1866 — Jan 30, Steamer Missouri boiler explosion, sinks, Ohio River near Newburgh, IN-65

— 65 Blanchard estimated death toll.*

— 150 Dubuque Democratic Herald, IA. Feb 1, 1866, p. 1.
–100-120 Morgan. “The Great Disasters of the Tri-State.” The Evansville Boneyard. Winter 2013.
— >100 Alton Telegraph, IL. Feb 2, 1866, p. 2.
— 100 Mechanics Magazine. “Boiler Explosions in America.” Vol. 15, 3-16-1866, p. 165.
— 100 Scientific American. “Record of Boiler Explosions,” Vol. 14, N9, 2-24-1866, p. 128.
— 100 Simonds. The American Date Book. 1902, p. 100.
— 100 Lossing. Harper’s Encyclopedia of United States History…to 1902. 1902, p. 454.
— 100 U.S. Congress, House. Hearings: “Safety of Life and Property at Sea.” 1935, p. 247.
— ~80 NYT. “Terrible Explosion; A Steamboat Blown Up on the Ohio River,” 1-31-1866, 1.
— 65 Berman, Bruce D. Encyclopedia of American Shipwrecks. 1972, p. 255.
— 65 Lytle and Holdcamper. Merchant Steam Vessels of…[U.S.] 1807-1868. 1952, p. 270.
— 65 Nash, Jay Robert. Darkest Hours. 1977, p. 685.
— 65 Schmitt, Stan. “Tragedy on the Ohio.” Evansville Living, Jan-Feb 2016.
— 65 Way’s Packet Directory, 1848-1994: Passenger Steamboats…[MS Riv. Sys]… 1994, p326.
— 60 Fort Wayne Daily Gazette, IN. “Later From the Lost Steamers,” Feb 1, 1866, p. 1.

* Blanchard estimated death toll: We choose to use 65 as the death toll in that two sources note it as the official death toll, and the generally reliable maritime loss sources such as Berman, Lytle and Holdcamper and Way, all note sixty-five fatalities. If we had been able to find newspaper reporting at the time which provided names of fatalities or missing/presumed dead that allowed us to put a list together, particularly one which brought into question the official death toll of 65, then we would consider showing a higher death toll.

Narrative Information

Berman: “Missouri…856 [tons]. 1864 [built]. Jan 30, 1866. Exploded. Newburg, Ind. 65 lives lost.” (Berman, Bruce D. Encyclopedia of American Shipwrecks. 1972, p. 255.)

Morgan: “100 to 120 People die when steamship Missouri’s boiler explodes below the mouth of Green River on January 30, 1866, very near the present site of the Evansville-Henderson twin bridges. At 2:10 am Evansville, Henderson and Newburgh were rocked by a low sounding blast and concussion. The rising sun revealed the wreck of the grounded steamship hulk near the location of LST-325. Some survivors had been rescued from the river and taken to Newburgh. The survivors were rescued by the steamship Dictator, both ships left Evansville near the same time. Some believed the two ships were racing at the time of the explosion. The wreck of the Missouri became highly visible when the river was lower as reported in the Evansville Journal on May 11, 1866.” (Morgan. “The Great Disasters of the Tri-State.” The Evansville Boneyard. Winter 2013.

Way: “She exploded boilers upbound at the mouth of Green River, on the Ohio, Jan 30, 1866, said to have been racing the Dictator….The official report lists 65 killed in the explosion. One was Jim Phillips, chief engineer, who had run the Phillips Machine Shop, Wheeling, and later a machine shop at New Albany, Ind. He had written his brother in Wheeling shortly before, saying he felt the boilers to be unsafe and he planned resigning at Louisville….The explosion happened about 2 in the morning….

“This tragedy, so closely followed by the explosion of the W.R. Carter, had great consequences. Both were equipped with tubular boilers then quite the rage because of their fuel-saving attributes. The U.S. Steamboat Inspection Service outlawed them almost overnight. Many steamboats were withdrawn from service and were given regular Western-type boilers immediately thereafter….” (Way’s Packet Directory, 1848-1994: Passenger Steamboats…MS River Sys.. 1994, 326-327)

Newspapers — Chronological

Jan 30, NYT: “Cincinnati, Tuesday, Jan. 30. The steamer Missouri exploded her boilers at 2 o’clock this morning at the mouth of Green River. The wreck floated down and sunk a mile and a half above Evansville, Indiana. Her officers and crew numbered almost 100. A report from Newburgh says only twenty survivors were taken off, including the wounded.

“Evansville, Ind., Tuesday, Jan 30. From a gentleman from Newburgh, Ind., we learn that the steamer Missouri exploded at about 2 o’clock this morning, opposite Robertson’s [?not clear] saw mill, half a mile below the mouth of Green River. The explosion was distinctly heard all over this city and at Newburgh. The steamer Dictator was near the Missouri at the time of the explosion, and running alongside took off the survivors….” (NYT. “Terrible Explosion; A Steamboat Blown Up on the Ohio River,” Jan 31, 1866, p. 1.)

Jan 31, Alton Telegraph: “Cincinnati, January 31. – The steamer Missouri had one hundred and twenty persons on board, twenty-five of whom were passengers. The latest information from Evansville places the loss of life at about one hundred. The Missouri was one of the largest passenger steamers on the river. Valued at $100,000.” (Alton Telegraph, IL. Feb 2, 1866, p. 2.)

Jan 31, Dubuque Democratic Herald: “Cincinnati, Jan. 31. The steamer Missouri had about 250 passengers on board, among whom were 91 men of Co. B, 13 U.S. cavalry. The accident occurred at 7 o’clock in the evening just after supper, while the passengers were assembled in conversation around the stoves in the hall. The explosion was of such force as to rend the cabin floor asunder and let every person in the front part of the cabin down into the mass of fire and seam below. Great numbers lost their lives by jumping overboard. The total loss of life is supposed to be about 150. Thirty of the soldiers were lost.” (Dubuque Democratic Herald, IA. Feb 1, 1866, p. 1.)

Jan 31, Semi-Weekly Wisconsin: “Special Dispatch to the Daily Wisconsin.

“Louisville, Ky., Jan 31….The steamer Dictator has arrived from New Orleans. The Missouri left New Orleans on Tuesday of last week with a light freight but full of passengers, most of whom were landed at Cairo. On arriving at Evansville, she received about a dozen passengers, all of whom were reported lost. The story of a race between the two boats is denied. The officers of the Dictator brought off one hundred and twenty persons from the wreck. It is thought, by the officers of the Missouri, that the total list of casualties will not exceed seventy, and probably be less than sixty….” (Semi-Weekly Wisconsin, Milwaukee. “From Louisville.” Feb 3, 1866, p. 1.)

Feb 1, Fort Wayne Daily Gazette: “Cincinnati, Jan. 31….The New Albany Ledger says the Dictator has arrived from the wreck of the Missouri, bringing thirty of the survivors. The total number lost was sixty, among whom was the captain’s wife. The captain and pilot were badly injured.” (Fort Wayne Daily Gazette (IN). “Later From the Lost Steamers,” Feb 1, 1866, p. 1.)

Sources

Alton Telegraph, IL. [Steamboat Missouri boiler explosion.] Feb 2, 1866, p. 2. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=116102842

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

Dubuque Democratic Herald, IA. [Steamboat Missouri boiler explosion.] Feb 1, 1866, p. 1. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=36104381

Fort Wayne Daily Gazette, IN. “Later From the Lost Steamers,” 2-1-1866, p. 1. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=119996818

Lossing, Benson John (Editor). Harper’s Encyclopedia of United States History from 458 A.D. to 1902. NY: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1902. Digitized by Google at: http://books.google.com/books?id=fnwQAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_v2_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false

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

Mechanics Magazine. “Boiler Explosions in America.” London, Vol. 15, 3-16-1866, p. 165. At: http://books.google.com/books?id=9yZJAAAAcAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

Morgan, Harold. “The Great Disasters of the Tri-State.” The Evansville Boneyard. Winter 2013. Accessed 10-9-2020 at: http://web.usi.edu/boneyard/morgan3.htm

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 Times. “Terrible Explosion; A Steamboat Blown Up on the Ohio River,” Jan 31, 1866, p. 1. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=7725885

Schmitt, Stan. “Tragedy on the Ohio.” Evansville Living, Jan-Feb 2016. Accessed 10-9-2020 at: http://www.evansvilleliving.com/articles/tragedy-on-the-ohio

Scientific American. “Record of Boiler Explosions,” V14, N9, 2-24-1866, 128. Google digitized: http://books.google.com/books?id=FzdJAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_v2_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false

Semi-Weekly Wisconsin, Milwaukee. “From Louisville” [Missouri Explosion]. 2-3-1866, p. 1. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=120021463

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

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

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.