1865 — July 31, Joseph Pierce boiler explosion/fire, MS Riv., Palmyra Lndg., below Vicksburg MS-9-12

–9-12 Blanchard estimated death toll.+

— ~50 Missouri Republican, St. Louis. “Latest News.” P. 3., col. 1. (Dead and wounded.)
— 9-29 Chicago Tribune. “Terrible Steamboat Disaster on the Mississippi.” 8-7-1865, p. 1.*
— 12 Berman, Bruce D. Encyclopedia of American Shipwrecks. 1972, p. 176.
— 12 Lytle and Holdcamper. Merchant Steam Vessels of the [U.S.] 1807-1868. 1952, p. 269.
–12-15 Report of the Supervising Inspector of Steamboats. 10-11-1865, Tenth District, 227.**
— 12 Way’s Packet Directory, 1848-1994: Passenger Steamboats…[MS Riv. Sys.]. 1994, 258.
— 9 New York Herald. “The Explosion of the Joseph Pierce…” 8-12-1865, p. 5.***

+Blanchard estimated death toll. It is difficult to reconcile the differing estimates. Thus we choose to employ a range. For the low-end of our range we use the nine deaths/missing reported by Captain Richardson of the Joseph Pierce. For the high end we choose to rely on Berman, Lytle and Holdcamper, Way, and the low-end of the steamboat inspectors report of 12-15 lost. We do not use 15 in that we have seen no other reporting specifically noting fifteen fatalities.

*Chicago Tribune: Nine specified fatalities and “perhaps about twenty are drowned, but their names are not to be found, and the supposition may not prove correct.”

**Steamboat Inspectors: Noted there were twelve to fifteen people killed and wounded.

***New York Herald article—contains the statement of Captain Richardson of the Joseph Pierce, and notes the number of recovered dead (3) and the missing (6) — see below.

Narrative Information

Supervising Inspector of Steamboats, Tenth District Report: “The steamer Joseph Pierce, a regular liner from here [New Orleans] to Vicksburg, and a new boat almost, exploded one of her boilers while lying at a landing a few miles below Vicksburg. There were about twelve or fifteen persons killed and wounded by this disaster. The evidence showed that the second engineer, on watch at the time, J. N. C. Richardson, was to blame, and his license was revoked. The boat took fire and burned, being a total loss.” (Report of the Supervising Inspector of Steamboats. 10-11-1865, Tenth District, p. 227.)

Way: Joseph Pierce – sidewheel packet, built in Freedom, PA in 1864 at 533 tons, with four boilers. “This was the first packet out since the war broke out. She exploded boilers and was lost at Palmyra Landing, Miss., on July 31, 1865, with loss of twelve lives….” (Way 1994, 258)

Newspapers

Aug 1: “New Orleans, August 1….The steamer Joseph Pierce exploded twenty miles below Vicksburg, and subsequently caught fire and burned to the water’s edge, killing six and wounding twenty-eight. The scalding steam passed through every part of the boat for a few minutes. The whole air was filled with pieces of flying timber, boards and bricks.” (Cincinnati Daily Commercial. “From New Orleans.” 8-3-1965, p. 5, col. 5.)

Aug 1: “….The Vicksburg Herald of August 1st, gives further particulars of the explosion of the Joseph Pierce, brief mention of which was made by telegraph a few days since. The accident occurred at Palmyra Landing, twenty miles below Vicksburg, on July 31st at 2 p.m. While the boat was taking on board the 64th [Regiment] United States colored infantry, Col. Meaticard commanding, her starboard boiler exploded with terrible force, after she had been laying at the bank about half an hour, blowing away fifty feet of the center of the boat. Hundreds were blown into the river but strange to say the loss of life was very small. James Kate, fireman, and two deck hands are known to be killed [3]. Wm. McGaee [unclear] and M. O’Brien, fireman, and Samuel Stewart, Co. F, 77th Pennsylvania, two colored women and a negro boy are all that are known to be missing [9]. It is thought, however, that perhaps about twenty are drowned, but their names are not to be found, and the supposition may not prove correct.

“Chief engineer Wm. Nichols is badly burned, and will scarcely recover. Two deck hands are badly burned and scalded, and twenty-four colored soldiers, Isaac Little and Jon West, mechanics, were more or less severely scalded or burned. Some of the injured men had their legs and arms broken. There was but one lady passenger, who, with her child, was saved, but badly burned and cut. About five minutes after the explosion the Pierce caught fire, and burned rapidly to the water’s edge, when she sunk. The explosion occurred about ten minutes before the main body of the colored regiment were ready to be marched on board, and those lost and wounded were of the fatigue parties engaged in putting the baggage and paraphernalia of the regiment on board.

“No apparent cause for the explosion is given. The engineers were considered among the best on the river, one of them having twenty years’ experience.” (Chicago Tribune. “Terrible Steamboat Disaster on the Mississippi…From Cairo and Below.” 8-7-1865, p. 1.)

Aug 5: “Cairo, Aug. 5….The steamer Continental brings the Vicksburg Herald extra, giving full particulars of the explosion and burning of the steamer Joseph Pierce at Palmyra Plantation. The Pierce was taking on a regiment of negro soldiers when the middle starboard boiler exploded with terrific force, blowing away fifty feet of the middle of the boat. The force expending itself on this part of the boat accounts for the small loss of life, under the circumstances. The officers and crew were saved except the engineer, Wm. Nichols, who was mortally wounded, and four firemen who were blown to pieces. The upper half of a man was found blown two hundred yards ashore, and a leg supposed to belong to some lady, was found fifty yards further off. Part of the boiler was thrown four hundred yards ashore. The killed, wounded, &c., were mostly negro troops. It is thought fifty will cover the entire loss….The officers and crew returned to New Orleans on the Von Phul, after the explosion the boat took fire and sunk…The wounded were taken to Vicksburg on the steamer Fashion. Lucien Blood and Bob Owens, one of the clerks, was wounded.” (Missouri Republican, St. Louis. “Latest News.” P. 3., col. 1.)

Aug 12: “Captain Richardson, of the steamboat Joseph Pierce, makes the following report: —

“The steamer Joseph Pierce left New Orleans on Sunday, July 29, 1865, for Vicksburg. No defects in machinery or boilers, to my knowledge. Made usual landings. Nothing unusual occurred until Monday, the 31st. Landed at Palmyra landing on Monday, the 31st, about half-past one o’clock P.M. After discharging freight was ordered by Major_____ to take on board five hundred troops and equipments for Vicksburg. Notified the engineer on duty of the fact. Had taken on a portion of the equipments, ammunition, wagons and horses, occupying about half an hour, when the explosion occurred. The troops had not yet come on board, other than those engaged in carrying baggage. Cause of explosion unaccountable. The furnace had been cleaned out at the landing. The fireman, while cleaning the furnace, discovered a blister on the starboard middle boiler. He immediately notified the engineer of the fact (who was in the engine room at the time). Before he (the engineer) could get forward the explosion occurred. At the time of the explosion I was at the end of the stage, going up the bank, about fifty yards from the boilers, and, from the quantity of water thrown on me, am satisfied there was a sufficiency of water in boilers. After explosion the boat caught fire and burned to the water’s edge, the hull sinking. Boat and cargo a total loss. All books and papers lost.

“No Cabin passengers known to be lost.

Killed, Wounded and Missing.

“Killed – William Nichols, first engineer; _____name unknown, fireman, white; _____name unknown, deck passenger white.

“Missing – Three firemen, white; two deck hands, colored; _____Bird, passenger from Port Gibson.

“Wounded – Lieutenant Thomas, from Natchez, two ribs broken; name unknown, fireman, badly scalded; two cabin crew, colored, badly scalded; name unknown, deck passenger, colored, arm broken; one lady and child, on deck, slightly wounded; won woman, colored, slightly wounded.”
(New York Herald. “The Explosion of the Joseph Pierce – Statement of Captain Richardson.” 8-12-1865, p. 5.)

Sources

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

Chicago Tribune. “Terrible Steamboat Disaster on the Mississippi…From Cairo and Below.” 8-7-1865, p. 1. Accessed 9-18-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/chicago-tribune-aug-07-1865-p-1/

Cincinnati Daily Commercial. “From New Orleans.” 8-3-1965, p. 5, col. 5. Accessed 9-18-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/cincinnati-daily-commercial-aug-03-1865-p-5/

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

Missouri Republican, St. Louis. “Latest News.” P. 3., col. 1. Accessed 9-18-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/saint-louis-daily-missouri-republican-aug-07-1865-p-3/

New Albany Daily Ledger, IN. “Explosion of the Steamer Joseph Pierce.” 8-8-1865, p. 2. Accessed 9-18-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/new-albany-daily-ledger-aug-08-1865-p-2/

New York Herald. “The Explosion of the Joseph Pierce – Statement of Captain Richardson.” 8-12-1865, p. 5. Accessed 9-18-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/new-york-herald-aug-12-1865-p-5/

Report of the Supervising Inspector of Steamboats. 10-11-1865, in: Report of the Secretary of the Treasure on the State of the Finances for The Year 1865. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1865. Accessed 9-18-2020 at: https://fraser.stlouisfed.org/title/annual-report-secretary-treasury-state-finances-194/report-secretary-treasury-state-finances-year-1865-5509/report-supervising-inspector-steamboats-302219

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. “John A. Quitman,” 9-17-2020 edit. Accessed 9-18-2020 at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_A._Quitman