1864 — Nov 26 Sternwheel Sophie McLane boiler explosion at dock, Suisun City, CA– >10

— >10 Blanchard death toll estimate.*

–13 CA State Lands Com. A Map…Investigation…Historical Sites and Shipwrecks… 1988, 115.
–10 Bowen. “Disaster strikes the Sophie McLane at Suisun.” 5-15-2000. Historical Articles…
— 5 Supervising Inspector, First Supervising District, p. 210; Report…[Sec. of Treasury]… 1865.

* Blanchard death toll estimate: Bowen presents a detailed account of the explosion and loss of life and we see no reason to doubt his statement of ten deaths. While it is conceivable that three of the injured died later, justifying the CA State Lands Commission number of thirteen deaths, we have reason to be cautious with their death toll estimates. For example, their treatment of the steamer Washoe boiler explosion on the Sacramento River on Sep 5, 1964, results in four different death tolls – 103 deaths on page 37, 85 deaths noted on page 117, 70 deaths on page 200, and about 20 on page 153. Thus we are not comfortable using their number of thirteen deaths when we have a detailed account noting ten deaths. However, so as to not completely dismiss the CA State Lands Commission reporting we add the symbol “>” to the number 10, meaning “10 or more” or “at least 10” deaths.

Narrative Information

Bowen: “….[on the way from Benicia to Suisun] The ship began experiencing a series of problems after leaving the company’s wharf in Benicia. A bolt blew out of a boiler, causing the steamer to dock at Benicia’s Government Wharf to repair damages.

“Because it would take some time to fix the boiler, the engineer ordered his assistant to fire up under one boiler alone. She continued the rest of the way to Suisun on one boiler, arriving about half-past seven in the morning. The passengers expressed some uneasiness during the trip, commenting that at times the ship acted as if it were out of control due to the lack of power and poorly operating machinery.

“After landing, the engineers and one of the firemen completed necessary repairs overnight and filled the boilers with water.

“That fateful morning at 7:39, everything seemed normal and shipshape. After making a quick check of the boilers, first engineer George Dingle was at breakfast with pilot George Folger. The second engineer and one of the firemen were in the boiler room preparing to get the ship under way. Ship’s porter William N. Lawlor was sweeping off the upper deck. The McLane’s captain, Henry P. Hulbert, and Jacob Blum were on their way to breakfast in the ship’s mess. Charles Nelson, the watchman, was still in his berth. Fireman Mathew Nugent was asleep forward, and George Kagee, a saloon-keeper from Fairfield, was on board….

“….At 7:40 a.m., without any hint of warning, the ship’s boilers suddenly exploded with tremendous fury. Shattered timbers, huge chunks of metal, scalding steam and bodies were blown skyward, blasting away the morning quiet and instantly killing [pilot George] Folger, John McClellan and [watchman Charles] Nelson.

“Second engineer Gage was among the twisted wreckage, dying from massive injuries and inhalation of scalding steam. Hulbert and Lawlor were blown into the water and soon died of their injuries. Frank Staples was thrown onto the gangplank, landing in a sitting position with serious injuries. Some of the crew were missing and later found dead….In all, there were 10 dead and 12 injured. It was the worst disaster Suisun ever had experienced.

“A coroner’s inquest was convened at 10 the same morning to identify the bodies of Folger, Gage and Lawlor.

“The Solano Press detailed the events that followed the explosion and identified the rest of the dead and injured. Several panels of local citizens were impaneled to determine the cause of death of the rest of the crew and passengers killed in the explosion.

“On Nov. 5, 1864, a coroner’s inquest was reassembled to take the testimony of chief engineer George Dingle to determine the cause of the blast. The coroner’s jury found a verdict, ‘implicating no person, but stating that they believed the iron the boilers were made of, were of an inferior quality and unsuitable for the purpose.’

“History later proved this to be an accurate verdict. Many of the old steamboats suffered the same consequences of defective metal. No company ever was held responsible or prosecuted, even though it was proven many times the faulty iron contributed to many deaths during the steamboat era.” (Bowen, Jerry. “Disaster strikes the Sophie McLane at Suisun.” 5-15-2000. Historical Articles of Solano County Online Database.)

CA State Lands Commission: “Sophie McClean. Sternwheeler, built 1858. Exploded at Suisun Bay wharf, 13 dead and missing. Boiler made from the same batch of steel as the Washoe, which also blew up. 26 November 1864.” (p. 115)

Supervising Inspector of Steamboats: “In November, 1864, the steamer Sophie McLane exploded her port boiler while lying at her wharf at Suisun city. By this explosion the captain and four of the crew were killed. The accident occurred in the morning before the hour of starting on her voyage had arrived, and there were fortunately but few passengers on board, and none of these were injured. This was a high-pressure side-wheel [sic] steamer of 242 tons, and had two boilers in the hold of the vessel 18 feet long and 5 feet diameter, which had been in use only two months. The shell of the boiler gave way, and the boat was torn to pieces and rendered useless. The investigation showed that the explosion occurred from excessive pressure, arising from the criminal negligence and mismanagement of the engineer. He was one of the oldest engineers on the coast, and up to this time had borne an excellent reputation for attention to his duties. His license was revoked, and he immediately left the country to save himself from prosecution.” (Supervising Inspector, First Supervising District, p. 210. In: “Report of the Supervising Inspector of Steamboats,” in United States Secretary of the Treasury. Report of the Secretary of the Treasury of the State of the Finances for The Year 1865.)

Sources

Bowen, Jerry. “Disaster strikes the Sophie McLane at Suisun.” 5-15-2000. Historical Articles of Solano County Online Database. Accessed 12-22-2020 at: http://www.solanoarticles.com/history/index.php/weblog/more/disaster_strikes_the_sophie_mclane_at_suisun/

California State Lands Commission. A Map and Record Investigation of Historical Sites and Shipwrecks Along the Sacramento River Between Sacramento City and Sherman Island. 1988. Accessed 12-22-2020 at: https://www.slc.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/1988-SacRiverShipwrecks.pdf

United States Secretary of the Treasury. Report of the Secretary of the Treasury of the State of the Finances for The Year 1865. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1865. Accessed 12-21-2020 at: https://fraser.stlouisfed.org/title/annual-report-secretary-treasury-state-finances-194/report-secretary-treasury-state-finances-year-1865-5509/report-supervising-inspector-steamboats-302219