1858 — Feb 4, Colonel Crossman boiler explosion, fire, Miss. River, ~New Madrid, MO– 14

— 25-50 Civilian and Gazette, Galveston, TX. “Steamboat Explosion,” Feb 9, 1858, p. 3.
— 25-50 Daily Commercial, Cincinnati OH. “Another Steamboat Accident…Crossman…” 2-6-1858, 3.
— 25-30 British Banner (London). “United States,” Feb 25, 1858, p. 6.
— 20-30 Davenport Daily Gazette, IA. “Steamboat Explosion,” Feb 8, 1858, p. 1.
— ~15 Bragg. Historic Names and Places on the Lower Mississippi River. 1977, 34.
— 14 Berman, Bruce D. Encyclopedia of American Shipwrecks. 1972, p. 275.
— 14 Lytle and Holdcamper. Merchant Steam Vessels of the [U.S.] 1807-1868. 1952, p.252.
— 14 Chappell. “Missouri River Steamboats.” Transactions…KS Hist. Soc., 1906, 300.
— 14 US SIS. Appendix 12, US Treasury Dept. Report on the Finances, Oct 25, 1858, 270.
— 14 Way’s Packet Directory, 1848-1994. 1994, p. 103.

Narrative Information

Bragg: “The St. Louis-New Orleans steamer Col. Crossman exploded near Island No. 11 in February 1858. The boat caught fire and burned to the water’s edge. About 15 people were reported to have been killed in the accident.” [A drawing in Bragg’s book shows the approximate position in the Mississippi, nearer to the Kentucky shore than to the Missouri side, and closer to New Madrid than to Island 11.] (Bragg. Historic Names and Places on the Lower Mississippi River. 1977, p. 34.)

Chappell: “Col. Crossman. Captain Cheever. Large lower-river boat. Exploded at New Madrid, on the lower Mississippi, in the winter of 1857, with terrible loss of life.” (Chappell 1906, p.103.)

Lytle and Holdcamper: “…415 [tons]…exploded…2 4 1858…New Madrid, Mo. …14 [lives lost]” (Lytle and Holdcamper. Merchant Steam Vessels of the [U.S.] 1807-1868. 1952, p. 252.)

US SIS: “The steamer Colonel Crossman, while on her passage on the 4th of February last, and near New Madrid, was destroyed by fire. This disaster was occasioned by the explosion of the “donkey” boiler, which set fire to the vessel, and hence her destruction. There resulted from this accident the loss of fourteen lives, viz: twelve of the passengers and two of the crew.

“An investigation of this case by the inspectors showed clearly the origin of the fire, and that the engineer had unlawfully used the ‘donkey’ boiler, (which had not been tested,) for the purpose of supplying steam for the propulsion of the boat. The license of the engineer was therefore revoked.” (US SIS. Appendix 12, US Treasury Dept. Report on the Finances, Oct 25, 1858, p. 270-271.)

Way: “Colonel Crossman….Exploded boilers and was lost at New Madrid, Mo., Feb 2, 1858, with loss of 14 lives.” (Way’s Packet Directory, 1848-1994. 1994, p. 103.)

Newspapers

Feb 5: “Louisville, Feb 5.—The steamboat Col. Crossman burst her doctor boiler today, opposite New Madrid, and was afterwards destroyed by fire. One hundred and fifty of those on board were saved, and from 25 to 50 lost. The boat and cargo are a total loss.” (Civilian and Gazette, Galveston, TX. “Steamboat Explosion,” Feb 9, 1858, p. 3.)

Feb 5: “Memphis, Feb 5 – Editors Commercial: — The steamer Col. Crossman, Capt. J. Cheever, bound from New Orleans for St. Louis, with a cargo of about four hundred tons of groceries, and two hundred passengers, was entirely consumed by fire on Thursday night, 4th inst., at nine o’clock, in the Mississippi River, a short distance below New Madrid, Missouri. – From twenty to fifty lives are reported lost, and one hundred and twenty-five saved. One of the survivors states the fire was caused by the bursting of the ‘doctor’ boiler. The wreck drifted on a bar below New Madrid, where it grounded, and burned to the water’s edge. – Capt. Cheever, the mate, and five ladies are among those saved.

“The loss of the boat and cargo will exceed sixty thousand dollars.

“The Crossman was built at Cincinnati tone year ago, having left there for the Missouri river on the 17th of February, 1857. She cost $40,000, and is owned by Capt. J. Cheever, her commander, Capt. Weaver, the Clerk, and Capt. Pat. Yore, all of St. Louis. She was probably insured in Pittsburgh and St. Louis for $20,000. She was constructed expressly for the Missouri river, and one of the finest packets in the trade. Frank Smith, Clerk, Steamer Southerner.” (Daily Commercial, Cincinnati, OH. “Another Steamboat Accident. Col. Crossman Burned.” 2-6-1858, p. 3.)

Feb 6: “Cairo, Ill., Feb. 6. The boiler of the steamer Col. Crossman exploded on the night of the 4th, near Madrid, Mo., and the boat burned to the water’s edge. From 20 to 30 lives lost.” (Davenport Daily Gazette, IA. “Steamboat Explosion,” Feb 8, 1858, p. 1.)

Feb 25, British Banner: “The steamer Colonel Crossman, on Thursday evening, the 4th inst., while on the passage from New Orleans to St. Louis, and when a mile above New Madrid, burst her boiler, and subsequently took fire and burnt to the water’s edge. She had 200 passengers on board, and from 25-30 of them are reported lost. The captain, mate, and five ladies are known to have been saved…” (British Banner, London. “United States,” Feb 25, 1858, p. 6.)

Sources

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

Bragg, Marion. Historic Names and Places on the Lower Mississippi River. Vicksburg, MS: Mississippi River Commission, 1977. Accessed at: http://www.mvn.usace.army.mil/pao/history/MRnames/MissRiverNames.htm > Also at:
http://www.mvd.usace.army.mil/Portals/52/docs/MRC/MRnames%28Intro-end_final2%29.pdf

British Banner (London). “United States,” 2-25-1858, p. 6. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=157631280

Chappell, Phil E. “Missouri River Steamboats.” Transactions of the Kansas State Historical Society, 1905-1906 (Vol. IX). Topeka: State Printing Office, 1906. Accessed at: http://books.google.com/books?id=2dw7AAAAIAAJ&source=gbs_navlinks_s

Civilian and Galveston Gazette, TX. “Steamboat Explosion” (Col. Crossman], Feb 9, 1858, p. 3. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=152440273

Daily Commercial, Cincinnati, OH. “Another Steamboat Accident. Col. Crossman Burned.” 2-6-1858, p. 3. Accessed 8-19-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/cincinnati-daily-commercial-feb-06-1858-p-3/

Davenport Daily Gazette, IA. “Steamboat Explosion” [Colonel Crossman], Feb 8, 1858, p. 1. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=24863168

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

Steamboats.com. Online Steamboat Museum. “History of the Steam Engine.” Accessed 8-19-2020 at: https://steamboats.com/museum/engineroom.html

United States Steamboat-Inspection Service. “Appendix 12,” in United States Treasury Department. Report of the Secretary of the Treasury on the State of the Finances for the Year Ending June 30, 1858. Washington: William A. Harris, Printer, 1858. Digitized by Google at: http://books.google.com/books?id=XCUSAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_atb#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.