1853. Accessed 12-23-2020 at: http://184.12.255.121/wiki/1850/1/1/San-Francisco-Genealogy.-Newspaper-Vitals-Index:-1850,-1851,-and-1853-51501

Historical Marker Database. “The Steamboat Jenny Lind Disaster.” 4-13-2013 (Barry Swackhamer, Brentwood, CA, submission); 9-14-2020 revision (Larry Gertner, NY, NY). Accessed 12-24-2020 at: https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=64389

Lippincott’s Monthly Magazine 1888. “Every Day’s Record,” Vol. XLIII, January to June 1888, 1889. Accessed 12-24-2020 at: http://books.google.com/books?id=nLURAAAAYAAJ

Mountain Charlie 1850. “ECV [E. Clampus Vitus fraternal order] 1850 Plaque: The Steamboat Jenny Lind Disaster.” 2013. Accessed 12-24-2020 at: http://www.mountaincharlie1850.org/pl_steamboat_jenny_lind.html

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