1865 — Oct 29, Steamer St. John boiler explosion, Hudson River ~5 miles above NYC– 15

–26 Ryder. “The St. John: 1863-1885.” Greene County News, February 13, 1964. (we do not use)
–15 Board of Supervising Inspectors of Steamboats (U.S.), 2nd District/NY, 1866, p. 280.
–15 Buckman. Old Steamboat Days on the Hudson River. 1907, p. 82.
–15 Morrison. History of American Steam Navigation. 1908, p. 126.
–15 Osborne. “The big Hudson River steamer ‘St. John’…boiler explosion…fifteen people… killed.”
–9 immediately and almost immediately
–6 later deaths from injuries, primarily from internal and external scalding
–15 Reynolds. Albany Chronicles. 1906, p. 632.
–14 NYT. “The Disaster on the Steamer St. John; Investigation by Coroner Wildey.” 11-9-1865, 2.

Narrative Information

Board of Supervising Inspectors of Steamboats (U.S.), Second Supervising District (NY):

“Several accidents have occurred to passenger and freight steamers, some of quite a serious character.

“The first of these was the explosion of the port boiler of the steamer St. John, which occurred on the Hudson river, about five miles above the city of New York, while on her down trip from Albany to New York, on the morning of the 29th day of October, 1865. By this accident fifteen lives were lost; the greatest number were passengers, and some of the crew. The St. John is a side-wheel steamer of the largest class of river boats, measuring 2,645 tons, and has two low-pressure boiler, 28½ feet long, 13½ feet width of front, 12 feet diameter of shell, tubular returns; these are set on the guards in the same manner usual on the Hudson and other rivers.

“These boilers were made of iron of varying thickness and stamped as required by law, and were considered, when inspected, first-class boilers; it was found, on examination after the explosion, that one sheet was of very effective iron, but the defects were not visible to the eye.

“There is no evidence, however, that there was a deficiency of water or an over-pressure of steam at the time of the explosion, that one sheet was of very defective iron, but the defects were not visible to the eye.

“There is no evidence, however, that there was a deficiency of water or an over-pressure of steam at the time of the explosion, and the cause is somewhat shrouded in mystery; but the local inspectors are of the opinion that it resulted from the continuous pulsation from the immense height of her steam chimneys. These boilers have since been greatly strengthened by the placing of T iron of the dimensions of 6X4 inches; also other bracings have been done. It is now thought the boilers are perfectly secure against the pressure allowed.” (Board of Supervising Inspectors of Steamboats (U.S.). Report of Board of Supervising Inspectors of Steamboats. 10-24-1866, pp. 279-280.)

Buckman: “The St. John burst one of her boilers October 29, 1865, a few miles below Albany, and fifteen lives were lost, most of them being passengers.” (Buckman 1907, p. 82.)

Morrison: “On the morning of the 29th of October, 1865, the “St. John,” when about five miles above the city of New York, while on her trip from Albany, her port boiler exploded. By this accident fifteen lives were lost, the majority of whom were passengers. There was no evidence that there was a deficiency of water or an over¬pressure of steam at the time of the explosion, but it was supposed to have resulted from the continued pulsation from the immense height of her steam chimneys. These boilers were subsequently strengthened by additional bracing.” (Morrison 1908, p. 126.)

Reynolds: “Steamboat St. John’s boiler explodes, killing 15, Nov. 29 [October 29].” (Reynolds. Albany Chronicles. 1906, p. 632.)

Ryder: “The flamboyant era of gigantic river paddle steamers with luxurious and imposing interiors received impetus when the St. John erupted in sudden splendor and slid from the ways to join the ever expanding fleet on the Hudson.

“In 1862, the People’s Line, known as Uncle Daniel Drew’s “Hudson River Gold Mine” commissioned John Englis, a shipbuilder and large stockholder in the Line, to build a steamboat which would surpass anything afloat. From the vast experience and fertile imagination of Englis, the monarch, known on the yard records simply as “Hull No. 42”, grew rapidly in size, the progress of building followed closely by the interested public and competitive steamboat owners.

“From the first indication of her proposed construction the public and the newspapers of that day, expressed unusual interest and curiosity as to what the leviathan would be named. At her launching, however, this was settled, the owners of the floating palace christened her St. John, honoring Captain A. P. St. John, a founder and executive of the People’s Line. The latter, together with notable personages such as Isaac Newton, Daniel Drew, Dean Richmond, and Erastus Corning, shrewdly invested considerable money in the Line which had its inception in 1835. A common practice of the period was to name a new steamboat after her owner, builder, or a prominent financial backer of the organization. All of these men had steamboats named after them….

“The magnificent splendor of the St. John’s interior was the talk of international visitors, many of whom admired the décor of this palatial vessel. Those who gazed in admiration were duly impressed by the double tier of elegantly furnished staterooms opening into elaborate galleries in the grand saloon which extended through two decks in its high domed ceiling supported by Grecian columns. The sprawling Grand Staircase of carved San Domingo mahogany, with its massive newell posts featuring double stairs, inlaid with white holly alone cost $25,000. She was looked upon as the ultimate in luxury travel.

“The sidewheelers of that day presented a flat surface on their paddlebox sides and the elaborate decorations were limited only by the ingenuity of the artist. In the St. John, however, an astonishing effect was produced. Lines of perspective appeared in the design which gave the impression of looking into a long colonnaded room extending through the boat. These interesting results were heightened by painting a tiled floor of contrasting shades. Deep inside the composition, a pair of gates, built up as lattice work gave out into a painted landscape. This treatment must have given a startling impression to travelers on passing boats.

“Built at a cost of $600,000 the St. John was unquestionable the largest Hudson River Steamboat built up to that time, and retained this title for 40 years until another People’s Line Boat, the C.W. Morse made her appearance in 1904….

“On the morning of October 29, 1865, as the St. John was approaching her pier off Hoboken, the routine activity for miles around was interrupted by the terrifying sound of a tremendous explosions from the vicinity of the sidewheeler. Her post boiler had blown up without warning. Most of the passengers were still in their berths or staterooms. As the full impact of the impending disaster registered on their minds, still dulled with sleep, the passengers became panicky and rushed into the saloon only to be surrounded by scalding and suffocating steam and, in the ensuing chaos 11 lives were lost and 15 persons seriously injured died later… Among the casualties was a young couple named Lyons who had recently been married in St. Luke’s Church on Hudson Street and were returning from their bridal tour abroad. Both newlyweds had inhaled the scalding steam and died on that fateful day. Ironically the same minister who heard their nuptial vows was now called upon to preach a final sermon at their funeral….

“When the cause of the disaster was investigated there was no evidence of a lack of water in the boiler or of an overpressure of steam, but it was supposed to have resulted from the continuous pulsations due to the immense height of the stacks. These boilers were later strengthened by additional rods and bracing. The ST. JOHN after complete restoration to her original elegance, was returned to service with no visible scars to remind one of the disaster.” (Ryder. “The St. John: 1863-1885.” Greene County News, February 20, 1964.)

Newspapers

Oct 30, NYT: ““Yesterday morning another appalling steamboat disaster occurred on the North River, resulting in the death of ten, and the serious scalding and maiming of seventeen persons. The Times reporters have collated the facts as far as they can be ascertained in advance of the thorough investigation which Coroner Wildey intends to make, and we give them below.

“The St. John, of the People’s Line, was steaming down the Hudson under about twenty-eight pounds of steam, and her machinery was working to the entire satisfaction of the assistant engineers, who were in charge, the engine making about thirteen revolutions per minute, when at twenty minutes past six o’clock the port or larboard boiler exploded. The sudden crashing of panels and glass, and almost instantaneous filling of the steamer’s immense saloons with steam brought all on board to their feet. Stateroom doors and windows were burst by the passengers in the unutterable confusion that followed the explosion; many dashed into the main saloon only to be nearly suffocated by the scalding steam; others leaped from the windows of their berths into the river, and were subsequently rescued. At the moment of the explosion the vast volume of more than thirty tons of scalding water within the port boiler was dashed into the saloon as if from an enormous fire engine; and the weight of the water in the starboard boiler careening the vessel, a food of water from the port rushed across the upper deck, covering it to the depth of five or six inches, and scalding the feet of such of the passengers as had come forth from their state-rooms.

“Awakened by the explosion and instantly comprehending the accident the Chief Engineer hurried to the engine rooms and let off the steam leaving the craft without motive power. He then communicated with Capt. Peck, and measures were at once taken to clear the saloons of steam and attend to the wants of the wounded and dying. In this humane labor, it may be proper to add here. Mrs. Peck, wife of the captain, the boat’s officers, and many of the passengers aided with alacrity and efficiency; and through their efforts, half an hour subsequent to the accident something like order was restored.

“The wounded having been rendered as comfortable as possible, the engineer and his assistants next turned their attention to getting the boat into her dock, at Pier No. 41, she having drifted up the river from the middle of the stream, between Thirteenth-street and the Elysian Fields, the point at which the explosion occurred. But all steam having been blown off, it became necessary to get up steam anew, and this was done in the starboard boiler, consuming nearly an hour.

“Meantime the ferry-boat Morristown approached and took the uninjured passengers ashore, leaving their luggage on board the steamer. The St. John reached her pier at half-past 8 o’clock, and messengers were dispatched without delay for medical and surgical aid. Many of the passengers who had landed now thronged the wharf and pressed for admission at the gang-planks, and wayfarers on the streets, observing the excited multitude, joined the throng, until it was deemed prudent to summon the police to preserve order. The summons speedily brought a section of Fifth Ward police, under Capt. Petty and Sergt. Carpenter, and they, taking the wharf under their control, pressed back the multitude and closed the gates, thereafter admitting only such persons as were able to show that they had urgent business on board the boat. They also invested the vessel, and kept vigilant watch over property, while the physicians – namely, Drs. F. White, Christopher Weltje, Wooster Beach, jr., A. Brayton Ball, and es-Coroner J. W. Ranney — who reached the scene at about 9:30, attended to the wounded. In their task they were ably assisted by the captain and officers of the steamer, by Mrs. Peck and other ladies, and by E.P. Hawley and other passengers who had escaped unharmed. Until this time it had been supposed that more than a score of the sufferers had been mortally injured; but actual count revealed only nine persons that had perished — eight by scalding and one by drowning.

“The following are the names of the dead.
MERRITT S. BROOKS, of No. 323 West Twelfth-street, aged 22 years.
Mrs. Matilda ARCHAMBAULT, of Montreal, and her female child, aged 3 years. [& husband]
Mrs. JULIA A. REYNOLDS, of Myrtle-avenue and Clinton-street, Brooklyn.
Mrs. HARRIET P. WALLABER, of Albany, aged 28 years.
GEORGE WALLABER, child of the above, aged 30 months.
Infant child of Mrs. WALLABER, aged 4 months.
FRANCIS LYONS, of Yorkville — died at 4 o’clock yesterday afternoon. [Wife also died.]
JOHN ANDERSON, deck-hand of the St. John.
JOSEPH LAMBERT, fireman. Mr. LAMBERT having been scalded, leaped overboard and was drowned. His body has not been recovered.
“….Statements of the Officers.

“Capt. William H. Peck and Engineer James Hook say that the St. John was carrying, at the time of the accident, from 26 to 28 pounds of steam, the usual running pressure. The boilers are guaranteed to bear 35 pounds pressure, and they ‘blow off’ at the safe gauge-mark of 30 pounds. The boilers, which are nearly new, were constructed in March last, by Messrs. Crowbanks & Theall, of Nos. 49 and 58 Harrison-street, at a cost of $58,000 in shop and $62,000 in place on board the steamer. They are not of the boat’s age — the proprietors of the People’s Line having been unable to find contractors to undertake the building of boilers at the time when they contracted for the vessel. The government had then absorbed the entire machine interest of the country, and boilermakers were not to be obtained on any terms. Hence the builders were compelled to put the old Isaac Newton’s machinery into the St. John, and with that she was run throughout her initial season. Last Winter, however, the People’s Line effected a contract with Messrs. Crowbanks & Theall, and they completed the job in March last, giving the St. John, as they believed, as substantial and well finished boiler apparatus as had ever been put afloat.

“The contractors having surrendered their work, government inspector Harper was invited to make a thorough inspection; and he was informed that if anything suggested itself to his mind whereby the vessel’s steam generating apparatus might be strengthened and rendered more positively proof against accident, he need only make the fact known, and his instructions should be obeyed to the letter, let the expenditure involved be whatever it might. A more than commonly careful inspection was accordingly made, and Inspector Harper certified that the boilers had been properly constructed and were capable of carrying thirty-five pounds of steam with perfect security. And under the Inspector’s certificate the boat’s machinery was put in motion in March last, and kept constantly employed until yesterday morning, without leak or even remote indication of flaw in any part. Yet there was an imperceptible flaw in the boiler’s shell; or, if not, it so appeared to the engineer and his assistants, and other gentlemen who scrutinized the shattered iron yesterday. The St. John’s boilers are built on her guards, about midships, and rest on the main deck, whereon there is a shield which, in the case of the exploded boiler, prevented the escaping steam from injuring the hull, but turned it off at an angle of perhaps forty-five degrees, sending it through the state-rooms in the great saloon. Had the imperfect sheet of iron been placed on the outer side of the boiler, the explosion could not have resulted disastrously; but, unhappily, the sheet was riveted on the side next the grand saloon, and when blown as under its liquid lightning flashed through the light panelings of the state-rooms, and suddenly transformed the palace into a hospital.

“The rent is about six feet by two, and leaves an opening through which three or four men could easily enter. The entire upper edge of the sheet is torn off as neatly as if cut by a knife, and the edge, on examination, shows the iron to have been what the engineer styled ‘sand iron,’ or metal which has not the tenacity which is required for boiler use. In the main saloon, the scene, yesterday morning, was harrowing in the extreme. Amid all the gorgeous decorations and glittering ornaments, on the rich carpets, now wet with water scarcely cold, stood revealed a wreck, a dead-hotted [?] and a hospital. Forward, near the engine-room bulkhead, lay the dead. First, a mother and her two little children. Next, a mother and a sweet child; the husband and father lay at the stern end of the saloon, suffering tortures inexpressible. Next, a mother and wife. By her head sat the husband, silent, suffering untold agony. He was alone — so was their child. He had gone out of the room just before the explosion occurred, leaving his wife alone, and for the last time in life and health. A man lay in this group. Already seven had gone to their long homes, and others lay in the agony of death….

“The damage to the steamer is trifling. The cabin — indeed the entire hull — is intact, not even a drop of water having entered below; but state-rooms Nos. 119, 121 and 123, on the upper or saloon deck, being the rooms directly over the port boiler, are a wreck, and state-room No. 46, on the second-story, above Nos. 119 and 121, is considerably shattered. The wood and iron work near the point of the explosion is also shattered. But aside from this little injury has been done. Several glass globes on the chandeliers are broken, the windows of the starboard state-rooms opposite the wrecked rooms on the starboard have been blown inward and outward, and many windows in other parts of the saloon bear evidence of the force of the concussion. The boiler, in the engineer’s opinion, may be repaired within a week, and the whole pecuniary loss may, it is thought, be covered by $2,000.

“Among our naval and other reporters’ miscellaneous jottings on the decks of the disabled steamer, we note a suggestion that if persons would, when such accidents occur, act with promptness and be calm enough to take blankets or bed-clothing and cover the head, they would escape the burning as well as the almost certain deadly effects of inhaling steam. A wet towel held over the mouth will, perhaps, save the life. If there is no water flooding the floors, lie down as close to the floor as possible, with the face downwards.

“The St. John is a new boat, having been built in 1863 at a cost of $500,000, and is the largest and finest steamboat in the world, and with the Dean Richmond forms the line between this city and Albany….

“The St. John took from Albany, on Saturday evening, fewer passengers than on any previous trip during her two years of service, the number being less than two hundred. Had the cabins and state-rooms been full at the time of the catastrophe, the loss of life must have been much greater, since a panic could hardly have been prevented….

“The killed and most seriously injured among the passengers were those who occupied the state-rooms directly over the boilers. On the ceiling of room No. 123 can be seen locks of human hair which were blown up there. Blood bespatters the saloon walls. We saw a lady’s Polish boot burned to a crisp, rings, earrings torn out and a variety of trinkets scattered everywhere….”

Oct 31, NYT: “On Sunday night, Mr. Corrille Archambault, of Montreal, Mrs. Mary J. Lyons, of Yorkville, and Mr. Adrian Searles, baggage-master of the steam4r St. John, died at the New-York Hospital, and Mr. S. W. Northrop, of No. 53 Spencer-street, Albany, died at No. 144 East Thirty-ninth street, making fourteen persons thus far whose lives have been lost through the explosion on board the steamer. Coroner Wildey have the friends, yesterday, burial certificates, reserving the formal inquest until the 8th proximo. The bodies of the Archambault family were given to a member of the Canadian Parliament, and they are to be taken hence to-day. The funeral obsequies of Mr. and Mrs. Francis J. Lyon take place at St. Luke’s Church, Hudson-street, at 2 o’clock this afternoon.” (NYT. “The St. John Disaster….Death of Four More Victims.” 10-31-1865.)

Sources

Board of Supervising Inspectors of Steamboats (U.S.). Report of Board of Supervising Inspectors of Steamboats. 10-24-1866. In: Annual Report of the Secretary of the Treasury on the State of The Finance for the Year 1866. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1866. p. 276. Accessed 9-18-2020 at: https://fraser.stlouisfed.org/title/annual-report-secretary-treasury-state-finances-194/report-secretary-treasury-state-finances-year-1866-5510/report-board-supervising-inspectors-steamboats-238234

Buckman, David Lear. Old Steamboat Days on the Hudson River. New York: The Grafton Press, 1907. Accessed at: http://www.archive.org/details/oldsteamboatdays00buckuoft

Morrison, John Harrison. History of American Steam Navigation. New York: W. F. Sametz & Co., Inc., 1908, 653 pages. Digitized by Google. Accessed at: http://books.google.com/books?id=Q5tDAAAAIAAJ&printsec=toc&source=gbs_v2_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q=&f=false

New York Times. “The Disaster on the Steamer St. John; Investigation by Coroner Wildey.” 11-9-1865, p. 2. Accessed 10-4-2020 at: https://www.nytimes.com/1865/11/09/archives/the-disaster-on-the-steamer-st-john-investigation-by-coroner-wildey.html

New York Times. “The St. John Disaster….Death of Four More Victims.” 10-31-1865. Accessed 10-4-2020 at: https://www.nytimes.com/1865/10/31/archives/the-south-as-it-is-an-impartial-view-of-society-in-the-gulf-states.html

New York Times. “The St. John Disaster; Funeral of Councillor Archambault and his Wife and Child.” 11-6-1865, p. 1. Accessed 10-4-2020 at: https://www.nytimes.com/1865/11/06/archives/the-st-john-disaster-funeral-of-councillor-archambault-and-his-wife.html

New York Times. “The St. John Disaster Funeral of Two of the Victims.” 11-1-1865. Accessed 10-4-2020 at: https://www.nytimes.com/1865/11/01/archives/the-st-john-disaster-funeral-of-two-of-the-victims.html

Osborne, John. “The big Hudson River steamer ‘St. John’ suffers a massive boiler explosion and fifteen people are killed.” House Divided (The Civil War Research Engine at Dickinson College, 150th Anniversary Edition.) Accessed 10-4-2020 at: http://hd.housedivided.dickinson.edu/node/44536

Reynolds, Cuyler. Albany Chronicles: A History of the City Arranged Chronologically. Albany, NY: J.B. Lyon Company, Printers, 1906. Digitized by Google. Accessed 10-22-2017 at: http://books.google.com/books?id=XNU0AAAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_v2_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q=&f=false

Ryder, F. Van Loon. “The St. John: 1863-1885.” Greene County News, February 13, 1964; transcribed by Sylvia Hasenkoph into “Old Timers – Boats of the Hudson River, 1964, at: http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nygreen2/old_timers_sloops_of_the_hudson_1964.htm