1875 – May 2 steamer St. Luke hits bridge pier, Missouri Riv., sinks, St. Charles, MO– 9-10

–9-10 Blanchard estimated death toll.*

— 10 Way’s Packet Directory, 1848-1994: Passenger Steamboats…[MS Riv. Sys.]… 1999, 412.
–4 deck passengers
–6 crew
–9-10 Memphis Daily Appeal, TN. “Lost on the Sunken St. Luke.” 5-3-1875, p. 3, col. 3.
— 9 Grange Advance, St. Paul, MN. “Casualties.” 5-11-1875, p. 6, col. 1.
— 9 Memphis Daily Appeal, TN. “Sinking of the St. Luke.” 5-6-1875, p. 1, col. 2.

* Blanchard estimated death toll. Our attempt to compile a listing of fatalities comes to thirteen. However, four of these are of unknown deck passengers. We note two sources which state that several people thought to have been lost, over and above nine, showed up “safe and sound.” Way, a generally reliable source, notes ten deaths, and thus we choose to use his estimate of ten deaths as the high-end of our estimated death toll. The general consensus we gather from the sources noted, as well as from others read, but not noted, is that nine people did lose their lives. Thus we resort to the range of nine to ten deaths.

Narrative Information

Way: St. Luke. Sidewheel wood-hull packet, built in St. Louis in 1868 at 648 tons, measuring 210- 36x 7. “….Hit the bridge at St. Charles, Mo., downbound, May 2, 1875, and sank one-half mile below, total loss. The Missouri was high at the time with a big current. Thomas Townsend was pilot on watch. Four deck passengers and six of the crew lost their lives.”

Newspaper

May 3: “St. Louis, May 3. – The steamer St. Luke, bound from Leavenworth, Kansas, to St. Louis, struck pier No. 3 of the St. Charles bridge, twenty-five miles from here, about 10 o’clock last night, and subsequently sunk in fifteen feet of water. Three or four persons are supposed to have been lost, but their names are not ascertained yet. The boat was owned by the Missouri River Packet Company, and was valued at $30,000. Insured for $17,000, in Cincinnati and Wheeling offices.

“Miss Divan, wife of John Divan, a railroad man of Kansas City, or Jefferson City, and her two little girls aged 7 and 8 years were lost in the steamer St. Luke, and six or seven deck passengers are also supposed to be lost, but their names cannot be ascertained.” (New Albany Daily Ledger, IN. “Steamer Sunk.” 5-3-1875, p. 1, col. 2.)

May 3: “St. Louis, May 3. – Mrs. Devan, wife of John Devan, a railroad man of Kansas City or Jefferson City, and her two little girls, aged seven and eight years, were lost on the steamer St. Luke, and six or seven deck passengers are also supposed to be lost, but their names cannot be ascertained. Some additional particulars regarding the loss of the steamer St. Luke were learned from Captain Keith and the passengers who came down from St. Charles by railroad to-day. The night was dark and the lights on the bridge were very dim.

“About thirty feet of the larboard side of the boat was crushed in by the collision with the pier, and a part of her machinery was torn away. She made water very rapidly, but floated down about two miles and struck a bar in the middle of the river, and sunk to the hurricane deck. The passengers rushed from their berths in great terror, and ran hither and thither panic-stricken; but all those not lost were finally gathered on the hurricane roof, where they remained till daylight, clad only in their night clothes, when the ferry-boat came down and took them ashore.

“Five or six persons are supposed to have been knocked overboard and drowned at the first crash, but this is not definitely known. Those whose loss is certain are Wm. Brooks, fireman, of St. Louis; Tom Donnelly, deck-sweeper; Mrs. Jno. Devan, two children who took passage at Kansas City, one male passenger, name unknown, and three deck passengers, names also unknown. About one hundred souls were on the steamer, most of whom, outside of the officers and crew, were deck passengers, a list of whose names was kept by the clerk. The St. Luke had about one hundred tons of freight, which, with the boat, will be a total loss.” (Memphis Daily Appeal, TN. “Lost on the Sunken St. Luke.” 5-3-1875, p. 3, col. 3.)

Fatalities Noted in Sources

1. Brooks, William. Fireman on the St. Luke.
2. Casper (German) Roustabout on the St. Luke. Cairo Bulletin, IL. 5-5-1875, p. 3.
3. Divan, Mrs., Passenger; wife of John Divan of Kansas City or Jefferson City.
4. Divan, daughter, aged 7.
5. Divan, daughter, aged 8.
6. Donnelly, Tom. Deck-sweeper on the St. Luke.
7. Lantz, Chris. Deck passenger. Cairo Bulletin, IL. “River News.” 5-5-1875, p. 3.
8. Thomas, John Roustabout on the St. Luke. Cairo Bulletin, IL. 5-5-1875, p. 3.
9. Washington, George Roustabout on the St. Luke. Cairo Bulletin, IL. 5-5-1875, p. 3.
10. Unknown male passenger (cabin?)
11. Unknown deck passenger, one of three.
12. Unknown deck passenger, second of three.
13. Unknown deck passenger, third of three.

Sources

Cairo Bulletin, IL. “River News.” 5-5-1875, p. 3, col. 7. Accessed 10-26-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/cairo-bulletin-may-05-1875-p-3/

Grange Advance, St. Paul, MN. “Casualties.” 5-11-1875, p. 6, col. 1. Accessed 10-26-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/red-wing-grange-advance-may-11-1875-p-6/

Memphis Daily Appeal, TN. “Lost on the Sunken St. Luke.” 5-3-1875, p. 3, col. 3. Accessed 10-26-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/memphis-daily-appeal-may-03-1875-p-3/

Memphis Daily Appeal, TN. “Sinking of the St. Luke.” 5-6-1875, p. 1, col. 2. Accessed 10-26-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/memphis-daily-appeal-may-06-1875-p-3/

New Albany Daily Ledger, IN. “Steamer Sunk.” 5-3-1875, p. 1, col. 2. Accessed 10-26-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/new-albany-daily-ledger-standard-may-03-1875-p-1/

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.

Worthington Advance, MN. “Casualties.” 5-7-1875, p. 1, c. 1. Accessed 10-26-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/worthington-advance-may-07-1875-p-1/