1854 — Jan 28, Steamboat Georgia fire (boiler explosion?), Lake Pontchartrain, LA –25-60

–25-60 Blanchard estimated range.*

–40-60 Adams Sentinel, Gettysburg, PA. “Dreadful Steamboat Explosion.” Feb 6, 1854, 5.
–25-60 Berman, Bruce D. Encyclopedia of American Shipwrecks. 1972, p. 170.
— 60 Nash, Jay Robert. Darkest Hours. 1977, p. 683.
— 60 NY Daily Times. “Burning of the Steamboat Georgia at New Orleans.” 2-1-1854, p. 1.
— 60 Simonds. The American Date Book. 1902, p. 99.
— 60 Willsey and Lewis. “Wrecks,” Harper’s Book of Facts. 1895, p. 944.
— 60 US Congress, House. Hearings. “Safety of Life and Property at Sea.” 1935, p. 246.
–38-50 Brooklyn Daily Eagle. “Burning of the Steamer Georgia.” 2-6-1854, p. 2.
–30-50 New York Daily Times. “Burning of the Steamboat Georgia.” Feb 7, 1854, p. 1.
–30-40 Lloyd’s Steamboat Directory and Disasters on the Western Waters. 1856, p. 474.
–30-40 New York Daily Times. “Further Conflagrations.” Feb 7, 1864, p. 4.
— ~40 Southern Sentinel, Plaquemine, LA. 2-4-1854, p. 2, col. 4.
— 25 Lytle and Holdcamper. Merchant Steam Vessels of the [U.S.] 1807-1868. 1952, p. 239.
— ~25 U.S. Steamboat Inspection Service. Report of Board of… 10-10-1854, p. 393.
— 25 Way’s Packet Directory, 1848-1994: Passenger Steamboats…[MS Riv. Sys.]… 1999, 187.

*Blanchard estimated range: When documents and books in our possession do not resolve discrepancies in key aspects of an incident, we try to narrow the differences between a wide range of reports on fatalities through continued research through newspapers at the time to which we have access and word searches of digitized documents. Usually credible sources such as Lytle and Holdcamper, the US Steamboat Inspection Service and Way all three note twenty-five or about twenty-five fatalities, while Berman notes twenty-five as the low end of his death toll range.

The sheer number of sources noting more than twenty deaths, including seven noting sixty or up to sixty deaths, is such that we think it imprudent to simply ignore these sources.

Thus, we fall back on reporting a range that could be as low as twenty-five or as high as sixty, or anywhere in between.

Narrative Information

Berman: “Georgia. St.p. [Steam sidewheel]. 326 [tons]. 1851 [built]. Jan 28, 1854. Exploded. Lake Pontchartrain, La. Between 25 and 60 lives lost.” (Berman 1972, 170.)

Lytle and Holdcamper: “Georgia…326 [tons]…exploded…1 28 1854…Lake Pontchartrain, La. …25 [lives lost].”

Simonds: “Jan. 28, Georgia burns at New Orleans, 60 lost…” (Simonds. American Date Book. 1902, 99.)

US SIS: “On the 28th January last the steamer ‘Georgia’ was burned at the terminus of the Jefferson railroad, in Lake Pontchartrain. She was at the time made fast to the wharf, and had her gang-planks out. Notwithstanding this, in the confusion and want of presence of mind on the part of the passengers (emigrants from Alabama and Georgia), about twenty-five lives were lost. An examination into the origin of the fire was instituted, but no satisfactory information could be elicited in regard to it. It was shown, however, that the boat was fully equipped, in compliance with the law.” (U.S. Steamboat Inspection Service. Report of Board of… Oct 10, 1854, p. 393.)

Way: Sidewheel wood-hull packet Georgia, built in Elizabeth, PA, in 1851, at 326 tons. “…sold in fall of 1853 to Capt. John C. Sinnott, New Orleans. Exploded boilers on Lake Pontchartrain, La., Jan. 28, 1854, with loss of 25 lives.”

Newspapers

Jan 29: “The New Orleans correspondent of the New York Tribune, writing under date of Jan. 29th, gives the following particulars of the burning of the steamer Georgia, a condensed account of which we gave in our telegraphic column some days since:

“The steamer Georgia, a packet running between this city, Montgomery and Alabama River, took fire last night, at the end of the Jefferson and lake Pontchartrain Railroad, and was destroyed with a large number of lives. As I could not obtain any particulars in town, I took the first train of cars for the Lake to ascertain all the particulars. On arriving at the scene of the disaster, I found but few persons there, and it was with great difficulty that I could ascertain any particulars. Every effort was being made to recover the bodies of those lost, and also to save what cotton there was floating about. The particulars, as near as could be ascertained, are as follows: The steamer Georgia, Captain Howe, with a cargo of 1,031 bales of cotton, had arrived at the Lake end of the Jefferson and Lake Pontchartrain Railroad at ten minutes after 10 o’clock last night. Just as she was making a landing at the wharf of the railroad, and before the boat could be made fast at the wharf, a fire was discovered near the boilers, and before the alarm could be given the entire boat was enveloped in flames. There was a large number of passengers, mainly emigrants from Georgia, bound to Texas, via this city. These emigrants had a large quantity of baggage, some forty three mules, a large number of slaves, and a considerable amount of money in specie. The baggage, all the mules and specie were lost, as also all the cotton, furniture and other freight.

“The number of passengers, including slaves, sis stated to have been 185. The officers, crew, stewards, and the hands are said to have numbered 41. Up to the time I left the wharf, it was ascertained that all the officers, as usual [emphasis in original] were saved, and only three of the stewards were missing. Of the passengers, 67 are yet missing, mostly slaves; but as many of the passengers may have been saved and not reported themselves, there is no certainty of the number of lives lost. Many persons think the loss does not exceed thirty-eight, but others estimate the loss over fifty. Many persons lost their lives by jumping overboard, and a large number who have been saved are seriously injured by leaping from the hurricane roof of the steamer to the wharf of the railroad company.

“A part of the passengers were in their births at the time the fire broke out, but I could not learn that any were burnt, although there is a report that an old gentleman name of Jackson was lost in that manner.

“The fire extended from the steamer to the long wharf and warehouses of the Railroad Co., destroying 250 to 300 feet of the wharf, which has been built at an immense cost, as also the warehouses. In the warehouses was a large quantity of bacon, pork, lard, flour, and other products, intended for the steamer Ellen, for Mobile, all of which was destroyed. About 150 to 250 bales of cotton which had been landed from the steamer Ellen, were destroyed. I also learn that very little of the freight in the warehouses was insured and it is a question whether parties who are insured on their goods from this city to Mobile are covered by insurance until the freight is shipped on the teamer.

“Most of the cotton on the Georgia was insured, and I learn that there was a partial insurance on the steamer. The next mail will bring particulars.” (Brooklyn Daily Eagle. “Burning of the Steamer Georgia.” 2-6-1854, p. 2.)

Jan 30, New Orleans Picayune: “From the New Orleans Picayune, Jan 30.

“The steamboat Georgia, Capt. Sinnott, from Montgomery, Ala., was burned at the wharf, at the lake end of the Jefferson and Pontchartrain Railroad, on Saturday night, at about 10½ [unclear] o’clock. The boat had just arrived at the wharf, and a bow-line thrown out and secured to the wharf, when the boat was discovered to be on fire. A stern line was thrown out at once, but, in the hurry, it was not secured to the wharf. The stern of the boat, therefore, swung out from the wharf for a minute or two. The fire caught around the boilers and the woodwork of the boat and cotton. The passengers were nearly all in the cabin, and the flames sprung up from the forward part of the boat, prevented many of them from escaping.

“There were 185 passengers on board, including children and negroes. Of this number, it is certain that 30 perished. Some of the firemen saved think that 50 were lost, but from the most diligent inquiries, we think that 40 is nearer the actual number lost. 22 of the above number were slaves belonging to persons on board.

“From the moment that the flames broke out until the fate of life or death was decided for the passengers, only about three minutes elapsed so quick was the work of destruction. The passengers were nearly all dressed, only two or three of them having gone to their berths. Many of them were anxious to see the landing place, or were kept up listening to the music of a violin which a young man was playing in the cabin. Most of the passengers were from North Alabama, Georgia, and the Carolinas, who, having left their homes, were emigrating with their families, negroes, furniture, cattle and wagons to Texas….The boat was very crowded with cotton, carts, cattle and furniture….” (New York Daily Times. “Burning of the Steamboat Georgia.” 2-7-1854, p. 1.)

Feb 4, Southern Sentinel: “The steamboat Georgia, just from Montgomery to New Orleans, caught fire on Saturday night last at the landing at the Pontchartrain Railroad, and was totally consumed. About forty persons perished.” (Southern Sentinel, Plaquemine, LA. 2-4-1854, p. 2, col. 4.)

Feb 6, Adams Sentinel: “60 Lives Lost – 1200 Bales of Cotton burnt.

“New Orleans, Jan. 29. – The steamer Georgia, from Montgomery, exploded her boilers last night while at the wharf in this city. By this sad accident forty persons, mostly passengers, were killed, and a large number wounded. About one-half of those killed were colored persons, the others were whites, consisting of the crew and passengers. Some were dreadfully mangled and so much disfigured that it was impossible to recognize them. The boat was blown into fragments, and being set on fire it burnt the water’s edge, with her cargo consisting of twelve hundred bales of cotton and other merchandise. The boat is a total loss….The passengers who lost their lives were mostly from the South, especially from Alabama, and North and South Carolina. – They were bound for Texas in the Pampero [unclear]. The officers and crew were saved. The list containing the names of the passengers was burnt, so that it is impossible to ascertain the names of the killed. Some warehouses on the wharf were burnt, having caught fire from the boat.

Second Dispatch.

“It is now estimated that there were sixty of the passengers on board of the Georgia either drowned or burned to death. All the baggage and money was lost, amounting to over $80,000. The boat was valued at $28,000. There was on board the steamer nearly two hundred passengers, principally emigrants going to Texas, and slaves.” (Adams Sentinel, Gettysburg, PA. “Dreadful Steamboat Explosion.” Feb 6, 1854, 5.)

Feb 7, New York Daily Times: “The Southern mail of yesterday brought the full particulars of the loss of life and property at New-Orleans by the burning of the steamboat Georgia, on Saturday, 28th ult. … The Georgia was burnt as she neared the pier on Lake Pontchartrain, at the end of the railroad, six miles from the city. She came down the Alabama River, from Montgomery, with 1,030 bales cotton, and a large number of deck and cabin passengers, and crossed the Lake from Mobile Bay, for New- Orleans. The whole of the cotton was destroyed, together with 200 bales just landed from another boat, on the pier. Thirty or forty lives are reported lost.” (New York Daily Times. “Further Conflagrations.” Feb 7, 1864, p. 4.)

Sources

Adams Sentinel and General Advertiser, Gettysburg, PA. “Dreadful Steamboat Explosion.” Feb 6, 1854, p. 5. Accessed 9-3-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/adams-sentinel-feb-06-1854-p-5/

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

Daily Comet, Baton Rouge, LA. “Steamboat Georgia Burnt!” 1-31-1854, p. 2. Accessed 9-3-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/the-daily-comet-jan-31-1854-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

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=9&size=125&q1=ceres

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.

New York Daily Times. “Burning of the Steamboat Georgia at New Orleans.” 2-1-1854, p. 1. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=2823683

New York Daily Times. “Further Conflagrations” [Steamboat Georgia]. Feb 7, 1864, p. 4. At: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=2824205

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

Southern Sentinel, Plaquemine, LA. 2-4-1854, p. 2, col. 4. Accessed 9-3-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/southern-sentinel-feb-04-1854-p-2/

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=belle%20zane

United States Steamboat Inspection Service. “Report of Board of Supervising Inspectors of Steamboats,” Oct 10, 1854, pp. 392-394. In: Index to Executive Documents Printed by Order of The Senate of the United States, Second Session, Thirty-Third Congress, 1854-’55 (in Twelve Volumes). Washington: Beverley Tucker, Senate Printer, 1855. Digitized by Google at: http://books.google.com/books?id=sIcFAAAAQAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

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.

Willsey, Joseph H. (Compiler), Charlton T. Lewis (Editor). Harper’s Book of Facts: A Classified History of the World. New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1895. Accessed 9-4-2017 at: http://books.google.com/books?id=UcwGAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_v2_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q=&f=false