1876 – May 17, steamer Pat Cleburne boiler explosion/fire, OH Riv., ~Weston KY, IL shore-~20

–>30 The Herald, Liberty, IN. 5-25-1876, p. 2, col. 2.
— 30 The Standard, Greensburg, IN. “The Steamer, Pat Cleburne…” 5-24-1876, p. 2, col. 1.
— 20 Blanchard listing of fatalities gathered from sources noted below.
— 20 Cincinnati Commercial, OH. “Prominent Events of 1876…May.” 12-30-1876, p. 7, col. 2.
–~20 South Branch Intelligencer, Romney, WV. 6-2-1876, p. 2, col. 1.
— 14 Way’s Packet Directory, 1848-1994: Passenger Steamboats…[MS Riv. Sys]… 1999, p. 363.
— 13 Cairo Bulletin, IL. “A Terrible Disaster…Pat Cleburne Blown to Atoms.” 5-19-1876, p5.

Narrative Information

Way: Pat Cleburne. Sidewheel wood-hull packet, built in Cincinnati in 1870. “….On a downbound trip she was landed opposite Weston, Ky., May 17, 1876. The Arkansas Belle came up and was landing alongside when the boilers of the Pat Cleburne exploded. Capt. Dick Fowler was in command at the time, asleep in the texas, and was burned in the ensuing fire. The death toll was given as fourteen persons. A Bancas boiler plug was later found, melted…” (Way, Frederick Jr. Way’s Packet Directory, 1848-1994: Passenger Steamboats of the Mississippi River System… (Revised). 1999, p. 363.)

Newspapers

May 18: “Evansville, Ind., May 18. The steamer Pat. Cleburne exploded her boiler at 11 o’clock last night, six miles below Shawneetown, while lying alongside the Arkansas Belle. The Belle was tied to the bank and disabled by the line of a coal flat, which fouled her starboard wheel, preventing her from rendering assistance.

“The Cleburne floated down about a mile and burned. Captain Fowler was caught in the timbers and burned to death; Dick Partridge, express agent, was lost; Walter McElhenny, engineer, was blown into the river and was badly hurt, but will recover; D. C. Moore, mail agent, was blown overboard, but saved; John McCune, pilot, was at the wheel and fell through to the boiler deck and was cut and scalded; Alex. Porter, second clerk, feet scalded and cut; Arthur Brown, freight clerk, hands and face scalded and head cut.

“All the cabin crew are supposed to be saved. Hernnack, a musician, could not extricate himself from the timbers and was burned. Albert Smith, barber, hand scalded. Charley Colton, second mate, supposed to be lost. Passengers O. W. Smith, of Evansville, slightly scalded; G. W. Nicholas, of Terre Haute, hands and feet scalded; John Harvey, of Cincinnati, scalded and face cut; will recover.

“An unknown passenger was blown to the roof of the Belle and killed.

“In the great confusion, and the officers being all disable, it cannot be learned what other passengers are lost.

“The Belle is badly wrecked – her chimneys blown overboard, her state rooms shattered and she was on fire in many places.

“The first and second engineers are badly scalded. Charles Smith, of Cincinnati, a passenger, had a leg broken. Captain Howard was knocked down and slightly hurt. Possibly ten persons on the Belle were injured. Arthur Peter and J. Gilles, of Evansville were blown and fell down the front stairs, but are uninjured.” (Brooklyn Daily Eagle, NY. “Explosion of the Steamer Pat. Cleburne.” 5-18-1876, p. 8, col. 1.)

May 18: “Evansville, May 18. – A later dispatch reports the loss of life by the Cleburne disaster much greater than at first announced. Frank Redden, striker, and George Smith, watchman, are supposed to be fatally injured. The Cleburne had 19 rousters, 14 of whom are missing. Five were saved – four badly and one slightly injured. All the books being lost we can not get the names of those lost. George W. Nichols, of Jewett, Illinois, is badly injured.

“A second dispatch from John Nurre, third clerk of the Arkansas Belle says, I gather full particulars of the loss of the steamer Pat Cleburne, which took place at Bowles’ Mines at 11:15 last night, involving the following

Loss of Life.

“Captain D. G. Fowler, caught in the debris and burned to death in sight of his own and the Belle’s crew, who could render him no assistance; Walter F. McElhenny, Chief Engineer, scalded fatally and wounded in the head, since died; Dick Partridge, express messenger, missing; Charley Cotton, second mate, missing; Mr. Wambach, musician of the boat, H. A. Mattison, of Paducah, and an unknown man, supposed to be G. G. Berry, of Louisville, or Mr. Harris, representing Flint, Lewis & Co., St. Louis.
Seriously Injured.

“Frank Redden, striker, badly scalded, will probably die; John McCune, pilot, slightly scalded and severely bruised; Sid. Humphrey, first clerk, severely scalded in the face, hands and feet; Alex. Porter slightly scalded on the feet; Arthur Brown, slightly scalded in the face and severely on the hands and feet; Smith, watchman, severely scalded and cut; Mr. Harvey, of Cincinnati, badly scalded and cut; a deck passenger on the Arkansas Belle, had a leg broken by a flying missile. The injured and the remains of the dead, as far as found, are on their way here on the Arkansas Belle….

May 19: Listing of deaths:

Captain Dick Fowler
Charles Cotton, second mate.
Richard Partridge, express messenger.

“There was a large excursion party aboard the Cleburne at the time of the disaster from Evansville, many of whom were wounded and killed….” (Cairo Bulletin, IL. “A Terrible Disaster. The Steamer Pat Cleburne Blown to Atoms.” 5-19-1876, p.5.)

May 27: “….Three bodies, supposed to be those of the colored crew of the Pat Cleburne, have been found floating in the river below where the accident occurred. Her wreck lies sunk on Lookout bar, with abut five feet of water over it. The only portion of her above water is one of her wheel houses.” (Dubuque Daily Times. 5-27-1876, p. 8, col. 5.)

List of Fatalities Noted in Sources Above

1. Berry, G.G. (or Mr. Harris) Passenger representing Flint, Lewis & Co., of St. Louis.
2. Colton (or Cotton), Charley Second Mate
3. Fowler, Dick. G. Captain; body recovered from goat’s ash pan on May 24.
4. Greene, Taylor Roustabout. Body recovered.
5. Hancock, Neal Deck hand. Died in Evansville Marine Hospital.
6. Hernnack (or Wambach) Musician
7. Jones, Aaron (or Alex) Deck hand. Died in Evansville Marine Hospital.
8. Mann, Wm. Passenger of Lewistown, PA; blown from stateroom to Belle.
9. Mattison, H. A. Passenger, about 50, from Paducah
10. McElhenny, Walter F. Chief Engineer
11. Nichols, G. W. No indication if crew or passenger; injuries, May 28.
12. Partridge, Dick. Express agent; body recovered May 25.
13. Price, Gabe Roustabout; body recovered.
14. Redden, Frank, 22. Striker; died May 23.
15. Scott, Louis Pantryman; blown into the river and drowned.
16. Smith, George. Watchman; reported to have been fatally injured.
17. Webster, Mahala Black woman; crew or passenger not noted.
18. Unknown crewman Barber (African American); missing, presumed drowned.
19. Unknown roustabout. No. 1 of 5 (though one source wrote 14 were missing.
20. Unknown black crewman One of three bodies of black men found floating in river.

[Another source notes that “On the lower deck five roustabouts, named Neal Hancock, Aaron Jones, Gabe Price, Taylor Green, and another unknown, were hurled from their bunks and met with an untimely fate.” (Cincinnati Commercial, OH. “The Steamboat Explosion.” 5-20-1876, p. 3, col. 2.)]

21. Unknown roustabout. No. 2 of 14 said to have been missing.
22. Unknown roustabout. No. 3 of 14 said to have been missing.
23. Unknown roustabout. No. 4 of 14 said to have been missing.
24. Unknown roustabout. No. 5 of 14 said to have been missing.
25. Unknown roustabout. No. 6 of 14 said to have been missing.
26. Unknown roustabout. No. 7 of 14 said to have been missing.
27. Unknown roustabout. No. 8 of 14 said to have been missing.
28. Unknown roustabout. No. 9 of 14 said to have been missing.
29. Unknown roustabout. No. 10 of 14 said to have been missing.

Sources

Brooklyn Daily Eagle, NY. “Explosion of the Steamer Pat. Cleburne.” 5-18-1876, p. 8, col. 1. Accessed 10-14-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/brooklyn-daily-eagle-may-18-1876-p-8/

Cairo Bulletin, IL. “A Terrible Disaster. The Steamer Pat Cleburne Blown to Atoms.” 5-19-1876, p.5. Accessed 10-14-2020: https://newspaperarchive.com/cairo-bulletin-may-19-1876-p-5/

Cincinnati Commercial, OH. “Prominent Events of 1876…May.” 12-30-1876, p. 7, col. 2. Accessed 10-14-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/cincinnati-commercial-dec-30-1876-p-7/

Cincinnati Commercial, OH. “River and Steamboat News.” 5-24-1876, p. 7, col. 2. Accessed 10-14-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/cincinnati-commercial-may-24-1876-p-7/

Cincinnati Commercial, OH. “River and Steamboat News.” 5-26-1876, p. 7, p. 3. Accessed 10-14-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/cincinnati-commercial-may-26-1876-p-7/

Cincinnati Commercial, OH. “River and Steamboat News.” 7-4-1876, p. 7, col. 1. Accessed 10-14-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/cincinnati-commercial-jul-04-1876-p-7/

Cincinnati Commercial, OH. “The Steamboat Explosion.” 5-20-1876, p. 3, col. 2. Accessed 10-14-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/cincinnati-commercial-may-20-1876-p-3/

Dubuque Daily Times. 5-27-1876, p. 8, col. 5. Accessed 10-14-2020 at:
https://newspaperarchive.com/daily-times-may-27-1876-p-8/

Evening News, Jeffersonville, IN. “Horrible Holocaust. A Steamer Explodes Her Boiler.” 5-22-1876, p. 2. Accessed 10-14-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/jeffersonville-evening-news-may-22-1876-p-2/

Memphis Daily Appeal, TN. “River Chronicle.” 5-30-1876, p. 12, col. 5. Accessed 10-14-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/memphis-daily-appeal-may-30-1876-p-12/

South Branch Intelligencer, Romney, WV. 6-2-1876, p. 2, col. 1. Accessed 10-14-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/romney-south-branch-intelligencer-jun-02-1876-p-2/

The Herald, Liberty, IN. 5-25-1876, p. 2, col. 2. Accessed 10-14-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/liberty-herald-may-25-1876-p-2/

The Standard, Greensburg, IN. “The Steamer, Pat Cleburne…” 5-24-1876, p. 2, col. 1. Accessed 10-14-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/greensburg-standard-may-24-1876-p-2/

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.