1866 — Apr 26, wharf fire, ferry steamer Windsor burns, Detroit River, Detroit, MI –28

— 28 Blanchard estimated death toll.*

— 31 Historical Great Lakes Vessel Accident Database, 1866.
— 30 Mansfield. History of the Great Lakes (Vol. 1). 1899, p. 422.
— 30 Mills. Our Inland Seas, Their Shipping and Commerce for Three Centuries. 1910, 196.
— 28 Burlington Daily Hawk-Eye. “The Detroit Fire – 28 Lives Lost.” 5-1-1866, p. 3, col. 2.
— 28 Chicago Tribune, IL. “The Detroit Calamity.” 4-30-1866, p. 2. (Named fatalities.)
— 28 Holton, Bedford and Cleary. “History of the Windsor and Detroit Ferries.” 12-14-1916.
— 28 Lytle and Holdcamper. Merchant Steam Vessels of the [U.S.] 1807-1868. 1952, p. 252.
— 28 Nash, Jay Robert. Darkest Hours. 1977, p. 685.
— >20 West Eau Claire Argus, WI. “The Great Fire at Detroit,” June 13, 1866, p. 3.
— >17 Board of Supervising Inspectors of Steamboats (U.S.). Report of… 1866, p. 291.

* Blanchard estimated death toll: We report twenty-eight lives lost in that newspaper reporting at the time (we site a few), as well as sources afterwards, such as Lytle and Holdcamper, and Holton, Bedford and Cleary report this level of loss. We do not use the numbers reported by the Historical Great Lakes Vessel Accident Database for 1866, Mansfield, or Mills, in that we do not know how these numbers were derived. We know that the number of twenty-eight deaths was derived — by counting the names of those reportedly lost in the fire.

We can only surmise that the Board of Supervising Inspectors of Steamboats report of seventeen lives loss reflects their opinion as to the number of crewmen who died, leaving out the dock and warehouse, and railmen who sought refuge on the Windsor, some of whom died.

Narrative Information

Board of Supervising Inspectors of Steamboats (U.S.): “A terrible accident by fire occurred by the burning of the Detroit and Milwaukee railroad depot at Detroit, on the 26th of April last, by which the ferry-boat Winsor was destroyed. The fire was caused by the accidental burning of kerosene oil or naphtha, stored in the warehouse at which the boat was lying; the flames spread so rapidly as in a moment to envelope the steamer, and she could not be got loose.

“This, perhaps, need not have been recorded but for the purpose of stating the singular fact that, although the boat was amply provided with life-preserving apparatus, together with large quantities of floating packages, and close to the docks, no less than seventeen lives were lost, principally laborers about the docks.” Board of Supervising Inspectors of Steamboats. Report of Board of Supervising Inspectors of Steamboats. 10-24-1866. Report of Eighth Supervising District, p. 291.)

Holton, Bedford and Cleary: “The steamer Windsor, Captain W. R. Clinton, ran until the night of the 29th [sic] of April, 1866, when at the Brush Street dock in Detroit, she was burned. The fire started in the warehouse, and fed by the oil stored there, burned so rapidly that it spread to the boat, cutting off all means of escape by way of the dock and leaving only one way to escape for those on board, and that was by jumping overboard into the river. Twenty-eight lives were lost by drowning. Others were rescued, a number being saved by the efforts of two sons of John Horn, of Detroit. The son, John Horn, Jr., was for years afterward the champion life-saver of the river front.” (Holton, Bedford and Cleary. “History of the Windsor and Detroit Ferries.” 12-14-1916, p. 11-12.)

Mansfield: “The Windsor, 223 tons, was built in 1856, and was put into the ferry service. In the spring of 1866 she was chartered by the Detroit & Milwaukee Railroad Company for the purpose of conveying passengers and freight to and from Windsor.. On the morning of April 23 she took fire and thirty lives were lost. She was so badly damaged in hull and machinery as to render her un¬fit for further use as a ferry boat. Subse¬quently she was rebuilt, the machinery taken out and the hull made a tow barge. She was finally taken to Lake Michigan.” (Mansfield 1899, p. 422.)

Mills: “The Windsor was chartered in 1866 to operate the connecting link of the river for the Detroit and Milwaukee Railroad, carrying both freight and passengers to and from the Great Western Railway docks in Windsor.

“Before it had been long in service, however, the ferry was lost in one of the great marine disasters, by which the annals of the Great Lakes are filled. On the night of April 23, 1866, the steamer burned in the river, with a loss of thirty lives. Many other passengers were picked up by small boats, which put off from the dock, and the ferry boat Detroit, which happened to be making a landing near by. That the whole water front of the city was not engulfed in a sea of flame was due to the heroic and quick action of Captain Innes, of the ferry Detroit. The venerable captain for a number of years has been a commodore of the Michigan Central fleet of transports. A graphic account of the catastrophe is told by the captain himself:

You see it was this way. ‘Long about eleven o’clock one night an explosion of oil occurred on the steamer Windsor, while she was tied to her wharf at the foot of Brush Street. I was captain of the old city ferry, the Detroit, at the time, and we had just landed at the foot of Woodward Avenue, with passengers from Windsor. I was standing at the signal ropes on the bridge leading to the pilot house when the Windsor took fire. In less than two minutes after the explosion she was a mass of flames from stem to stern. She had perhaps fifty people aboard, as I found out afterwards – passengers and deck hands. In about another minute I saw her lines ablazin’ – saw ‘em part and saw the Windsor startin’ to drift down in our direction. By this time the freight sheds on the wharf had caught fire, and I saw men and women leaping over the Windsor’s rail into the water. I signaled our boys to man the life-boats, and shouted to ‘em to make a line fast to her stern. This they did in short order. Then I sends a signal below to back her hard – runs into the pilot house, throws over the helm, and out and away we goes toward the middle grounds. I saw the men in our life-boats trying to rescue those people in the river – and they were surely doing their best. All at once, like the report of a gun, our tow line parted. The Windsor was a roaring furnace. We were then off the foot of Wayne Street, on the middle ground where the cross-current runs strong, and I knew unless we could do something to keep the Windsor off shore, that when she struck, the whole river front would soon be ablaze, in consequence of her drifting down with the current. But how to keep her out in the channel was sure enough a puzzler. First, I decided to ram her down the river. No, this plan would not do. The Detroit would catch fire and then – what of my passengers – more than a score of ‘em. On the other hand, the Windsor was drifting fast toward shore. We would have to ram her – and quick, too.

My men being out in the life-boats left us short-handed – only myself, the wheelsman, engineer, and fireman, and the latter two would have to stay below. Life-boats or no life-boats, we must run the risk. I gave orders to send her full speed ahead — shouted to the passengers and the men to wet down the decks and stand ready with the buckets. Well, in a couple of minutes we struck her. There was a crash of fallin’ blazin’ timbers. The sparks fell on our decks in a shower, and we were ablaze in a dozen places. But we held on to the Windsor, stuck to her, pushed her out into the river, fought the flames on board our boat and headed for Sandwich Point. All told, we must have been two hours getting’ her beached, where she burned to the water’s edge.

Next day a dozen or so Detroit citizens came aboard and offered me a purse of one thousand dollars gold. Said I had to take it – that I had saved the river front. I refused and laughed ‘em out of the notion. Why, anybody who was half a man would have done his best that night of the fire of ’66.

(Mills. Our Inland Seas, their Shipping and Commerce for Three Centuries. 1910, p. 196-197.)

Newspapers

April 27: “From the Detroit Post, April 27. Last evening at about 10 o’clock, while an employee of the Detroit and Milwaukee Railroad Company was rolling a barrel of kerosene oil from the company’s buildings at the foot of Brush street, in this city, to those of the Great Western Railroad Company adjoining, where it was to be stored, the barrel sprung a leak. The man at once called a cooper to repair the cask, and stop the flow of oil, and while this operation was being performed, someone passed with a light. The gas from the escaping oil communicated therewith, setting fire instantly to the barrel and its contents. An explosion at once followed, and the burning oil ran down along the dock in all directions, communicating to other barrels of kerosene upon the premises, until with almost lightning rapidity the flames reached the freight house and the passenger depot of the Detroit and Milwaukee Railroad, and the freight boat Windsor, which was lying at the dock.

“The buildings, being of wood, burnt like tinder, and were soon a mass of seething, crackling flames. At the time of the breaking out of the fire, there were some 55 men at work on the boat and premises, and in the confusion of the moment and the fright incident thereto, some lost all presence of mind, and instead of endeavoring to subdue the flames, rushed wildly to and from along the pier. Others jumped from the boat into the river, and were picked up while clinging to the docks, or floating down the stream. Meanwhile the vessel, wrapped in fire, swung loose from her moorings and floated down the stream, lighting up the shores on either side, and reminding one of the ‘fire-boats’ the rebels sent down the Mississippi.

“The scene was grand beyond description. Every mast, spar, rope, and tackle of the vessels anchored along the channel were most distinctly and clearly outlined against the sky. On the shore was fire; on the river fire; and on both land and water the Fire King held his revels. On shore were the sturdy firemen battling with might and main the fiery element. In the stream was the burning ‘Windsor,’ drifting along with the fast-sweeping current. Obeying no helm, she ground against the docks, brushed here a steamer and there a nail-boat, and then shot for a moment into the channel, only to be swept by the changing current again toward the shore. Small tugs ran here and there, cutting loose the varied fastened water-crafts, and towing them to places of safety. At last, the burning steamer struck the foot of Woodward avenue, and being momentarily held fast, the captain of the ferry-boat ‘Detroit’ succeeded in grappling and towing her into deep water in the middle of the river where she could no longer endanger valuable property, and where, when fire had done its best, water – her native element – might fold her in its embrace, and hide her charred and ruined frame….

“Many instances of manly daring and pluck were exhibited, but one, at least, deserved special mention.

“Officer Peter Grogan, Mr. William Burrell, and Mr. T. Westbrook, broke into a boat house, and taking therefrom an old water-logged craft, pushed out to the rescue of the drowning men, who were endeavoring to support themselves on pieces of board and floating boxes. They succeeded in saving four persons, but two others perished before they could reach them….

“The firemen worked nobly to conquer the flames in the depot and adjoining buildings, but for nearly two hours were unable to make headway against the devouring element. The freight depot, the offices adjacent, and the freight piled on the docks all contributed to swell the column of smoke and fire. The barrels of oil upon the pier caught, and one by one exploded, thus constantly adding fresh fuel thereto. Water seemed neither to quench nor control it.

“A loaded freight train which, owing to the immense heat could not be removed, was also ignited, and the greater portion consumed. The mails from the East, and those going West, were destroyed. The baggage was but partially removed, and most valuable papers belonging to the company were either burned up or so trampled under toot in the mud as to be entirely useless and illegible. The houses on the opposite side of the street were only saved by being kept soaked with water. Furniture of all kinds was removed and the dwellings emptied of their contents. It seemed at one time as if they must surely be consumed, as there was a strong wind blowing, and the steamers, although working with might and main, seemed unable to subdue the flames, which were gaining rapidly on them. The roofs of the burning buildings fell in one by one; then for a moment blazing up brighter than before, would fade into a mass of brilliant coals, shooting out occasionally a hungry, angry, disappointed jet of lurid flames seemingly anxious for further food to feast upon.

“Along the docks down the river a number of small frame buildings were allowed to burn, as more valuable property needed attention. Several men who were attempting to remove the valuables in the upper story of the main office, narrowly escaped being smothered to death by the smoke, all the ladders and methods of communication with the street having been taken away in the excitement of the moment. Their cries for help attracted the attention of those below, and they were finally rescued from their perilous situation.

“A large pile of lumber was thrown into the river to prevent its being consumed. Some, however, having ignited, floated down the stream, adding, with its half-extinguished light, to the ghastly grandeur of the scene.

“The loss is estimated by several officers of the company at $500,000, and this will, probably, in view of the damage to property and the delay in carrying on the business of the road, be a very light estimate.

[April 28] “From the Detroit Post, April 28. The steamer Windsor, which was lying at the dock, ignited almost instantaneously. At the time the fire broke out, Capt. Clinton was standing about 300 feet from the depot. He started at once for his vessel, but the flames spread so rapidly that he found himself unable to reach her. Running down the dock a short distance, he procured a small boat, and pushed out into the river, succeeding in arriving at the steamer in time to save the lives of a number of the hands.

“William Kirby, the mate of the Windsor, was on board in charge, and as soon as he discovered the fire, rang the bell for the boat to swing clear of the dock, but before anything could be done the vessel was in flames. Seeing that no time was to be lost, he thereupon ran aft, calling the men to save themselves by jumping into the river, and as they did so, threw life-preservers to as many as he could see.

“The number who perished is as yet unknown. It is believed that at least 20 lives were lost. The captain of the Windsor states that 13 men, who are known to have been upon that vessel, are missing.

“A man in a state of stupefied intoxication, known to have been on board one of the cars, is believed to have been burnt to cinders, as no trance of him can be found.

“A train of both passenger and freight cars was standing upon the track at the depot, about to start for Saginaw. It consisted of six cars, one of which was a sleeping coach, containing some 30 or 40 passengers, most of whom had retired for the night. Two of the cars were totally destroyed, including the sleeping coach, which was valued at $2,000….” (West Eau Claire Argus, WI. “The Great Fire at Detroit,” June 13, 1866, p. 3.)

April 27: “{From the Detroit Tribune, April 27th.}….The Catastrophe of the Windsor.

“The Windsor…was lying at the dock of the depot, unlading. Campaign Clinton, her commander, was on shore, and she was under the charge of William Firby, who, by his calm self-possession and cool bravery, did much to better the condition of affairs, terrible as they proved. When the oil first became ignited, Mr. Firby was standing on board of his boat, and rushed on to the dock to discover the origin of the fire, but before he had time to get to the burning oil, it exploded, and drove all on board the Windsor. Regaining his boat, Firby rang the bell and blew the whistle for the craft to move off, but it was too late, the vessel was doomed to destruction. The crew and workmen, employed by the Great Western Road, panic stricken, rushed on board in great confusion, each one only intent on saving his own life. Had they resorted to the starboard paddle-box of the steamer for a short time, it is likely that many more would have been rescued, as that portion of the boat was so soaked with water, that it is even now untouched, while the rest of the boat consists of charred timbers only. There were eight of the crew and nearly thirty of the railroad laborers on board of the Windsor, and it is probable that fully half of that number were lost. All crowded around the stern of the vessel, a few only having self-possession enough to cast over door, boxes, etc. The good swimmers were soon in the water struggling for their lives and those who were unfortunate enough not to be able to sustain themselves were shrieking wildly for assistance. Firby, the mate, with manly heroism, begged the frightened wretches to be cool, and stood on the side of the boat throwing over life-preservers until his coat was burned from his back, and his arm badly scorched, when he, almost the last to leave the boat, finally threw himself off and without aid saved himself by swimming to the Gem. The fire having burned her cables, the Windsor floated down the stream, carrying with her the bodies of several who perished in the flames….

“The following are the names of the missing, all of whom are supposed to be lost: [we break into separate lines]

Cyrus Thompson, second cook;
James Stephenson, deck hand;
Robert Freeman, porter;
George Freeman, fireman;
Hayden Parker, porter;
Richard Mason, porter;
Alexander Watson, porter;
‘Big Robert,’ (colored) deck hand;
Richard Fitzpatrick, cabin boy;
‘Little Cooke,’ deck hand.

“The above all belonged to the crew of the Windsor. Several of them were known to have been asleep when the fire broke out. Altogether there were about 34 men, including the crew, who were on and in the vicinity of the boat when the conflagration commenced. Less than ten of them have yet been found.

“The following is a list of the missing among the gang of workmen employed by the Great Western Railway Company to handle freight. They were mostly strangers, having recently been brought here from London and other towns along the line of the road: [break paragraph into lines]

Neil Henderson,
Alexander Moncar,
Wm. McMasters,
Peter Shearer,
J. Bishop,
Henry Finley,
Jeremiah Neal,
Frank Chafe,
James Brockin,
Michael Cornell,
Duncan McRea,
Cornelius Celler [unclear],
W. Henderson,
Samuel Higgs,
James Fisher,
Patrick Marooney,
Lewis Lynn,
Thomas Wilson.

“….One of the firemen was asleep in the hold of the vessel, and was aroused from his slumbers by the noise overhead and the cracking of the fire. He attempted to effect an escape, but the smoke was so think he could not reach the ladder leading to the hatchway. He was distinctly heard to cry for help, and his last words were, ‘My God, can no one save me!’ Another poor fellow was observed to make his way out of his room, but he fell through the burning deck, and was never more seen….

“One of the boilers of the Windsor was empty and in process of being repaired, and it was currently reported that a workman was engaged on the inside and perished there. Cap. Clinton, however, thinks this is a mistake….An attempt was made to pick up three of the unfortunates by some parties in the Gem’s boats, but the poor fellows were so much exhausted that they sank when distant from the boat not more than eight feet….

“The Windsor was only twelve years old. She was originally built by Captain Clinton for a ferry, to ply between this city and Windsor, and was used for the purpose a short time. Subsequently she was purchased for railroad use, and latterly was owned jointly by the Great Western and Detroit & Milwaukee Railway Companies. She was a strong, staunch boat, of 253 tons burthen….”
(Chicago Tribune, IL. “The Detroit Calamity.” 4-30-1866, p. 2.

April 27: “Detroit, Mich., April 27. It is now known precisely how the fire of last night originated. Twenty-five barrels of Benzine had, on yesterday, been received by the Michigan Southern Railroad, destined for some point upon the Detroit and Milwaukee Railroad. The barrels had all been wheeled down to the freight platform of the latter road, ready for loading into the cars. In the transfer from one road to the other, one of the barrels, being roughly handled, began to leak, and while an effort was being made to drive the hoops down, one of the laborers procured a lantern, and in attempting to furnish a light to the workmen the lantern was brought in contact with the escapi9ng fluid, and instantaneously the workmen and the barrel were enveloped in flames. Mr. Powell, who had charge of the gang of laborers, at once ordered them to toll the barrel into the river, but before he had fairly given the order an explosion occurred, and the liquid flames were scattered in every direction….

“There seems to be but little doubt but that the loss of life was much greater than was at first supposed. While the number of deaths about the depot cannot as yet be fully given, enough is known to render it certain that many lives were lost there.

“The greatest loss of life occurred amongst the crew of the steamship Windsor, which was lying at the wharf unloading freight. – The names of 28, known to be missing, are given, many of whom were burned to death upon the boat, while others were drowned in attempting to swim to the shore. All escape from the boat being cut off by the raging fire, which swept the whole water face of the wharf, it was impossible for the doomed men to escape. Many of the employees of the Great Western Railway, who were in the immediate vicinity of the explosion, rushed upon the boat, in hopes to escape; but upon the flames communicating with the vessel, they became panic-stricken, and, instead of attempting to extinguish the flames, or push the steamer from the wharf at once, each in their fright but added to the general confusion. The scene was indescribably awful, as the Windsor began to drift from the wharf; men in all the agonies of torture running wildly from side to side of the burning boat, while others could be seen, a mass of flame, jumping into the river, only to meet a death by drowning.

“The Windsor was, as soon as possible, taken in town, and while being towed across the river to Sandwich point, where her blackened hull, burned to the water’s edge, now lies beached….” (Burlington Daily Hawk-Eye. “The Detroit Fire – 28 Lives Lost.” 5-1-1866, p. 3, col. 2.)

Sources

Board of Supervising Inspectors of Steamboats (U.S.). Report of Board of Supervising Inspectors of Steamboats. 10-24-1866. Report of Eighth Supervising District, p. 291. 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. 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

Burlington Daily Hawk-Eye. “The Detroit Fire – 28 Lives Lost.” 5-1-1866, p. 3, col. 2. Accessed 10-7-2020: https://newspaperarchive.com/burlington-daily-hawk-eye-gazette-may-01-1866-p-3/

Chicago Tribune, IL. “The Detroit Calamity.” 4-30-1866, p. 2. Accessed 10-7-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/chicago-tribune-apr-30-1866-p-2/

Historical Great Lakes Vessel Accident Database. 1866 Search Results. Accessed at: http://www.ship-wreck.com/shipwreck/wreckdb/wreckdbresults.php [no longer operational]

Holton, F. J., D. H. Bedford and Francis Cleary. “History of the Windsor and Detroit Ferries.” Read at a meeting of the Essex Historical Society, 12-14-1916. Windsor, Ontario: Essex Historical Society. Papers and Addresses, Volume III. Echo Print, Windsor Public Library, 1921, p. 11.

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

Mansfield, John Brandts (Ed. And Compiler). History of the Great Lakes (Vol. 1). Chicago: J.H. Beers & Co., 1899. http://www.linkstothepast.com/marine/chapt36.html — Google digitized and accessed 10-7-2020 at: https://books.google.com/books?id=iHXhAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_v2_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false

Mills, James Cooke. Our Inland Seas, Their Shipping and Commerce for Three Centuries. Chicago, A. C. McClurg & Co., 1910. Digitized by Microsoft. Accessed 10-7-2020 at: http://www.archive.org/details/ourinlandseasthe00milluoft

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.

West Eau Claire Argus, WI. “The Great Fire at Detroit,” June 13, 1866, p. 3. Accessed 10-7-2020 at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=95743919