1851 — March 24, boats collide, Lowell sinks, Captina Isl., OH Riv. ~Moundsville WV– 15

— 15 Blanchard on estimated death toll and locale.*

–15-20 Brooklyn Daily Eagle, NY. “Another Terrible Disaster on the Ohio.” 3-27-1851, p.2, c4.
— ~20 Daily Sanduskian, OH . “Dispatches by Telegraph,” March 26, 1851, p. 3.
— 1 First Engineer
— 2 Firemen
–12 Deck hands
–~5 “A large family consisting of a many, wife and a number of children…” Bedford, PA.
— >20 Elyria Courier, Elyria, OH. “Terrible Steamboat Collision.” 4-1-1851, p. 2, col. 2-3.
— 1 First Engineer
— 2 Firemen
–12 Deck hands
–~5 Family consisting of man, “his wife and a number of children,” from Bedford, PA.
— 15 Adams Sentinel, Gettysburg, PA. “Dreadful Steamboat Collision,” March 31, 1851, p. 3.
— 15 Berman, Bruce D. Encyclopedia of American Shipwrecks. 1972, p. 131.
— 15 Lloyd’s Steamboat Directory and Disasters on the Western Waters. 1856, p. 294.
— 1 First Engineer J. B. McKeon
— 2 Firemen
–12 Family of twelve from Bedford, PA.
— 15 Lytle and Holdcamper. Merchant Steam Vessels of the [U.S.] 1807-1868. 1952, p. 235.
— 15 Way’s Packet Directory, 1848-1994: Passenger Steamboats…[MS Riv. Sys.]…1999, 297.

* Blanchard estimated death toll: We choose to rely on the book accounts by Berman, Lloyd, Lytle and Holdcamper, and Way. There was much confusion in newspaper reported concerning how many deck hands and how many Bedford, PA family members died.

On the locale: While Captina Island is indeed downriver from Wheeling, a look at a map (we used Google Maps) shows that upriver of the Island the first sizeable community (at least today), is Moundsville, WV, which is located after the bend in the river which begins at downstream-end at Captina Island and, and after coming out of that bend and through a second to the south, a short distance further upriver. Wheeling is about another eleven miles upriver from Moundsville.

Narrative Information

Berman: “Lowell. St. w. 124 [tons]. 1849 [built]. Mar 24, 1851. Collided. With S. F. Vinton, Captina Island, Wheeling, VA [WV], 15 lives lost.” (Berman 1872, 131)

Lloyd: “Collision Of The Lowell And Vinton. – These steamers came in collision on the Ohio river, just below Wheeling, on the night of the 24th of March, 1851, the Lowell sinking in a few moments. Drowned – J. B. McKeon, first engineer; two firemen, and a family of twelve persons from Bedford, Pa. Mr. D. Evans, carpenter, and part owner of the Lowell, had a very narrow escape from death, being cut out from the deck as the boat was going under.” (Lloyd’s Steamboat Directory and Disasters on the Western Waters. 1856, p. 294.)

Lytle and Holdcamper: “Lowell…124 [tons] collided [footnote: “With S. F. Vinton]…3 24 1851…Captina Island, Wheeling, Va. …15 [lives lost].” (Merchant Steam Vessels of the United States 1807-1868. 1952, p. 235.)

Way: Lowell. Sternwheel wood-hull packet, built in Brownsville, PA in 1849, at 124 tons, measuring 142x24x4.5. “On Mar. 24, 1851, collided with S. F. Vinton at Captina Island, Ohio River, sand in 30 seconds. Cabin parted from the hull. The crew of the Vinton rescued the survivors. The Messenger No. 2, Capt. took her Cincinnati passengers. Fifteen lives were lost.”

Newspapers

March 24: “Wheeling, March 24.—A fearful collision took place between the steamers Lowell and S. F. Vinton, about 25 miles below Wheeling, which resulted in a terrible destruction of life and property. The Lowell sunk almost immediately, carrying down with her to instant destruction fifteen of those on board, among whom were the chief engineer and a lady with her three children. The whole cargo of the Lowell is a total loss, including the mails, and an iron boat; which she was carrying to its destination. The Vinton escaped uninjured.” (Adams Sentinel, Gettysburg, PA. “Dreadful Steamboat Collision,” March 31, 1851, p. 3.)

March 26: “Pittsburgh, March 26. A gentleman who was present at the collision between the steamboats Lowell and Vinton, says that both boats were heavily loaded, and that the accident took place near Captina Island below Wheeling, at half past ten o’clock at night. It was very dark at the time and the noise of the collision was tremendous. The Vinton being a large boat, some 900 tons. The Lowell sunk in about 30 seconds after the accident, and many of her passengers and crew were forced to escape in their night clothes.—The first engineer, two firemen and 12 deck-hands were drowned. A large family consisting of a man, wife and a number of children, belonging to Bedford Pa., were also among the victims.” (Daily Sanduskian, OH. “Dispatches by Telegraph,” March 26, 1851, p. 3.)

March 27: “Pittsburgh, March 27th. A gentleman who was present at the collision between the steamers Vinton and Lowell says both boats were heavy loaded, and the accident took place near Captoma [sic.] Island below Wheeling at half past ten at night –very dark at the time, and the force of the collision was tremendous.

“The Vinton sunk in about 30 seconds [sic., Lowell sank], and many of the passengers and crew were forced to escape in their night clothes. The 1st engineer, 2 firemen and 12 deck hands were drowned. A man, his wife and a number of children belonging to Bedford, Pa., were also among the victims. The boat was insured for only fifteen thousand dollars.” (Elyria Courier, Elyria, OH. “Terrible Steamboat Collision.” 4-1-1851, p. 2, columns 2-3.)

Sources

Adams Sentinel and General Advertiser, Gettysburg, PA. “Dreadful Steamboat Collision,” 3-31- 1851, p. 3. At: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=35099417

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

Brooklyn Daily Eagle, NY. “Another Terrible Disaster on the Ohio.” 3-27-1851, p.2, c.4. Accessed 9-28-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/brooklyn-daily-eagle-mar-27-1851-p-2/

Daily Sanduskian, OH. “Dispatches by Telegraph” [Steamboat Lowell sunk]. 3-26-1851, p. 3. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=6395049

Elyria Courier, Elyria, OH. “Terrible Steamboat Collision.” 4-1-1851, p. 2, columns 2-3. Accessed 9-28-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/elyria-courier-apr-01-1851-p-2/

Lloyd, James T. Lloyd’s Steamboat Directory and Disasters on the Western Waters. Cincinnati, Ohio: James T. Lloyd & Co., 1856. Digitized by Google. Accessed at: http://books.google.com/books?id=JlYqAAAAYAAJ

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

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.