–87-88 Blanchard estimate.*

–81-100 Daily Free Press, Carbondale, IL. “Bury Boat Victims.” 7-9-1918, p. 1.
— 81 bodies recovered
–100 “Coroner L.D. Clary [says] he has proof that 100 persons are missing…”
— 92 Bureau County Tribune, Princeton, IL. “Captain and Pilot are Blamed…” 7-19-1918, p. 12.
— ~90 Decatur Review, IL. “Steamboat Riding Killed For 1918.” 7-22-1918, p. 4. “some 90.”
— 89 Berman, Bruce D. Encyclopedia of American Shipwrecks. 1972, p. 240.
— 89 U.S. Bureau of Navigation. Merchant Vessels of the United States…1919, p. 449.
— 89 Way’s Packet Directory, 1848-1994: Passenger Steamboats… 1999, p. 105.
— 87-88 Everett, Jennifer S. “Sinking of the Columbia Steamboat.” Historic Illinois (webpage).
— 87 AP. “Wife of Captain of Columbia on Stand.” Moline Daily Dispatch, IL 7-25-1918, 1.
— 87 Chicago Daily News Almanac…Yearbook 1919. “Columbia Excursion Steamer Disaster,” 143.
— 87 Decatur Review, IL. “Eleven Foot Hole in Columbia.” 7-14-1918, p. 5.
— 87 Greenway. Passenger list naming survivors and deceased. Tazewell Co. IL History…
— 87 Historical Marker Plaque. “The Steamboat Columbia Disaster.” Tazewell County…
— 87 Illinois State Historical Society, The Steamboat Columbia Disaster
— 87 U.S. Steamboat-Inspection Service. Annual Report 1919, p. 15.
— 85 Monmouth Daily Atlas, IL. “Ghost of Death Ship on River.” 7-12-1918, p. 5.
— 84 Daily Gazette, Sterling, IL. “More Victims Found.” 7-10-1918, p. 1.

*Blanchard: While it appears to us that the death toll was eighty-seven, we choose not to ignore the Everett note that one deck hand went missing. Even if so, this would not necessarily mean that the deck hand was killed or drowned. It is conceivable that given that his means of employment was gone, he simply went looking for employment elsewhere. As to reports of eighty-nine or more deaths, we have found no evidence to support such claims.

Narrative Information

Chicago Daily News Almanac: “The excursion steamer was “midway between Peoria and Pekin, Ill., at about midnight July 5-6, 1918….About 450 members of the club and 100 excursionists picked up at Kingston Mines made the trip. On the way back from the park the boat encountered some fog and ran into the river bank near Wesley City. No severe jar was felt but a hole was stove in the hull and when the steamer backed out into the stream it filled and sank in five minutes. Many of those on board jumped into the water, but others were caught between decks and carried down to death. It was at first thought that between 150 and 200 lives had been lost, but after a careful checking up it was officially announced that the number of victims was eighty-seven.” (Chicago Daily News Almanac & Yearbook for 1919, p. 143)

IL State Historical Society: “On July 5, 1918, the steamboat Columbia sank upstream from this spot near what was then Wesley City. What began as one of the season’s premier social events ended in tragedy. The Pekin South Side Social Club sponsored the ornate sternwheeler’s ill-fated voyage. Beginning in Kingston Mines, some 500 passengers boarded it for a trip to Al Fresco Amusement Park in Peoria. On the return trip, as festivities were in full swing, a hole was torn in the Columbia’s hull and it sank. The deceased were brought to this riverfront for identification. Of the 87 who died, 57 were from Pekin.” (IL State Historical Society, “The Steamboat Columbia Disaster Marker.”)

US Bureau of Navigation: Propeller steamer Columbia; 479 onboard; 89 fatalities; foundered, July 5, 1918; Wesley City, Ill. (U.S. Bureau of Navigation. Merchant Vessels of the United States…1919, p. 449.)

US SIS: “On July 5, 1918, at midnight, excursion steamer Columbia, while descending the Illinois River, hit right-hand bank opposite Wesley City, Ill., with the result that the steamer sank, causing the loss of 87 lives.” (U.S. Steamboat-Inspection Service. Annual Report 1919, p. 15.)

Way: Sternwheel wood hull packet, built in 1897 in Clinton, IA. “….Excursions were run on the Illinois River terminating in her disastrous sinking on July 5, 1918, with life-loss placed at 89. This happened near Pekin, Ill., during a fog; the boat was snagged.” (Way. Way’s Packet Directory, 1848-1994: Passenger Steamboats of the Mississippi River System… (Revised). 1999, p. 105.)

Newspapers

July 6: “Peoria, Ill., July 6. – Professional divers late today will search the submerged decks and saloons of the excursion steamer Columbia, which sank in the Illinois river near Peoria shortly after midnight today with 593 persons aboard.

“Twenty bodies had been recovered today and it seemed certain that many more lie between the decks of the vessel.

“Nearly 100 persons were unaccounted for.

“Judge Jesse L. Black, chairman of the Red Cross at Pekin, Ill., the home of the majority of the victims, believes the death toll was between fifty and seventy-five.

“A coroner’s jury was empaneled to investigate the disaster at once.

“Scores of small boats were circling about the wreck at noon searching for victims. Many survivors, some of them in pitiable condition from injuries and exposure, were taken to Penkin in automobiles.

“The Columbia was carrying the members of a Pekin social club, homeward bound on a river excursion when she struck a submerged log on a sand bar, in a dense fog. She overturned, and sank in five minutes when scores of terrified passengers, who were dancing on deck, rushed to the port rail.

“Eleven more bodies were identified at 9:30 this morning, making the total identified dead 26, while the unidentified list stood at seven. River launches are being used in taking the dead from the scene of the accident to Pekin.

“That the boat sank within two minutes after water was discovered in the hull of the Columbia was the statement made by Allen L. Davison, second engineer on the steamer. ‘We [were] traveling under a slow bell through the dense fog,’ he said. ‘I felt a slight shock but paid little attention to it. It was hardly noticeable. Then I received a signal from pilot to stop and back the boat. “Within a few seconds I received another signal from the pilot to go ahead slowly. Henry Tripler, a watchman, then came down into the engine room and asked that the light be thrown into the hull of the boat. When I looked in there I saw the hull half full of water. We were then backing away from the Wesley City shore and headed in the direction of the other shore. Within two minutes the boat listed to the starboard side and I climbed up over the railing on the other side and jumped into the water. It all happened so quickly that it was hard to realize the danger,’ he continued. ‘I am sure that the people on the other decks were unaware of the danger. The shock when the steamer hit the log was hardly noticeable even in the boiler room.’

“Coroner Clary swore in a jury at Pekin early today and stated he would begin his official investigating during the morning. His first witnesses were expected to be Captain Herman Mehl, one of he Columbia’s owners, and Thomas Williams, her pilot….

“The Columbia was a three deck excursion steamer 150 feet long…It was…under charter to the South Side Social Club of Pekin. The vessel was returning to Pekin from Al Fresco, a summer resort.

“A dense fog lay over the river. With the excursionists dancing on the upper deck to the strains of a band, the Columbia ran on a sand bank. She was promptly backed off but immediately began to list….Panic stricken, the excursionists rushed to the port side of the boat in spite of the orders of the crew to keep the deck load evenly balanced….Dozens of men and women had leaped into the water and others were thrown into the water when the boat turned over. Many were between decks and it was believed certain that they went down with the boat….” (Monmouth Daily Atlas, Monmouth, IL. “River Steamer Sinks Near Pekin.” 7-6-1918, p. 1.)

July 7: “Peoria, Ill., July 7. – With two government inspectors aboard the steamer Lancaster, a coal company boat, careful watch was kept Saturday night [July 6] over the wrecked steamer Columbia and its cargo of dead during a storm which struck this vicinity. The storm broke shortly after 9 o’clock, sweeping with almost hurricane velocity over Peoria, and fears that the sunken steamer would break up were expressed, but communication with a farm house near the wreck brought word that the wind there was not so strong, although a heavy rain was falling. It was said there was but little danger of the boat breaking up. At the wagon bridge at Pekin, a lookout was being kept for any bodies that might come down the river and for wreckage from the lost excursion boat.” (Quincy Whig, IL. “Recover 63 Bodies From Sunken River Steamer.” 7-7-1918, p. 1.)

July 7: “Peoria, Ill., July 7. – With sixty-three bodies recovered and the total number of dead estimated at from 100 to 150 persons, government, state and county officials began searching inquiries into the cause of the wreck of the excursion steamer Columbia.

“Survivors have charged that the big steamer carrying 500 passengers on a return trop from Peoria to Pekin, Ill., was driven against a sand bank scarcely ten feet from shore and about five miles south of Peoria during a heavy fog….

“While the orchestra continued to play on the dance floor, which proved a death trap to scores of he two hundred dancers, the vessel, it was said backed into deep where it suddenly broke in two and immediately settled on the bottom of the river with only the pilot house and part of the superstructure appearing above the water. After the survivors had been cared for it was found impossible because of the darkness to continue the search for bodies and this was halted until daylight.

“At sunrise scores of volunteer workers backed at the wreckage while two divers began bringing out bodies.

“The remainder were lifted into launches and taken to Pekin for identification. The homes of practically all of the victims were either in Pekin or Kingston Mines, a mining settlement about six miles south of Pekin.

“Out of he first fifty-three bodies checked at the Pekin morgue only seven were men. Six were babies. Early Saturday evening Chief of Police Smith of Pekin declared that the list of dead will reach 150.

“Captain T. A. Collins, of Camp Bradley, in charge of he rescue work at the wreck said that all bodies had been cleared from the dance floor but that he expected to find more on the lower floors when it was impossible for the divers to reach them without the aid of wrecking tugs which were on their way from Chicago. He said he thought that the list of dead would be more than 100.”
(Quincy Whig, IL. “Estimate Total Dead at 100 to 150 as Rescue Progresses.” 7-7-1918, p. 1.)

July 7: “….The pilot, on finding his boat was sinking, sent out distress signals, and within a short time boats from various directions came to the rescue and began to pick up those struggling in the water, but on account of the darkness, their efforts were badly hampered….

“The time of the disaster has been definitely fixed at 11:58 p.m. by Yardmaster Roalty of the Peoria and Pekin Union Railway at Peking. He was the first to hear the distress signal and immediately notified the dispatcher, who sent a relief train to the scene. The scene of the disaster is isolated from telephone and telegraph communication….

Story of Survivor.

“August Mehl, brother of Capt. H. F. Mehl, lost his wife. He said:

The whole thing was over in an instant. I was in the café of the boat when the shock came. I knew that we had struck a submerged log and I heard my brother, the captain, cry out: ‘Everybody upstairs.’ The crowd rushed for the upper decks. I rushed to the engine room to notify the engineers. On my return I saw my wife running ahead of me up the companionway. I followed and just as I got to the second deck the boat listed to the lee side and sank quickly. I saw my wife thrown overboard into the water. I grabbed at her skirt, but it slipped from my fingers. Then the boat was plunged into total darkness. I ran from a life preserver and got to the upper deck in time to help the women and children escape in the life boats.

The water was up to the staterooms immediately below the pilot-house on one side and up to the base of the pilot house on the listed side.”

(Quincy Whig, IL. “Second Deck of Boat Filled With Dancers, Charnel House.” 7-7-1918, p. 1.)

July 8: “Pekin, Ill., July 8. – A final check on bodies taken from the sunken steamer Columbia shows 71 identified and seven unidentified. No bodies were taken out on Sunday [July 7]. Cross compilation of those reported missing shows unaccounted for, 22. The lists follow, those named being residents of Pekin, unless otherwise indicated.” [We do not reproduce the listings.] (Daily Free Press, Carbondale, IL. “Identify 71 Bodies.” 7-8-1918, p. 1.)

July 10: “Peoria, Ill., July 10. – The recovery of four more bodies from the Illinois river yesterday brought the death list of the steamer Columbia disaster fo eighty-four. At least eight more – possibly as many as fifteen bodies – are still in the river….Three of the four bodies were found floating in the river some distance from the wreck….” (Daily Gazette, Sterling, IL. “More Victims Found.” 7-10-1918, p. 1.)

July 11: “Peoria, July 11. – ‘That the pilot was lost is the conclusion I have drawn from the investigation I have been making, W. J. Reardon, former state’s attorney of Tazewell county, declares. Reardon is representing the Pekin Association of Commerce and he local chapter of the Red Cross in the investigation now in progress before the federal officials.

“This investigation behind closed doors and conducted by Steamboat Inspectors Capt. George M. Green, Rees V. Downs and George R. Bower is for the sole purpose of determining whether the licensed officers of the Columbia were recalcitrant or negligent in their duties on the fatal night.

“These inspectors are satisfied, it is said, that the hull of the vessel was all right. According to the unofficial information about the inquiry it is said that Captains Downs and Bauer, late last fall, after the excursion season, inspected the hull and ordered extensive repairs made. This spring there was a second inspection showing the repairs had been made, it is said, and the necessary certificate was issued to Capt. Herman Mehl. It also is said that Captain Green was at the breakfast table in Evansville last Saturday morning when he picked up a paper and read a brief account of the tragedy. He immediately called officials of the Mound City ship yards and found that extensive repairs were made. ‘The hull was all right,’ he is said to have been told by the shipyard men. He then came to Peoria and has since been conducting an investigation regarding the conduct of the crew.
Crew Members All Agree.

“While the evidence being heard is behind closed doors, many of the facts are leaking out of the rooms. It is said that the members of the crew who have appeared have stuck close together in their testimony regarding the ill-fated trip. They all agree that the steamer ran into the willows on the Peoria shore and that the Columbia was running about seven miles an hour at the time.

“But there is one important matter from which the crew backs away, and that is whether the boat struck anything sufficient to cause a shock or jar. None of them remembers anything of any jar or shock. Yet the testimony before the federal officials shows that the boat stopped and backed away after striking the willows. ‘If the boat had remained where it was there would have been no loss of life,’ an official, who is watching the investigation said.

“Testimony shows that there was a lurch of the boat. After it had backed away from the Peoria shore following the crash to shore, it listed to the Tazewell shore. This was followed almost immediately by a more violent list to the Peoria shore, at which moment the boat went down and the upper decks collapsed.

“It was expected that the government officials would conclude their investigation and return to their homes in Evansville and St. Louis. Their report will be forwarded to Washington and it is expected to remain secret unless it is given out by the Washington officials. If there is no recommendation of revocation of license, it is doubtful if the result of the investigation will ever be made public.” (Quincy Whig, IL. “Two Scenes at Wreck in Illinois River Where Many Were Lost.” 7-11-1918, p. 5.)

July 12: “Peoria, Ill., July 12 – Like some ghost craft come to strike fear with its hoary outlines, the steamer Columbia, which crumpled up in the Illinois River last Saturday with more than 500 persons aboard, rose abruptly out of its grave yesterday and floated almost to the water front of Pekin, eighty-five of whose citizens lost their lives in the wreck.

“When finally the wreck stopped and boarded by rescue workers two more bodies were recovered. This makes a total of eighty-five lives lost. It is not believed there are any more bodies and work is to be discontinued.

“Coroner Clary and Sheriff Wilson of Tazewell county, together with fifteen or more workers, were aboard the Columbia when it suddenly popped to the surface. A number of small launches were moored abut the sides of the submerged steamer. These were lifted out of the water and carried down stream. There was a hasty scramble to quit the vessel and all reached small boats in safety.

“An examination of the steamer is to be made at once to determine the cause of the sudden rising. There is a suggestion that the snag which caused the wreck clung fast to the bottom until released by the action of the current, permitting the steamer to rise.” (Monmouth Daily Atlas, IL. “Ghost of Death Ship on River.” 7-12-1918, p. 5.)

July 13: “Peoria, Ill., July 13 – A hole eleven feet, one inch long and approximately two feet wide on the starboard side of the hull and about midship is what sent the steamer Columbia to the bottom of the Illinois river last Friday night a week ago and snuffed out eighty-seven lives.

“The hole was measured today by W. E. Dunscomb, diver, of St. Louis, who was brought here from his work at Kankakee, by state officials to make an inspection of the hull. Dunscomb completed his work this afternoon when he saved [sawed?] out pieces of timber from the hull to be used as exhibits, and he appeared at 8:30 tonight before a special session of coroner E. L. Clary’s jury in Pekin to hive his testimony.” (Decatur Review, IL. “Eleven Foot Hole in Columbia.” 7-14-1918, p. 5.)

July 19: “Responsibility for the sinking of the excursion steamer Columbia on the Illinois river between Peoria and Pekin July 5 with the loss of ninety-two lives is placed upon Capt. H. F. Mehl and Pilot George T. Williams in a report received Wednesday by Secretary of Commerce Redfield from Reese V. Downs and Geo. R. Bower, the steamboat inspectors who investigated the river disaster.

“Conviction would carry a penalty only of loss of license. If the trail of the case shows criminal negligence, however, commerce officials said, the record would be placed at the disposal of he Department of Justice for any criminal actin that might be deemed necessary.” (Bureau County Tribune, Princeton, IL. “Captain and Pilot are Blamed…” 7-19-1918, p. 12.)

July 23: “Peoria, July 23. – United States Marshall Dallman has assumed custody of the wreckage of the steamer Columbia, upon a petition in admiralty issued by Federal Judge FitzHenry. The petition was filed by Herman F. Mehl, owner, asking the court to limit liabilities of the owner upon claims that may arise. The United States marshal was appointed custodian with authority to raise the hull, sell it and the salvage, receive the passage money from the last trip and the freight pending and to guard the wreck from piracy. The liability was limited to the value of the wreck.” (Quincy Daily Herald, IL. “U.S. Marshall in Charge of Wreck.” 7-23-1918, p. 10.)

July 25: “Peoria, Ill., July 25. – After hearing testimony of several witnesses, Coroner E. L. Clary of Pekin this noon again indefinitely adjourned his hearing of he steamer Columbia disaster which cost eighty-seven lives. Coroner W. B. Elliott of Peoria this afternoon resumed his hearing and declared he would not stop until it was completed. Mrs. Herman Mehl, wife of the captain of the ill-fated boat, was to be the first witness called.

“Undertaker H. C. Wilmot, before Coroner Clary’s jury this morning, said eight or ten of the victims he handled were not drowned and bore no bruises. He said he was unable to explain cause of death.” (Assoc. Press. “Wife of Captain of Columbia on Stand.” Moline Daily Dispatch, IL.)

Sources

Associated Press. “Wife of Captain of Columbia on Stand.” Moline Daily Dispatch, IL. 7-25-1918, p.1. Accessed 8-20-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/moline-daily-dispatch-jul-25-1918-p-1/

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

Bureau County Tribune, Princeton, IL. “Captain and Pilot are Blamed…” 7-19-1918, p. 12. Accessed 8-19-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/princeton-bureau-county-tribune-jul-19-1918-p-12/

Centralia Evening Sentinel, IL.” “Blamed For Ship Disaster.” 7-20-1918, p. 3. Accessed 8-20-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/centralia-evening-sentinel-jul-20-1918-p-3/

Chicago Daily News Almanac and Yearbook for 1919. James Langland, (Ed.). Chicago: Chicago Daily News Company, 1918. Accessed 8-19-2020 at: http://books.google.com/books?id=vWQTAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA788&dq=Ohio+River+Steamship+Disasters#PPA13,M1

Daily Free Press, Carbondale, IL. “Bury Boat Victims.” 7-9-1918, p. 1. Accessed 8-19-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/carbondale-daily-free-press-jul-09-1918-p-1/

Daily Free Press, Carbondale, IL. “Identify 71 Bodies.” 7-8-1918, p. 1. Accessed 8-19-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/carbondale-daily-free-press-jul-08-1918-p-1/

Daily Gazette, Sterling, IL. “More Victims Found.” 7-10-1918, p. 1. Accessed 8-19-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/sterling-daily-gazette-jul-10-1918-p-1/

Decatur Review, IL. “Eleven Foot Hole in Columbia.” 7-14-1918, p. 5. Accessed 8-19-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/decatur-review-jul-14-1918-p-5/

Decatur Review, IL. “Steamboat Riding Killed For 1918.” 7-22-1918, p. 4. Accessed 8-20-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/decatur-daily-review-jul-22-1918-p-4/

Everett, Jennifer S. “Sinking of the Columbia Steamboat.” Historic Illinois (webpage). Accessed8-20-2020 at: https://web.archive.org/web/20131207024329/http://historicillinois.com/databaseitems/58-other-history/pekin-other-history/186-sinking-of-the-columbia-steamboat

Greenway, Connie. Passenger list naming survivors and deceased. Tazewell County Illinois History and Genealogy. “Wreck of the Steamer Columbia.” Genealogy Trails. Accessed 8-20-2020 at: http://www.genealogytrails.com/ill/tazewell/news_lastsurvivor_columbia.html

Historical Marker Plaque. “The Steamboat Columbia Disaster.” Sponsored by the Tazewell County Historical Places Society and the Illinois Historical Society, July 2003. Accessed 8-20-2020 at: http://www.genealogytrails.com/ill/tazewell/news_lastsurvivor_columbia.html

Illinois State Historical Society. The Steamboat Columbia Disaster. ISHS and Tazewell County Historical Places Society, Historical Marker. Accessed at: http://www.historyillinois.org/Markers/old_markers/512.htm

Monmouth Daily Atlas, IL. “Ghost of Death Ship on River.” 7-12-1918, p. 5. Accessed 8-19-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/monmouth-daily-atlas-jul-12-1918-p-5/

Monmouth Daily Atlas, Monmouth, IL. “River Steamer Sinks Near Pekin.” 7-6-1918, p. 1. Accessed 8-19-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/monmouth-daily-atlas-jul-06-1918-p-1/

Quincy Daily Herald, IL. “U.S. Marshall in Charge of Wreck.” 7-23-1918, p. 10. Accessed 8-20-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/quincy-daily-herald-jul-23-1918-p-10/

Quincy Whig, IL. “Estimate Total Dead at 100 to 150 as Rescue Progresses.” 7-7-1918, p. 1. Accessed 8-19-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/quincy-whig-jul-07-1918-p-1/

Quincy Whig, Quincy, IL. “Recover 63 Bodies From Sunken River Steamer.” 7-7-1918, p. 1. Accessed 8-19-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/quincy-whig-jul-07-1918-p-1/

Quincy Whig, IL. “Second Deck of Boat Filled With Dancers, Charnel House.” 7-7-1918, p. 1. Accessed 8-19-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/quincy-whig-jul-07-1918-p-1/

Quincy Whig, IL. “Two Scenes at Wreck in Illinois River Where Many Were Lost.” 7-11-1918, p. 5. Accessed 8-18-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/quincy-whig-jul-11-1918-p-5/

United States Bureau of Navigation, Department of Commerce. Fifty-First Annual List of Merchant Vessels of the United States…For the Year Ended June 30, 1919. Wash.: GPO, 1920. Digitized by Google at: http://www.archive.org/stream/merchantvessels01unkngoog#page/n6/mode/1up

United States Steamboat-Inspection Service. Annual Report of the Supervising Inspector General, Steamboat-Inspection Service to the Secretary of Commerce for the Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 1919. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1919, 43 pages. Digitized by Google. Accessed at: http://books.google.com/books?id=RKfNAAAAMAAJ

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.

Additional Reading

Zurski, Ken. The Wreck of the Columbia: A Broken Boat, a Town’s Sorrow & the End of the Steamboat Era on the Illinois River. Amika Press, 2010.