1895 — March 8, steamer Longfellow hits C&O bridge pier in fog/sinks, OH Riv., Cincinnati, OH–11-13

–11-13 Blanchard death-toll estimate.*

–35-70 Swift, J. V. “Another Tragedy at a Bridge in Cincinnati.” Waterways Journal, 2000.
— ~14 Daily Times, Portsmouth, OH. “The Wrecked Steamer…Longfellow…” 3-11-1895, 1
— 13 Blanchard listing of names identified in sources – end of “Narrative” section.
— 12 Inyo Independent, Independence, CA. “A Year’s History.” 2-21-1896, p. 1.
— 12 Sioux County Herald, Orange City, IA. “Steamer Goes Down. Twelve…” 3-13-1895, 3.
— 11 Reis, Jim. “The Steamer Longfellow.” Kentucky Post.
— >8 Hamilton Daily Republican, OH. “Boat Wrecked…Longfellow Strikes…” 3-9-1895, 1.
— 7 Steamboat Inspec. Ser. “Casualties, Investigations…District of Cincinnati, Ohio. 1895.” p. 54.
— 6 Evening Democrat, Warren, PA. “Six Were Drowned…at Cincinnati.” 3-9-1895, 1.
— 5 Daily Times, Portsmouth, OH. “Horrible. Steamer Longfellow…Sunk….” 3-8-1895, 1.

* Blanchard death-toll estimate. To the extent the listing of named fatalities reported in the press at the time is accurate, there were thirteen fatalities. In recognition of the fact that press reporting is not always reliable, we choose to follow the Jim Reis estimate of eleven as the low-end of an estimated death-toll range.

Narrative Information

Reis: “On March 8, 1895, the steamer Longfellow left Cincinnati for New Orleans. She was “one of the largest, best-known and handsomest packets on the Ohio River.” She left Cincinnati with an estimated 52 crewmen, 40 passengers, and 20 laborers. The number of laborers was abnormally high because of her cargo: she was carrying 300 reaping and mowing machines, which one Cincinnati newspaper called “the largest shipment of harvesting machinery ever made at one time from Cincinnati.”

“The Longfellow was supposed to have left the night before, but there was dense fog. The fog stayed the next morning, but the ownership – the White Collar Line – said she had to start south. The towboat Hercules Carrel was brought in to help the Longfellow navigate out of Cincinnati.

“But as she started, the Longfellow soon became unmanageable. The Longfellow’s bow was pointed toward the Kentucky shore. There was much animated whistle blowing and churning of water to gain control, but the Longfellow struck the C&O [now the Clay Wade Bailey] Bridge broadside. The Longfellow literally fell apart. The bow sank. The stern floated away. Any number of passengers and crew were in the water. Both the Hercules Carrel and many other boats who witnessed the catastrophe came to the rescue of the people in the water.

“People who scavenged the wreckage were a problem, and some relatives accused the White Collar Line of being more interested in recovering freight than bodies, and some families hired private divers to look for missing relatives. The Captain, J. L. Carter, died in the accident. Carter, William Colbert, the second Clerk; and the second engineer, Wilson D. Hart, were all from Newport. Pilots George Trunnells and Oscar Whitten were from Bellevue.

“The official loss of life in the crash is listed as 11 people, but since there was no official list of who was on the boat to begin with, that has to remain a best guess.”

(“The above data was excerpted from a longer column on the subject by Mr. Jim Reis, which appeared in the Kentucky Post.”)

Swift: “The incident [McBride towboat disaster, 1942] brought to the mind of Walter E. Quiggin, retired general manager of the White Collar Line, other bridge accidents at Cincinnati. The worst was that of the Longfellow, which hit the C&O bridge March 8, 1895, with the loss of 35 to 70 people.” (Swift, J. V. “Another Tragedy at a Bridge in Cincinnati.” Waterways Journal, 2000.)

U.S. Steamboat Inspection Service: “March 8. – The passenger steamer Longfellow, while descending the Ohio River, struck a pier of the Chesapeake and Ohio bridge at Cincinnati. She broke in two and sank immediately thereafter. Steamer and cargo a total loss. Valuation of steamer, $25,000. Number of lives lost, 7.” (U.S. Steamboat Inspection Service. “Casualties, Investigations, etc. District of Cincinnati, Ohio. 1895.” Annual Report of the Supervising Inspector-General to the Secretary of the Treasury for the Fiscal Year Ended June 30 1896. 1896, p. 54.)

Way: Longfellow. Sternwheel wood-hull packet, built in Cincinnati in 1876. “….Rated 1,450 tons. She was prevented from leaving Cincinnati the evening of Mar. 7, 1895, by a heavy fog. At 7:00 next morning, the captain becoming impatient, she departed, assisted by the Hercules Carrel. Fog again closed down and she went broadside into a pier of the C&O bridge causing her loss. J. Lawrence Carter, head clerk, was drowned, as was Gus Chauvert, barkeeper, and several passengers.” (Way’s Packet Directory, 1848-1994: Passenger Steamboats… 1999, p. 292.)

Newspapers

March 8, Daily Times, Portsmouth, OH: “The Lost.

David Aldridge, of Rome, N. Y., a passenger.
John L. Carter; clerk.
James Kivett, second mate.
Gus Schwant, barkeeper.
James Miller, porter.

“By Telegraph to The Times.

“Cincinnati, March 8 — The steamer Longfellow sunk today near this city, striking the pier of the bridge. The steamer was bound for New Orleans, and all passengers except one were saved, although some of the crew are still missing.

“There was a heavy fog at the time the steamer struck the bridge, the vessel having been held all night on account of the fog. She started this morning shortly after seven o’clock assisted by the towboat Hercules Carrel. Before reaching the Chesapeake & Ohio bridge piers she became wholly unmanageable, owing to the powerful cross-currents at this stage of the river, and owing to the steamer’s smoke blinding the pilot. He attempted to go to the south side of the pier also to stop the engineers but in vain.

“The steamer struck and was crushed like an egg shell. The tow boat Carrel became a life boat. The passengers, some of whom were rising, and others who were at breakfast, rushed aboard the Carrel.

“All were saved except David Aldridge, of Rome, New York, who was lame, and could not reach the Carrel in time.

“Clerk John L. Carter went back to get the money from the office and was lost. Second-Mate James Kivett, Porter James Miller and Barkeeper Gus Schwant were lost.

“E. P. Skinner, of the Independent, of Massillon, 0., was a passenger. He said;

“I was in my stateroom just rising, and did not even know the vessel had left the wharf. The first intimation I had of the accident was the sound of crushing timbers and the rattle of breaking dishes. It was not an alarming noise, but I soon heard notes of warning given in such a way that I left my room, just as I was, clad in my trousers, shoes and undershirt. I made my way hastily with the others to the deck and went at once to the Carrel. I did not venture back to get even my hat. I had barely time to save myself. But there was no panic, no rushing nor trampling over each other. Men stood by and permitted women to pass first and then got aboard the Carrel. The last of them got but just as she was backing away to avoid damage from the wreckage of the Longfellow.”

“Major Turner, of Toledo, was on deck when the accident happened. He heard a colloquy between the pilot and Oscar Whitten, as he uttered a despairing cry: “I can’t see anything!” He heard the captain tell him to go south of the pier, and heard the pilot give orders to slop the engines. It was all hopeless, as the mighty river was stronger than the boat’s machinery.” (Daily Times, Portsmouth, OH. “Horrible. Steamer Longfellow, Bound for New Orleans Sunk at Cincinnati.” 3-8-1895, p. 1.)

March 9: “Cincinnati, March 9. – A revised list of dead and missing from the wrecked steamer Longfellow is as follows:

David Aldrich, Rome, N. Y., missing, believed lost, his wife is at the Palace hotel…;
First Clerk J. L. Carter, Newport, Ky, missing, certainly lost;
Augustus Chauvet, barkeeper, New Orleans, surely lost, body not recovered;
James Miller, colored porter, Cincinnati, certainly lost, body not recovered;
Mrs. W. J. Aull, Dayton, O, body recovered and at the morgue;
Mr. W. J. Aull, Dayton, O., certainly lost, body not recovered.

“….This is the death list so far as known from the river disaster in which the magnificent New Orleans steamer Longfellow was crushed on a bridge pier and sunk in less than five minutes. Unfortunately the complete loss may never be known. All the records of the steamer were lost with it and no passenger list is ever left ashore.

“The accident was one of peculiar horror. It was daylight, the fog had disappeared, the great steamer, fearful of peril of passing the bridge piers, had been given the assistance of the powerful
towboat Hercules Carrel. Then almost upon the pier the pilot found himself confronted with an alarming condition. The powerful cross-current, which no human foresight could have located, caught the long steamer like a toy and turned the bow away from the course he had given it. At the same time the smoke from the lowered chimney, which had been let down to allow the boat to pass under the bridges, was wholly obscuring his vision. The Hercules Carrel’s pilot being located almost behind the great steamer, was also unable to see the boat’s position, and more likely his rudder was not strong enough to turn its course against the treacherous current.

“And so the fated Longfellow was carried like a helpless thing against the cruel immovable pier and crushed into a wreck. So quick was the work of destruction that in five minutes not a vestige of the great steamer was visible except bits of wreckage floating on the river. The carpenter had time to go into the hold with a lantern, whence he quickly returned with the report that nothing could save the Longfellow from immediate sinking.

“The Longfellow is the old U. P. Schenck. The old vessel was lengthened 25 feet four years ago and renamed the Longfellow. She was valued at $23,500, and insured for $15,000. She was carrying 500 tons of freight.

“The Longfellow went down in 30 feet of water within a few minutes of striking the pier. The accident occurred opposite Marmet’s coal landing, at the foot of South street. Many of the passengers were in their staterooms at the time, and the shrieks of the whistles of the Longfellow and Carrel were the first warning they had of danger. They all gathered on the front deck and were transferred to the Carrol.” (Evening Democrat, Warren, PA. “Six Were Drowned. The Fearful River Disaster at Cincinnati.” 3-9-1895, p. 1.)

March 9: “Cincinnati, March 9. – Shortly after 6 o’clock Friday morning [March 8] the steamer Longfellow, of the Memphis & Cincinnati Packet Co., pulled away from the wharf at the foot of Main street and started on a long voyage to New Orleans. The towboat Hercules Carrel, which was alongside all night, was signaled to be in readiness to help the Longfellow through the bridges.

“About 6:30 the boats started. Owing to her length it took some little time for the Longfellow to turn in order to get her head down stream. At a few minutes before 7 the boat was in a position to move down stream. The Carrel was on the left or port side of the Longfellow. The boats passed under the suspension bridge in good shape.

“Immediately after this, however, the Longfellow began behaving badly. A cross current seemed to strike her and swing hew bow around toward the Kentucky shore. Every effort was made to right her so that she would pass between the piers of the Chesapeake & Ohio railroad forming the span on the Kentucky side.

“The swift current of the river carried her along rapidly. Those on the boat could see that it would be impossible to avoid striking the pier. The alarm was sounded immediately, and the passengers, some of whom were at breakfast, while others were still in their berths, were hurried to the deck.

“While some of the passengers were still in their cabins the crash came. The boat struck the pier with her starboard or right side, just behind the boilers. The crash was an awful one and for a brief space the air was filled with flying timbers, glass and iron-work. Those on board the boat, many of whom were in their night clothes, were hurried to the Hercules Carrel, which was still alongside. Consternation reigned. There were piecing cries and terrible wails. Women fainted. The frenzied passengers called for and hurried around in search of friends and relatives the moment they touched the deck of the Carrel.

“In the meantime the immense Longfellow was being driven harder against the pier by the swift river. In less than five minutes after she struck there was a loud, rending crush and the boat parted amidship. The prow went down into the river first, disappearing completely. The stern followed. Some of the upper works floated down the stream and then the wrecked hull came slowly up and also floated away.

“Some four or five men were on the floating cabin, and these were taken off immediately by the crew of the Hercules Carrel. A number of small boats put out from the shore and picked up persons who had jumped into the river. Five minutes after the boat struck there was nothing left but a lot of floating wreckage to show that there had ever been such a boat as the Longfellow.

“Everything on board the boat in the way of registers, papers, valuables, cargo, etc., went down with her. The passengers succeeded in saving but few of their belongings.

“The passenger register was lost and it is impossible to know how many passengers are missing. It is believed that the loss of life will not be more than ten, and may be less. Of the passengers only one is reported missing so far. He is a Mr. Aldrich, of Cleveland, who in company with his wife, had engaged a round trip passage to New Orleans. He was last seen moving along under the stage plank, which fell a moment later and is believed to have crushed him.

“Capt. J. Lawrence Carter, the first clerk of the boat, is also missing. He was the last man seen on the deck. When the boat struck he was still in his berth. It is possible that he succeeded in getting off to a piece of floating wreckage and was carried down the river. The hope…is a faint one.

“Two white roustabouts, one of whom is Michael Russell, a resident of the east end are believed to have been drowned.

“A colored porter known as ‘Billy’ tried to jump from the Longfellow to the Carrel. He miscalculated the distance and fell between the boats just as they were coming together. He was crushed to death and the body fell into the river and disappeared.

“The second mate of the boat, whose name was not known, and two firemen are also reported missing….” (Hamilton Daily Republican, OH. “Boat Wrecked. The Longfellow Strikes a C. & O. Bridge Pier, Cincinnati.” 3-9-1895, p. 1.)

March 11: “Cincinnati, March 11. – Supervising Inspector Chancellor, and Local Inspectors Brownski and Dameron will begin immediately an investigation leading to the causes of the Longfellow striking the bridge pier. They were at the landing Saturday morning early, getting a list of all that are known to have been aboard the vessel at the time….

“Commodore S. W. Wise…manned two yawls with practical boatmen, whom he gave orders to go down the river on both sides as far as the mouth of the Miami and make diligent search for the missing bodies. Dr. E. P. Dameron and three others also took a carriage and went down the river road to Riverside and will make a thorough search for the body of Capt. Carter. Charles B. Wing and P. B. Diem, who are intimate friends of W. J. Aull, of Dayton, together with the missing man’s brother, have also organized a searching party and have gone to Trautman’s and Riverside to search among the willows along the shore.

“It was the intention of Commodore Wise to put divers to work at the wreck, but its condition is such that they can not work until the river falls a few feet more. Two divers will be here Monday morning and will begin work. It is thought that by Monday the river will have fallen sufficiently to cause the broken timbers to be better removed, and then it is hoped more bodies may be found, as it is the opinion of nearly all the rescued crew that Capt. Carter’s and the other bodies are held down by the heavy roof that is already projecting high up over the moored wreck.

“In speaking of the causes that led to the accident, R,. G. Shinkle, secretary of the Pilots’ association, said Saturday:

There’s but one thing to be said, but one opinion to give, and that is that the whole fault lies in the situation of the bridge pier. Long before the C. and O. bridge was built boatmen and coal men held meeting after meeting at the chamber of commerce and in the U. S. engineer’s office and protested against the Kentucky pier being placed where it is. The boatmen went so far as to send a delegation to Washington to protest, and finally a compromise was effected that permitted the pier to be placed where it is instead of 500 feet further on the Kentucky shore. This pier stands directly in the natural channel of the river and causes a terrific eddy and suction toward the Kentucky shore and also makes cross currents right where the channel of the river is.

It is dangerous at all times, so dangerous that in fair weather, when the wind is not blowing a gale and the river is at a fair stage towboats have to double trip past it in order to get their tows through safely. It is the most dangerous bridge on the Ohio river, far worse than the dreaded Parkersburg bridge, and is a menace and terror to all pilots. Take the record of disasters among steamers at Cincinnati, and, outside of losses from natural causes, you will find that the greatest damage and the greatest loss of life by far has been owing to boats colliding with the Kentucky pier of the C. & O, R. R. bridge. It comes about because the pier is an obstruction to navigation, and that is the only reasonable cause to be placed on the Longfellow disaster.”

“At about 10:30 o’clock Saturday morning the corner of Covington was notified of the recovery of two bodies of victims of the wreck near Bromley, Ky. It is now thought the list of dead will number fourteen.

The officers of the harbor boats reported Saturday morning that portions of the wreck and freight were seen down the river a distance of thirty miles, and there has been much pillaging done by men in skiffs. The underwriters were also informed that at Shantytown and as far down, as Delhi freight had been caught and the packages were being rifled as fast as found.” (Daily Times, Portsmouth, OH. “The Wrecked Steamer. Debris…Found Thirty Miles Below Cincinnati…” 3-11-1895, p. 1.)

March 12: “Cincinnati, March 12. – The body of David Aldridge, of Rome, N.Y., was found in the wreck of the steamer Longfellow this morning at Trautman’s Station…” (Daily Times, Portsmouth, OH. “His Body Found.” 3-12-1895, p. 1.)

March 13: “….The Longfellow was to leave at 5 o’clock Thursday evening. A heavy fog came up and it was decided to wait until the fog lifted. At 6 o’clock Friday morning, the fog having risen sufficiently, Captain John Kirker decided to start….” (Sioux County Herald, Orange City, IA. “Steamer Goes Down. Twelve Lost in an Ohio River Disaster.” 3-13-1895, p. 3.)

April 11: “Cincinnati, April 11. – The body of W. J. Aull, of Dayton, O., who, with his wife, was drowned at the time of the wreck of the New Orleans steamer Longfellow, March 8, was found Thursday morning below Ludlow, Ky., and was taken to the Covington morgue, where it was fully identified.” (Chariton Democrat, IA. “Victim of the Longfellow Disaster.” 4-12-1895, p. 1.)

April 24: “Cincinnati, April 24. – The report of the local inspectors to Chief Inspector Chancellor upon the wreck of the steamer Longfellow, exonerates the officers of the vessel, and says the disaster was caused by the smoke shutting off from the view of the pilot the bridge pier. When the smoke cleared the cross current had carried the steamer so far toward the Kentucky shore that a collision with the pier was unavoidable.” (Waterloo Daily Courier, IA. “Exonerate the Longfellow’s Officers.” 4-24-1895, p. 1.)

Fatalities from Accounts Above

1. David Aldridge, of Rome, N. Y., passenger. (Daily Times, Portsmouth OH. 3-8-1895, 1)
2. Dr. Anderson, female. (Sioux County Herald, Orange City, IA. “Steamer” 3-13-1895, 3)
3. Mrs. W. J. Aull, Dayton, O, body recovered and at the morgue. (Evening Democrat)
4. Mr. W. J. Aull, Dayton, O., certainly lost, body not recovered. (Evening Democrat)
5. John L. Carter, clerk. (Daily Times, Portsmouth OH. 3-8-1895, 1)
6. Augustus Chauvet, barkeeper, lost, body not recovered (Evening Democrat)
7. James Kivett, second mate. (Daily Times, Portsmouth OH. 3-8-1895, 1)
8. James Miller [or Mitter], porter. (Daily Times, Portsmouth OH. 3-8-1895, 1)
9. Thomas Reardon, deckhand. (Sioux County Herald, Orange City, IA. 3-13-1895, 3)
10. Michael Russell. Roustabout. (Hamilton Daily Republican, OH. 3-9-1895, 1.)
11. Gus Schwant, barkeeper. (Daily Times, Portsmouth OH. 3-8-1895, 1)
12. Walker, servant. (Sioux County Herald, Orange City, IA. “Steamer” 3-13-1895, 3)
13. Unknown young woman, an invalid of NY. (Sioux County Herald, Orange City IA. 3-13)

Sources

Chariton Democrat, IA. “Victim of the Longfellow Disaster.” 4-12-1895, 1. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=185897369

Daily Times, Portsmouth, OH. “His Body Found [Longfellow sinking, Cincinnati].” 3-12-1895, 1. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=55926045

Daily Times, Portsmouth, OH. “Horrible. Steamer Longfellow, Bound for New Orleans Sunk at Cincinnati.” 3-8-1895, 1. At: http://newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=55926033

Daily Times, Portsmouth, OH. “The Wrecked Steamer. Debris of the Longfellow Found Thirty Miles Below Cincinnati…” 3-11-1895, 1. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=55926041

Evening Democrat, Warren, PA. “Six Were Drowned. The Fearful River Disaster at Cincinnati.” 3-9-1895, 1. At: http://newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=20336143

Hamilton Daily Republican, OH. “Boat Wrecked. The Longfellow Strikes a C. & O. Bridge Pier, Cincinnati.” 3-9-1895, 1. http://newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=6081076

Inyo Independent, Independence, CA. “A Year’s History.” 2-21-1896, p. 1. Accessed 9-26-2020 at: https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=II18960221.2.2&e=——-en–20–1–txt-txIN——–1

Reis, Jim. “The Steamer Longfellow.” Kentucky Post. Accessed 3-19-2012 at: http://www.nkyviews.com/kenton/text/steamer_longfellow.htm

Sioux County Herald, Orange City, IA. “Steamer Goes Down. Twelve Lost in an Ohio River Disaster.” 3-13-1895, 3. At: http://newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=108088696

Swift, James V. “Another Tragedy at a Bridge in Cincinnati.” Waterways Journal, 2000. Accessed 3-19-2012 at: http://www.sdgs.usd.edu/pubs/Scans/WaterwaysJournal/2000-1106.pdf

United States Steamboat Inspection Service. Annual Report of the Supervising Inspector-General to the Secretary of the Treasury for the Fiscal Year Ended June 30 1896. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1896. Accessed 9-26-2020 at: https://books.google.com/books?id=Q1YpAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q=longfellow&f=true

Waterloo Daily Courier, IA. “Exonerate the Longfellow’s Officers.” 4-24-1895, 1. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=94116914

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.