lornajarrettblanchard

–13-18 Blanchard estimated death toll range (five passengers and eight crew).*

— 22 Swayze. “Great Lakes Shipwrecks B.” (Notes fatality counts of 13-20 “are also given.”)
— 20 Berman, Bruce D. Encyclopedia of American Shipwrecks. 1972, p. 236.
— 20 Nash, Jay Robert. Darkest Hours. 1977, p. 687.
— 18 True Northerner, Paw Paw, MI. “News Of The Week.” 11-6-1874, p. 2, col. 1.
–10-15 Boston Daily Globe. “A Terrible Explosion…Lake Steamer Blown to Atoms…” 10-23-1874, 1.
— 15 Elk County Advocate, Ridgway, PA. “News of the Day.” 11-12-1874, p. 4, col. 3.
— 13 Boston Daily Globe. “The Lake Horror. Further Details…” 10-24-1874, p. 1.
— 13 Delphi Journal, IN. “The Explosion of the Steamer Brooklyn.” 11-4-1874, p. 1.
— 13 Mansfield, John Brandts (Ed.). History of the Great Lakes (Vol. 1). 1899, p. 799.
— 5 Passengers
— 8 Crew
— 13 Swayze. Shipwreck!…Directory of…Shipwrecks on the Great Lakes. 1992, p. 40. (Crew)

* Blanchard estimated death toll range. Given the range of reported deaths we see in the sources we cite – 13-22 – we sought to create a listing of those identified as fatalities. This listing shows thirteen names. This is also the number reported by Swayze in Shipwreck as well as in most of the reporting we see in newspapers at the time (only a small number cited herein). Thus we choose to show 13 deaths as the low-end of our fatality range (and are of the opinion this was the most likely death toll).

However, in that we do see several newspaper reports at the time noting either 15 or 18 deaths, we choose to show eighteen as the high-end of our estimated death-toll range.

We speculate that the higher numbers such as the twenty reported by Berman and Nash as well as twenty-two reported by Swayze in “Great Lakes Shipwrecks” (who does note seeing reports of 13-20 deaths), confuse deaths with the number of crew reported to have been on board.

Narrative Information

Mansfield: “Destruction of Steamer Brooklyn. – The steamer Brooklyn, of the Northern Transportation line, Capt. Harvey Brown, bound from Ogdensburg to Chicago, exploded her boilers near Fighting island, ten miles below Detroit,, October 22. The explosion tore her apart, and she sank immediately. Five of the steamer’s nine passengers were killed and eight of a crew of 21 also perished. Many of the survivors were severely injured. The steamer sank in about 25 feet of water, only about 6 inches of her pilot house remaining above water. To this nine persons clung for safety till released by the propeller Cuba. Eight others were picked up from the water by fishing yawls from the shore. The shock of the explosion threw from their feet all who were aboard, and most of those on deck were injured by flying missiles hurled in all directions. The Brooklyn was one of the fastest boats on the line, and could make from 13 to 15 miles per hour. She was built at Cleveland in 1866, and was valued at $45,000.” (Mansfield, John Brandts (Ed.). History of the Great Lakes (Vol. 1). 1899, p. 799.)

Swayze, Great Lakes Shipwrecks B: Brooklyn: Propeller driven wood passenger and package freighter.

“Date of Loss: 1874, Oct 22.

“Place of loss: Off Fighting Island, near Wyandotte, MI….

“Loss of life: 22 (other numbers of casualties from 13 to 20 are also given)….

“Detail: Her boiler exploded violently, blowing off most of her after end, tearing her bottom out and sinking her quickly. Parts of her boiler were found more than ¾ of a mile from the site of the explosion. A coroner’s jury found that the Brooklyn had been pouring on too much steam in an effort to pass the steamer Cuba, some distance ahead and that the 2nd engineer had let the water run low in the boiler. The Brooklyn had been bound from Ogdensburg and Buffalo for Chicago. Locally contracted wreckers had to race thieves to the wreck to strip it. Her engine was reportedly blown clear out of her hull. Salvagers said her after end was the most thoroughly blasted wreck they’d ever seen.” (Swayze. Great Lakes Shipwrecks “B”)

Newspapers

Oct 22: “Detroit, Thursday, October 22. The propeller Brooklyn of the Northern Transportation Company, bound up from Cleveland, exploded her boiler near Fighting Island, fifteen miles south of this city about 1 o’clock, this afternoon. As far as can be ascertained, about twenty-five persons were on board in all. Seven of the wounded were brought to Detroit by the propeller Cayuga of the Union Steamboat Company. It is reported that the steward and one or two others got away in a small boat from the wreck. The wounded are under doctors’ care at this city. It is reported that the two engineers went down with the boat. There are probably between ten and fifteen lives lost in all….

Later – Full Details – The Missing, the Dead and the Wounded.

“Detroit, Thursday, October 22. The steamer Brooklyn had nine passengers and carried a crew of nineteen. Thirteen persons were killed, of whom five were passengers; and eleven were wounded, including four passengers. The wounded were brought to this city and placed in a hospital. Some of the wounded, as well as persons on the steamer Huron City, which was close by assert that the Brooklyn was racing with the steamer Cuba when the explosion occurred. The missing passengers are Mrs. Bablin and child of Oswego, a lady from Cleveland and two Frenchmen from Oswego, names unknown. The missing crew are: John Morely of Ogdensburg; cook, name unknown, of Oswego, where he shipped as they started; William Hilliard of Ogdensburg; James Romaine, Michael Huck and James Phillips of Cape Vincent; Michael Hanley of Oswego; Samuel Anderson of Rensselaer Falls….” (Boston Daily Globe, MA. “A Terrible Explosion. A Lake Steamer Blown to Atoms While Racing…” 10-23-1874, p. 1.)

Nov 2: “The Coroner’s jury, at Detroit, investigating the cause of the boiler explosion on board the propeller Brooklyn, charges the Captain, the Second Engineer, and others with the disaster. They found that the safety-valve had been tampered with and that the boat was racing at the time.” (Chicago Daily Tribune. “Miscellaneous.” 11-2-1874, p. 8, col. 7.)

Nov 5: “The steamer Brooklyn, of the Northern Transportation Line, exploded her boiler near Fighting Island, ten miles below Detroit, on the 22d. She was laden with a mixed cargo, had nine passengers, and was manned by a crew of twenty-one. The explosion tore her apart and she sank instantly. Five passengers and eight of the crew were killed and four passengers and eight of the crew wounded. The Captain, Harry Brown, attributes the explosion to low water in the boiler, but one account says the Brooklyn was racing with the steamer Cuba and was carrying a tremendous head of steam when the catastrophe occurred.” (Rochester Union Spy, IN. “General News Summary.” 11-5-1874, p. 2, col. 2.)

Nov 13: “Detroit, November 13. – The local Board having under consideration the Brooklyn disaster have concluded the investigation, and submitted a report to Inspector Ralph. Their conclusions are that the Brooklyn was carrying one hundred pounds of steam at the time of the disaster, being thirty pounds in excess of the amount allowed by her inspector’s certificate, and that in order to carry this excess of steam the steam-lock of the safety valve must have been tampered with, or it would have blown off; that the boiler would have probably stood this pressure with a full supply of water. They do not charge Captain Brown with the responsibility of the accident, but think he failed to exercise that prudence which is expected of commanders. They place the responsibility upon William Hilliard, second engineer, who was killed at the explosion.” (Cincinnati Commercial. “Report of the Local Inspectors at Detroit on the Brooklyn Disaster.” 11-14-1874, p. 5, col. 3.)

Listing of Fatalities as Identified in Sources Cited

Passengers

1. Boffin (or Bablin or Mrs. Peter Rabbin ), Mrs. Passenger, from Oswego.
2. Boffin (or Bablin), 4-year-old child of. Passenger.
3. Unnamed Frenchman #1 of 2 traveling from Ogdensburg to St. Louis. Passenger.
4. Unnamed Frenchman #2 of 2 traveling from Ogdensburg to St. Louis. Passenger.
5. Unnamed woman from Cleveland. Passenger.

Crew

1. Anderson, Samuel Porter, Rensselaer Falls, NY.
2. Hanley, Mike Deck hand.
3. Hilliard, William. Second engineer, Ogdensburg.
4. Huck, Michael Fireman.
5. Morley, John First cook, Ogdensburg.
6. Phillips, James Fireman.
7. Romaine, James Wheelsman, Cape Vincent, NY.
8. Unnamed man Second cook, shipped from Oswego.

Sources

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

Boston Daily Globe, MA. “A Terrible Explosion. A Lake Steamer Blown to Atoms While Racing…” 10-23-1874, p. 1. Accessed 11-14-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/boston-daily-globe-oct-23-1874-p-1/

Boston Daily Globe. “The Lake Horror. Further Details – the Boat Racing…” 10-24-1874, p. 1. Accessed 11-14-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/boston-daily-globe-oct-24-1874-p-1/

Chicago Daily Tribune. “Miscellaneous.” 11-2-1874, p. 8, col. 7. Accessed 11-14-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/chicago-daily-tribune-nov-02-1874-p-8/

Cincinnati Commercial. “Report of the Local Inspectors at Detroit on the Brooklyn Disaster.” 11-14-1874, p. 5, col. 3. Accessed 11-14-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/cincinnati-commercial-nov-14-1874-p-5/

Cincinnati Commercial, OH. “Terrible Lake Disaster….Names of the Killed and Injured.” 10-24-1874, p. 1. Accessed 11-14-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/cincinnati-commercial-oct-24-1874-p-1/

Delphi Journal, IN. “The Explosion of the Steamer Brooklyn.” 11-4-1874, p. 1. Accessed 11-14-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/delphi-journal-nov-04-1874-p-1/

Elk County Advocate, Ridgway, PA. “News of the Day.” 11-12-1874, p. 4, col. 3. Accessed 11-14-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/ridgway-elk-county-advocate-nov-12-1874-p-4/

Mansfield, John Brandts (Ed. And Compiler). History of the Great Lakes (Vol. 1). Chicago: J.H. Beers & Co., 1899. http://www.linkstothepast.com/marine/chapt36.html — Google digitized: http://books.google.com/books?id=iHXhAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_v2_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q=&f=false

Nash, Jay Robert. Darkest Hours – A Narrative Encyclopedia of Worldwide Disasters from Ancient Times to the Present. New York: Pocket Books, Wallaby, 1977, 792 pages.

Rochester Union Spy, IN. “General News Summary.” 11-5-1874, p. 2, col. 2. Accessed 11-14-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/rochester-union-spy-nov-05-1874-p-2/

Swayze. “Great Lakes Shipwrecks B.” Accessed 11-13-2020 at: http://www.boatnerd.com/swayze/shipwreck/b.htm

Swayze, David D. Shipwreck! A Comprehensive Directory of Over 3,700 Shipwrecks on the Great Lakes. Boyne City, MI: Harbor House Publications, Inc., 1992.

True Northerner, Paw Paw, MI. “News Of The Week.” 11-6-1874, p. 2, col. 1. Accessed 11-14-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/the-true-northerner-nov-06-1874-p-2/

–398  Blanchard tally from State breakouts below.

 

Florida            (381)

–381  Locations noted below.                        Blanchard tally.

–354  Pensacola          Aug 17-Nov 9             Augustin.  History of Yellow Fever, 1909, 458.

–118          “                                                    Sternberg 1908, p. 719.

—  13  Warrington                                           Augustin.  History of Yellow Fever, 1909, 459.

—  14  Woolsey                                                Augustin.  History of Yellow Fever, 1909, 459.

 

Louisiana       (  17)

–17  New Orleans.      New Orleans Public Library. Yellow Fever Deaths in [N.O.], 1817-1905.

 

 

Sources

 

Augustin, George. History of Yellow Fever. New Orleans: Published for the Author by Search & Pfaff Ltd., 1909; General Books reprint, Memphis, TN, 2010. 1909 copy digitized at: http://archive.org/stream/historyofyellowf00auguuoft#page/n4/mode/1up

 

New Orleans Public Library, Louisiana Division. Yellow Fever Deaths in New Orleans, 1817-1905. Accessed 3-7-2010 at: http://nutrias.org/facts/feverdeaths.htm

 

Sternberg, George M. (US Public Health Service, US Marine Hospital Service). “Yellow Fever:  History and Geographic Distribution.” Pages 715-722 in Stedman, Thomas L., M.D. (Ed.) Appendix to the Reference Handbook of the Medical Sciences. NY: William Wood & Co., 1908.  Google preview accessed 3-18-2018 at: http://books.google.com/books?id=3ezqX415M5wC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_atb#v=onepage&q&f=false

 

 

— 50 Berman, Bruce D. Encyclopedia of American Shipwrecks. 1972, p. 258.
— 50 Childs. A History of the U.S. In Chronological Order…to…1885. 1886, p. 233.
— 50 Little, Charles. Cyclopedia of Classified Dates With an Exhaustive Index. 1900, p. 285.
— 50 Lossing. Harper’s Encyclopedia of United States History…to 1902. 1902, p. 454.
— 50 Nash, Jay Robert. Darkest Hours. 1977, p. 687.
— 50 Semi-Weekly Wisconsin, Milwaukee. “Electric Flashes,” Aug 15, 1874, p. 1.
— 50 Simonds. The American Date Book. 1902, p. 101. [Incorrectly notes date of July 26.]
— 50 US Congress, House. Hearings. “Safety of Life and Property at Sea.” 1935, p. 247.
— 47 Nevada State Journal, Reno. Aug 12, 1874, p. 2.
— 47 The World, NYC. “The Pat Rogers Disaster,” Aug 10, 1874, p. 5.
— 30 Logansport Weekly Journal, IN. “News of the Week,” Aug 8, 1874, p. 2.
— ~30 Way’s Packet Directory, 1848-1994: Passenger Steamboats…[MS Riv. Sys.]…1999, p363.
–11-25 New York Times. “Disaster on the Ohio,” Aug 6, 1874, p. 1.
— 20 Janesville Gazette, WI. “From Cincinnati,” Aug 5, 1874, p.1, col. 3.

Narrative Information

Way: Pat Rogers. Sidewheel wood-hull packet, built in Cincinnati in 1872. “Owned by the U.S. Mail Line Co., and ran Cincinnati-Louisville. She caught fire, Aug. 5, 1874, at Laughrey Creek and was lost. Capt. Charles David was in command, and Charles J. Dufour was pilot on watch. Some 30 lives were lost inasmuch as she stuck on a bar and many were forced overboard and drowned….” (Way’s Packet Directory, 1848-1994: Passenger Steamboats…[MS Riv. Sys.]… (Revised).1999, p. 363.)

Newspapers

Aug 5: “Cincinnati, Aug. 5.—The operator at Aurora, Indiana, reports: The steamer Pat Rogers burned this morning, one mile below Aurora. About twenty lives were lost principally ladies.

“Cincinnati, O., August 5.—The particulars of the disaster to the steamer near Aurora, Ind., are coming in slowly. About five o’clock this morning, several bales of cotton, which formed a part of the cargo, caught fire, it is supposed from sparks from the chimneys, and the boat burned to the water’s edge. The boat and cargo, consisting of cattle, sheep and hogs, was a total loss. A passenger register and all the books were lost….

“Mr. Holmes, the engineer of the steamer Pat Rogers, burned at Aurora, arrived in Cincinnati on the noon train, and was interviewed by a reporter and gives the following account of the burning:

It was about six o’clock, when opposite Laughery Creek, which flows into the Ohio river two miles below Aurora, that I noticed a light among the bales of cotton in the afterpart of the boat. I hastened to the spot and found it to be burning rapidly, and beyond any possibility of immediately extinguishing it. I hastened to the hurricane deck and gave the alarm to the pilot that the boat was burning and told him to run the boat ashore. The pilot at once turned the boat’s head to the shore and immediately she became unmanageable. The pilot states that he could turn the wheel, but the steamer would not answer to the helm. He thinks the tiller rope had been cut, and from this fact it is thought that the fire was the work of an incendiary. Another theory is that one deck passenger, while smoking, dropped sparks from his pipe into the cotton. When the boat became unmanageable she drifted on to the sand bars and there grounded. The flames instead of spreading along the lower deck, at once shot up to the cabin and pilot house, then swept across the hurricane deck. The passengers were all aroused and boats lowered and many were carried to the shore, but others in their fright jumped into the water, and those who were not drowned reached a safe landing place after drifting a long time with the current. There were nearly a hundred people on board, but what proportion of this number were lost is not known.”

(Janesville Gazette, WI. “From Cincinnati,” Aug 5, 1874, p.1, col. 3)

Aug 9: “Cincinnati, O., August 9.—Conflict and confusion of statements have up to the present characterized the reports of the number of persons lost by the steamer Pat Rogers calamity at Aurora. To-day Captain Dan Morton, who is at the scene of the wreck superintending the recovery of bodies says that forty-five have been recovered, of whom fifteen have not been clearly identified….Two others…have not yet been recovered. These make forty-seven known to be lost. It is barely possible the list may run up three or four more, but is not probable….”
(The World, NYC. “The Pat Rogers Disaster,” Aug 10, 1874, p. 5.)

Aug 12: “Forty-seven persons are known to have been lost by the burning of the steamboat Pat Rogers, on the Ohio river, one day last week. Of these, the bodies of forty-five have been recovered.” (Nevada State Journal, Reno. Aug 12, 1874, p. 2.)

Aug 15: “The loss of life by the burning of the steamer Pat Rogers is now estimated at fifty.” (Semi-Weekly Wisconsin, Milwaukee. “Electric Flashes,” Aug 15, 1874, p. 1.)

Sources

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

Childs, Emery E. A History of the United States In Chronological Order From the Discovery of America in 1492 to the Year 1885. NY: Baker & Taylor, 1886. Google digitized. Accessed 9-4-2017: http://books.google.com/books?id=XLYbAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

Janesville Gazette, WI. “From Cincinnati,” Aug 5, 1874, p.1, col. 3. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=52733223

Little, Charles C. Cyclopedia of Classified Dates With an Exhaustive Index. NY and London: Funk & Wagnalls Co., 1900. Accessed 10-14-2020 at: https://www.google.com/books/edition/Cyclopedia_of_Classified_Dates_with_an_E/SRtGAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=steamer+pat+rogers+burns+ohio+river+1874&pg=PA285&printsec=frontcover

Logansport Weekly Journal, IN. “News of the Week,” Aug 8, 1874, p. 2. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=83179709

Lossing, Benson John (Editor). Harper’s Encyclopedia of United States History from 458 A.D. to 1902. NY: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1902. Digitized by Google at: http://books.google.com/books?id=fnwQAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_v2_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false

Nash, Jay Robert. Darkest Hours – A Narrative Encyclopedia of Worldwide Disasters from Ancient Times to the Present. New York: Pocket Books, Wallaby, 1977, 792 pages.

Nevada State Journal, Reno. [Steamboat Pat Rogers Loss], Aug 12, 1874, p. 2. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=535516

New York Times. “Disaster on the Ohio. Burning of the Steam-Boat Pat Rogers,” Aug 6, 1874, p. 1. At: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=19719696

Semi-Weekly Wisconsin, Milwaukee. “Electric Flashes.” 8-15-1874, p. 1. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=120022897

The World, NYC. “The Pat Rogers Disaster.” 8-10-1874, p. 5, col. 5. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=141468256

United States Congress, House of Representatives. Hearings Before the Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries, United States Congress (74th Congress, 1st Session). “Safety of Life and Property at Sea.” Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1935. Accessed 8-9-2020 at: https://www.google.com/books/edition/Safety_of_Life_and_Property_at_Sea/l9xH_9sUuVAC?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq

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.

–138-139 Blanchard estimated range.*

— 200 Willsey and Lewis. “Massachusetts,” Harper’s Book of Facts. 1895, p. 492.
— 160 Semi-Weekly Wisconsin (Milwaukee). “A Record of…Events in 1874,” 1-1-1875, 4.
— 150 Childs. A History of the United States. 1886, p. 233.
— ~150 New York Times. “Former Floods Have Cost Many Lives,” June 5, 1921.
— 144 Northeast States Emergency Consortium (NESEC). Floods.
— 144 Simonds. The American Date Book. 1902, p. 89.
— 144 Willsey and Lewis. “Inundations,” Harper’s Book of Facts. 1895, p.381.
— 143 Ludlum. The American Weather Book. 1982, p. 92.
— 140 Saxena and Sharma. Dams: Incidents and Accidents. 2005, p. 18.
— 139 Assn. of State Dam Safety Officials. “Dam Failures, Dam Incidents (Near Failures).”
— 139 New England Historical Soc. “The Mill River Flood of 1874, A Preventable Tragedy.”
— 139 Sharpe, Elizabeth. In the Shadow of the Dam. 2007, pp. 237-238.
–57 Williamsburg p. 237
— 4 Skinnerville p. 237
–27 Haydenville p. 238
–51 Leeds Village pp. 238-239
— 138 Paul. History of the Mill River Disaster, in Hampshire County, Mass. 1874, pp. 17-18.
–57 Williamsburg p. 17
— 4 Skinnerville “
–26 Haydenville “
–51 Leeds p. 18
— 138 US DHS. Sector: Estimating Loss of Life for Dam Failure Scenarios. 2011, p. 63.

*We are inclined to accept as authoritative the death toll of 138-139 laid out by locality and by name presented by Paul in 1874 (138), and Sharpe (139) in 2007. Sharpe includes one more death in Haydenville than does Paul.

Narrative Information

Childs: “The Mill River Reservoir, covering a tract of one hundred acres at Williamsburg, Mass., gave way on the 16th of May, precipitating the vast mass of water it contained down a steep and narrow valley into the village of Williamsburg, and thence further down the valley through the villages of Haydenville, Leeds, and Florence into the Northampton meadows. Manufacturing establishments and dwellings representing over a million dollars worth of property were swept away, and about one hundred and fifty people were drowned.” (Childs 1886, p. 233.)

DHS: “Mill River Dam (also known as Williamsburg Dam) was located in western Massachusetts, north of Northampton. The dam was of earthfill construction with a masonry core wall. Mill River Dam failed at 7:20 am on Saturday, May 16, 1874. The 9-year-old dam failed as seepage carried away fill, causing embankment sliding and ultimately resulted in the collapse of the masonry core wall.

“The dam had a height of 43 feet, and at the time of failure, the water was 4 feet below the dam crest. The dam had a crest length of 600 feet. The reservoir volume at the time of failure was 307 acre-feet. The drainage area upstream from the dam was approximately 3 square miles.

“The gatekeeper (dam tender) rode 3 miles on horseback to warn the town of Williamsburg (the nearest town and the first settlement in the path of the flood) after observing the large slide. Another person living near the dam ran 2 miles in 15 minutes after seeing the top of the dam break away.

“The gatekeeper, who had not seen the large reservoir outflow, got to Williamsburg at about the time the dam failed. Many people received either no warning or only a few minutes of warning.

“A flood from 20 to 40 feet in height destroyed brass, silk, and button mills. Boarding houses, houses, and barns were also crushed or swept away. There were approximately 750 people left homeless and 138 fatalities….The dam was never rebuilt.” (U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security. Dams Sector: Estimating Loss of Life for Dam Failure Scenarios. September 2011, pp. 62-63.)

Harpers: “Bursting of a reservoir dam on Mill river, near Williamsburg, Hampshire co., nearly destroys Williamsburg, Leeds, Haydensville, and Skinnersville; 200 lives and $1,500,00 worth of property lost…16 May, 1875.” (Willsey. “Massachusetts,” Harper’s Book…. 1895, p. 492.)

Ludlum: May 16, 1874. “Mill Creek disaster west of Northampton, Mass.: dam slippage after rain caused flash flood with loss of 143 lives and $1 million property damage.” (Ludlum 1982, p. 192.)

NESEC: “The first recorded dam failure in the United States occurred on May 16, 1874, in Williamsburg, Massachusetts. A landslide shattered a 43-foot dam on the Mill Creek, a tributary of the Connecticut River, resulting in the death of 144 people and $1 million in damage.” (NESEC. Floods.)

Sharpe: “Early one May morning in 1874, in the hills above Williamsburg, Massachusetts, a reservoir dam suddenly burst, sending an avalanche of water down a narrow river valley lined with factories and farms. In just thirty minutes, the Mill River flood left 139 people dead and 740 homeless — and a nation wondering how this terrible calamity had happened….

“Elizabeth saw and heard the eastern half of the dam explode upward. She would later say that it ‘seemed to burst all at once, from the bottom, where the earth seemed to be lifted up,’ as though someone had inserted a giant shovel under the base and thrown the dirt skyward. As the ground heaved, a column of dirt and rock rose in the air, but instead of falling back to earth, it was pushed forward by the great surge of reservoir water… It ‘made an awful noise, like an earthquake,’ she said.

“A convulsive boom echoed through the Williamsburg hills, and was heard as far away as Goshen… ‘louder than the biggest clap of thunder’….

“…For twenty minutes, the water leaped down the valley in a muddy floodwave that pushed forward at a rate of 60,000 cubic feet per second. There were 600 million gallons to let out. It would take one hour for all the water to leave the reservoir….

“The torrent picked up…[a] boiler…and carried the several-ton object one hundred yards across the street before depositing it on the lawn of Lieutenant Governor Hayden’s home. It was five and a half feet in diameter and sixteen feet long…. Below the brass works, the wave widened sufficiently to envelop almost every building on both sides of the river, toppling the structures one by one, like a row of dominos set in motion. It demolished about fifty structures…. It crumbled all four iron bridges…. At the bottom of the village, the tobacco-mill dam held back the wave for a second or two… When the stalled flood moved again, it collapsed twenty feet of the tobacco-mill dam and pulled down the mill….” (Sharpe 2007, pp. 56-58, 74-76)

Paul: “….Four beautiful villages, reposing in supposed security, in one of those charming valleys with which New England abounds, blotted from existence in a moment, as with the besom of destruction, is a calamity beyond expression or conception. The loss of property, the accumulated savings of a life-time of many of the inhabitants, is appalling, — all gone at one fell swoop, — but when added to that is the indiscriminate destruction of life, the catastrophe is overwhelming…. The growth of a century is obliterated in a moment. So thorough has been the destruction that many of the boundaries of real estate are obliterated, and many of the survivors of the disaster are unable to locate the sites of their former habitations…. [p. 2.]

“About three miles north of Williamsburg village one reaches the ruins of the cause of all this devastation. The scene is an impressive one. All through the center nothing remains of the high wall of stone and earth which rose to a height of 40 feet in the bed of the stream, save the stone-work running at right angles with the dam at the bottom, which enclosed the gate-way. In the very bed of the stream nothing is left, and, even where the water now flows harmlessly along its ancient channel, not a stone remains from top to bottom. A small portion of the eastern part of the reservoir, and a larger section of the western, still remain,—in all, hardly a sixth of the original extent,—broken and jagged on the edges. Above, the eye sweeps over the bed of the reservoir, a tract of 111 acres, covering the northeasterly corner of the town of Williamsburg, near the Conway line. This land, nestled in among the hills, is for the greater part tolerably level, sloping, of course, more
or less on every side, and dotted over a large part of its surface with the stumps of trees that formerly occupied it. Below the reservoir the sight is most impressive. The vast mass of water suddenly let loose and dashing down the narrow valley, has wrought such devastation as one would not have believed possible without the sight. The very bed of the stream has been cut in many places below its original course, and for a long distance the valley is dotted—sometimes crammed—with huge rocks torn from the wall of the reservoir, while the trees that in many places lined its banks have quite vanished, and those that marked the outer edge of the torrent are all tattered and torn. Indeed, as one stands on the remaining wall of the reservoir and looks about, the scene is most desolate and impressive.

“The ill-fated reservoir was one of a system of dams and reservoirs owned by a corporation called “The Mill River and Williamsburg Reservoir Company,” which included all the manufacturing establishments on the line of Mill river from Williamsburg to Northampton. It was situated on the “east branch” of Mill river, about three miles from the village of Williamsburg and in the northeastern corner of the latter town. The stream which supplied it has its rise only about three miles above the reservoir, and, after joining the “west branch” at the village of Williamsburg, forms Mill river proper, which flows through Haydenville and Florence, and empties into the Connecticut at Northampton. The reservoir was constructed in the summer and fall of 1865, though it was not filled and used till the following spring….A stone wall was first built, which was stipulated to rise from a width of -eight feet at the hard-pan to two feet at the top, which latter was 42 feet above the bed of the stream. This wall was contracted to be laid in the best-known cement, and, the projectors claimed, would be as strong as a single shaft of granite. Enveloping this stone wall on either side was a mass of earth, which sloped down on the water side at an angle of 30 degrees, and on the lower side at an angle of 45 degrees. A lateral section of this earthen support measured about 120 feet at the base; the greater mass of which was on the water side. At the center of the stream, enclosed in a stone wall running at right angles to the main wall of the reservoir, ran an iron tube of two feet diameter, for controlling the flow of water, extending of course a few feet beyond this earthen wall at both extremities of its base. This wall of earth, 120 feet wide at the bottom, was 16 feet across at the top, covering the crest of the stone wall a depth of two feet, in order to prevent danger from frost, and along its top furnished a good driveway. The water never rose quite to the crest of the dam, being kept about two feet below that line by means of a waste-way at the western side. The reservoir covered an area of 111 acres, and its average depth was 24 feet…. [p. 4]

“Of course, the onslaught of the water was terrible and grand beyond description; one can only give its results as best depicting its appalling accompaniments. To one the thick coming mass of water seemed like the heaviest ocean waves; to another the sound was like the tearing of shingles from many buildings, while a third heard it as the heavy sullen thunder which succeeds the summer storm. It was preceded and surrounded by a dense spray or fog, dark and thick as the heaviest smoke, while even as far away as the Hill there was an odor like that emitted by stagnant pools. The wave is generally described as 20 feet high, though in one spot its spray washed the branches of a tree 40 feet from the ground….

“The villages devastated of property and of lives were Williamsburg, Skinnerville and Haydenville, in the town of Williamsburg, and Leeds, in the town of Northampton, while the village of Florence, likewise in the latter town, suffered severe property damage, but no loss of life. All these are manufacturing villages…

“A large flouring-mill on the reservoir stream was the first object of its fury, and when the water reached the valley, instead of following the course of the stream at the base of the hill, it rushed madly forward across to the Main street, and followed that down, taking in its unrelenting course every house it struck, and destroying 25 in all before reaching the top of Skinnerville, a mile below. In thus rioting across the meadow, it cut a new, wide channel, diverting the river from its former bed, carrying the bulk of its current to the other side of the valley, leaving, thereby, H. L. James’s large mill without any water-power and quite useless, and covering the intervening flats with sand, rocks and rubbish, to their almost inevitable ruin. This last was the case also at Skinnerville, where the large and first-class silk factory of William Skinner, in which were employed 80 hands, was completely destroyed, his elegant house damaged, and twenty-one houses carried away….[p.6.]

“….The search for the bodies was earnestly prosecuted Sunday, and with good result, some dozen more being brought to the hall, making 30 recovered in all at Williamsburg…. [p. 8.]

“Two small houses alone preceded at Haydenville the greatest material conquest of the flood, the extensive, long-established and widely known brass works of Hayden, Gere & Co. When the hurrying messenger cried his warning, it was received, as at many places, incredulously, but scarcely a moment passed before the terrible, strange, tumultuous sound of groaning, creaking, crashing timbers, mingled with the wash and echo of mighty waves, told all that it was a serious matter. Coming over the dam, at an especially narrow part of the river, the flood here presented as marked an aspect as at any point in its course. Lifted between 15 and 20 feet above the ordinary level of the river but with no definite and estimable surface, a chaos of tossing miscellany, beams and rafters, whole roofs of houses, great bunches of hay, clapboards, blinds, fences, trees, an indescribable, struggling pile, on it drove, and seemed to those below who watched it the most wonderful and fearful sight they ever beheld. As it came over the dam, one of the houses just alluded to, used as a lever by the mass of waters, struck the old foundry, shoved it into nothingness, and, continuing, forced a breach in the side of the great building, and, in a moment, as if by magic, the center fell in, the ends folded in together, and the solid structure melted away as if it had been builded of snow. There was no such thing as the substantial before this tremendous force…. [p10]

“There were 220 men at work in the brass works when the alarm came. All escaped save one, a French Canadian boy named Francis Brodeur, who, after reaching the road^ in spite of the warning of his comrades, turned back to get his boots, as he had come out in his slippers. He got them and was on his way out, when he was struck in the breast by a timber and knocked over so that when he recovered his feet he could not stem the flood and was soon swept away. On to the houses, slight wooden affairs, the burdened torrent rushed, gathering on the way down the iron bridges, as if they were chips. It tore away stores, tenements and boarding-houses, including these : On the west side of the river, near the dam, a two-tenement house owned by Michael Reynolds and occupied by Edwin Thayer’s and another family ; Mr. Reynolds’s own house, two dwellings, owned by Hayden, Gere & Co., two houses owned by Maj. Cyrus Miller, Sharpe & Ames’s stove store, house and grocery of Pierce Larkin, another house owned by Larkin, Chauncey Rice’s dwelling, the dwelling and shops of the Myron Ballon property, Robert Cartier’s blacksmith-shop. Miss Payson’s house. On the east side, five tenements, owned by Hayden, Gere & Co., John Kaplinger’s house, H. Hart’s barber shop, the Hayden block of wooden tenements, the houses of Deacon Elam Graves, Mrs. Deacon Ives, a large boarding-house, Mr. John Page’s house, Mrs. [end p.11] Phillips’s small house, and a fine barn, with hay and grain, belonging to the hotel kept by Luther Loomis & Son.

“Besides these buildings there was carried away from the western side of the river, below the village, the factory of the Hayden tobacco company. The company consists of Joel Hayden, president; A. R. Morse, treasurer; F. E. Bates, agent; F. S. Chapin, Superintendent; Samuel W. Hayden, clerk; and their loss was total, reaching about $75,000. The Hayden manufacturing company, another stock concern, running a cotton mill from this water power, one of the best on the stream, sustained no damage to that mill, but the gas works, from which they supplied the village as well as themselves, which were situated just south of their mill, were utterly destroyed, the brick wall being broken to fragments, and the gasometer crushed to a shapeless mass. Damaged, but not in any degree ruined, were the buildings of the Hayden foundry and machine company, in the village, where steam heaters, etc., are manufactured, W. II. Hayden being the lessee; the loss being perhaps $8000. An instant sufficed for the destruction of everything touched by the mountainous flood, which rolled on in its appalling force a briefer time than many a dream, speedily became exhausted, and in an hour the river had nearly subsided to its wonted bed, and the citizens walked their streets once more and begun the dread search for the dead. The river flats and all the banks were crammed with debris. Great drives of timber, trees, intermingled in the strangest, most shocking way with women’s clothing, less often men’s, with mattresses, quilts and sheets, with belting and machinery from the mills, with fragments of bills and letters, with soap and potatoes and stove wood, with rocks and stone steps, with fragments of chairs and tables, and now and then a piece of a piano or cabinet organ, with little children’s hats and tiny shoes, with household utensils and all the fragments of manufacture and domestic life—these, with now and then a poor horse, with agonized mouth and staring eyes, or a faithful ox or cow—and, most horrible and soul-harrowing, bruised and disfigured, sometimes maimed bodies which so short a time before had been in full flush of life—these were the ever recurring picture….” [p.12] (Weaver, Shipman & Company, Printers. History of the Mill River Disaster, in Hampshire County, Mass. Springfield, Mass.: Weaver, Shipman & Company, Printers, 1874. )

Sources

Association of State Dam Safety Officials. “Dam Failures, Dam Incidents (Near Failures). Accessed at: http://www.damsafety.org/media/Documents/PRESS/US_FailuresIncidents(1).pdf

Childs, Emery E. A History of the United States In Chronological Order From the Discovery of America in 1492 to the Year 1885. NY: Baker & Taylor, 1886. Google digitized. Accessed 9-4-2017: http://books.google.com/books?id=XLYbAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

Ludlum, David M. The American Weather Book. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1982.

New England Historical Society. “The Mill River Flood of 1874, A Preventable Tragedy.” (Webpage). Accessed 5-19-2020 at: https://www.newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/mill-river-flood-1874-preventable-tragedy/

New York Times. “Former Floods Have Cost Many Lives.” 6-5-1921. Accessed 11-27-2017 at: http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D06EEDA1739E133A25756C0A9609C946095D6CF

Northeast States Emergency Consortium. Floods. Accessed at: http://www.nesec.org/hazards/floods.cfm

Paul, John. History of the Mill River Disaster, in Hampshire County, Mass. Springfield, Mass.: Weaver, Shipman & Company, Printers, 1874.

Saxena, K. R. and V. M. Sharma. Dams: Incidents and Accidents. London and New York: Taylor & Francis, 2005.

Semi-Weekly Wisconsin (Milwaukee). “A Record of…Events in 1874,” 1-1-1875, 4. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com

Sharpe, Elizabeth M. In the Shadow of the Dam: The Aftermath of the Mill River Flood of 1874. Simon and Schuster, 2007, 304 pages. Partially digitized by Google and accessed at: http://books.google.com/books?id=qenDs6Cw2okC&dq=Williamsburg+Dam+1874&source=gbs_summary_s&cad=0

Simonds, W. E. (Editor). The American Date Book. Kama Publishing Co., 1902, 211 pages. Google digital preview accessed 9-8-2017 at: http://books.google.com/books?id=JuiSjvd5owAC

United States Department of Homeland Security. Dams Sector: Estimating Loss of Life for Dam Failure Scenarios. September 2011, 94 pages. Accessed 12-2-2017 at: https://www.hsdl.org/?view&did=726315

Willsey, Joseph H. (Compiler), Charlton T. Lewis (Editor). Harper’s Book of Facts: A Classified History of the World. New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1895. Accessed 9-4-2017 at: http://books.google.com/books?id=UcwGAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_v2_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q=&f=false

Document created by Wayne Blanchard Feb 2015, revised April 2018 and Dec 2019 for website: Deadliest American Disasters and Large-Loss-Of-Life Events. https://www.usdeadlyevents.com/

 

–3,996  Blanchard tally from State and locality breakouts below.

 

Georgia, Savannah   (     6)

–6  Savannah. Dr. Duncan of Savannah in Minor 1875, p. 413.

 

Illinois, Chicago        (  105)

–105  City of Chicago Board of Health. Report of the Board of Health…1874 and 1875. P. 27.

 

Maryland, Baltimore ( 174)

–174  Year up to Oct 31.  Dr. Edmund G. Waters, in Minor 1875, p. 410.

 

Massachusetts           (1,382)

–1,382 Boston Medical and Surgical Journal. Vol. CIX, July-December 1883, pp. 498-499.[1]

 

Michigan                    (  440)

— 440  State of MI. Ninth Annual Report Relating to the Registry and Return…1875. 1881, 279.

 

Minnesota                  (   233)

–233  Staples. MN State Board of Health. Seventh Annual Report of…January, 1879. P. 58.[2]

 

New York                   (1,358)

–479  Brooklyn. Dr. James G. Watt, Brooklyn Health Officer, in Minor 1875, pp. 404-405.

–879  NYC. Annual Report of Dept. of Health of the City of New York…1911-1912., p. 228.

 

Ohio (Cincinnati)      (   687)

— 687  Cincinnati. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OH). Second Annual Report…1879, p. 986.^[3]

Jan 107; Feb 87; March 74; April 66; May 53; June 48; July 52; Aug 48; Sep 40

Oct  47; Nov 37; Dec 28

 

Philadelphia              (   461)

–461  Jones. Contagious and Infectious Diseases. 1884, p. 196.^[4]

 

Vermont                     (   400)

–400  Caverly. “Address…” Vermont State Board of Health Bulletin No. 1, V.8, 9-1-1907, p. 7.

 

Sources

 

Board of Health. Annual Report of the Board of Health of the Department of Health of The City of New York for the Year Ending December 31, 1912. NYC: 1913. Google preview accessed 11-26-2019: https://books.google.com/books?id=XqMGqwcyOp8C&ppis=_e&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q=1871&f=true

 

Boston Medical and Surgical Journal. Vol. CIX, July-December 1883. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Co., 1883. Google preview accessed 4-27-2018 at: https://books.google.com/books?id=Dp0EAAAAQAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

 

Bureau of Labor Statistics (OH). Second Annual Report of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Made to the General Assembly of Ohio, for the Year 1878. In Annual Reports for 1878, Made to the Sixty-Third General Assembly of the State of Ohio, at the Adjourned Session, Commencing January 7, 1879. Part II. Columbus, OH: Nevins & Myers, State Printers, 1879. Accessed 2-5-2015 at: https://books.google.com/books?id=KdZBAQAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=true

 

Caverly, Charles S., President, State Board of Health. “Address at Opening of Ninth Annual School for Instruction of Health Officers.” Vermont State Board of Health Bulletin No. 1, Vol. VIII, September 1, 1907. Google preview accessed 12-5-2019 at: https://books.google.com/books?id=PsxNAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

 

City of Chicago Board of Health. Report of the Board of Health of the City of Chicago, for the Years 1874 and 1875. Chicago: Bulletin Printing Co., 1876. Accessed 12-6-2019 at: https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015067920689&view=1up&seq=191

 

Jones, Joseph, M.D., President of the Board of Health of the State of Louisiana. Contagious and Infectious Diseases, Measures for Their Prevention and Arrest. Small Pox (Variola); Modified Small Pos (Varioloid); Chicken Pox (Varicella); Cow Pox (Variola Vaccinal): Vaccination, Spurious Vaccination Illustrated by Eight Colored Plates (Circular No. 2, Prepared for the Guidance of the Quarantine Officers and Sanitary Inspectors of the Board of Health of the State of Louisiana.). Baton Rouge: Leon Jastremski, State Printer, 1884. Accessed 2-12-2015 at: https://books.google.com/books?id=3VTboPycbBgC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

 

Minor, Thomas C., M.D., Cincinnati, OH. “Art. 1. – Scarlet Fever in the United States.” The Cincinnati Lancet and Observer, J. C. Culbertson, M.D., Editor. New Series: Vol. XVIII, 1875. Accessed 12-6-2019 at: https://books.google.com/books?id=rz8nyBEJ6LwC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=true

 

Staples, Franklin, M.D. “Report on Diphtheria,” pp. 27-53 in Minnesota State Board of Health. Seventh Annual Report of the State Board of Health of Minnesota, January, 1879. Minneapolis: Johnson, Smith & Harrison, 1879. Google digitized: http://books.google.com/books?id=10VNAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

 

State of Michigan, Superintendent of Vital Statistics. “Scarlet Fever.” Ninth Annual Report Relating to the Registry and Return of Births, Marriages, and Deaths in Michigan for the Year 1875. Lansing, W. S. George & Co., 1881. Google digitized at:   http://books.google.com/books?id=dYyoAEYyeDoC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

 

 

 

 

[1] “Registration Report of Massachusetts for the Year 1882,”

[2] “Table of Deaths from specified Zymotic Diseases from 1870 to 1877…”

[3] 486 of these deaths were in tenement housing.

[4] Table: “Total Deaths from Diphtheria and Scarlet Fever in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, during the past Fifteen Years–1862-1882.

–~20 Alpena Weekly Argus, MI. “Disaster on Lake Huron.” 12-16-1873, p. 2, col. 2.
— 20 Swayze. Shipwreck!…Directory of…3,700 Shipwrecks on the Great Lakes. 1992, p. 69.
— 19 McNeil. “City of Detroit (Propeller), sunk, 4 Dec 1873.” Maritime History of the Great Lakes.

Narrative Information

McNeil; Maritime History of the Great Lakes:
Reason for loss: sunk
Lives: 19
Freight: wheat, &c.
Remarks: Total loss
Date of Original 1873
Subject(s) Propellers
City of Detroit (Propeller)
….
Geographic Coverage Saginaw Bay [Lake Huron]
Michigan, United States
Latitude: 43.75002 Longitude: -83.66664

Swayze: “City of Detroit. Package and bulk freight propeller of 653 t. [tons]
“Lake Huron: The loss of the freighter City of Detroit was one of the worst disasters in the history of Saginaw Bay. The boat was laden with a cargo of wheat and barreled flour when she sailed into a storm on December 4, 1875, and never sailed out. All 20 of her crew were lost with the ship. One source gives 1863 as the year.” [It is clear from newspaper reporting that the dates Swayze shows are incorrect.]

Newspapers

Dec 6 & 8: “We find the following, dated Port Elgin, Dec. 6, in the Detroit Free Press of the 7th:

“Capt. Barres, of the barge Guiding Star, with a crew of seven arrived here this afternoon in a yawl boat with their feet badly frozen. They left the barge about nine miles out in a disabled condition. She was laden with 24,000 bushels of wheat, bound from Milwaukee for Sarnia, and was in tow of the propeller City of Detroit, which was laden with 8,000 bushels of wheat, the remainder of the cargo being rolling freight. The gale struck them at half past three this morning, when they cut the barge loose, and about seven o’clock the City of Detroit sunk in Saginaw Bay. Capt. Barrett saw three of crew of the propeller in a yawl, and one man was seen in another boat. It is feared the rest of the crew went down with the propeller. There were about twenty on board.

“The Detroit Tribune of the 9th contains the following dispatch, dated Port Huron, Dec. 8:

The captain and crew of the barge Guiding Star are here. The barge arrived at 3:45 p.m. All the crew had their feet frozen, and some were still worst injured. Wm. Dean and several others were in a very bad condition. All will probably get well.

“The gale struck the vessels at 4 o’clock Thursday morning, 25 miles this side of Au Sable. The propeller was put head to sea and rode it out with barge till 6 o’clock, the wind southwest, and the sea then 30 feet high. The propeller then seemed to lose power to manage herself, as she commenced to drift back toward the barge. The line was cut loose, and the propeller fell aft into the trough of the sea.

At 7 o’clock she listed over to port, and the gang-way near the engine was seen to be broken in. Soon her stern commenced to settle and a great sea struck her, carrying off cabin and pilot-house. Most of the crew were on the pilot-house, and all were swept into the lake. For a few minutes many were seen on fragments of the cabin, and then they seemed to disappear.

“A life-boat had been put off before the cabin was swept away, with three men, not known, from the barge. After the propeller sunk, the life-boat was seen for 10 minutes mounting the seas and going out into the lake ahead of the barge, and then was seen no more. The men had one oar only, and one man was pulling, the others slapping themselves to keep warm. The boat probably shipped some water, and the men would soon freeze to death. All hope is abandoned of any from the propeller being saved.

The barge rolled in the trough of the sea across Lake Huron from Thursday morning until Saturday noon. She shipped but little water, and the cargo is in good condition as far as has been seen. It is now being unloaded here. Small damage will probably be found. The men from the barge are receiving medical treatment here and all attention.”
(Alpena Weekly Argus, MI. “Disaster on Lake Huron.” 12-16-1873, p. 2, col. 2.)

Dec 11: “A special dispatch from Port Huron to the Detroit Tribune under date of Dec 8th says that on last Thursday morning [Dec 4] the propeller City of Detroit was towing the barge Guiding Star about twenty five miles from Au Sable, when a gale struck them. Both crafts were put head to the sea, and rode it out all about six o’clock when the propeller became unmanageable. The line was cut loose and the propeller fell into the trough of the sea. Shortly after she listed over to port, with the gangway near the engine broken in, and her stern soon commenced settling. At this point a heavy sea struck her carrying away her cabin and pilot house, and sweeping nearly all the crew into the lake. It is believed that all were drowned. The barge rolled in the trough of the sea across Lake Huron, from Thursday morning till Saturday noon, when she arrived at Port Huron. All the crew had their feet frozen and some suffered still worse injuries; but it is thought they will recover.”
(Lake County Star, Baldwin, MI. “Disaster on Lake Huron.” 12-11-1873, p. 3, col. 1.)

Dec 12: “The propeller City of Detroit went down in Saginaw Bay on the night of the 4th inst. At last accounts northing had been heard of the passengers and crew, and it was believed they had been lost.” (True Northerner, Paw Paw, MI. “The West.” 12-12-1873, p. 2, col. 1.)

Sources

Alpena Weekly Argus, MI. “Disaster on Lake Huron.” 12-16-1873, p. 2, col. 2. Accessed 11-22-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/alpena-weekly-argus-dec-16-1873-p-2/

Lake County Star, Baldwin, MI. “Disaster on Lake Huron.” 12-11-1873, p. 3, col. 1. Accessed 11-22-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/the-lake-county-star-dec-11-1873-p-3/

McNeill, William R. “City of Detroit (Propeller), sunk, 4 Dec 1873.” Maritime History of the Great Lakes. Accessed 11-11-2020 at: https://images.maritimehistoryofthegreatlakes.ca/details.asp?ID=52882

Swayze, David D. Shipwreck! A Comprehensive Directory of Over 3,700 Shipwrecks on the Great Lakes. Boyne City, MI: Harbor House Publications, Inc., 1992.

True Northerner, Paw Paw, MI. “The West.” 12-12-1873, p. 2, col. 1. Accessed 11-22-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/the-true-northerner-dec-12-1873-p-2/

–20-25 Blanchard estimated death toll.*

–30-40 The People, Indianapolis, IN. “A Fearful Calamity on the Lakes.” 9-21-1873, p. 5.
— 28 Blanchard tally of names identified in sources cited herein (found after Narrative).
— 28 Mansfield, John Brandts (Editor). History of the Great Lakes (Vol. 1). 1899, p. 727.
–18-28 Shelak, Benjamin J. Shipwrecks of Lake Michigan. Big Earth Publishing, 2003, p. 132.
— 27 Nash, Jay Robert. Darkest Hours. 1977, p. 687.
— 25 Blanchard “best guess” of fatalities from listing of twenty-eight possible fatalities.
— 24 Janesville Gazette, WI. “Talk on the Cars.” 9-22-1873, p. 2, col. 5.
— ~23 Rich. “For Those in Peril: Shipwrecks…Ottawa County,” Joint Archives Quarterly 2009
— ~22 Alpena Weekly Argus, Alpena, MI. “The Ironsides Disaster.” 9-23-1873, p. 2, col. 2.
— 21 Donahue. “Ironsides Couldn’t Get Out of the Storm.” True Stories of Ships… (website).
–20-21 Michigan Shipwreck Research Associates. “Ironsides.” 2008.
–18-21 Janesville Gazette, WI. “The Loss of The Ironsides.” Sep 18, 1873, p. 1.
— 20 Alton Weekly Telegraph, Alton, IL. “News Items.” 9-26-1873, p. 4, col. 3.
–18-20 Chicago Daily Tribune. [Ironsides] 9-17-1873, p. 4. (18 bodies recovered, two missing.)
— ~20 Ellison. “Buoy-marking project will protect Michigan shipwrecks…” MLive, 4-2-2019.
–18-20 Ewing, Wallace K. Directory, Historical Topics, Northwest Ottawa County. 1999.
— 20 Marshall Weekly Messenger, IL. “Another Terrible Marine Disaster.” 10-2-1873, p. 4.
— 20 Stevens Point Journal, WI. “Terrible Calamity on Lake Michigan.” 9-20-1873, p. 2, c. 2.
— ~20 Wrecksite.eu. “SS Ironsides (+1873).” Website accessed 12-2-2020
— >19 Middletown Daily Evening Press, NY. “Loss of Life on Lake Michigan.” 9-16-1873, p.4.
— 18 Swayze. Shipwreck!…Directory of…Shipwrecks on the Great Lakes. 1992, p. 117.
— 17 Bodies recovered. Wisconsin State Journal, Madison. “The Loss of the Ironsides.” 9-17-1873, 1.
— 14 Opelousas Journal, LA. “A Weekly Retrospective of Events.” 10-10-1873, p. 3.

* Blanchard estimated death toll. From sources noted above we see a low of 14 and a high of 30-40 for the fatalities associated with the loss of the Ironsides. Given this disparity and no obviously and indisputably accurate fatality estimate, we have attempted to create a listing of fatalities which have been noted in one or more of the sources we note in the bibliography. This listing adds to twenty-eight. However there is no detail at all concerning two of these. Additionally there is a reference to an “unidentified” person. However, several initially unidentified victims were later identified, thus we omit this person from our listing. This leaves us with a listing of twenty-five victims, which could conceivably be accurate. It must be said, however, that such listings based on newspaper accounts are not determinative. The effort, though, does give us some confidence that the loss was not something like fourteen or thirty to forty. In any event, we choose to use twenty-five as the high end of our estimated death toll.

As for the low-end of our estimated death toll, the number of sources noting twenty or twenty-one or “about” twenty or “twenty-one” persuades us to use twenty as the low-end of our estimated death-toll. We do this to be conservative in our estimate. The reader can review the accounts below and derive a different opinion, of course.

Narrative Information

Ewing: “The Ironsides, a 231-foot wooden propeller-driven steamship operated by Englemann Transportation, was wrecked on September 15, 1873, while waiting out a storm four miles west-southwest of the safety of Grand Haven harbor. Loaded down with cargo and carrying 52 [37] passengers and crewmen, the storm caused the ship’s seams to open and water poured in faster than the pumps could eject it. Captain Sweetman tried to make it in, but the ship sank approximately two and half miles from the harbor entrance. He gave the order to abandon ship, and 18 to 20 persons died trying to reach shore. Other crewmen were rescued by a crew of volunteer lifesavers led by Richard Connell. Captain Sweetman went down with the ship.” (Ewing. Directory, 1999; .)

Mansfield: “1873. Loss of the Propeller Ironsides. The propeller Ironsides sank in a furious gale near Grand Haven September 15, 1873. She had been built in 1864, and had been overhauled in the spring of 1873. The Ironsides lost control of her machinery, and a flag of distress was run up, but no aid was near. The last lifeboat left the vessel shortly before she sank, but the occupants were lost in plain sight of those on shore. Twenty-eight lives were lost.” (Mansfield, John Brandts (Editor). History of the Great Lakes (Vol. 1). 1899, p. 727.)

Michigan Shipwreck Research Associates: “She was operated out of Cleveland, Ohio with major ports of call on Lake Superior, Detroit, and Mackinac Island. In 1869 the Ironsides and her sister ship Lac La Belle, were sold to the Engleman company from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. At that time she was switched to the Milwaukee to Grand Haven, Michigan run — providing direct connection between the two ports and, most importantly, their respective railroad terminals.

“On October 14, 1872, the Lac la Belle sank off Racine, Wisconsin after leaving Milwaukee for Grand Haven, Michigan. Her sister ship would suffer a similar fate exactly 11 months later. During the winter of 1872-1873, the Ironsides was given a thorough overhaul and was pronounced in excellent condition. This adds to the mystery. The Ironsides would be on the bottom of Lake Michigan by mid-September, 1873.

“On September 14, 1873, the Ironsides left Milwaukee at 9:45 PM with 19 passengers and a crew of about 30. The ship’s cargo consisted of 13,000 bushels of wheat, 500 barrels of flour, 125 barrels of pork and assorted general merchandise. A moderate southwest breeze was blowing. Before dawn, however, a full gale was howling across the lake and the Ironsides was laboring so hard that she began to take on water. Captain Harry Sweetman tried twice to bring the ship through the Grand Haven channel to safety, but to no avail. Each time the ship would miss the channel, she would have to be swung around in the huge waves and headed back out for another attempt.

“At the time, it was reported the ship ‘narrowly missed going on the beach’. We now believe the ship did ‘bottom out’ on the beach during this fierce battle as six of her eight propeller blades show significant damage. No doubt her bottom was also damaged allowing even more water to enter the hold. Contemporary reports say she ‘settled down stern first, her bow remaining in sight a full minute.’ The propellers show damage on six of eight blades, indicating they were turning at great speed when damaged. They could not have been turning when she sank since the ship’s boilers were out. Reports say Captain Sweetman aborted the third try and backed the vessel away from shore to ride out the storm. We believe the damage was already done.

“Despite the efforts of the pumps, the fires under her boilers were soon extinguished, allowing the ship to roll helplessly in the trough of the waves. By 9:00 AM the ship started sinking. The Ironsides’ machinery was now useless and a flag of distress was run up the mast. At about 11:00 AM, five lifeboats were put over the sides and all passengers and crew made it safely away from the sinking ship. As the custom dictated, Captain Sweetman was the last to leave his doomed vessel. The Ironsides slipped beneath the waves of Lake Michigan about 3 miles off the Grand Haven coast at 12:10 PM.

“Of the five lifeboats, only two reached shore. The other three were capsized by the surf. Despite the efforts of local residents — who formed human chains to sweep up survivors — and the newly organized volunteer lifesaving service crew, under the capable leadership of Captain Richard Connell it is believed about 20 lives were lost that day. The newspaper listed 11 passengers lost along with ten crew. It also named 9 passengers saved as well as 23 crew saved. This however adds up to more than the 49 people known to be aboard at the time.

“Ships porter Peter Riley stated ‘I took charge of the third boat which left the steamer. There were 13 in the boat including Maggie, the chambermaid. Our boat did not capsize. All aboard were saved but one, and that was Mr. Wimmel a New York traveling agent as he and Mr. Dundasher, the cook, were washed overboard. Mr. Dundasher swam in all right but Mr. Wimmel seemed exhausted and made no effort to save himself.’

“The dead included Captain Sweetman, Chief Engineer Robert McGlue and steward John Driscoll. The newspaper stated, ‘the ladies of Grand Haven took charge of the bodies and saw them properly…coffined.’ The Engelman company furnished coffins for all bodies not provided for by family or friends. The ship was valued at $80,000 with cargo valued at $28,000.

“In 1878 pieces of the wreck were brought up in fishermen’s nets. In 1887, 14 years after the sinking, the Engelman Transportation Company announced a plan to raise the vessel, but no attempt was actually made.

“In about 1966, diver Gene Turner, well-known local wreck hunter, located the Ironsides exactly where the old newspaper accounts said she was — in 120 feet of water, 4 miles west-southwest of Grand Haven. He is reported to have recovered various equipment from the ship including a trunk containing cobblers tools and a trunk of civil war uniforms, costumes and wigs, thought to have belonged to a theatrical troupe.

“The Ironsides lies flat on the bottom in 121 feet of water. The highest point — the top of the cylinder heads — is another 10 feet higher. Her superstructure and passenger decks are gone. The forward half of the vessel is split open and largely missing. The arches are intact, although both have fallen inward and one is cracked while the other has a small break in it. Storms in 1998 and 2001 have further damaged the wreck. The drawing below depicts the wreck as it appeared in 1998 before the first collapse.” (Michigan Shipwreck Research Associates. “Ironsides.” 2008.)

Rich: “…the ship Ironsides sank in a storm off Grand Haven harbor on September 15, 1873. Captain Harry Sweetman and at least twenty-two others lost their lives when their lifeboats capsized in the rough waters, but twenty passengers and crew were saved.” (Rich. “For Those in Peril: Shipwrecks…Ottawa County,” Joint Archives Quarterly. 2009, p. 2.)

Shelak: “The Ironsides. “…on September 15, 1873…the propeller steamer Ironsides went aground on Grand Haven Bar. The Ironsides was built by Ira Lafrinier of Cleveland in 1865, and it was 233 feet long and weighed 1,123 tons….

“On September 15, the Ironsides, under the command of Captain H. Sweetman, was just off Grand Haven. On board were 19 passengers, approximately 30 crew members, and a cargo including wheat, flour, pork, and general merchandise. Based on contemporary reports, Sweetman tried on three occasions to enter the harbor at Grand Haven. It was while making the last attempt that the Ironsides most likely struck bottom.

“Modern-day sport divers have reported that the ship’s propellers were twisted and a hole ripped in the hull. Under those conditions, it must have been only a question of how long the steamer could stay afloat. Making matters worse was the fact that the rising water inside the steamer put out the boiler fires. Without power, there was nothing the crew could do to save their boat.

“Captain Sweetman ordered the five lifeboats lowered. Three capsized in the surf, dumping the occupants. The remaining two small boats reached shore after a harrowing journey. Reports as to the number of dead vary between 18 and 28.” (Shelak, Benjamin J. Shipwrecks of Lake Michigan. Big Earth Publishing, 2003, p. 132.)

Swayze: “Ironsides. Wooden passenger and package freight propeller of 1,123 t. [tons] and 233 ft., launched in 1864 at Cleveland.

“Lake Michigan: Eighteen of the 35 aboard this vessel were lost when she was driven onto the Grand Haven Bar by a storm and was broken up by the hammering of waves. The vessel and her cargo of general merchandise were a total loss in the September 15, 1873 accident.” (Swayze. Shipwreck!…Directory of…Shipwrecks on the Great Lakes. 1992, p. 117.)

Newspapers

Sep 15: “Chicago, Sept. 15. – Private advices report that the steamer Ironsides of the Milwaukee and Grand Haven line of steamers sunk this morning with great loss of life.

Another Report.
“Detroit, Sept. 15. – A severe southwest gale prevails over the upper lakes. The steamer Ironsides, of the Milwaukee & Grand Haven line, is reported foundered about six miles off Grand Haven. The sea is so heavy that nothing can go out. It is feared all hands are lost. It is not known how many passengers are on board.

“…Six schooners have gone on the beach at Grand since morning.

“Later. 2:40 p.m. – Three of the Ironsides’ boats have reached shore with 23 persons. The other boats are not heard from.” (Quincy Whig, Quincy, IL. “Shipwreck…Ironsides…” 9-15-1873, p.1.)

Sep 16: “Grand Haven, Sept.. 16. – The propeller Ironsides, of the Englemann Line, connecting with the D. & M. R. R., and one of the largest steamers of the Lakes, foundered and sank seven miles off this port at noon to-day. Her signal of distress was hoisted at 9 a.m., but so terrible was the sea and wind, that no assistance could reach er. She labored in the trough of the sea from about 8:30 a.m. until the time she sunk. The passengers and crew, of which there was 10 of the former and 30 of the latter, prepared the boats to leave her at 10:30 a.m., and the last boat left her at 11:50 a.m. When the last boat had got about a quarter of a mile from her, she went down. There were five boats filled with the crew and passengers. One boat have five men and four women capsized, and only one man reached the shore. Four boats have reached the shore up to this time. The boat with Capt. Sweetman and wife and five passengers has not yet been heard from. It is feared they are among the lost. Thirty-two persons are known to have been saved and 14 bodies have been recovered. The following is a list of the bodies recovered and identified:

John Driscoll, Steward of the boat.
John Hiltz, of Milwaukee.
Chas. Wimmell, agent of C. E. Harding & Co., New York.
Mrs. H. A. Valentine and child, of Milwaukee.
A.S. Donelson, of Grand Rapids.
Mrs. J. B. L. Dewitt, of Milwaukee.”

(Quincy Whig, Quincy, IL. “Shipwreck. Details of the Loss of the Ironsides on Lake Michigan.” 9-16-1873, p. 1.)

Sep 16: Chicago, Sept. 16. – A special from Grand Haven, Michigan, gives the following account of the foundering of the propeller Ironsides off that port yesterday. N. B. Watkins, the clerk of the boat, says: We left Milwaukee at 9:40 last night with nine passengers and a crew of thirty men, and were due at Grand Haven between 5 and 6 this morning. The cargo consisted of 13,000 bushels of wheat, 500 barrels of flour, 125 barrels of pork, and some miscellaneous articles. It was a very light cargo, since the boat could carry 110 tons. A moderate breeze was blowing from the south-west, which constantly increased until it became a terrific gale before daylight. I did not get up until 9 o’clock, when the boat was rolling fearfully. I immediately went below and found the men working at the pumps. The water had already put out the fires and the engines were useless. I then went to the office and got the passenger list, money and manifest, and went on the hurricane deck, where I found Captain Sweetman getting a foresail on. He was thoroughly self-possessed, and the men obeyed his orders promptly. We then made about three miles towards the shore. The signal of distress had been raised at 9:30. About 10 o’clock the passengers put on life preservers, for it was evident that the boat must go down. At 11:20 the Captain ordered the boats to be manned. In the first boat all the lady passengers except one were placed. In the second were ten or twelve passengers and crew. I took charge of the third boat, which carried seven passengers, including one lady, and two of the crew besides myself. After I had pushed off I saw the two other boats leave the wreck, in one of which I supposed the Captain to be. My boat was hardly half a mile from the Ironsides when she sank stern foremost almost five miles from the land. It was ten minutes past twelve when she disappeared. She was estimated to be worth $115,000, was thoroughly overhauled last Winter and was considered one of the staunchest boats on the lake.

“The statement of a passenger, Mr. F. N. Ripley, of Lowell, Massachusetts, a very intelligent young man, who was one of the saved, gives the following additional particulars: The sea became so rough a little after midnight that I could not sleep, though accustomed to the water. Before daylight the boat rolled so desperately that every movable thing was smashing about, and it was impossible to cross the cabin. It was between seven and eight o’clock, when we come in sight of the land, and it was so rough that it seemed unwise to attempt an entrance. We could see the lighthouses and the vessels and the beach and wondered that no one come to our relief. It was a sad sight. The passengers stood, in silence with their life preservers on knowing that in a few moments they would all be at the mercy of the breakers, but all were calm and self-possessed. Captain Sweetman behaved with the utmost coolness and courage, and the crew obeyed every order. We were all washed out of the boat in which I was placed when within thirty rods of the shore, but were rescued by those on the beach in a most gallant way. I was piked up unconscious, but am all right now. The Captain said it was the roughest night he had ever seen on the lakes. Those familiar with the shore say the water where the Ironsides went down is at least fort fathoms deep.” (Winona Daily Republican, MN. “The Ironsides – Further Details of the Wreck.” 9-16-1873, p. 2, col. 5.)

Sep 16: “Detroit, Sept. 16. Special dispatches from Grand Haven state that the Propeller Ironsides hoisted a signal of distress at 9:30 a.m., but the sea ran so height that no aid could be rendered. There were 111 passengers, and a crew of 32. Up to noon to-day, only 32 are known to be saved. The last boat left the steamer with passengers and crew twenty minutes before she sank. One boat, with Captain Sweetman, wife, and passengers, has not yet been heard from. Fourteen bodies have been recovered. Among them was the body of Charles Winnuet, agent of Charding & Co., of New York. The boat left Grand Haven at 9:40 on Sunday night, with 13,000 bu. Of wheat, 500 bbls. Flour, and miscellaneous freights. The sea became so rough a little after midnight that the passengers could not sleep. Before daylight the boat rolled so desperately that every moveable thing was smashing about, and it was impossible to cross the cabin. Between 7 and 8 o’clock the boat hove in sight of harbor, and it was so rough that it seemed unwise to attempt an entrance.

“The light-house and vessels on the beach were seen, and those on board wondered why no one came to their assistance. It was a sad sight to see the passengers standing in silence with their life-preservers on knowing that in a few minutes they would be at the mercy of the breakers. But all were calm and self-possessed. Capt. Sweetman acted with the utmost coolness and courage, and the crew obeyed every order.

“Later. – the bodies of Capt. Sweetman, the first engineer, two of the crew, and one male passenger not yet identified, have been washed ashore at Grand Haven.” (Middletown Daily Evening Press, NY. “Loss of Life on Lake Michigan.” 9-16-1873, p. 4, col. 1.)

Sep 17: “Eighteen bodies have been washed ashore from the foundered Ironsides, and two persons are still missing. All the rest of those on board were saved. The steamer sank in 120 feet of water at a place four miles west by south of The Piers at Grand Haven. The spot is marked by one of her small boats which floats there anchored to the sunken hull. The cause of the accident was correctly given in the first dispatches. The steamer sprung a heavy leak at 7 o’clock, which gained so rapidly on the pumps that at 9 o’clock it put out the fires. When all hope of saving the vessel was gone, the crew and passengers took to the boats, and all the loss of life occurred through the capsizing of two of them.” (Chicago Daily Tribune, IL. [Ironsides] 9-17-1873, p. 4, col. 1.)

Sep 17: “….The following is the latest list of bodies recovered up to noon, Tuesday [16th]: (We break the paragraph-style listing of names into separate lines.)

G. H. Dennison,
_____ Campbell,
John Driscoll, steward,
John Hiles,
Joseph Brown,
S. C. Wimmel,
J. Smith,
Mrs. F. H. Bitting,
Mrs. DeWitt,
Mrs. Valentine and child,
Mrs. Hasselberth,
Capt. Sweetman,
Robert McGlue, engineer,
James Heaney,
F. H. Bitting,
One unknown.”
(Wisconsin State Journal, Madison. “The Loss of the Ironsides.” 9-17-1873, p. 1.)

Sep 18: “Statements of Officers and Passengers. From the Milwaukee Wisconsin, of Wednesday.

“Statement of George M. Cowan. George M. Cowan stated to our reporter as follows:

I was the second Engineer on board the Ironsides. We left Milwaukee at about 10 o’clock Sunday night, with wind about northwest. I came on watch at 1 o’clock Monday morning, when the chief engineer said he would go up and get a lunch, instructing me to keep close watch of the engine. All went well. At half past two McGlue (chief engineer), came down and asked how she was working. All was satisfactory, and continued so until about half past 3, when the wind freshened and hauled around to the southwest. At about 5 o’clock the water annoyed me so that I used a bilge injection to force it out. This continued getting worse, until a little before 7 o’clock we began shipping water badly. The gangways were smashed in by the force of the waves, the bunkers got blocked up by the boilers so that the water couldn’t run aft. Soon we began shipping water in the fire-room. I saw something must be done immediately. I sent one of the sailors up to the chief engineer, telling him to tell the captain that we had better get before the wind in order to get the water out. The captain said ‘That’s just what I am trying to do.’ But the vessel was in the trough of the sea, and it was impossible to do it. We worked one engine back and the other forward, but it was of no use; we couldn’t stir her. At this time the water came in and put out the fires. This was at about 10 o’clock. Previous to this – at about 9 o’clock – we had hoisted sail and had also put up the signal of distress.

When the fires went out, then we began to think of saving ourselves in the small boats. There was no excitement among the crew; everybody knew his place and kept it. To the best of my knowledge Captain Sweetman did all that could be done. He was perfectly calm and cool. It seems queer that some of the boats at the Haven did not come to our assistance. Some say they saw the signal, others say they didn’t. At about 11 o’clock we began lowering the boats. The boat which belonged to our crew we gave to the passengers – as also another one. We then took a metallic boat – No. 5 – and launched her. As I stepped in, Driscoll and several others jumped in. A coal-passer jumped after our boat as we pushed away. He must have jumped at least twenty feet. He struck the side of the boat and clung to her. When we were about twenty-five feet away our boat capsized. I came up exactly under her, striking my head against the seats. We all clung to her for about an hour and a half. We did not leave the propeller until just as she sunk. After we capsized and were clinging to the boat we looked back, and there we saw Mike Crosson, the first mate, standing away up in the mast, waving his hand as the ship went down. The mast broke and he was struck by it in the face and across the back, injuring him somewhat. After that we lost sight of him for awhile. Then we drifted among some of the driftwood of the propeller and succeeded in righting our boat and still clung to her although no one got into her.

We drifted back toward the propeller, which was part above the water yet, and got on the hurricane deck. Here we found a pail and some oars and bailed out our boat and gave some oars to a few who found another boat. Then we picked Crosson off from the pilot-house, which had become detached from the propeller, and which he had managed to climb upon. We then made for shore and succeeded in entering the harbor, followed by the other boat. We had sixteen in our boat. Seven of these died before we got in and probably from exhaustion, as two or three were drowned while one half of their bodies were in the boat. They had not strength to save themselves when half washed overboard. When Driscoil was washed out and drowned I seized his body and held on to it for about a mile, and it then washed away from me. Before we landed Senator Ferry’s wife threw us a bottle of brandy, which we drank before getting out of the boat. The citizens of Grand Haven did everything in their power for us….

The statements about the boat leaking Friday night are all false. She was in a perfectly sea-worthy condition, and so considered by all the officers.

“Statement of Peter Riley…as follows:

I was first porter on board the Ironsides. I got up at about two o’clock in the morning. All was right at that time and seemed so until about seven o’clock. The sea had been getting heavier all the time. Finally the fires were put out by the water at 10 o’clock, and then we took to the small boats. I took charge of the third boat which left the propeller. There were 13 in the boat, including Maggie, the chambermaid and a strange lady, one of the passengers. Our boat did not capsize. All were saved but one – and that was Mr. Wimmel [unclear], the New York traveling agent….

“Mr. Otto Kitzinger made a few additional statements to our reporter this morning. During the storm he states that the waves were as high as an ordinary house. The Ironsides would first be upon the top of one of these waves, and would come plunging down again. And still all was thought to be safe until an hour before they took to the boats. The men who were not at work at the pumps were smoking on the deck, and no one seemed to really think of danger. At about eleven o’clock, however, he and Watkins told the passengers to put on life preservers. Up to this time the passengers had been kept unaware of any possibility of danger.

Latest News Today.

“This morning at about seven o’clock the steamer Saginaw arrived from Grand Haven, having on board several of the survivors and the bodies of those who belonged here [Milwaukee]. The scene at the dock was a sad one…Twelve coffins were taken from the boat and ranged side by side in the wareroom, until taken away by friends. The boxes were marked with the following names.

“Mrs. Hazelbarth, Mr. J.T.B. Dewitt, Mrs. H.A. Valentine and child, John Hiles, Captain Sweetman, Robert McGlue, John Driscoil, Thomas Shea, Wm. Smith, James Brown, Wm. Robeson, James Heany….
How Many Lost.

“From inquiry among the survivors it is quite certain that several people were drowned whose bodies have not yet been recovered. The members of the crew state that eighteen bodies had been recovered when the Saginaw left – but that Jim Foley, wheelsman, Harry Hazelbarth, first mate of the Toledo, and a coal passer whom they called ‘Ed,’ had not been heard of since the disaster, nor had their bodies been recovered.

“Thus ends this disaster, which has caused, so suddenly, such grief and anguish in so many a hitherto happy household. Another mark has been added to the black list which the ‘mighty deep’ has caused – people have heard of it, have shuddered at the horror, have been for one moment thankful that they were not among those who left this city on the Ironsides and have passed on. In a few days that which now seems so terrible will have gone from mind, and our part of the great world will join in the whirl and bustle and class this new disaster among the things of the past.” (Janesville Gazette, WI. “The Loss of The Ironsides.” Sep 18, 1873, p. 1.)

Sep 18: “The evidence thus far brought to light concerning the condition of the steamer Ironsides which sunk off Grand Haven on Monday morning last, seems to confirm the suspicion which has been widely entertained that the vessel was not seaworthy. The Ironsides was rated on the marine register as No. 2, and it is affirmed that for two winters past she had been used to break ice and had become so warped and strained that she leaked badly and that her damaged caulking had not been properly repaired.

“That a vessel with half a cargo should leak so as to extinguish her fires, become unmanageable, be thrown in the trough of the sea, and sink within sight of port, shows what the condition, of the vessel was. The lake was not so extraordinarily rough but that three of the four boats which left the steamer four or five miles from the shore succeeded in reaching it although it is much more difficult to make a boat live through the surf than out upon the bosom of the lake. That a large steamer foundered where a small boat could live is prima facia evidence that she was not sea-worthy. It is alleged that on her last voyage the Ironsides leaked so badly that members of her crew freely said she ought to be repaired or condemned.

“The fact is that the supervision of our lake marine is not thorough or efficient. That a vessel is given a certificate attesting her sea-worthiness at the commencement of a season is no evidence that she will remain in that condition for more than one voyage. A competent inspector could doubtless at any time within the last sixty days have discovered the shattered condition of the hull of this steamer. Moreover, the moat trying season of navigation on the lakes is from and after the 1st of September. At that date, therefore, there should be a thorough inspection and such vessels only be permitted to continue navigation as are fully competent to withstand the storms which prevail during the remainder of the season. So long as steamboat proprietors are permitted to evade all responsibility for the safety of those persons who entrust their lives to them, their own greed and pecuniary loss of gain, the highest motive by which they are governed in the management of passenger steamers, such apparently needless sacrifices as these which occurred in consequence of the wreck of the Ironsides will continue to prevail every year.

“Milwaukee ought to secure a different class of steamers for this line from any which are now running upon it; and she must do so if she expects to maintain its credit. Every business man in Milwaukee is interested in not only establishing a system of rigid surveillance for all vessels leaving the port, but in securing for this line a class of steamers in every way competent to the navigation of the Atlantic ocean. Vessels such as the Ironsides apparently was are very far from such a standard.” (Janesville Gazette, WI. “Lake Navigation.” Sep 18, 1873, p. 1.)

Sep 18: “From Milwaukee papers and dispatches we have the following additional facts in regard to the loss of the Ironsides, Monday morning, off Grand Haven:

“On the steamer City of Toledo, which arrived at Milwaukee Tuesday evening, was Otto Kitzinger, a member of the Englemann Transportation Company, who was among those saved from the Ironsides. He makes the following statement.

The storm struck the Ironsides bout half-past 12 on Sunday night, when she was three hours out from Milwaukee. By 4 A.M. a high sea was running and the wind blowing a hurricane. At 7 A.M., when the propeller was in sight of Grand Haven, a leak was reported to the Captain, who at once had the steam pony pumps started, which freed her of water in a short time. The Ironsides was now rolling violently. At 8 A.M. the leak had increased very much, and all of the pumps were started, the hand pumps being manned by both passengers and crew, all of whom worked with a will. Half an hour later, First Engineer Robert McGlin notified Captain Sweetman that the propeller had three feet of water in her hold and he was afraid his fires would soon be put out. At 9 A.M. the water rose above the grates, and put out the fires under the boiler. A signal of distress was then hoisted, and the jib set, with the hope that it would work the steamer tot eh beach. The signal of distress did not appear to attract the attention of the people on the shore until half-past 10. Meantime, the water had gained so rapidly on the pumps, that it became evident to all that the Ironsides must soon go down.

At a quarter past eleven o’clock, Capt. Sweetman gave the order to lower away the boats, which was done. The first boat lowered was placed in charge of Henry Hazelbarth, first mate of the steamer City of Toledo, who was returning to his steamer from Milwaukee, and Sam Watkins, clerk of the propeller Lake Breeze, who was also returning from a visit to Milwaukee. In this boat were placed five women, among them Mrs. Hazelbarth, and Mrs. H. A. Valentine and her son. The boat got away from the propeller all right, but when one mile and a half from shore she was struck by a huge sea and capsized. Hazelbarth sprang to save his wife, and was struck by the boat and killed. The women and child were drowned, only one remaining alive, a few minutes after the accident, being Watkins, who soon abandoned the boat also and swam to shore. This he reached more dead than alive.

The second boat launched from the Ironsides was placed in charge of the porter and a deck hand. In this were placed eleven of the passengers and crew. She got away from the propeller and steered north for a short time, when she was put about and reached the shore safely. The boat contained Norman Watkins, Otto Kitzinger, and eight passengers, including one woman. She capsized when half a mile distant from shore, but her occupants clung to the life lines and were all saved.

“Michael Crosson, first mate of the Ironsides, took charge of the fourth boat. She contained the second mate, second engineer, and some of the Ironsides [crew?], also a few passengers. This boat more fortunate than all the rest, succeeded in entering the harbor at Grand Haven, and was greeted with rounds of cheers by the excited spectators. Capt. Sweetman, First Engineer Robert McGlue, the watchman, and two or three others, embarked in the fifth boat. Nothing definite is known of the fate of this boat, except that all on board were drowned. She is supposed to have capsized shortly after leaving the propeller, as the body of McGlue was found some eight or ten miles north of Grand Haven, and that of Capt. Sweetman a short distance from it.

“The case of Henry Hazlebarth is a peculiarly sad one. He had obtained leave of absence from the steamer City of Toledo and proceeded to Saukville, Wis., his home, where on Wednesday last he was united in marriage to Miss Mary Brady, a handsome young woman. A day or two later he came to Milwaukee with his bride, and on Sunday embarked with her on the Ironsides to return to his post of duty. When the vessel became endangered in the storm, he worked manfully with the rest to save her from destruction, and after all hope of accomplishing the desired effect had vanished, he took his place beside his wife, and remained with her until the order for embarkation came, when he stepped into the boat in which she, with other ladies had been placed, and endeavored to guide the frail craft with its precious burden safely to shore. The remainder of the story is briefly told above in Mr. Kitzinger’s statement. They body of Mrs. Hazelbarth was washed ashore a short time thereafter, looking so fresh and lifelike that few at first believed her to be dead. That of her devoted husband has not yet been recovered….” (Wisconsin State Journal, Madison. “The Ironsides Disaster.” 9-18-1873, p. 2, col. 3.)

Sep 25: “Grand Haven, Mich., Sept. 25….The body of a man, supposed to be off the Ironsides, was found on the beach nine miles north of here this morning.” (New Albany Ledger-Standard, IN. “Schooner Ashore on the Lakes.” 9-25-1873, p. 1.)

Listing of Ironside Fatalities from sources noted herein:

1. Bitting (or Billing, or Fred Biddings ), Mr. F. H. Passenger, of Albion IN.
2. Bitting (or Billing), Mrs. F. H. Passenger “
3. Brown, James (or Joseph) Ironsides “greaser.”
4. Campbell, _____ Ironsides deck hand.
5. Dennison, G. H. (or John) Passenger, of Spring Lake, MI. Or of Ada, MI.
6. Dewitt, Mr. or Mrs. J.B.L. Passenger of Milwaukee
7. Donelson, A. S. (or A.J. ) Passenger of Grand Rapids
8. Driscoll, John Steward
9. Foley, Jim Wheelsman (missing)
10. Fugle, Edward Ironsides “greaser.”
11. Hazelbarth, Harry H. Passenger; first mate of the City of Toledo (missing)
12. Hazelbarth, Mrs. Mary Passenger; wife of Harry; drowned when lifeboat capsized.
13. Heany (or Hearny), James
14. Hiltz (or Hilles or Hiles ), John Passenger of Milwaukee; worked for lumber mill.
15. Hughes, Harry Ironsides fireman.
16. McGlue (or McGine ), Robert. Chief Engineer
17. Robeson, William Missing
18. Shea, Thomas. Missing
19. Smith, Joe Passenger; Grand Haven.
20. Smith, William Deck hand.
21. Sweetman, Harry Captain
22. Sweetman, Mrs. Wife of Captain Sweetman
23. Tyle, Ed.
24. Valentine, Mrs. H.A. Passenger of Milwaukee
25. Valentine, child of (son, ~4) Passenger
26. Wimmel (or Weimeil ), Charles. Passenger; agent of C. E. Harding & Co. of New York
27. Ed_____ (Tyle?) Coal passer (missing)
28. Unidentified person (perhaps the Ironsides watchman who was in Capt. Sweetman’s boat).

Sources

Alpena Weekly Argus, Alpena, MI. “The Ironsides Disaster.” 9-23-1873, p. 2, col. 2. Accessed 12-1-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/alpena-weekly-argus-sep-23-1873-p-2/

Alton Weekly Telegraph, Alton, IL. “News Items.” 9-26-1873, p. 4, col. 3. Accessed 12-1-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/alton-telegraph-sep-26-1873-p-4/

Brockport Republican, NY. “Life and Accident Insurance! The Ironsides.” 10-9-1873, p. 5. Accessed 12-2-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/brockport-republic-oct-09-1873-p-5/

Chicago Daily Tribune, IL. [Ironsides] 9-17-1873, p. 4, col. 1. Accessed 12-1-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/chicago-daily-tribune-sep-17-1873-p-4/

Dodgeville Chronicle, Dodgeville, WI. “General News Summary.” 9-19-1873, p. 1. Accessed 12-1-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/dodgeville-chronicle-sep-19-1873-p-1/

Donahue, James. “Ironsides Couldn’t Get Out of the Storm.” True Stories of Ships and the Men that Sailed Them. (website). Accessed 12-2-2020 at: http://perdurabo10.tripod.com/ships/id55.html

Ellison, Garret. “Buoy-marking project will protect Michigan shipwrecks, divers.” Michigan Live, 4-2-2019. Accessed 12-2-2020 at: https://www.mlive.com/news/2016/08/michigan_shipwreck_buoy_projec.html

Ewing, Wallace K. Directory, Historical Topics, Northwest Ottawa County. Grand Haven, MI: Tri-Cities Historical Museum, 1999. Accessed at: http://www.loutitlibrary.org/images/ewing_books/HISTtopics.htm#_Toc200804327

Janesville Gazette, WI. “Lake Navigation.” Sep 18, 1873, p. 1. Accessed 11-30-2020 at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=52731842

Janesville Gazette, WI. “Talk on the Cars.” 9-22-1873, p. 2, col. 5. Accessed 12-1-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/janesville-gazette-sep-22-1873-p-1/

Janesville Gazette, WI. “The Loss of The Ironsides.” 9-18-1873, p. 1, col. 5. Accessed 11-30-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/janesville-gazette-sep-18-1873-p-1/

Mansfield, John Brandts (Ed. and Compiler). History of the Great Lakes (Vol. 1). Chicago: J.H. Beers & Co., 1899. http://www.linkstothepast.com/marine/chapt36.html — Google digitized: http://books.google.com/books?id=iHXhAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_v2_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q=&f=false

Marshall Weekly Messenger, IL. “Another Terrible Marine Disaster.” 10-2-1873, p. 4, col. 3. Accessed 12-1-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/marshall-weekly-messenger-oct-02-1873-p-4/

Memphis Daily Appeal, TN. “The Lake Disaster. All the Bodies Recovered Have Been Identified…” 9-19-1873, p. 2. Accessed 12-1-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/memphis-daily-appeal-sep-19-1873-p-2/

Michigan Shipwreck Research Associates. “Ironsides.” 2008. Accessed 10-3-2011 at: http://www.michiganshipwrecks.org/ironside.htm

Middletown Daily Evening Press, NY. “Loss of Life on Lake Michigan.” 9-16-1873, p. 4, col. 1. Accessed 12-1-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/middletown-daily-evening-press-sep-16-1873-p-4/

Nash, Jay Robert. Darkest Hours – A Narrative Encyclopedia of Worldwide Disasters from Ancient Times to the Present. New York: Pocket Books, Wallaby, 1977, 792 pages.

New Albany Ledger-Standard, IN. “Schooner Ashore on the Lakes.” 9-25-1873, p. 1. Accessed 12-1-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/new-albany-ledger-standard-sep-25-1873-p-1/

Opelousas Journal, LA. “A Weekly Retrospective of Events.” 10-10-1873, p. 3. Accessed 12-2-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/the-opelousas-journal-oct-10-1873-p-3/

Quincy Whig, Quincy, IL. “Shipwreck. Details of the Loss of the Ironsides on Lake Michigan.” 9-16-1873, p. 1. Accessed 12-1-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/quincy-whig-sep-16-1873-p-1/

Quincy Whig, Quincy, IL. “Shipwreck. Disastrous Gale on Lake Michigan. Loss of the Steamer Ironsides…” 9-15-1873, p. 1. Accessed 12-1-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/quincy-whig-sep-15-1873-p-1/

Rich, Craig. “For Those in Peril: Shipwrecks in Ottawa County,” The Joint Archives Quarterly, Vol. 18, No. 4, Winter 2009. Accessed at: http://hope.edu/jointarchives/quarter/winter09.pdf

Sandusky Daily Register, OH. “The Neighborhood. Sandusky County.” 10-6-1873, p. 3. Accessed 12-2-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/sandusky-daily-register-oct-06-1873-p-3/

Shelak, Benjamin J. Shipwrecks of Lake Michigan. Big Earth Publishing, 2003. Partially digitized by Google. Accessed at: http://books.google.com/books?id=4CBCcye0n6IC

South Haven Sentinel, MI. “The Ironsides Lost.” 9-20-1873, p. 2, col. 1. Accessed 12-1-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/south-haven-sentinel-sep-20-1873-p-2/

Stevens Point Journal, WI. “Terrible Calamity on Lake Michigan.” 9-20-1873, p. 2, c. 2. Accessed 12-1-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/stevens-point-daily-journal-sep-20-1873-p-2/

Swayze, David D. Shipwreck! A Comprehensive Directory of Over 3,700 Shipwrecks on the Great Lakes. Boyne City, MI: Harbor House Publications, Inc., 1992.

Winona Daily Republican, MN. “The Ironsides – Further Details of the Wreck.” 9-16-1873, p. 2, col. 5. Accessed 12-1-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/winona-daily-republican-sep-16-1873-p-2/

Wisconsin State Journal, Madison. “The Ironsides Disaster.” 9-18-1873, p. 2, col. 3. Accessed 12-1-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/madison-wisconsin-state-journal-sep-18-1873-p-2/

Wisconsin State Journal, Madison. “The Loss of the Ironsides.” 9-17-1873, p. 1. Accessed 12-1-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/madison-wisconsin-state-journal-sep-17-1873-p-1/

Wrecksite.eu. “SS Ironsides (+1873).” Website accessed 12-2-2020 at: https://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?164955

— 30 Harper’s Magazine. “Editor’s Historical Record, Disasters,” Vol. 47, Oct 1873, p. 793.
— 30 Haydn’s Dictionary of Dates Relating to all Ages and Nations. 1883, p. 758
— 30 Nash, Jay Robert. Darkest Hours. 1977, p. 687.
— 30 Simonds. The American Date Book. 1902, p. 101.
— 30 US Congress, House. Hearings: “Safety of Life and Property at Sea.” 1935, p. 247.
— 15 NYT. “The Geo. Wolfe Disaster,” Aug 25, 1873. [Provides fifteen names or positions.]
— 14 Appleton’s Journal. “The Record,” 9-13-1873, p. 352.
— 14 Bucks County Gazette, Bristol, PA. “Casualties,” Aug 28, 1873, p. 2, col. 4.
— 12 NYT. “A Mississippi Explosion,” Aug 24, 1873, p. 1
— 12 Way’s Packet Directory, 1848-1994: Passenger Steamboats…MS River System. 1994, 185

Narrative Information

Simonds: “George Wolfe explodes, 30 lost…” (Simonds. The American Date Book. 1902, p. 101.)

Way: George C. Wolff; sternwheel packet built in Madison, IN, in 1872 for the Illinois River Packet Co. “Exploded boilers at St. Francis Island [or bar], near Helena, Ark., Aug 22, 1873, with loss of 12 lives and 15 injured.” (Way’s Packet Directory, 1848-1994. 1994, p. 185)

Newspapers

Aug 23: “Memphis, Tenn., Aug. 23.—The following dispatch has just been received here….

“Helena, Ark., Aug. 23.—The steamer Geo. Wolfe blew up at St. Francis’ Island about 2 o’clock yesterday afternoon. Twelve persons are known to be lost, and fifteen wounded. The officers of the boat were all saved except the second engineer, who was on watch at the time of the explosion. He is missing…..A deck passenger named Dawson, with his wife and two children, bound for Tupelo, Miss., were all killed. The cabin of the boat was blown to pieces. The hull may be saved. (Signed), Geo. Malone, Captain of Steamer G. O. Cheek.

“A second dispatch from Helena, dated 10 o’clock, says the passengers and crew of the steamer Wolfe are still on St. Francis’ Island, waiting for an up-river boat. No further particulars can be obtained at present. The spot where the steamer blew up is known to river men as the ‘grave-yard,’ being the place where the Pennsylvania and the St. Nicholas blew up, and the T. L. McGill was burned. The George Wolfe was from Shreveport, for St. Louis. Capt. Henry S. Carter was commander, and Joseph Widen, clerk.” (NYT. “A Mississippi Explosion,” Aug 24, 1873, p. 1)

Aug 24, NYT: “Memphis, Tenn., Aug. 24. — The steamer Julia arrived here about 11 o’clock today, bringing most of the survivors of the ill-fated George Wolfe…

“Capt. Carter states that a short time before the explosion he had gone to his room to take a nap, leaving the mate on watch, and the first he knew of the accident was that he felt himself lifted into the air with a severe shock, and fell with the debris on the lower deck. As soon as he could extricate himself he glanced around and saw that the forward part of the cabin and “texas” had been blown away aft to the boilers, and that some of the timbers had taken fire. His first thought was to extinguish the flames, which, with the aid of a few others and a heavy rain which was falling at the time, he soon succeeded in doing. Meantime one of the crew who had been but slightly injured, seeing that the wreck had drifted near shore, jumped out with the head line and made her fast, when it was found that the boat had been but little injured, except as already stated. As soon as the fire was extinguished everything possible was done to relieve the sufferers. The Captain states she had only ten or twelve cabin passengers, only one of whom was lost, Mr. Nelson, a piano tuner from New York, aged about sixty years. Owing to the condition of Mr. Widen, the clerk, who was severely burned about the chest and throat, it was impossible to obtain a list of the passengers from him, and the books were all lost….

Good Conduct of the Officers.

“The passengers speak in the highest terms of the conduct of the officers, especially of Capt. Carter and the steward. Notwithstanding that the former was severely injured, he was most active in the work of relieving others and extinguishing the fire.

List of the Lost.

“The following is a list of those lost, as far as has been ascertained: [list of 15]

Peter Helpler, second engineer.
Mr. Nelson, of New-York.
Mr. Dawson, wife, and two children, of Shreveport.
G. H. White, of Michigan, belonging to the Transatlantic Circus, and
seven colored rousters, four of whom were found and buried.
….
Rousters in Hospital.

“The following colored rousters are in the hospital at Helena badly hurt: Billy Burton, of Nashville; Birt Noahby, of St. Louis; Perry Reedy, of Bowling Green, Ky.

Fate of the Second Engineer.

“The engineer states that Helplar, the second engineer, who was on duty at the time of the explosion, was one of the most trustworthy and competent men he ever saw, and can give no theory as to the cause of the explosion. The last seen of Helpler was by the carpenter, who saw him try the gauge, and just as he put down the stick the explosion occurred. Persons on shore, who saw the explosion, state that bodies and fragments of timber were blown sixty feet into the air….” (NYT. “The Geo. Wolfe Disaster,” Aug 25, 1873, p. 1.)

Aug 28: “The steamer George Wolfe, from Shreveport for St. Louis, blew up at St. Francis Island, in the Mississippi river on Friday afternoon, killing fourteen persons and injuring fifteen others.—The scene of the disaster is known as the ‘Graveyard,’ two steamers having previously blown up and a third been burned there.” (Bucks County Gazette, Bristol, PA. “Casualties,” 8-28-1873, p2.)

Sep 13, Appleton’s Journal: “August 22.—Explosion on the steamer George Wolfe, at St. Francis Island, on the Mississippi River; fourteen persons killed, and fourteen injured.” (Appleton’s Journal. “The Record,” Sep 13, 1873, p. 352.)

Sources

Appleton’s Journal. “The Record,” 9-13-1873, p. 352. Digitized by Google at: http://books.google.com/books?id=fm7QAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_v2_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false

Bucks County Gazette, Bristol, PA. “Casualties,” Aug 28, 1873, p. 2, col. 4. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=11305039

Harper’s New Monthly Magazine, Volume XLIV [44]. December, 1871, to May, 1872. “Editor’s Historical Record,” 1872. Digitized by Google at: http://books.google.com/books?id=OnkCAAAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_v2_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q=&f=false

Haydn’s Dictionary of Dates and Universal Information Relating to All Ages and Nations (24th Ed.). “Pennsylvania.” NY: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1906, p. 1011. Google digitized at: http://books.google.com/books?id=tXUMAAAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

Nash, Jay Robert. Darkest Hours – A Narrative Encyclopedia of Worldwide Disasters from Ancient Times to the Present. New York: Pocket Books, Wallaby, 1977, 792 pages.

New York Times. “A Mississippi Explosion. The Steam-Boat Wolfe Blown Up.” 8-24-1873, p. 1. Accessed 9-3-2020 at: https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1873/08/24/79044175.html?pageNumber=1

New York Times. “The Geo. Wolfe Disaster. Accounts Given By Survivors.” 8-25-1873, p. 1. Accessed 9-3-2020 at: https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1873/08/25/79044540.html?pageNumber=1

Simonds, W. E. (Editor). The American Date Book. Kama Publishing Co., 1902, 211 pages. Google digital preview accessed 9-8-2017 at: http://books.google.com/books?id=JuiSjvd5owAC

United States Congress, House of Representatives. Hearings Before the Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries, United States Congress (74th Congress, 1st Session). “Safety of Life and Property at Sea.” Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1935. Accessed 8-9-2020 at: https://www.google.com/books/edition/Safety_of_Life_and_Property_at_Sea/l9xH_9sUuVAC?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=belle%20zane

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.

—     ~70  Blanchard estimate.[1]

 

—     173  Wikipedia. “Massacre Canyon,” 12-17-2016 modification.[2]

–50-118  New York Times, “The Recent Indian Massacre,” 8-21-1873.[3]

—     100  Pawnee men, women, children. NYT, “The Recent Indian Massacre,” 8-21-1873.[4]

—     ~70  Pawnee men, women, children. Riley. “The Battle of Massacre Canyon,” 1973, p. 222.

—  60-70  New York Times, “The Recent Indian Massacre,” 8-21-1873.[5]

—       69  Riley, Paul. “Massacre Canyon, Hitchcock County, NE.” McCook Gazette, 1967.[6]

—  63-69  NE State Historical Society. Nebraska Historical Marker: Massacre Canyon. 10-5-2017.

 

Narrative Information

 

Nebraska State Historical Society: “Location: Intersection of U.S. 34 and Old Hwy 34, 3.5 miles east of Trenton, Hitchcock County, Nebraska….

 

“Marker Text…. Massacre Canyon is the large canyon about half a mile west of here. The battle took place in and along this canyon when a Pawnee hunting party of about 700, confident of protection from the government, were surprised by a War Party of Sioux. The Pawnee, badly outnumbered and completely surprised, retreated into the head of the canyon about two miles northwest of here. The battle was the retreat of the Pawnee down the canyon to the Republican. The Pawnee reached the Republican River, about a mile and a half south of here, and crossed to the other side. The Sioux were ready to pursue them still further, but a unit of cavalry arrived and prevented further fighting. The defeat so broke the strength and spirit of the tribe that it moved from its reservation in central Nebraska to Oklahoma.

 

“The Battle of Massacre Canyon  Considered to be the last battle between Indian tribes in American history and one of the largest intertribal battles in the historical record, the Battle of Massacre Canyon was fought between Pawnee and Sioux Indians on August 5, 1873.

 

“Origins  Once a powerful tribe occupying much of Nebraska, the Pawnee were weakened by disease, war and removal. In 1857, the Pawnee signed a treaty ceding most of their land for a reservation in east-central Nebraska (present-day Nance County). The government promised to protect them against their enemies, but they were often raided by Sioux bands. The Loup River system in central Nebraska connected the Sioux and the Pawnee, making it easy for the Sioux to come into Pawnee territory to kill women and steal horses. After the Civil War, the Pawnee helped the military fight against the Sioux and their other old enemy, the Cheyenne. During the administration of President Ulysses S. Grant (1869-1877), Quaker missionaries came to the Pawnee and urged pacifism as part of Grant’s peace policy. Many Pawnee agreed to stop fighting, but many continued to go on horse stealing raids. Tensions rose during this time when white settlers used up Pawnee resources like timber and grazing land. In 1871, the Quakers urged the Pawnee and Sioux to sign a peace treaty. Many Pawnee were skeptical of the Sioux’s trustworthiness, and the treaty never came to be.

 

“Buffalo Hunts  While the Pawnee did plant some crops, they relied on annual buffalo hunts for meat. As the number of buffalo in the Great Plains decreased with white overhunting, the Pawnee had to go farther and farther away from their reservation to find game, meaning they had to go farther and farther away from the control of the reservation. It also meant they had more interaction with the Sioux. The buffalo hunts were indeed a source of violence. In the winter of 1872, three Pawnee were killed by white hunters after they allegedly tried to steal bread. Shortly after that incident, some Sioux raided an encampment of Pawnee and Oto Indians, ruining their food supply and morale.

“The Battle:  On July 3, 1873, 350 Pawnee left the reservation for what would become the last major Pawnee buffalo hunt. After a successful hunt, the Pawnee began to return home on August 2. On August 4, they camped near present-day Trenton in Hitchcock County. They were warned that there were Sioux in the area, but assumed that the warning, coming from white hunters, was a trick to get them to leave the area. In fact, there were some 1000 Sioux in the region. The agent of the Pawnee, John Williamson, tried and failed to convince the Pawnee chief, Sky Chief, of the danger. (Another source, however, reports that the Pawnee had asked the military for protection but was denied help, since they deemed the Sioux to not be a threat. See the Blaine essay in the references for further discussion.)[7] On the morning of August 5, the Pawnee moved into the canyon. After spying some buffalo, several Pawnee, including Sky Chief, rode ahead in an attempt to catch them. However, they were ambushed by Sioux and killed. (Williamson reported that Sky Chief was killed early in the battle, but some Pawnee oral history sources say he died later in the fight, after rallying the troops against the Sioux. One account says that Sky Chief killed his young son (who was 3 or 4) so he wouldn’t be dismembered by the Sioux.)

 

“Pawnee tribal accounts indicate three waves of Sioux attacks. The Pawnee were thrown into chaos at first but regrouped and began to fight back. When the Pawnee saw how outnumbered they were, Williamson was sent out in an attempt to make peace with the Sioux but had his horse shot out from under him. The Pawnee began to retreat while the Sioux continued to fire at them. When the Pawnee reached the Republican River Valley, the Sioux withdrew and returned to the canyon to rape and mutilate the bodies still there. It is not known exactly why the Sioux withdrew when they did; perhaps they were aware of the military presence in the region (which did not arrive in the canyon until much later) or they had simply accomplish what they had come to do: make off with Pawnee prisoners and treasure. Accounts differ about the number of casualties in the battle. Immediately after the battle, the army found 63 Pawnee dead- 13 men and 50 women and children. A census taken at the Pawnee Reservation found 69 dead- 20 men, 39 women and 10 children. The census also noted 12 wounded, 11 prisoners (who were later returned) and several missing children. Other sources give numbers in the 100s. It is not known how many Sioux were killed. One source says that none died, while other evidence suggests the Sioux lost at least 6 men. Regardless, it was clearly a huge victory for the Sioux.

 

“Accounts of the Battle  Facts about the battle are difficult to ascertain with certainty. Only two written accounts from the time survive. One was written by Williamson; the other was written by Lester Beach Platt, a minister who accompanied the Pawnee on their hunt. Both accounts are problematic. Beach published his version in 1888 in The Cosmopolitan. The time difference between the event and the publication of his account, along with its rather romantic style, cast some doubt on its veracity. Williamson’s account is more trustworthy, but contradicts with Pawnee oral records and other eyewitness accounts. For example, many Pawnee claim that Williamson ran away during the battle while Williamson himself claimed he stood and fought with the Pawnee. The Pawnee oral records, while not written down until much later, are perhaps the best source of information about the battle.

 

“Problems with Numbers  In 2013, some fourth grade students at Randolph Elementary in Lincoln were informed by their teacher, Thomas Pargett, that a discrepancy existed between two Nebraska State Historical Society markers about the Battle of Massacre Canyon. The battle’s main marker says that 700 Pawnee were present at the fight, while another marker describing the battle, Pawnee Woman’s Grave (Marker 206), claims that there were only 350. The class wrote letters to the NSHS asking about the conflicting data. Why is there a conflict? As noted, the sources about the battle differ. The nature of the battle made it difficult to get accurate numbers about the battle. The marker at Pawnee Woman’s Grave was written later and is believed to be more accurate. The marker at Massacre Canyon also incorrectly notes that the battle caused the Pawnee to leave Nebraska. As the following paragraph will show, this is not true.

 

“Aftermath  The Pawnee never made another buffalo hunt in Nebraska after 1873. Between 1875 and 1876, the tribe was moved to Indian Territory (modern-day Oklahoma). Some have suggested that the massive casualties suffered at Massacre Canyon were a major reason the tribe decided to leave Nebraska. However, Pawnee removal had many other, more significant causes. The tribe’s population had decreased considerably in the previous decades. There were about 10,000 Pawnee in the 1830s but only 3,000 in 1873. War and disease were the primary causes of this drop. The Pawnee, once the most powerful tribe in Nebraska, had also already lost much of its land and culture.

 

“Pawnee Woman’s Grave  A Pawnee woman who survived the battle but lost a child was discovered by a homesteader, who brought her to Indianola, a settlement established one year previous. The settlers there cared for her, but she died a few days later and was buried in a crude coffin near Coon Creek. In 1975, she was reburied as part of the American Revolution Bicentennial Year with a representative from the Pawnee Tribe present….”

 

(Nebraska State Historical Society. Nebraska Historical Marker: Massacre Canyon (webpage). 10-5-2017 modification.[8])

 

New York Times: “Washington, Aug. 20. — The following accounts of the fight between the Pawnee and Sioux Indians, on the 4^th of August, have been received at the War Department, through Gen. Sherman:

 

“Pawnee Agency. Nebraska, Aug. 9, 1873. Respected Friend: I have sorrowful tidings from the Pawnee hunt yesterday. After reading the encouraging letter from the War Department respecting peace with the Sioux, a runner came in from the hunt, and informed me that the Pawnees were attacked in camp, on the waters of the Republican, by the Sioux, and great numbers had been killed….

 

“This morning, John Williamson, sub-agent, in charge of the Pawnee hunters, returned, and confirmed the sad news. After a successful hunt, in which they had killed a thousand buffalo, and being heavily laden with meat and hides, on their return home they were surprised in camp by the Sioux, supposed to be 1,000 strong, and before they could escape or make successful resistance nearly 100 men, women, and children were slain and scalped.

 

“The wounded, dead, and dying women and helpless children were thrown into a heap and burned in the most barbarous manner possible. Comparatively few of the women and children of the tribe were with them, but nearly all who were there became victims of the ruthless and unprovoked slaughter.

 

“Buffalo had just been seen, possibly decoyed within their view. Many of the men were out after them. Sky Chief was killed. Williamson made his escape on horseback, but lost his pack-horse and all his goods. Young Platt, companion to Williamson, also lost a horse.  They met a few soldiers from Fort McPherson, and gave them the particulars of the massacre.

 

“The Pawnees, sorrowful and disheartened, are returning home as fast as possible. Williamson brought six badly wounded ones in the train to Silver Creek Station, and Dr. Davis, with the teams, has left to bring them home. I will write further as soon as I can learn the exact date, numbers, and other particulars. Much excitement prevails, and the spirit of war is running at fever heat. Williamson’s runners report only two Sioux killed so far as they know. Respectfully, thy friend, William Burgess.

 

“….Mont Platte, Neb., Aug. 11, 1873.

“To Gen. George D. Ruggles, Omaha, Neb.:

 

“Two of Capt. Winhold’s men who got lost came in here to-day, via Alkali Station. They report that the Captain came on the ground of the Pawnee and Sioux battle about four hours after it took place, at 3 P.M. on the 5^th. They counted between sixty and seventy bodies, all squaws and children except eight or ten, most terribly mutilated, and scalped, and some still alive, but in a dying condition. The Sioux had left, but the Captain communicated with the Pawnees. The fight took place between the White Man’s Fork and the Republican, about eighty miles a little west of south from this place. {signed} Anson Mills, Captain Third Cavalry.” (New York Times. “The Recent Indian Massacre.” 8-21-1873.)

 

Riley in McCook Gazette: “….Today, that stretch of the canyon looks no different than any other in Southwest Nebraska, but on the afternoon of Aug. 5, 1873, the view was far from ordinary. The first visitors to the battlefield on that afternoon were Captain Charles Meinhold and Co. B, U. S. 3^rd Cavalry, and Acting Assistant Surgeon D. F. Powell who described the battlefield in a letter to the Omaha Herald:

 

“It was a horrible sight. Dead braves with bows still tightly grasped in dead and stiffened fingers; sucking infants pinned to their mothers’ breasts with arrows; bowels protruding from openings made by fiendish knives; heads scalped with red blood glazed upon them-a stinking mass, many already fly-blown and scorched with heat.”

 

“These were the Pawnee dead.

 

“During the preceding decade, the Pawnee, once Nebraska’s proudest and most powerful Indian nation, had allied themselves with the whites and had half-heartedly tried to learn new ways. They found themselves and their herds of horses continually threatened by the still free and warlike bands of Brule and Oglala Sioux,[9] who found the Loup valley a natural highway from the Sioux country to the Pawnee reservation in present Nance County….

 

“During the Indian wars of the late sixties, the Pawnee found one release for their hatred of the Sioux. Under the famous North brothers, the Pawnee served as scouts for the U.S. Army, and their determined zeal in seeking out the Sioux and Cheyenne did not lessen the tribal antagonisms. During the early seventies, the Sioux settled into an uneasy truce with the army, but their raids against the Pawnee continued….

 

“The Pawnee retained hunting rights in the Republican valley, but, after 1870 as white settlements spread up the river, they were forced further west each year in their search for the buffalo herds. Each year the risk of the hunt increased, for bands of Oglala and Brule Sioux also frequented the Upper Republican country….

 

“In June 1873, the Pawnee chiefs began petitioning their new Quaker agent, William Burgess, for permission to leave on their summer hunt, requesting that John Williamson accompany them as trail agent, Williamson, 23, was an employee at the Genoa agency, but he was not familiar with life on the buffalo range….

 

“Sky Chief, described as one of the ablest Pawnee chiefs, aided by Sun Chief and Fighting Bear, was selected as leader of the hunt, in charge of the 250 men, 100 women, and 50 children….

 

“The Pawnee left their reservation on July 3^rd, crossing over from the Loop to the Platte, which they then followed as far as Plum Creek (Lexington), before crossing over to the Republican, which they reached at a point near Arapahoe. Near Burton’s Bend (Holbrook), they crossed the river and on across the divide to the Beaver….

 

“For three weeks the Pawnee hunted on the Prairie Dog and Beaver creeks in Nebraska and Kansas, during which time they made several successful surrounds. Then on August 4^th they crossed over to the Republican and spent the night somewhere in the vicinity of Trenton. Three white hunters visited the camp that night and warned Williamson that a large number of Sioux were in the region, and they had been spying upon the Pawnee….

 

“The Cut-off band of Sioux under Sub-Agent Nick Janis were on the Upper Frenchman, while a party of Brule with Sub-Agent Stephen F. Estes were on the Stinking Water. The latter had but recently arrived in the area, for on July 26^th, Estes had wired the commissioner of Indian Affairs in Washington, from Julesburg, requesting that the military be ordered to supply his band with a few rations, while on their buffalo hunt. Apparently the Indians were restless, for Estes hoped that the rations would “go far toward keeping them satisfied and contented.”….

 

“The order of events at the Sioux camps is not easily traced, but it appears that the Cut-off band, was the first to discover the Pawnee, and the first to decide to attack. The day after the battle, Janis wrote: “Little Wound (a chief) came to me and asked if I had any orders to keep him from going to fight them. I told them I had not. He said he had orders not to go to their reservations or among the whites to fight them but none in regard to this part of the country.”

 

“Preparing for the attack, the Oglala rode to the Brule camp on the Stinking Water, inciting them to join in against the Pawnee. Also writing the day after the battle, Estes said, “I used every effort to induce the Indians under my charge to make peace with the Pawnees… but the young men would listen to nothing.”

 

“On August 28^th, after having read the letter Janis wrote on the 5^th, Estes stated, “My failure to avert the attack…was due in a great measure to the ignorance and bad advice given by Sub-agent Janis to the Indians under his charge…leaving Little Wound impressed with the idea that he had a perfect right to make war upon the Pawnees.”

 

“On Tuesday morning, August 5, 1873, the Pawnee packed their gear and started up the draw which is now Massacre Canyon. Feeding buffalo, perhaps camouflaged Sioux horses, were sighted out on the divide, and the Pawnee men left the women and the pack horses to make their way alone.

 

“The Sioux attack was sudden. The first wave of warriors suddenly appeared on the rim of the canyon, and, while the Pawnee warriors rushed back to defend them, the women and children huddled in fear. Just before leaving the reservation, L.B. Platt of Baltimore, related to a prominent agency family, had requested and received permission to attend the hunt. Under a white flag, Williamson and young Platt rode out to treat with the Sioux, but after being fired upon they retreated to the canyon. Some of the warriors, including the great Sky Chief, were killed out on the divide, although during the first hour the Pawnee were able to hold their own, for the Sioux numbered only about one hundred warriors.

 

“Until then only a few Pawnee had been killed, but then the Sioux were re-enforced, and all sources agree that the Sioux then numbered about one thousand warriors, against the two hundred and fifty of the Pawnee, who had their women and children to defend as well as themselves. The canyon was narrow and the banks were low; the Pawnee panicked. The Sioux were on both banks, and they could easily fire down into the Pawnee without danger of hitting their own on the opposite banks. Discarding all their possession, the Pawnee attempted to flee down the canyon, and, because of the terrain, there was little the Pawnee could do to protect the women and children….

 

“While the Pawnee fled down the canyon and then down the valley of the Republican, the Sioux halted and vent their fury upon the dead and wounded Pawnee. Pawnee possessions were piled and put to the torch. Bodies, sometimes still breathing, were thrown into the flames, while the wounded squaws were raped; children were brutally killed. The Brule took four prisoners and the Cut-off seven, all later returned….

 

“Captain Charles Meinhold in command, Lt. Lawson, Surgeon Powell, and forty-seven enlisted men of Co. B, U.S. 3^rd Cavalry, guided by Leon Palladie, left Fort McPherson on July 30^th, on a routine scout of the Republican valley. On the morning of the 5^th, they were near the mouth of the Blackwood, when the first of the Pawnee refugees galloped up to the command and informed them of the massacre. They wanted Meinhold to lead them back against the Sioux, but the captain wisely refused their request, knowing that if the Sioux were as many as reported his small command would be unable to defend the Pawnee.

 

“After conferring with Williamson, one of the last to retreat, Meinhold directed the Pawnee down the valley to Red Willow, while he led his command to the canyon, as described by Surgeon Powell. Williamson and young Platt had become separated during the retreat, but Platt accompanied the cavalry to the battlefield, while Williamson went downstream with the Pawnee. Platt had been captured, disarmed, and then freed, after having had his hand shaken and been told to go to the settlement at Culbertson. The military saw no sign of the Sioux, numbered the Pawnee dead at fifty-seven, and returned to the mouth of the Frenchman, where they camped for the night. On a scout the following day, they failed to discover the Sioux camps, believing they had fled back north of the Platte, though the Sioux remained on the Frenchman and Stinking Water for several days.

 

“Besides those killed on the battlefield, several died later. A census taken at the Pawnee Agency in September, according Agent Burgess, showed that twenty men, thirty-nine women, and ten children had been killed, while the eleven prisoners were returned through the efforts of Stephen Estes.

 

“Two weeks after the battle, Janis, the nearest thing to a villain in this story, submitted a bill of $42.50 to the Pawnee Agent, representing it as his expense for the return and care of the Pawnee captives. As far as is known the bill was not paid, while evidence shows that Estes played the major role in their return.

 

“The Sioux casualties are not fully known. Estes said that one Brule was killed and three were mortally wounded. Janis said non of the Cut-off Band were killed, and three were mortally wounded. Janis said non of the Cut-off band were killed, though two were wounded. A few weeks later, however, Robert H. Williams, a Red Willow County settler out on a buffalo hunt, discovered six new Sioux tree burials near the mouth of the Stinking Water, and it has always been assumed that they resulted from the battle….

 

“The Battle of Massacre Canyon deserves to be remembered for several reasons. First, it was the last battle between the Sioux and Pawnee and the last inter-tribal battle in Nebraska, as well as having been one of the few major battles between two Indian tribes.

 

“The second reason is of greater importance. A small number of Pawnee had been eager to move to a new reservation in the Indian Territory, but a majority of the tribe, particularly the old people, had successfully fought leaving Nebraska, in spite of the Sioux raids and the white settlements which were growing up around the reservation. After the Battle of Massacre Canyon, however, the whole tribe was so demoralized that the pro-removal faction gained popular support.

 

“The same fall approximately fifty Pawnee slipped away from the reservation and went south to winter with the Wichita. They returned the following summer and continued their agitation. Because of the battle, the Pawnee had not been allowed their annual winter hunt, though they had finally allowed the agent to purchase buffalo meat from white hunter, and Sioux raids had continued against the Pawnee horse herds.

 

“After much debate the Pawnee decided to cede their Nebraska lands back to the United State in return for Indian Territory lands. After this decision the Pawnee began their long trek south, leaving Nebraska behind forever. Homesteaders flocked into the region and Nance County was organized.

 

“It is ironic that the major Nebraska monument to its most powerful Indian ally, is a monument not to their grandeur but to their most demoralizing defeat. Unfortunately it is an apt memorial to an Indian policy which only suffered the Indian ally, while tending to over-placate the Indian hostiles.” (Riley, Paul. “Roadside Park marks Indian Battle scene.” McCook Gazette Centennial Edition 1867-1967. Reproduced on USgennet.org website as “Massacre Canyon, Hitchcock County, NE.”)

 

Riley in Nebraska History: “….Two miles east of Trenton, Hitchcock County…stands a towering granite shaft erected by the federal government in 1930 to commemorate the Battle of Massacre Canyon, which occurred on Tuesday morning, August 5, 1873….

 

“…more than a thousand Sioux [descended] upon 350 Pawnee men, women, and children as they moved up the west bank of the canyon on their summer buffalo hunt. It was one of the largest inter-tribal battles in historic times, leaving approximately seventy Pawnee dead….” (Riley, Paul. “The Battle of Massacre Canyon,” Nebraska History, Vol. 54, 1973, pp. 220-249.)

 

Sources

 

Nebraska State Historical Society. Nebraska Historical Marker: Massacre Canyon (webpage). 10-5-2017 modification. Accessed 8-29-2019 at: http://www.e-nebraskahistory.org/index.php?title=Nebraska_Historical_Marker:_Massacre_Canyon

 

New York Times. “The Recent Indian Massacre.” 8-21-1873. Accessed 12-19-2016 at: http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9C0DEFDC1E3DE53BBC4951DFBE668388669FDE

 

Riley, Paul. “Roadside Park marks Indian Battle scene.” McCook Gazette Centennial Edition 1867-1967. Reproduced on USgennet.org website as “Massacre Canyon, Hitchcock County, NE.” Accessed 12-20-2016 at: http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ne/county/hitchcock/history/canyon.html

Riley, Paul D. “The Battle of Massacre Canyon,” Nebraska History, Vol. 54, 1973, pp. 220-249. Accessed 12-19-2016 at: http://www.nebraskahistory.org/publish/publicat/history/full-text/NH1973Massacre_Cnyn.pdf

 

Wikipedia. “Massacre Canyon.” 12-17-2016 modification. Accessed 12-19-2016 at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massacre_Canyon

 

 

 

 

 

 

[1] We use the Pawnee Agency “census” report of 69 killed in the attack. The Nebraska State Historical Society also notes this as one of the death-toll statements. Further down in it’s webpage devoted to “Massacre Canyon,” it notes that an injured Pawnee woman was found by a homesteader who took her to Indianola where “she died a few days later…” We add her death to the 69 reported at the massacre site to derive “approximately 70,” given the uncertainty surrounding an exact number. We note other accounts note “approximately” 70 deaths , or a range of 60-70. We do not include the small number (if any) Sioux (Dakota) deaths in that they were the attackers and not victims.

[2] Writes: “‘A census taken at the Pawnee Agency in September, according Agent Burgess…’…found that ‘71 Pawnee warriors were killed, and 102 women and children killed’, the victims brutally mutilated and scalped and others even set on fire’[footnote 3] although Agent John Williamson’s account states 156 Pawnee died (page 388).” Footnote 3 is for “The Chicago Tribune, Saturday, August 30, 1873; New York Times, August 21, 1873 (reported by William Burgess, Pawnee Indian agent). BWB: We have located and reproduced the NYT article and Burgess reports “nearly 100 men, women, and children were slain and scalped.” We also have seen what Riley has reproduced from the “census” at the time (69 deaths total), and thus do not use the Wikipedia figures.

[3] Men, women and children. From letter dated Aug 5, from Antoine Janis, Agent “In charge of the Southern Indians of the Ogallala and Sioux bands,” writing from Ogallala, Sioux Agency, White Man’s Fork, to Col. Woodward, Commanding Post at Sydney, Nebraska, reporting the numbers of killed “variously estimated from fifty to 118” by Sioux participants.

[4] The NYT transcribes a letter report from William Burgess, Pawnee Indian Agent, relaying information from John Williamson, sub-agent, who had been with the Pawnee party when attacked.

[5] From Captain Anson Mills letter of Aug 11, 1873 to Gen. George D. Ruggles, writing from Monte Platte, NE.

[6] 20 males, 39 females and 10 children, according to “A census taken at the Pawnee Agency in September, according to Agent Burgess.”

[7] Garland James Blaine and Martha Royce Blaine. Pa-re-su A-ri-ra-ke: The Hunters that Were Massacred.” Nebraska History. Fall 1977: 343-357.

[8] In addition to Blaine and Riley, cites: A. L. Taylor. “Massacre Canyon Memorial.” Nebraska History Magazine, July-September 1935, pp. 171-177.

[9] Sioux is a French word applied to the native people who today generally refer to themselves as Dakota.