lornajarrettblanchard

–151-165  Blanchard tally based on State and locality breakouts below.

Alabama         (          4)

—   4  Mobile                                       Augustin. History of Yellow Fever, 1909, p. 444.

Louisiana       (147-161)

–100-160  New Orleans.                    Carrigan. The Saffron Scourge. 1961, p. 93.

—       160  New Orleans.  Aug-Oct    Keating. A History of the Yellow Fever… 1879, p. 87.

—       146           “                                Sternberg 1908, p. 719; U.S. Marine Hosp. Svc. 1896, 437.

—           1  West Feliciana Parish        Keating. A History of the Yellow Fever… 1879, p. 87.

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

Carrigan, Jo Ann. The Saffron Scourge: A History of Yellow Fever in Louisiana, 1796-1905 (Doctoral Dissertation). Louisiana State University, LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses, 1961. Accessed 3-11-2018 at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1665&context=gradschool_disstheses

Keating, J. M. A History of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1878 in Memphis, Tenn. Memphis, TN: Howard Association, 1879. Google preview accessed 3-16-2018 at: http://books.google.com/books?id=WEIJAAAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

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

United States Marine-Hospital Service, Treasury Department. Annual Report of the Supervising Surgeon-General of the Marine-Hospital Service of the United States for the Fiscal Year 1895 (Document No. 1811). Washington, DC: GPO, 1896. Google preview accessed 3-16-2018 at:  http://books.google.com/books?id=aTnxAAAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_atb#v=onepage&q&f=false

Blanchard on location.*
Blanchard on date of loss.**
–40-76 Blanchard on death toll***

— 76 Lloyd. Lloyd’s Steamboat Directory and Disasters…Waters. 1856, 266. [Jan 8, 1845]
— 75 Berman, Bruce D. Encyclopedia of American Shipwrecks. 1972, p. 158. [Jan 8, 1845]
— 75 Nash, Jay Robert. Darkest Hours. 1977, p. 680. [Jan 8, 1845]
— 75 House Cmt. on Merchant Marine… “Safety of Life and Property at Sea.” 1935, p246. [Jan 8]
— 74 Bragg. Historic Names and Places on the Lower Miss. River. 1977, 119. [1840s]
— 65 Milwaukie Semi-Weekly Gazette (Milwaukee, WI). Jan 27, 1846, p. 1, col. 3.
— 50 Simonds. The American Date Book. 1902, p. 98. [Jan 8, 1845]
–25-50 Hunter. Steamboats on the Western Rivers. 1994, footnote 5, p. 273. [1845]
— 50 Guernsey Jeffersonian, OH. “Terrible Steamboat Disaster,” 1-8-1846. [Dec 18, 1845]
— <40 Childs 1886, 121. [Jan 8; year not noted] -- >40 Everhart, J. F. History of Muskingum County, Ohio…, 1882, p. 114. [Jan 8, 1845.]
— 40 Gould. Fifty Years on the Mississippi…, 1889, p. 476. [Dec 1845]
— 40 Way’s Packet Directory, 1848-1994: Passenger Steamboats…1994, 46. [Dec 19, 1845]
— 30 Alton Telegraph (IL). Jan 17, 1846. [Not used in our death toll estimate.]
–16-20 Boston Post, MA. “Melancholy steamboat disaster.” 1-5-1846, p. 1. [Dec 19, 1845]
–18-20 Peppler. “The Sinking of the Belle Zane from the History of Muskingum County.” [Dec 19]

*Blanchard on location. It is noted that the Belle Zane snagged 12 miles below the mouth of the White River, or where the White empties into the Mississippi. In that Island No. 75 no longer exists we use a rough reckoning of distance on Google Maps and estimate that this would have been close to where Sanders Lake Bayou is on the Arkansas side and Rosedale on the Mississippi side. In that accounts note survivors were picked up on the Arkansas side, we place the location within the Arkansas side of the Mississippi.

**Blanchard on date of loss: We highlight dates below to show the confusion on the date of loss. It appears to us from newspaper accounts, Peppler and Way’s Packet Directory that the loss was either December 18 or 19, 1845. Apparently the snag took place sometime after midnight, in the early morning hours of Dec 19.

***Blanchard: If we were to use a single number for the death toll, we would use the number 75, based on Berman, Nash and the House of Representatives Hearings on Safety of Life and Property at Sea in 1935. However, since the death toll estimates from the sources we cite cover such a very large range, we choose to fall back on a range of fatalities, ignoring the two sources which place the loss of life at sixteen to twenty or thirty. Given the large number of sources which cite forty or more deaths we choose the range of 40-76.

Narrative Information

Berman: “Belle Zane; sank, Mississippi River, Jan 8, 1845, 75 lives lost.” (Berman 1972, 158)

Bragg: “Island No. 75 was often called Ozark Island, and it originally lay in the middle of the Lower Mississippi. The navigation channel that ran past the island was filled with snags. In the 1840’s the steamboat Belle Zane had a bizarre accident at Island No. 75. The boat hit a snag, and for reasons that were never understood, promptly turned upside down. Of the 90 people on board, contemporary accounts estimated that about 50 made it to the safety of the island. It was a cold, bitter winter night, and when rescuers found the survivors the next morning it was said that only 16 people remained alive.” (Bragg. Historic Names and Places on the Lower Miss. River. “Island No. 75, 1977, 119.)

Childs: “On the night of the 8th of January, the steamboat Belle Zane, while on her way from Zanesville, Ohio, to New Orleans, struck a snag in the Mississippi, and immediately capsized. Of the ninety persons on board, only fifty escaped drowning, and many of those who succeeded in reaching the shore were afterwards frozen to death. Others suffered amputation of their limbs, which were badly frozen.” (Childs 1886, 121)

Everhart: “The ‘Belle Zane’ was built a short time previous [to Muskingum in Zanesville in 1945], and intended for the trade between Zanesville and New Orleans. During the night of January 8th, 1845, twelve miles below the mouth of White River, in the Mississippi, she struck a snag and sunk. Out of Ninety passengers, only fifty escaped drowning, and a number of those who reached the shore froze to death. Munroe Ayers was Captain and David Hahn engineer of the ill-fated boat – they survived.” (Everhart, J. F. History of Muskingum County, Ohio…, 1882, p. 114.)

Gould, from unidentified newspaper account, notes that the accident occurred “…about twelve miles below the mouth of the White River, and [the boat] immediately turned bottom upward.”

Gould goes on to state that “This accident took place in the middle of an exceedingly cold night. Of ninety persons who were on board…only fifty escaped drowning – and many of those who succeeded in reaching the shore were afterwards frozen to death. At the time the boat was snagged, the passengers were all in their berths; those who were able to extricate themselves when the boat suddenly turned over, had scarcely any clothing to protect them from the inclemency of the weather. No situation could be more wretched than that of the people who escaped to the beach, almost naked, unsheltered and drenched with water on a freezing night in December. They remained in this miserable situation for nearly two hours, when the steamboat Diamond came down and took off all who remained alive, sixteen in number. There were five ladies on board, all of whom were saved in the yawl…” (Gould 1889, 476)

Lloyd: “On the eighth of January, 1845, the steamboat Belle Zane, while on her way from Zanesville, Ohio, to New Orleans, struck a snag in the Mississippi, about twelve miles below the mouth of White river, and immediately turned bottom upward! This terrible accident took place in the middle of an exceedingly cold night. Of ninety persons who were on board a moment before the disaster, only fifty escaped drowning—and many of those who succeeded in reaching the shore were afterwards frozen to death. At the time the boat was snagged, the passengers were all in their berths; those who were able to extricate themselves when the boat suddenly turned over, had scarcely any clothing to protect them from the inclemency of the weather. No situation could be more wretched than that of the people who escaped to the beach, almost naked, unsheltered and drenched with water on a freezing night in December. They remained in this miserable situation for nearly two hours, when the steamboat Diamond came down and took off all who remained alive, sixteen in number. There were five ladies on board, all of whom were saved in the yawl. The feet and hands of some of the survivors were so badly frozen that amputation was necessary.

“The following is a list of those who perished, as far as their names could be ascertained:—Dr. Brant, Ohio; Abner Jones, C. Banks, Mrs. Williams, two daughters and a colored slave, Miss. Hettie Frazier and cousin, name unknown, Boston; Edward Bossing and son, Illinois; Mrs. Wilkes and family, consisting of eight persons; seven deck hands, fourteen slaves, and thirty other names unknown. Sixteen bodies were picked up, including four ladies, and buried on the banks of the Mississippi.” (Lloyd. Lloyd’s Steamboat Directory and Disasters on the Western Waters. 1856, pp. 265-266)

Peppler: “The “Belle Zane” was built at the California boat yard on the Monongahela river. The boat was owned at Zanesville and it was a regular packet in the Zanesville and Pittsburg trade, capacity 300 tons. It made a few trips to Cincinnati and to St. Louis. The “Belle Zane” was a fine model and one of the fastest boats at that time. In December, 1845, the boat was loaded at Zanesville with a miscellaneous cargo, consisting of flour, empty molasses barrels to be filled on the Louisiana coast with molasses for the Zanesville wholesale trade. At Marietta there were taken aboard 700 turkeys and a large number of chickens for the New Orleans market. About thirty cattle and 600 bushels of corn were added to the load at Madrid, Mo. The cabin was well filled with passengers and the boat had all the load it could carry. The rivers were very low and there was slow traveling on account of the low stage of water. John Brazure, of Cincinnati, was commander, and the other officers were Zanesville men, viz. Clerk, Edward Matthews; mate, Monroe Ayers; engineers, David Hahn and Joseph Howland. Mr. and Mrs. Charles Bowen and son, and Mr. and Mrs. Wyncoop and son, were passengers from Zanesville. Mr. Bowen was a prominent citizen then engaged in the grocery trade. He had represented the county in the Ohio legislature. Mr. Wyncoop was also a well-known citizen. Many friends were at the landing when the boat lines were handed in and a large crowd were at the lock and remained waiting until the boat passed around the bend below Moxahala.

“On the 17th, four sunken boats were seen that had been snagged. The night of the 18th and morning of the 19th of December the weather was very cold, the thermometer was near zero, and ice was rapidly forming. At two o’clock in the morning, soon after the first watch had left their places, there came a crash, a heavy shock, and the boat turned on its side; the boilers rolled into the river. A snag was struck, and the boat was sinking. The roof floated off, with Victor Fell, of Zanesville, on it. He was saved. David Hahn, Monroe Ayers and another man made a raft of the gang-plank and went ashore, and ran down the shore a distance and found a yawl, which they took and made for the boat, and commenced rescuing the passengers. When the snag was struck and the boat careened, there were a number drowned, and among their number were Mr. and Mrs. Bowen and their son. The crew of the boat worked like heroes. The cabin broke loose from the hull, and floated down the river several miles, with human beings clinging on the wreck. Mrs. Wyncoop and her son were rescued about two miles from the place of the disaster. Others were taken off as rapidly as the men in the yawl could relieve them. Robert Burns, of Cincinnati, a steamboat engineer, froze to death.

“Miss Jane Conner was without shoes when taken off the wreck. One of the engineers pulled off his and gave them to her.

“There were no other Zanesville people lost except the Bowen family. Their bodies were never found. The passengers and crew that escaped found shelter in the negro huts on the shore.

“The cabin floated as far as Island 74, where it struck the ground; the people yet clinging to it were saved. Mr. Wyncoop was rescued at this place. From all obtainable information, eighteen or twenty passengers were lost, but all the crew escaped. The citizens of Napoleon, which town has itself been washed away by the “Father of Waters,” had a social, and raised many things for the unfortunate victims of the wreck. Some of them went to New Orleans, others took passage for home. Mr. and Mrs. Wyncoop and son went to Vicksburg.” (Peppler, Jane. “The Sinking of the Belle Zane from the History of Muskingum County.”)

Simonds: “1845, Jan. 8, Belle Zane capsizes in Mississippi River, 50 drowned…” (Simonds, W. E. The American Date Book, p. 98.)

Way: “Belle Zane…Zanesville, Oh., [built] 1844. 128 tons….that December she loaded out for New Orleans and 12 miles below White River was snagged. Turned bottom –side up, night of December 19, 1845. The death toll was placed at 40 lives. Many of the bodies were buried along the river bank.” (Way’s Packet Directory, 1848-1994…Steamboats…Miss. River System…(Rev. Ed.). 1994, 46.)
Newspapers

Jan 5, 1846, Boston Post: “Melancholy steamboat disaster. — The steamer Diamond, Capt. M’Connell, which arrived in port last evening [Dec 23, 1845], reports that at about 1½ o’clock on the morning of the 19th ult., the steamer Belle Zane, Capt. Braxier, from Pittsburg, bound to this port [New Orleans], struck a snag 12 miles below the mouth of White river, and immediately sunk, the cabin separating from the hull. The Diamond took on board, at two points on the Arkansas side, sixteen of the persons who had been on the Belle Zane, and carried them to Napoleon, where the remainder of those saved, who were landed on the Arkansas side, were assembled. They represented that the passengers and crew numbered ninety persons, and that over fifty of them were saved. The greater number of the passengers were asleep at the time the accident occurred, and unable to secure even their clothes, and had only such covering as they could draw from the cabin after it had separated from the hull. The night being very cold, many who reached the shore died after having been landed, from the effects of their exposure.

“The following are the only names of those which were lost that had been ascertained: Mr. Brower, lad and child, of Zanesville, Ohio, and Robert Rymes, of Newport, Ky., who died after reaching the shore. The captain and crew all landed safely. The Diamond brought down a number of passengers, and landed them at various points on the river….

“The latest accounts of this melancholy disaster lead us to suppose that the number of persons who were drowned or died from exposure, is from sixteen to twenty. — N. O. Bulletin, Dec. 24.” (Boston Post, MA. “Melancholy steamboat disaster.” 1-5-1846, p. 1.)

Jan 8, 1846, Guernsey Jeffersonian: “From N.O. [New Orleans] Picayune. Great Loss of Life. – From the officers of the Diamond, arrived yesterday, we learn that, on the night of the 18th inst., the steamboat Belle Zane, Capt. Brazier, while on her way from Zanesville, Ohio, to this city, struck a snag about 12 miles below the mouth of White river, on the Mississippi and immediately turned bottom up. It was about 12 o’clock when the accident occurred, and the night was bitter cold. Out of some 90 souls on board at the time, upwards of 50 perished by this terrible accident – some of the unfortunate victims only escaping being drowned to freeze to death after reaching the shore. At the time of the disaster, of course, the passengers were all asleep in their berths, so suddenly did the boat careen and go over that such as made out to release themselves were only able to snatch a blanket on counterpane from their beds; they had no time to save, much less put on their clothing.

“The Diamond came a short time after the accident, and discovered the wreck of the Belle Zane bottom up. The officers of the former boat picked up sixteen of the passengers of the latter at two different points on the Arkansas side. The unfortunates, after suffering incredibly from the cold, were finally landed at Napoleon, where the balance of those saved on the Arkansas side had previously assembled. It seems that immediately after the accident, the cabin separated from the hull, on which those who were saved floated….” (Guernsey Jeffersonian (Washington, OH). “Terrible Steamboat Disaster,” Jan 8, 1846, p. 3.)

Jan 17, 1846, Alton Telegraph: “But few additional particulars in relation of the loss of the steamer Belle Zane, have reached us…It seems that she was owned in Zanesville, Ohio; and among those who perished was a Mr. Bower, of that place, his lady, and one or more children, who were all drowned in the cabin. The number of lives lost, does not, it is now supposed, exceed thirty. No blame is attached to the Captain or other officers on account of the accident.” (Alton Telegraph (IL). Jan 17, 1846.)

Jan 27, 1846, Milwaukee Semi-Weekly Gazette: “The passengers on board the steam-boat Belle Zane have published a card in the New Orleans papers, in which they express the opinion that about sixty-five persons perished by the sinking of that boat. There were one hundred and twenty-five persons on board at the time of the accident; and of that number sixty-four reached the shore, four of whom were frozen to death.” (Milwaukie Semi-Weekly Gazette, WI. Jan 27, 1846, p. 1, col. 3.)

Sources

Alton Telegraph & Democratic Review. [Belle Zane] 1-17-1846, p. 2. Accessed 8-9-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/alton-telegraph-jan-17-1846-p-2/

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

Boston Post, MA. “Melancholy steamboat disaster.” 1-5-1846, p. 1, col. 6 bottom. Accessed 8-9-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/boston-post-jan-05-1846-p-1/

Bragg, Marion. Historic Names and Places on the Lower Mississippi River. Vicksburg, MS: Mississippi River Commission, 1977. Accessed at: http://www.mvn.usace.army.mil/pao/history/MRnames/MissRiverNames.htm > Also at:
http://www.mvd.usace.army.mil/Portals/52/docs/MRC/MRnames%28Intro-end_final2%29.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

Everhart, J. F. History of Muskingum County, Ohio, with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Prominent Men and Pioneers. Columbus, OH: J.F. Everhart & Co., 1882. Accessed 8-9-2020 at: https://www.google.com/books/edition/History_of_Muskingum_County_Ohio/237HDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=belle%20zane

Gould, E. W. Fifty Years on the Mississippi; or, Gould’s History of River Navigation. St. Louis: Nixon-Jones Printing Co., 1889, 750 pages. Digitized by Google. Accessed 2008 at: http://books.google.com/books?id=udyywXOVBvsC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

Guernsey Jeffersonian, Washington, OH. “Terrible Steamboat Disaster,” 1-8-1846, p. 3. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=6389067

House of Representatives. Hearings Before the Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries, United States Congress (74th Congress, 1st Session). “Safety of Life and Property as 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

Hunter, Louis C. and Beatrice J. Steamboats on the Western Rivers: An Economic and Technological History. NY: Dover Publications, Inc., 994, 684 pages.

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

Milwaukie Semi-Weekly Gazette, Milwaukee, WI. [Belle Zane] Jan 27, 1846, p. 1, col. 3. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=33449147

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.

Peppler, Jane. “The Sinking of the Belle Zane from the History of Muskingum County.” Accessed 8-9-2020 at: http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~peppler/genealogy/belle.html

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

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 Edition). Athens OH: Ohio University Press, 1994-1999.

— 25 Blanchard estimated death-toll.*

–20-30 Madison Express, WI. “The steamer Lady Madison.” 11-20-1845, p. 2.
— 25 Berman, Bruce D. Encyclopedia of American Shipwrecks. 1972, p. 259.
— 25 Lytle and Holdcamper. Merchant Steam Vessels of the [U.S.] 1807-1868. 1952, p. 227.
— 25 Nash, Jay Robert. Darkest Hours. 1977, p. 680.
— 25 Twaintimes. “1835-1845.”
— 25 Way’s Packet Directory, 1848-1994: Passenger Steamboats…[MS Riv. Sys.]…1999, 276.
— 20 Burlington Hawk-Eye, IA. “Steamboat Collision.” 11-6-1845, p. 2.
— 20 Milwaukee Daily Gazette, WI. “Steam Boat Collision on the Ohio.” 11-8-1845, p. 2.
— >20 Niles’ National Register (Vol. LXIX). Sep 1945-Mar 1846, p. 160.

*Blanchard estimated death-toll. While it is possible that more than 25 died, as the Madison Express reported on Nov 20, noting a possible 20-30 deaths, we choose to rely on subsequent accounts such as Berman, Lytle and Holdcamper, and Way, all of whom put death toll at 25.

Narrative Information

Lytle and Holdcamper: “Plymouth…150 [tons]…collided [footnote: with Lady Madison]…10-27-1845…Shawneetown, Ill. …25 [lives lost].”

Way: Lady Madison: “Collided at Shawneetown, Ill., with the Plymouth on Oct. 27, 1845, resulting in the loss of eh latter and life-loss of 25 persons.” (Way 1999, p. 276.

Newspapers

Nov 6: “On Monday night, the 27th ult., the Lady Madison ran into the Plymouth near Shawneetown. The Plymouth sank in a few minutes causing the death of twenty persons, mostly German emigrants – deck passengers – who jumped overboard. The night is said to have been perfectly clear, and the collision is attributed to the carelessness and negligence of the officers of the Lady Madison. The pilot is supposed by some to have been drunk. The Plymouth was cut clear through and sunk to the boiler deck….” (Burlington Hawk-Eye, IA. “Steamboat Collision.” 11-6- 1845, p. 2.)

Nov 8: “Steam Boat Collision on the Ohio, near Shawneetown, Illinois – Twenty Lives Lost.

“The Steamer Plymouth was bound for St. Louis on the 27th ult., with a full cargo, 250 tons of merchandise, some 70 deck passengers and a large number in the cabins when the collision occurred about 10 o’clock between her and the Lady Madison, the former sinking. The entire blame is laid upon the officers of the Madison. We extract the following statement from the St. Louis Republican:

The captain of the Madison was not upon deck at the time, but came running up in his shirt sleeves. The Plymouth had lost all headway, and the Madison’s engines were not stopped until within a length of the P. She struck just at the forward hatch, cutting her clear through. Capt. J. begged the Madison to hold on, as they could do no more harm, and run them ashore; but the Madison backed off and the Plymouth sunk immediately, up to the boiler deck. The captain rushed aft to restrain the passengers, but many in their fright had gone over, and the boat filled so rapidly that no time was left for reflection. It was about twelve or fifteen minutes before the Madison came up again, and then backed up, crushing the ladies’ cabin; many sprang from the hurricane deck of the Plymouth to the Madison and fell upon the wheel, receiving broken ribs and severe bruises as the consequence. The panic was extreme, and the screams of the unfortunate sufferers most horrific. It is supposed that 25 or 30 are missing. One whole family is gone. One poor woman saved two other women and one child, but lost her own husband and one child. Another lost all her family. The deck passengers who were saved lost all their property – many of them were even barefooted. No cabin passengers were lost.

“….The Lady Madison returned to this place, bringing the officers, crew and passengers. The latter have drawn up a statement fully exonerating the officers of the Plymouth from all culpability, and complimenting for their exemplary conduct in the hour of danger….” (Milwaukee Daily Gazette, WI. “Steam Boat Collision on the Ohio.” 11-8-1845, p. 2.)

Nov 20: “The steamer Lady Madison ran into the Plymouth, on the 27th ult., six miles above Shawneetown, and sunk the latter immediately. From the statements of both papers and passengers, the conclusion is inevitable that the collision was the result of design on the part of the Lady Madison. Between twenty and thirty deck passengers, mostly German emigrants, lost their lives by jumping into the river. The pilot and captain of the Madison should be indicted and tried for willful murder; and if the testimony should corroborate the statements of the press, no doubt can exist but that they will be convicted. There was insurance on the Plymouth of $7000. The boat and cargo are a total loss. Many of the passengers lost their all, and are left in a very destitute condition. – Alton Tel.” (Madison Express, WI. “The steamer Lady Madison.” 11-20-1845, p. 2.)

Sources

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

Burlington Hawk-Eye, IA. “Steamboat Collision” [Plymouth and Lady Madison]. 11-6-1845, p. 2. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=136908252

Lytle, William M., compiler, from Official Merchant Marine Documents of the United States and Other Sources; Holdcamper, Forrest H. (Editor, and Introduction by). Merchant Steam Vessels of the United States 1807-1868. “The Lytle List.” Mystic, CT: Steamship Historical Society of America (Publication No. 6), 1952. Accessed 8-16-2020 at:
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015018039084&view=1up&seq=8&size=125

Madison Express, WI. “The Steamer Lady Madison.” 11-20-1845, p. 2. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=33336395

Milwaukee Daily Gazette, WI. “Steam Boat Collision on the Ohio.” 11-8-1845, p. 2. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=33405512

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.

Niles’ National Register (Vol. LXIX). Sep 1845-Mar 1846. Accessed 9-25-2020 at: http://books.google.com/books?id=XHwFAAAAQAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

Twaintimes – A Time Line of Events in the Life of Samuel Langhorne Clemens – Mark Twain. Accessed 11-16-2008 at: http://twaintimes.net/page2.html

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.

— >35 Erwin and Erwin. Steamboat Disasters of the Lower Missouri River. 2020, pp. 50-51.
— >35 Way. Way’s Packet Directory, 1848-1994. 1994, p. 53.
–20-30 Indiana Palladium, Vevay, IN. “Another Steamboat Explosion.” 8-2-1845, p. 2.
— ? Lloyd. Lloyd’s Steamboat Directory and Disasters on the Western Waters. 1856, p. 284.

Blanchard note on date: We highlight in yellow differing dates as to this event, which according to a letter from the boat’s clerk, dated July 23, 1845, leads us to believe this was the date of loss.

Blanchard note on fatalities: While the highest fatality estimate we have seen in the press reporting of the time (which we are able to access) was 20-30, we use > (over) 35 given that the town of Hermann paid to have an obelisk monument created and placed in a cemetery commemorating the deaths of thirty-five unnamed people in a mass grave at the cite. We presume there were additional deaths due to the explosion and scalding. The reporting at the time noted a number of named fatalities, and we presume one or more of these were not buried in the mass grave for unidentified victims, but were sent to their homes.

Narrative Information

Erwin and Erwin: “The Big Hatchie was one of the few stern-wheelers operating on the Missouri River in 1845. It left St. Louis on July 21 bound for St. Joseph under the command of Captain Roswell R. Frisbee. In addition to freight and a few cabin passengers, it had many German immigrants on board as deck passengers. At 1:00 a.m. on July 23, the Big Hatchie pushed off from the landing at Hermann. Suddenly, it was ripped by an explosion that decimated the forward cabin of the boat and poured steam throughout the main deck. The details are sketchy, but evidently, at least five crew members and cabin passengers were killed instantly. Of those who were identified, another seventeen were scalded, seven of them seriously. Captain Frisbee was standing on the hurricane deck at the time of the explosion. Despite being hurled over the pilothouse, he escaped injury. Many of the German deck passengers were killed, either scalded to death or blown into the river. Because the ship’s books were destroyed in the blast, it was impossible to determine how many were killed in the accident.

“The remains of the boat drifted two miles downriver, where it stayed until it was towed back to Hermann by the Wapello. The Wapello took some of the wounded to St. Louis. The Big Hatchie did not sink. It was apparently rebuilt, because Way’s Packet Directory says it was sold to the U.S. government in 1846.

“The newspapers were incensed by the disaster and called for an investigation to punish the responsible parties. Captain Frisbee was charged in federal court with misconduct and neglect under the Steamboat Act of 1838. At trial, the government tried to prove that Frisbee employed an incompetent engineer, Barry Mohan, who allowed too much steam into the boilers as the vessel was leaving the landing. However, the evidence showed that Mohan had built and repaired steam engines for several years and served on the river under one o f the most respected engineers on the Mississippi. He was described as ‘steady, sober, industrious and careful.’ Several citizens of Memphis, Frisbee’s hometown, sent a petition describing the captain as a skillful and cautious commander.

“As for the cause of the disaster, an examination of the boiler that exploded revealed that it had an internal crack not visible from the outside that went nearly all the way around it. In some places, the crack was one-eighth of an inch deep. Captain Frisbee was acquitted.

“The citizens of Hermann erected a memorial to thirty-five unidentified victims of the blast buried in a mass grave at the top of the hill in the town’s cemetery. Curiously, the inscription gives the date of the explosion as 1842 instead of 1845. It still stands (although it was replaced by an identical marker in later years).”

On page 51 there is a photo of the memorial by the authors. Their caption reads “This obelisk commemorates the thirty-five German immigrants who died on the Big Hatchie and were buried in an unmarked grave. The disaster occurred in 1845, not 1842, as inscribed on the memorial.”

The photo of the obelisk is readable and does not indicate the thirty-five unidentified fatalities were German immigrants, though we can see how that could be inferred from the phrase “early pioneers.” The inscription is:

In memory of the early pioneers who perished in the explosion of the steamboat “Big Hatchie” at the wharf at Hermann in 1842. The thirty-five dead that lie buried here in unmarked graves and the many whose bodies were never recovered from the waters of the Missouri River.

(Erwin and Erwin. Steamboat Disasters of the Lower Missouri River. 2020, pp. 50-52.)

Lloyd: “Big Hatchie. – The steamboat Big Hatchie exploded one of her boilers at Harmon’s Landing, 100 miles above St. Louis, on the Mississippi [Missouri], July 25, 1845. A passenger, named Hoyle, was instantly killed, and a sone of Mr. Ludlow, Manager of St. Charles Theatre, New Orleans, mortally wounded. Several other persons, names unknown, are supposed to have been killed.” (Lloyd. Lloyd’s Steamboat Directory and Disasters on the Western Waters. 1856, p. 284.)

Way: Sternwheeler, built in Pittsburgh, PA in 1844, at 195 tons. “Today (1977) in the Protestant Cemetery, Hermann, Mo., is a three foot column surmounted by a sundial. Inscribed thereon: ‘In memory of the early pioneers who perished in the explosion of the steamboat Big Hatchie at the wharf at Hermann in 1842, the thirty-five dead that lie buried here in unidentified graves and the many whose bodies were never recovered from the waters of the Missouri River.” The explosion happened on July 25, 1845 (not 1842), and apparently the boat survived, inasmuch as Customs records show she was turned over to the U.S. War Department in 1846.” (Way, Frederick Jr. (Author/Compiler), Joseph W. Rutter (contributor). Way’s Packet Directory, 1848-1994, p. 53.)

Newspapers

July 23: “On leaving at one o’clock this morning, the starboard boiler exploded, forcing itself overboard, forward, the steam discharging abaft, carrying away the main cabin and staterooms as far abaft as the ladies’ cabin, and displacing the larboard boiler three or four feet from its bed, and scalding some twenty-tree of the passengers and crew, of which Mr. L. Hoyle, of St. Louis, Bernard Mahan, first engineer, and James Youngson, first steward, are now dead; and Solomon Carver, second engineer, Noah Ludlow, third engineer, the first and second cook, and Mr. O. Strange Titus, are expected to live but a short time. The remainder not seriously injured. The wreck floated below the landing about two miles before it could be landed. Yours, respectfully, James Mellon, Clerk.’”
(Weekly National Intelligencer, Washington. “Extract of a Letter dated Herman, July 23d.” 8-9-1845, p. 1.)

July 23: “From the St. Louis New Era of July 25.

“On the morning of the 23d instant, the steamer Big Hatchee, Capt. Frisbee, bound from this place to Weston, bursted her starboard boiler as she was shoving out from the landing at Herman.

“The explosion scalded some twenty or thirty persons; five or six were killed; among the number was Mr. Lawrence Hoyle, of this city, and the first and second engineers of the boat; the third engineer, a son of Mr. Ludlow of this city, was badly scalded….

“The Big Hatchee is said to have suffered severely, having nearly all the forward part of her cabin blown off. At the time of the accident she had not made more than one or two revolutions with her wheels. There were but a small number of passengers in the cabin, but they numbered between forty and fifty on deck, and fortunately for them it was that the engine-room was filled with lumber, which prevented the steam and water from reaching as far back and doing the mischief it would otherwise have done. The number killed and missing cannot be correctly ascertained, as the passenger-book in which the names of those on deck were registered was lost….” (Weekly National Intelligencer, Washington. “Steamboat Disaster on the Missouri.” 8-9-1845, p. 1.)

Aug 2: “The St. Louis papers received last evening, bring us the painful particulars of another steamboat explosion on the Missouri river, attended by serious loss of life and great suffering. It appears that the steamer Big Hatchee, Capt. Frisbee, bound from St. Louis to St. Joseph’s, with about 40 or 50 passengers, in backing out from the landing at a place called Herman, on the morning of the 23d ult., exploded her starboard boiler, with a loud report, moving it out of its place, passing aft through the cabin floor, and up through the hurricane deck, overboard, and into the river by the wheelhouse – making a perfect wreck of the boat above the lower deck a far back as the ladies’ cabin, and spreading death and desolation amongst the passengers. The St. Louis Republican furnishes the following account of the result of the explosion.

The number of killed and scalded is not yet ascertained. The first engineer, named Barney Mohan, of St. Louis, was killed instantly. The skull of a man was found on board, and there are several others supposed to be killed, but we have not yet heard any definite account from the Clerk’s register. The following are badly wounded: Solomon Carver, second engineer, supposed to be dying; Patrick Carrigan, fireman, from Ireland; Arthur Neal, Callaway co., passenger; Thompson Gaines, Saline Co., Mo., passenger; Harman Spellman, of Germany, fireman; John Ryan, of Ireland, fireman; John Hammonds, of Van Buren co., Mo., passenger; John Barbee, of Bath county, Ky., passenger; ____ Pullam, passenger; Mr. Bolivar Foster, Callaway county, Mo., passenger, badly scalded; Robert Carter, of Osage county, Mo., passenger, badly scalded. All of thee are dangerously scalded – some appear to be dying.

The following are slightly scalded: E. Strange Titus, Warren co., Pa., passenger; Geo. Carrico, and wife, of Carroll co., Mo., very slightly scalded; also a back boy belonging to the same; Thos. Pearce, of Boone c., Mo., passenger; Cornelius McGiniss, Mason co., Ky., passenger, slightly hurt; E. W. Richardson, fireman, Summit co., Ohio; Mrs. Amelia Sperry, Fort Leavenworth, Mo.; very slightly scalded; ____ Tunis, place of residence not known….

A number of persons have not, as yet, been heard of. There are about seven still on the wreck, who were so badly hurt that it was not thought advisable to bring them to town, and are not included in this list. Those who have been named were conveyed to town this morning, and are now receiving every assistance in the power of the citizens to render them. After the accident the boat floated down the river, about two and a half miles, before in could be made fast to the shore. A great part of the deck load has been swept into the river – the hull appears to be in a sound condition.

P.S. Lawrence Hoyle, of St. Louis, is among the dead. Noah Ludlow, of St. Louis, third engineer, badly scalded.”

(American Republican and Baltimore Clipper, MD. “Terrible Steamboat Explosion.” 8-2-1845, 4.)

Aug 2: “We learn by passengers on board the steamer Orpheus, from St. Louis, that the steamboat Big Hatchee blew up at Harman, on the Missouri river, on the 22nd inst. She had landed for a load of lumber, and when in the act of shoving out from the above place, she blew up, killed some twenty or thirty persons. No further particulars when the steamboat Orpheus left.” (Indiana Palladium, Vevay, IN. “Another Steamboat Explosion.” 8-2-1845, p. 2.)

Aug 4: “The steamer Big Hatchee, Capt. Frisbie, on leaving her landing at Herman on the 23d ult., for the Missouri river, burst her starboard boiler…the steam discharging itself aloft, carrying away the main cabin as far aft as the ladies cabin…The number of killed and scalded is not yet ascertain. The first engineer, named Barney Mohan, of St. Louis, was killed instantly killed….

“Since the above was in type we have the following: …. The larboard boiler was displaced by the explosion some two or three feet from its bed. Lawrence Hoyle, of St. Louis…and James Youngson, first steward, were instantly killed. Two firemen and one deck hand are missing… — St. Louis Reveille.” (Boston Post. “A Disastrous Explosion.” 8-4-1845, p. 2.)

Aug 9: “The steamer Big Hatchee, a Pittsburgh Boat owned and commanded by Capt. Rosal Frisbee, burst her starboard boiler in leaving Herman, about 100 miles above St. Louis, on the Missouri river on the 23d, at one A.M. The boiler was thrown aft, through the cabin floor, and up through the hurricane deck, overboard, and into the river by the wheelhouse – making a perfect wreck of the boat above the lower deck as far back as the ladies’ cabin, and spreading death and desolation amongst the passengers.

“The number of killed and scalded is about twenty-three.” (Columbia Democrat, Bloomsburg, PA. “Dreadful Steamboat Accident.” 8-9-1845, p. 2.)

Aug 16: “The St. Louis Republican states that legal proceedings have been instituted against Captain Frisbee, of the steamboat Big Hatchee, growing out of the terrible disaster and loss of life which befell that vessel some three weeks since. He have bonds yesterday for his appearance.” (Brooklyn Eagle, NY. “The Big Hatchee.” 8-16-1845, p. 2.)

“Sep 20: “Capt. Frisbee, the late commander of the unfortunate steamboat ‘Big Hatchee,’ which blew up at Herman’s Landing, Mo., has, after a thorough investigation at St. Louis, been exculpated from all blame in the matter of the explosion.” (The Telegraph, Logansport, IN. 9-20-1845, p. 2, col. 2.)

Sources

American Republican and Baltimore Clipper, MD. “Terrible Steamboat Explosion.” 8-2-1845, p. 4. Accessed 8-10-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/baltimore-american-republican-and-daily-clipper-aug-02-1845-p-4/

Boston Post. “A Disastrous Explosion.” 8-4-1845, p. 2. Accessed 8-10-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/boston-post-aug-04-1845-p-2/

Brooklyn Eagle, NY. “The Big Hatchee.” 8-16-1845, p. 2. Accessed 8-10-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/brooklyn-eagle-and-kings-county-democrat-aug-16-1845-p-2/

Columbia Democrat, Bloomsburg, PA. “Dreadful Steamboat Accident.” 8-9-1845, p. 2. Accessed 8-10-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/bloomsburg-democrat-aug-09-1845-p-2/

Erwin, Vicki Berger and James Erwin. Steamboat Disasters of the Lower Missouri River. Charleston, SC: The History Press, 2020. Google preview accessed 8-10-2020 at: https://www.google.com/books/edition/Steamboat_Disasters_of_the_Lower_Missour/OcHDDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=steamboat+big+hatchie+explosion&pg=PA50&printsec=frontcover

Indiana Palladium, Vevay, IN. “Another Steamboat Explosion.” 8-2-1845, p. 2. Accessed 8-10-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/vevay-indiana-palladium-aug-02-1845-p-2

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

The Telegraph, Logansport, IN. 9-20-1845, p. 2. Accessed 8-10-2020 at:
https://newspaperarchive.com/logansport-telegraph-sep-20-1845-p-2/

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 Edition). Athens OH: Ohio University Press, 1994-1999.

Weekly National Intelligencer, Washington. “Extract of a Letter dated Herman, July 23d.” 8-9-1845, p. 1. Accessed 8-10-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/weekly-national-intelligencer-aug-09-1845-p-1/

Weekly National Intelligencer, Washington. “Steamboat Disaster on the Missouri.” 8-9-1845, p. 1. Accessed 8-10-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/weekly-national-intelligencer-aug-09-1845-p-1/

–17-30 Blanchard estimated death toll.*

— ~50 Childs. A History of the U.S. In Chronological Order…1492…to…1885. 1886, p. 121.
— 50 Simonds. The American Date Book. 1902, p. 98.
— 48 Lloyd’s Steamboat Directory and Disasters on the Western Waters. 1856, p. 157.
— 30 Fisher/McCord. “Steamboat Explosions…Fifty-Five Years.” In Scharf 1883, p. 1108.
— 30 Gould. Fifty Years on the Mississippi. “Steamboat explosions for 50 years.” 1889, p437.
–25-30 Louisville Morning Courier…American Democrat. “Dreadful Steamboat Disaster.” 7-10-1845.
— 9 named as dead or missing.
— 17 Louisville Morning Courier…American Democrat. “Explosion of the Marquette.” 7-12-1845.*
–10-15 Adams Sentinel, Gettysburg, PA. “Dreadful Steamboat Explosion!” July 14, 1845, p. 3.
— 13 Berman, Bruce D. Encyclopedia of American Shipwrecks. 1972, p. 180.
— 13 Lytle and Holdcamper. Merchant Steam Vessels of the [U.S.] 1807-1868. 1952, p. 224.
— 13 US Patent Office. Report of the Commissioner…on…steam boiler explosions. 1848, 61.

* Blanchard estimated death toll. While the sources we note show a range of ten to fifty (not all sources reviewed are used, and thus not cited), we choose to show our own range of seventeen to thirty. For the low end of our range (17) we follow the two articles we cite in the Louisville Morning Courier, which, between the two, note seventeen deaths. For the high end of our estimated death-toll range we follow Fisher and McCord in Scharf, Gould and the high-end of the 25-30 noted as an estimated death toll (without details) in the Louisville Morning Courier (citing the New Orleans Picayune). While there may have been fewer deaths, such as the thirteen noted by Lytle and Holdcamper, we are doubtful. As some accounts have noted, some deck passengers had just boarded and their names not taken. It is possible for people to be blown overboard and their bodies carried downstream and either not discovered or not known to be connected to this event. Additionally, seventeen specific deaths are noted, along with the names of four other men whom were not expected to live.

We have seen other accounts, usually in tables, that note thirty deaths for this explosion, which we have not cited, thus there appears to be good reason to suppose there may have been up to thirty deaths. Given our inability to uncover the names of other fatalities, we are uncomfortable in using 48 or 50 deaths in our own estimate. We have not been able to verify, via detail, even the thirty deaths we show, much less more than that.

*17 Louisville Morning Courier. This number is ours. We counted the number of deaths newly reported from injured list and added to the nine noted in the July 10 edition, to derive seventeen.

Narrative Information

Childs: “As the steamboat Marquette was leaving her wharf at New Orleans, on the 1st of July, all her boilers exploded simultaneously, killing about fifty persons.” (Childs 1886, p. 121.)

Fisher and McCord in Scharf: “1845…Marquette…30 [lives lost].” (“Steamboat Explosions For Fifty-Five Years.”)

Lloyd: “Between four and five o’clock, in the afternoon of July 1st, 1846, the steamer Marquette, Capt. Turpin, was about leaving the wharf at New Orleans. Her last bell had rung, and the hands had begun to cast off the moorings, when it was ascertained that the cook was on shore. The boat waited for him about fifteen minutes, during which time no steam was blown off, or passed through the cylinders. The cook having arrived, the steamer began to back out from the wharf, and when the paddle-wheels had made three or four revolutions, all the boilers ex¬ploded simultaneously, producing a sound which was heard in the most distant parts of the city. The pilot, Mr. Frederick Ostrander, who was at the wheel, was blown to a considerable distance, and fell on the hur-ricane deck of the steamer Yazoo City. One of his thighs was dislo¬cated and his hip broken by the fall. It is mentioned as a remarkable circumstance, that Mr. Ostrander’s hat was blown in an opposite direc¬tion, and fell on another boat. The pilot house which this gentleman had occupied, after ascending to a great height, came down on the fore¬castle of the steamer James Pitcher, occasioning some damage to that vessel. The wheel, (or a part of the steering apparatus,) which Mr. Os-trander held at the time of the explosion, appears to have been anni¬hilated, as not the smallest fragment of it could be found afterwards. Mr. Powell, the second pilot, who was sitting on the boiler-deck, read¬ing a newspaper, was never seen after the explosion. The cook was cut in two by a piece of the boiler; one part of his body was blown for¬ward near the jack-staff, and the other part remained near the machinery. Capt. Turpin himself received an injury in the thighs but was still active in affording his assistance…

“B. M. Martin, of the Belle Poule, was wounded by a piece of the boiler, and died a few hours after. At least forty-five others were killed, and comparatively few of their names, (as usual in such cases,) are on record. The universal excitement and consternation which prevail on board of the vessel where an explosion takes place, renders an accurate statement of particulars almost impossible. After the explosion, the boat drifted a short distance down the stream and sunk. All the cargo was lost….” (Lloyd 1856, pp. 157-158.)

Lytle and Holdcamper: “Marquette…126 [tons]…exploded…7 1 1845 [built 1842]…New Orleans, La., 13 [lives lost].” (Merchant Steam Vessels of the [U.S.] 1807-1868. 1952, p. 224.)

US Patent Office Commissioner: “Marquette, July 1, 1845, burst her boiler while backing out, the wheels having made only one revolution. The force of the steam went directly up. Thirteen persons were killed and 7 wounded.” (United States Patent Office. Report of the Commissioner of Patents, to the Senate of the United States, on the subject of steam boiler explosions. 1848, p. 61.)

Newspaper

July 2: “We copy the following particulars of a dreadful steamboat explosion, from the New Orleans Bee of the 2d inst.:

“Yesterday afternoon, about 4 o’clock, as the steamer Marquette, Capt. E. A. Turpin, bound for Cincinnati, was leaving the Levee, at the foot of Gravier Street, both of her boilers bursted, with a tremendous report, tearing into fragments her boiler deck, and cabin as far aft as the wheel-house on the larboard(sic)side, and throwing her chimneys into the river, and blowing into the air her boilers and everything above them, and killing and wounding between 30 and 40 of the passengers and crew. Immediately after the explosion, the boat sunk to her guards at the bow, and over the floor of the ladies’ cabin at the stern. At the moment of the explosion, Capt. Turpin had just given the word to go-ahead, and was walking aft on the hurricane deck to see that her stern was clear, when after one or two revolutions of the wheels he was thrown about ten feet in the air, and fell on the deck about the same distance aft, escaping with a slight bruise on the leg.

“….The number of persons standing on the boiler deck is variously estimated at from 10 to 15, among whom were several cabin passengers – they were all blown to the height of 150 or 200 feet in the air, some with their limbs rent asunder, and all of them falling into the river without exhibiting any signs of life, and sinking to the bottom instantly. The clerk and bar-keeper were in their rooms, which were blown overboard – their bodies have not yet been discovered.

“The number of deck passengers and of the crew killed, wounded and missing, is, as near as we can ascertain, between 25 and 30….

“….The following, as far as we could learn, is a list of those dead, missing and wounded.

“Dead

Samuel Hays, first engineer, (died upon arrival at the Hospital)
James Coleman, deck hand, (both legs blown off)
a white man (name unknown) whose head was completely severed from his body
a man (name unknown) who died on his way to the Hospital
a deck hand, name unknown

“Missing
J. F. Lee, clerk and
John Orrick, bar-keeper, both from Greensborough, Alabama
______Powell, pilot and
______Hazzard, second engineer

“Scalded and Wounded

William B. Daniels, of Massachusetts, very badly scalded
John Hazet, Providence, (R.I.), leg broken and badly scalded
John L. Dornaus, ribs broken and badly scalded
Andrew Froy, (carpenter) New Orleans, wife and two children. Froy was wounded in the
head, though not dangerously; his wife wounded in the arm and slightly scalded, and both the children badly scalded.
Christopher Gueydan, of France, slightly scalded
Francois Laglaise, of France, wounded in the head, not dangerously
Bernard Osborne, (boy) of Indiana, badly scalded
John Grayham, (boy) leg broken and badly scalded – dangerous
John Milton, of New Albany, (IN) badly scalded
William Ramsey, of Alabama, wounded on head and slightly scalded
Neal Harkins, of Ireland, severely hurt on shoulder
Hannibal, third engineer (slave of Captain Turpin), severely scalded
three persons, names unknown, badly scalded

“The above wounded, were conveyed to the Charity Hospital – the greater portion of them are not expected to recover….

“The Marquette was a two boiler boat, and had been running during the past winter from Mobile up the Alabama River, in the cotton trade. She was about a year old…

“The wreck which, from its buoyancy floated, was towed across to the ship yard last evening, by the steamers South Western and Geneva.” (Louisville Morning Courier and American Democrat. “Dreadful Steamboat Disaster.” 7-10-1845.)

July 12: “Explosion of the Marquette.”

“New Orleans, La., Saturday 12 July 1845.

“We copy the following paragraphs from the N.O. Picayune of the dead:

“The Catastrophe of Tuesday — o the victims of Tuesday’s catastrophe, of which we made a report in our preceding number, we have to add the following, who died of their wounds on Thursday night and yesterday in the Charity Hospital:

John Hazzard, 2nd engineer [previously noted as missing]
Hannibal, black man, 3d engineer [previously noted as slave of captain severely scalded]
William Ramsey, of Alabama [previously listed as wounded]
John Melton, of New Albany, IN [not previously noted as among the injured]
two men, names unknown
Bernard Osborne, a boy about twelve years old [noted as severely scalded earlier]
Margaret Troy, five years old [two children of a Mr. “Froy” previously noted as scalded]
Mary Ann Troy.

“The following are in so dangerous a condition that it is feared they will be soon added to the morgue catalogue:

William B. Daniels
Neil Harkins
John Dearman and
John W. Lee.
“….
(Louisville Morning Courier and American Democrat. “Explosion of the Marquette.” 7-12-1845.

July 14: “On the 1st inst., as the steamboat Marquette was backing out from the wharf at New Orleans, both boilers burst with a tremendous explosion – scattering death and destruction around. The very foundations of the buildings were shaken for several squares. Her boiler deck and cabin were torn into fragments, and the boat completely destroyed. The number of persons on the boiler deck at the time was from 10 to 15. They were all blown to the height of 150 or 200 feet into the air, some with their limbs rent asunder, and all of them falling into the river, without exhibiting any signs of life, and sinking to the bottom instantly. The number of deck passengers and of the crew killed, wounded, and missing, is supposed to be between 25 and 30. The scene presented on the lower deck was of the most heart-rending description. In one place laid a body with the head severed from it; another with both legs torn off above the knees; some with frightful gashes upon their heads and limbs; others without scarcely a particle of skin upon their bodies, from the effects of the steam and the scalding water.

“The Captain of the steamboat was arrested and held to bail in the sum of $5,000, to answer to the charge of manslaughter. The first engineer was also arrested on a similar charge, and in default of bail was committed to prison. – This is the proper way to act towards men who are so reckless of the lives of passengers, as many are on the Western waters.” (Adams Sentinel and General Advertiser, Gettysburg, PA. “Dreadful Steamboat Explosion!” July 14, 1845, p. 3.)

Sources

Adams Sentinel and General Advertiser, Gettysburg, PA. “Dreadful Steamboat Explosion!” July 14, 1845, p. 3. Accessed 2-27-2021 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/gettysburg-adams-sentinel-jul-14-1845-p-5/

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

Fisher, Captain S.L., and Captain James McCord. “Steamboat Explosions for Fifty-Five Years.” In Scharf, J. Thomas. History of Saint Louis City and County, From the Earliest Periods to the Present Day: Including Biographical Sketches of Representative Men. In Two Volumes, Illustrated. Volume II (Chapter XXVII. Navigation on the Mississippi River). Philadelphia: Louis H. Everts & Co., 1883. Digitized by Northern Illinois University, NU Libraries Digitization Projects at: http://lincoln.lib.niu.edu/cgi-bin/philologic/getobject.pl?c.4487:4.lincoln

Gould, E. W. Fifty Years on the Mississippi; or, Gould’s History of River Navigation. St. Louis: Nixon-Jones Printing Co., 1889, 750 pages. Digitized by Google. Accessed 2008 at: http://books.google.com/books?id=udyywXOVBvsC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

Lloyd, James T. Lloyd’s Steamboat Directory and Disasters on the Western Waters. Cincinnati, Ohio: James T. Lloyd & Co., 1856. Digitized by Google. Accessed 2-27-2021 at: http://books.google.com/books?id=JlYqAAAAYAAJ

Louisville Morning Courier and American Democrat. “Dreadful Steamboat Disaster.” 7-10-1845. Accessed 2-27-2021 at: http://www.gendisasters.com/louisiana/18489/new-orleans-la-steamer-marquette-explosion-july-1845

Louisville Morning Courier and American Democrat. “Explosion of the Marquette.” 7-12-1845. Accessed 2-27-2021 at: http://www.gendisasters.com/louisiana/18489/new-orleans-la-steamer-marquette-explosion-july-1845?page=0,2

Lytle, William M., compiler, from Official Merchant Marine Documents of the United States and Other Sources; Holdcamper, Forrest H. (Editor, and Introduction by). Merchant Steam Vessels of the United States 1807-1868. “The Lytle List.” Mystic, CT: Steamship Historical Society of America (Publication No. 6), 1952. Accessed 8-16-2020 at: https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015018039084&view=1up&seq=7

Pittsburgh Daily Post, PA. “Terrible Disaster!” 7-2-1845, p. 2; from the New Orleans Picayune, July 2, 1845. Accessed 2-27-2021 at: https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31721214/boiler-explosion-on-steamboat-marquette/

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 Patent Office. Report of the Commissioner of Patents, to the Senate of the United States, on the subject of steam boiler explosions. (30th Congress, 2d Session Executive Document No. 18). 12-30-1848. Accessed 2-21-2021 at: https://books.google.com/books?id=chpLAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

Blanchard on fatalities and date.*

— 14 US Patent Of. Rpt.…Commissioner…to…Senate…steam boiler explosions. Dec 1848, p62.
— 10 Berman, Bruce D. Encyclopedia of American Shipwrecks. 1972, p. 290.
— 10 Columbus Enquirer, GA. “Steamboat Disaster…Loss of the Steamer Siren.” 3-5-1845, 3.
— 10 Columbus Times, GA. “Steamboat Explosion. Ten Lives Lost!” 3-5-1845, p. 3, col. 4.
— 10 Lloyd. Lloyd’s Steamboat Directory and Disasters on the Western Waters. 1856, p. 286.
— 10 Lytle and Holdcamper. Merchant Steam Vessels of the [U.S.] 1807-1868. 1952, p. 221.
— 9-10 Singer, S. D. Shipwrecks of Florida: A Comprehensive Listing (2nd Ed.), 1998, p. 193.
— 9 Owens. “Sail…Steam Vessels…Apalachicola…Valley.” Alabama Review, 7-1968, 205.

* Blanchard on fatalities and date. We choose to follow the majority of sources which note ten fatalities. We follow Berman, Lytle and Holdcamper, and Singer on dating the loss on February 8. We have highlighted below, however, other dates put forward (such as Lloyd), or seemingly so (such as is the case with the newspaper accounts).

Narrative Information

Berman: “Siren. St.p. [Steam sidewheel]. 110 [tons]. 1838 [built]. Feb 8, 1845. Exploded. Chattahoochee River. 10 lives lost.” (Berman. Encyclopedia of…Shipwrecks. 1972, p. 290.)

Lloyd: “Siren. – The steamer Siren exploded on the night of the 17th of February, 1845, and was one of the most terrible explosions that ever occurred on the western waters. Ten of the crew were instantly killed and many wounded. Capt. Sharpless was thrown fifty feet in the air, but fortunately fell into the water, swam ashore, and was not seriously injured. The passengers very fortunately were not exposed to the force of the explosion, or the catastrophe would have been more terrible. Killed – Mr. Imbus, pilot; black boy; Charles Bordenrider, bar-keeper; and his son, a cabin boy; George Tully, cabin-boy. Wash. McGougan was blown overboard and was picked up by the mate of the boat on a cotton bale, but died before he reached shore. Thomas White, Patrick Murphy, a deck hand, Green, a black boy, Wilkins, a black man, George, a black boy, passenger, belonging to Dr. Harrison, and Jack McGougan were all killed, and forty wounded. The accident occurred on the Chattahoochee river. The U.S. mail was lost.” (Lloyd, James T. Lloyd’s Steamboat Directory and Disasters on the Western Waters 1856, pp. 286-287.)

Lytle and Holdcamper: “Siren…110 [tons] exploded…2 8 1845…Chattahoochee River…10 [lives lost].” (Merchant Steam Vessels of the United States 1807-1868. 1952, p. 221.)

Owens: “The Siren (110 tons), constructed at Cincinnati in 1838, also listed Apalachicola as her first home port. This boat was known for her ability to make the trip to Columbus against strong flood currents.…the Siren met a tragic fate a few miles south of Chattahoochee, Florida. She was headed downstream in the middle of the night, having just taken on 200 bales of cotton, when her boilers exploded, killing nine people.” (Owens. “Sail…Steam Vessels…Apalachicola …Valley.” Alabama Review, July, 1968, pp. 204-205.)

Singer: “Siren – Sidewheel steamer, of Apalachicola, 110 tons, built in 1838 at Cincinnati, carried 200 bales of cotton. Exploded Feb. 8, 1845, a few miles below Chattahoochee, Fla. Nine or ten lives lost.” (Singer 1998, 193; cites: Rogers, William W. Outposts on the Gulf. Pensacola: Univ. Presses of FL, 1987.)

United States Patent Office: “Siren, Captain Sharpless, plying between the Chattahoochee, river and Apalachee bay. Burst one of her boilers, February, 1845, about midnight, as the boat was rounding out from Toney’s landing, and killed fourteen persons. The captain was thrown aloft and fell in the water, from which he escaped unhurt. The boilers of the boat were of no account, having been used too long.” (United States Patent Office. Report of the Commissioner of Patents, to the Senate of the United States, on the subject of steam boiler explosions. 12-30-1848, p. 62.)

Newspapers

Feb 27 report: “From the Commercial Advertiser – Extra.”
“Loss of the Steamer Siren.”

“Apalachicola, Friday, Feb. 27. The U.S. Mail Steamer Siren, Capt. Sharpless, left Chattahoochee about 4 o’clock, on Monday evening [Feb 24?], and run down to Major. Coe’s landing where she stopped to take on cotton. Between 11 and 12 o’clock, just as she had fairly rounded out, and had made one or two revolutions, the boilers exploded, tearing the whole forward part of the cabin, boiler deck and forecastle entirely away, parting the wheel houses from the boat, and leaving nothing but a part of the hull and about half the hurricane deck.

“If, in noticing this calamity, we were able to end the narrative with the loss of the boat alone, our pen would be comparatively light, and the task an easy one; but the loss of human life occasioned by this sad catastrophe, sickens the heart as we trace the scene of death and suffering. Ten of the crew of this ill fated steamer were ushered into eternity, while in the midst of life, and health, and supposed security. Fortunately – the hour being late – all the passengers had retired to their berths for the night. But for this circumstance, the probability is that but few would have survived.

“The list of the killed and wounded, as furnished us by Capt. Sharpless, is as follows:

“Killed: — Quibus, Pilot, black boy; Charles Bordenrider, bar keeper, and his son, a cabin boy; George Tilly, cabin boy; Wash. McGougan, deck hand, was blown overboard, and was picked up by the mate, on a cotton bale, but died before he reached the shore; Thomas While, White, deck hand; an Irishman, deck hand, name not known; Green, black boy, deck hand; Wilkins, black boy, deck hand; George, black boy, passenger, belonging to Dr. Harrison. – 10….

“The U.S. Mail was saved, and brought to this place by the Steamer Notion, Capt. Wheaton, who came to the assistance of the survivors shortly after the explosion.

“The Siren was a perfect wreck, and went to the bottom almost immediately. The cargo of Cotton, about two hundred bales, was all on deck and will be saved in a damaged state. It is thought that no blame can reasonably attach to Captain Sharpless, or to any of the officers, but the casualty must be set down as one of those accidents which no human skill could foresee or prevent. The boat had been listed, to prevent her grounding, while the cotton was being taken on, and Capt. S. heard the engineer try his gage cocks, as usual, and there appeared to be a sufficiency of water in the boilers. The escape of Capt. S., is considered miraculous, as he was standing, at the time of the explosion, by the cargo wheel, immediately in front of the boilers, on the boiler deck, and was blown in the air, fell into the river, and swam out entirely uninjured.

“The scene that followed the explosion is said by those who witnessed it to have been heart-rending. The confusion which prevailed among the survivors, who were suddenly wakened from slumber by the stounding crash, mingled with the groans and exclamations of the dying, presented as spectacle of distress that would have to be witnessed to be realized. Some of the passengers, thinking that should the boat go down, drowning would be inevitable, jumped overboard in order to save themselves; while others, more self-possessed, remained on board as long as they could with safety, rendering assistance to each other in saving baggage, &c.” (Augusta Daily Chronicle and Sentinel, GA. “Loss of the Steamer Siren.” 3.7-1845, p. 2, col. 4.)

March 5: “Steamboat Explosion.”
“Ten Lives Lost!”
“The Mail Steamer Siren, Capt. Sharpless, plying between Chattahoochee and Apalachicola Bay, burst one of her boilers on Wednesday night last [Feb 26?], about midnight, as the Boat was rounding out from Toney’s landing, and killed at least ten passengers, all belonging to the crew, with the exception of one negro boy, who was a passenger. Of the killed, six were whites and four blacks, and among the former a son of Mrs. Tilley of this place – a lad who acted in the capacity of Cabin boy. The captain was thrown aloft and fell into the water, from which he escaped unhurt. A lady passenger was rescued from the water by one of the Engineers. One person was saved by the sinking of the boat, which floated off a bale of Cotton which had been thrown on him by the explosion.

“We have not heard whether any blame is attached to the Captain or not, but it is generally conceded that the boilers of the boat were of no account, and should not have been used so long. – Democrat.” (Columbus Times, GA. “Steamboat Explosion. Ten Lives Lost!” 3-5-1845, p.3, c.4.)

Sources

Augusta Daily Chronicle and Sentinel, GA. “Loss of the Steamer Siren.” 3.7-1845, p. 2, col. 4. Accessed 2-21-2021 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/augusta-daily-chronicle-and-sentinel-mar-07-1845-p-2/

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

Columbus Enquirer, GA. “Steamboat Disaster…Loss of the Steamer Siren.” 3-5-1845, p. 3, col 6. Accessed 2-21-2021 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/columbus-enquirer-mar-05-1845-p-3/

Lloyd, James T. Lloyd’s Steamboat Directory and Disasters on the Western Waters. Cincinnati, Ohio: James T. Lloyd & Co., 1856. Digitized by Google. Accessed 2-21-2021 at: http://books.google.com/books?id=JlYqAAAAYAAJ

Lytle, William M., compiler, from Official Merchant Marine Documents of the United States and Other Sources; Holdcamper, Forrest H. (Editor, and Introduction by). Merchant Steam Vessels of the United States 1807-1868. “The Lytle List.” Mystic, CT: Steamship Historical Society of America (Publication No. 6), 1952. Accessed 8-16-2020 at: https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015018039084&view=1up&seq=7

Owens, Harry P. “Sail and Steam Vessels Serving the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee Valley.” The Alabama Review, July 1968, pp. 204-205. Accessed 2-21-2021 at: https://aahs.wildapricot.org/resources/Documents/Historic%20Documents%20and%20Publications/sailandsteamvessels.pdf

Singer, Steven D. Shipwrecks of Florida: A Comprehensive Listing (2nd Ed.). Sarasota, FL: Pineapple Press, Inc., 1998. Partially digitized by Google. Accessed 2-16-2021 at: http://books.google.com/books?id=6j6kjZQReqkC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_navlinks_s#v=onepage&q=&f=false

United States Patent Office. Report of the Commissioner of Patents, to the Senate of the United States, on the subject of steam boiler explosions. (30th Congress, 2d Session Executive Document No. 18). 12-30-1848.) Accessed 2-21-2021 at: https://books.google.com/books?id=chpLAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

–56-80 Blanchard estimated death toll.*

— >100 Mullins. “Three Rivers History…Lucy Walker….” Muskogee Phoenix, OK 12-12-2009
— ~100 The Evangelical Guardian. “Wreck of the Lucy Walker,” V. II, No. 7, Dec 1844, p327.
–56-100 Wikipedia. “Lucy Walker Steamboat Disaster.”
— 50-80 Williams. History of the Ohio Falls Cities and Their Counties (Vol. 1). 1883, p. 294.
— ~70 The Scrap Book (V1) Mar-Aug, 1906. “How…Lucy Walker was Blown to Pieces,” p. 451.
— 60 Berman, Bruce D. Encyclopedia of American Shipwrecks. 1972, p. 252.
— 50-60 Huron Reflector, Norwalk, OH. “Terrible Steamboat Disaster,” Oct 29, 1844, p. 4.
— 50-60 Lloyd’s Steamboat Directory and Disasters on the Western Waters. 1856, p. 143.
— 50-60 Lossing. Harper’s Encyclopedia of U.S.…458 A.D. to 1902. 1902, p. 454.
— 60 Nash, Jay Robert. Darkest Hours. 1977, p. 680.
— 60 U.S. Patent Office. Report of…Commissioner…on…steam boiler explosions. 1848, p61.
— <50 Childs. A History of the U.S. In Chronological Order…1492…to...1885. 1886, p. 120. -- ~50 (killed and missing) Collins and Collins. History of Kentucky (Vol. 1). 1882, p. 49. -- 50 Simonds. The American Date Book. 1902, p. 98. -- 20-39 Ohio Repository, Canton. “The Catastrophe on the Lucy Walker,” Nov 7, 1844, p. 2. -- 25 Fisher/McCord. “Steamboat Explosions…Fifty-Five Years.” In Scharf 1883, p. 1108. -- 18 Berman, Bruce D. Encyclopedia of American Shipwrecks. 1972, p. 179. -- 18 Way’s Packet Directory, 1848-1994: Pass. Steamboats…MS River System. 1994, p298. * Blanchard estimated death toll. We are very suspicious of nice round numbers such as “100.” It has been our general experience that such numbers are based on newspaper reporting at the time, which either reflect fears concerning the number of people who might have been lost, statements of survivors or those in the vicinity, who witness or came upon a mass casualty event and tend to over-estimate, or the headline of an editor designed to attract the attention of a reader. We do not see lists of passengers and crew totaling one hundred. Thus we do not use this number in our own estimate. We suspect that those estimating 50-80 deaths are probably closer to the actual loss. We choose to use 56 as the low end of our estimate, rather than fifty, in that this number is the low-end of the Wikipedia estimate and because it is a precise number, less likely to be a rounding or guestimate. This number also is very close to the sixty or 50-60 deaths reported by a number of sources, including the U.S. Patent Office in a Congressionally mandated report to them on steamboat boiler explosions. For the high-end of our estimated death toll we choose to rely on Williams who reflects a death toll estimate of fifty to eighty lives lost. It is possible that there were fewer or more deaths than the 56-80 we choose to show. One will have to go through the information below and/or draw upon additional material to come to one’s own conclusion. Narrative Information Berman: “Lucy Walker. St. p. [Steam sidewheel]. 182 [tons]. 1843 [built]. Oct 25, 1844. Exploded. New Orleans, LA. 18 lives lost.” (Berman 1972, p. 179.) Childs: “On the 25th of October, three of the boilers of the steamboat Lucy Walker burst, the boat caught fire, and over fifty lives were destroyed, besides several persons injured.” (Childs. A History of the U.S. In Chronological Order…1492…to...1885. 1886, p. 120.) Hough: “Pegram, Gen. James W., d. Oct. 23, 1844, by accident on board the steamboat Lucy Walker; was president of the Bank of Virginia.” (Hough. American Biographical Notes: Being Short Notices of Deceased Persons. 1875, p. 318.) Lloyd: “The Lucy Walker, Capt. Vann, was descending the river, and when about four miles below New Albany, Indiana, some part of the machinery got out of order, and the boat was stopped to make repairs. During this pause, the water in the boilers was measurably exhausted, and about five minutes after the engine ceased working, three of the boilers exploded with tremendous violence and terrible effect. “The principal force of the explosion took an upward direction; and the consequence was that all that part of the boat situated above the boilers was blown into thousands of pieces. The U. S. snag-boat Go¬phar, Capt. L. B. Dunham, was about two hundred yards distant at the time of the explosion. Capt. Dunham was immediately on the spot, rescuing those who had been thrown into the water, and affording all other assistance in his power. Having been a spectator of the scene, with all its horrors, this gentleman has furnished a narrative, to which we are indebted for many of the facts related in this article. He states that such was the force of the explosion, that, although the Lucy Wal¬ker was in the middle of the river, many fragments of wood and iron were thrown on shore. At the moment of the accident, the air ap¬peared to be filled with human beings, with dissevered limbs and other fragments of human bodies. One man was blown to the height of fifty yards, as the narrator judges, and fell with such force as to pass en¬tirely through the deck. Another was cut in two by a piece of the boiler Many other incidents, equally distressing and horrifying, are related. Before Capt. Dunham could reach the spot where the wreck lay, he saw many persons who had been blown overboard perish in the water. But it was his good fortune to save the lives of a large number, by throwing them boards and ropes, and pulling them on board with boat-hooks. Immediately after the explosion, the ladies' cabin took fire and burned with great rapidity, but before it was consumed, the steamer sunk in twelve feet water. Thus the whole tragedy was completed within a few minutes…. There were at least fifty or sixty persons killed or missing, and fifteen or twenty wounded, some of them very seriously. Capt. Dunham took off the wounded and left them at New Albany, where they were suitably provided for by the hospitable and benevolent citizens of the place….” (Lloyd. Lloyd’s Steamboat Directory and Disasters on the Western Waters. 1856, 142-145) Mullins: “Before the Civil War, steamboats were a primary mode of transportation along the Mississippi River and its tributaries such as the Arkansas. For many steamboats, Webbers Falls was as far as they were able to travel upriver because of the waterfall located there. Webbers Falls became a steamboat landing and many of the first steamers on the Arkansas paid a call to this community. “One resident of Webbers Falls was a wealthy Cherokee named Joseph Vann. His nickname was ‘Rich Joe’ Vann to distinguish him from a cousin also named Joseph. Vann built a large plantation home near Webbers Falls and raised cotton there with slave labor. The house was a duplication of his plantation home, Diamond Hill, that had been located at Spring Place, Georgia. “As one of the wealthiest citizens in the Cherokee Nation, Vann could indulge his fascinations and two things captured his interest — race horses and steamboats. Vann purchased a filly named Lucy Walker which won many races in the quarter-mile. Her colts brought top dollar when Vann sold them and helped add to his wealth. “When he purchased a steamboat in 1843, he named it the Lucy Walker after his prize-winning racehorse. Some of the first passengers on the Lucy Walker were Seminoles being transported from Florida to their new homes in Indian Territory. “The crew of the boat was made up of slaves owned by Vann. He used it to ship cotton from his plantation at Webbers Falls as well as shipping goods in and out of Indian Territory. Vann was proud of his steamer because it was fast like the racehorse it was named for. In the heyday of the steamboat, captains often tried to break speed records in their travels between river ports. Races between steamboats were also popular, though they often could be dangerous. “In late October 1844, Joe Vann was aboard his steamboat and acting as its captain on a run between Louisville, Kentucky and New Orleans. Various accounts of this fateful day conflict with one another so we may never know exactly what happened. Vann’s own grandson reported to historian Grant Foreman that the Lucy Walker was in a race with another steamboat near New Albany, Indiana. “According to some accounts, Vann ordered the boat’s engineer, a slave named Jim Vann, to build steam in the boat’s boilers by tossing in slabs of meat. The engineer argued that the boilers would not handle more steam, but Vann threatened him if he didn’t comply. So Jim threw a slab of bacon into one boiler and then wisely headed for the stern and jumped overboard. “The Lucy Walker’s boiler exploded, killing nearly 100 passengers. Then the boat quickly sank. Rich Joe Vann did not survive the explosion, but Jim Vann did. Following the Civil War he settled at Fort Gibson and later told the story of the Lucy Walker to Joe Vann’s grandson. The disaster was not the worst steamboat accident to occur, but it was one of the most deadly and became a part of the history and legend of steamboat travel in early America.” (Mullins, Jonita. “Three Rivers History: Wreck of the Lucy Walker made steamboat history.” Muskogee Phoenix, OK 12-12-2009.) The Scrap Book: “JOE VANN, Cherokee Indian, who lived many years ago near Fort Gibson, Indian Territory, possessed five hundred slaves and thousands of acres of land. Some of his horses were fine racing stock, and he owned the Lucy Walker, the fastest steamboat on the Arkansas River. Vann was good to his slaves—open-hearted, generous; but he was an inveterate gambler. He lost and won large sums at horse-racing… “The Fort Gibson Post recalls as follows the tragic circumstances of this remarkable Cherokee's end: “While his steamboat had no rival for speed on the Arkansas River, from its mouth at the Mississippi to Little Rock and Fort Gibson, there were two or three rivals on the Mississippi River, between St. Louis and New Orleans. One of these boats, said to be the fastest on the river, attempted to pass the Lucy Walker one day on the way down. “Vann had a crew of thirty negroes, said to have no superiors on the river. He told the boys that the Lucy Walker must be kept ahead, no matter at what cost. An allowance of grog was given to each, and all promised to stand up to the work. “The rival boat was gaining on them; the usual fuel failed to give sufficient speed. Vann went around and told the hands to gather up everything that would burn. Tar and bacon were thrown into the furnace, and soon the Lucy Walker was forging ahead of her rival. “Timbers of the boat creaked and groaned; the furnace was red hot; the boilers were seething and foaming; the heat was terrific. The passengers, of whom there were about one hundred and fifty, became alarmed; but Vann was cool as a cucumber. He told his negro crew that they would beat the rival boat or all go to Hades together, and they promised to stand by him. “Then came an awful explosion, and nothing remained of the Lucy Walker but scattered fragments. Most of the negro crew were blown to atoms, about forty passengers were killed, and nearly all the rest more or less injured. Vann's body was found, horribly mangled.” (The Scrap Book (V1) Mar-Aug, 1906. “How the Lucy Walker was Blown to Pieces,” pp. 451-452.) U.S. Patent Office: “Lucy Walker, Captain Vann, bound from Louisville to New Orleans, when five miles below New Albany, blew up. Just before sunset, some of the machinery got out of order, and the engine was stopped to repair it. While engaged in making the repairs, the water in the boilers got too low, and about five minutes after the engine ceased working her three boilers exploded with tremendous violence. The explosion was upwards, and that part of the boat above the boilers was blown into thousands of pieces. She was in the middle of the river at the time, and parts of the boat and boilers were thrown on shore. Sixty persons were killed, including the captain, pilot, second mate, second clerk. Pieces of the boilers, not thicker than half a dollar, were found on the Kentucky shore.” (United States Patent Office. Report of the Commissioner of Patents, to the Senate of the [U.S.], on the subject of steam boiler explosions. Dec 1848, p. 61.) Way: “Lucy Walker. SW p wh [sidewheel packet, wood hull] b. [built] Cincinnati Oh., 1843. 182 tones. Joe Vann was a Cherokee of Webber Falls on the upper Arkansas River, quite well to do. He acquired the famed racehorse Lucy Walker, considered the fastest quarter-mile horse in the world. This Joe Vann built the steamboat Lucy Walker to run Webber Falls-Louisville, Ky. He procured Capt. Halderman as master for the first trip, then took charge personally for the second. It was on this second trip that the boilers exploded below New Albany, Ind., with loss of 18 lives. Date was Oct. 25, 1844. Joe Vann’s remains never were found. Eight of the unidentified were buried in Fairview Cemetery near New Albany.” (Way’s Packet Directory, 1848-1994: Passenger Steamboats…MS River System. 1994, p. 298.) Wikipedia: “The explosion occurred on the afternoon of Wednesday, October 23, 1844, when the steamer's three boilers exploded. The vessel caught fire and sank in the Ohio River near New Albany, Indiana. The demise of the Lucy Walker was not the worst steamboat disaster in American history…but it was among the most deadly. It is possible than more than 100 persons perished on that tragic day….her home port was Webbers Falls on the Arkansas River in the Cherokee Nation in Indian Territory (now Oklahoma). The boat frequently steamed to both Louisville, Kentucky and New Orleans, Louisiana…. “Dead Passengers…[List of 43 names.]…. Note that only two children and no women perished, probably because their cabin was further from the blast than the hurricane deck where most of the male passengers were gathered. Note also that newspapers did not provide names of Vann's slave crewmen. Thus there were thirty-six passengers and twenty crew members identified as killed in the explosion, and forty eight passengers and seven crew members who survived, with a total of 111 persons aboard.” (Wikipedia. “Lucy Walker Steamboat Disaster.” Williams: “Steamboat Explosion. The steamboat Lucy Walker exploded three boilers October 25th ...in the middle of the river, only about four miles below New Albany, with the most disastrous effects. Everything immediately above the boilers was blown to pieces, the ladies’ cabin also took fire, and in a short time the vessel sank in twelve feet of water. Fifty to eighty persons were killed or drowned by this awful calamity, and about twenty were more or less injured. Among the former were General Pegram of Virginia, and others of more or less note.” (Williams & Co. History of the Ohio Falls Cities and Their Counties (Vol. 1). 1883, p. 294.) Wright: “One of the prominent Cherokee citizens who lived at Webbers Falls in early days was "Rich" Joe Vann, owner of a large cotton plantation there and three hundred negro slaves. Because of his passion for horse racing, he became the owner of the celebrated "Lucy Walker," for a time the fastest quarter-mile horse in the world. It was said that she never lost a race and that Joe Vann sold her colts for five thousand dollars each. He built a splendid side-wheeler steamboat for the river trade between Louisville, Kentucky, and New Orleans, manned her with his own negro slaves, and named her the "Lucy Walker," after his famous race horse. On her first round trip, under the command of Captain Halderman, of Louisville, she ascended the Arkansas to Webbers Falls, carrying away Joe Vann's cotton crop and, also, that of Lewis Ross. Vann was a delighted passenger on his fast steamboat from the start, keeping up a continual round of drinking in celebration. Upon the arrival of the "Lucy Walker" at Louisville, Captain Halderman resigned, Vann taking command himself. Just then a fast steamer was leaving the wharf and he vowed he would beat her to New Orleans. Taking his stand on the boiler deck of the Lucy Walker, he swore and shouted at his negroes who even went so far as to fire the engines with large slabs of bacon to make the chimneys red hot, according to orders. The steamer hurried through the Falls canal, touched the landing at New Albany, Indiana, long enough to take on a few passengers, but as she backed out and rounded into the Ohio, she blew up with one of the most frightful explosions ever known along the Mississippi or any of its tributaries. Many of the passengers were lost, all the negroes were either killed are horribly wounded, and Joe Vann's remains were never found.” (Wright. “Early Navigation…Commerce Along…Arkansas…, Chronicles of OK, V8/N1, 1930.) Newspapers Oct 24 report: “From the Louisville Courier…. [24th] The steamboat Lucy Walker, Capt. Vann, left this place for New Orleans yesterday, crowded with passengers. When about four or five miles below New Albany [IN], and just before sunset, some part of the machinery got out of order, and the engine was stopped in order to repair it. While engaged in making the necessary repairs, the water in the boilers got too low; and about five minutes after, the engine had ceased working, her three boilers exploded with tremendous violence, and with horrible and terrific effect. “The explosion was upwards, and that part of the boat above the boilers was blown into thousands of pieces. The U.S. snag-boat Gopher, Capt. L.B. Dunham, was about two hundred yards distant at the time of the explosion – Capt. Dunham was immediately on the spot, rescuing those in the water, and with his crew rendered all the aid in his power. To him we are indebted fore most of our particulars. He informs us that the Lucy Walker was in the middle of the river, and such was the force of the explosion, that parts of the boilers and the boat were thrown on shore. “Just after the explosion, the air was filled with human beings and fragments of human beings. One man was blown up fifty yards, and fell with such force as to go entirely through the deck of the boat. Another was cut in two by a piece of the boiler…. “Before Capt. Dunham reached the place where the Lucy Walker was, he saw a number of persons who had been thrown into the river, drown. He however, saved the lives of a large number of persons by throwing them boards and ropes, and pulling them on his boat with hooks. “Immediately after the explosion, the ladies’ cabin took fire, and before it had been consumed, she sunk in twelve or fifteen feet water. Thus is presented the remarkable circumstance of a boat exploding, burning, and sinking, all in the space of a few minutes. The screams and exclamations of the females, and those who were not killed, is represented as having been distressing and awful. We believe none of the females on board were injured – some, however, may have been drowned. The books of the boat were destroyed, and of course it will be impossible ever to ascertain the names or the number of those killed. “There were at least fifty or sixty persons killed and missing, and fifteen or twenty wounded – some seriously. Capt. Dunham left the sounded at New Albany….” (Huron Reflector, Norwalk, OH. “Terrible Steamboat Disaster,” Oct 29, 1844, p. 4.) Oct 25 report: “From the Louisville Courier of October 25. The Lucy Walker. We have but few more particulars relative to the loss of life by the explosion on board this boat. The snag-boat Gopher, and on of the New Albany ferry boats, were at the wreck yesterday, recovering the bodies of the lost. Some fifteen bodies were found during the day, which were taken to New Albany. Six persons were buried there yesterday, and the remaining will be interred today. The 1st engineer, whom we reported as being badly hurt, died yesterday morning…. “We are satisfied that the terrible accident was the result of the most criminal carelessness. “It will be recollected by our readers, that we mentioned yesterday that the body of a man was blown 150 feet in the air and fell with such force as to break through the deck of the Lucy Walker. This occurrence was the means of saving the lives of two or three persons, who were confined beneath by the deck falling on them, but who were able to escape through the hole thus made. “The number of lives lost with this ill-fated boat cannot yet be ascertained. There were upwards of one hundred persons on board; some say one hundred and twenty. If this estimate be correct, there are near one hundred lives lost.” (Adams Sentinel and General Advertiser, Gettysburg PA. “The Lucy Walker,” Nov 4, 1844, p. 4.) Nov 7 report: “The number of persons on board the boat [Lucy Walker] supposed to be about 130. Forty-six escaped uninjured, and 21 were more of less injured. Twenty bodies have been recovered, and 19 persons are known to be missing. There were a good many deck passengers, most of whom, it is feared, were lost. “The New Albany Gazette gives the following as the cause of the explosion, which shows that the most utter and criminal recklessness and disregard of human life were exhibited by the officers. The Captain and first Engineer were among the killed. The Gazette says: “The steamer Lucy Walker, on her passage down touched at our wharf on Wednesday evening last, at which time the force pump was our of order; but supposing that it could be righted while under way, the Captain ordered the vessel to move on; the boat had reached the point five miles below this city, about 5 o’clock P.M., when the boilers had become nearly or quite dry; at which time, by the greatest exertion, the pump was brought to perform its office, and the waster was forced into the boilers, which, by this time had become so heated as to cause the explosion.” (Ohio Repository, Canton. “The Catastrophe on the Lucy Walker,” Nov 7, 1844, p. 2.) Nov 12 report: “The steamer Lucy Walker left Louisville on Wednesday, the 23d ult. For New Orleans. When about 4 miles below New Albany, Ind., an accident occurred to some part of her machinery, and it became necessary to lay to in order to repair….” (Racine Advocate, WI. “Terrible Disaster,” Nov 12, 1844, p, 3.) Nov 14 report: “New Albany, In., Thursday Evening, Nov. 14th, 1844. “Rev. and Sear Sir:—I have been requested by Mr. D. Christy who called here this morning, on his way to St. Louis, to give you the particulars of the late Steamboat disaster, near this place. And in doing so, I shall avail myself of the statements of those who were eyewitnesses of, and sufferers in this awful catastrophe. “It is not known, nor will it in all probability ever be known, until the waters shall give up their dead, how many passengers were on board the ill-fated vessel; and consequently the number of the lost, cannot be ascertained. The boat was but a few miles from port, and had received an accession of eight or ten from this place. Many of the names had not been registered, and if they had, it would not have removed the difficulty, as the records of the boat were entirely destroyed. It is supposed however that there were at least 130 on board, of whom about 30 were saved, some of them in a dreadfully mangled condition. “But my principal object is to inform you of the sufferings of those with whom you were acquainted. They were (as you are aware) on their way home, from attending a meeting of the Southern Synod. They came to Louisville and were there detained near two days, waiting for a boat; at length they succeeded in finding one, which they supposed would get down the River. Being disappointed in their accommodations, and in the time of starting, they hailed the Lucy Walker, which sent out a yawl and took them on board. “The little company, with the exception of Mr. Wilson and lady, had scarcely seated themselves and begun to congratulate each other on their happy escape from the other boat, when the awful explosion buried them in its ruins. They were sitting at the end of the Social Hall near the door by which the Gentlemen's Cabin is entered, and consequently near the boilers. Mr. Wilson and lady were on the guard, aft of the wheelhouse, looking at the steamboat which had just passed. As soon as he (Mr. W.) recovered from the shock, he exclaimed, "Where are my friends?" Looking around he saw Mr. McCrery struggling in the midst of the ruins, and assisted him in extricating himself. He then turned to look for the rest; but they were not to be seen. By this time the flames began to spread rapidly thro' the wreck, and the thought struck him that he had better save himself and wife: which he did by jumping into the water and making his way by the assistance of the fragments of the boat, to the U. S. snag-boat Gopher, which .had approached as near as the flames would permit. Mr. McCrery, succeeded in reaching the Gopher, by the same means, as also Messrs Young, Pressly and McCain, after which they were pulled on board by means of ropes and poles. “Mr. McCrery was mortally wounded; one of his thighs being literally crushed, and his chest and head considerably injured. He died about five minutes after he was taken on board the Gopher, he appeared to be conscious of his situation, remarked that his thigh was broken, and exclaimed some seven or eight times, "Lord Jesus receive my spirit," and gave up the ghost. His body was immediately laid out, and buried next day in the citizens burying-ground, in a decent and becoming manner. A stone will be placed on the spot, with a suitable inscription to point out the grave to any friends who may hereafter pay it a visit. The body of Mr. Watt (Elder in Mr. Pressley’s church) was recovered the following day, and also decently interred by the side of Mr. McCrery's; it did not appear to be mangled, or but slightly disfigured. “Mr. McCain (Mr. Wilson's Elder) was severely wounded in the head and bruised in one of his hips. The wound in his head was a cut extending in an oblique direction past the lower part of the right car, severing a small portion of it. The bruise rendered him in a great measure helpless for some days. He was taken from the boat to the Hotel, where he received every attention which kindness and sympathy could command. Mr. Pressly had his hands badly burned and his head slightly scalded on the back part. It is remarkable that while some of the wounded heard the report of the explosion, others did not. Mr. P. says he heard it distinctly. He was able to walk from the river, and was conducted to a private house, where his hands were dressed and every thing done which could render his situation comfortable. He was attended daily by a kind Physician, and Christian friends ministered to his wants. His hands were burned chiefly on the backs—the left one most severely; it was thought however that they would not be rendered useless, as the burns were not so deep as to make them stiff or to draw the fingers out of their natural position. His general health was good, and he so far recovered in nine days after the accident, as to start home in company with Messrs. McCain and Wilson. He was liberally supplied with clothing and other things necessary for his comfort, by the council and citizens of this city, as were also all the sufferers who remained here. A letter was received two or three days since, from Mr. McCain stating that they arrived safely at Randolph, from whence they would proceed to Portersville, where Mr. P. would remain a few days, until he could get some friends to assist him on his way, by land, to Starkville. Their wounds were doing well; Mr. McCain was able to get about with the help of a crutch; and Mr. P. thought he would be able to use his right hand in the course of two weeks. “Mr. Young, after being very badly wounded, had a narrow escape from a watery grave. He states, that the first thing he was conscious of after the explosion was, being covered up in the ruins and endeavoring to clamber out of them. He did not hear the report of the explosion, but it seemed like a terrible dream; he did not even know he was wounded until he extricated himself and saw the horrid gash in his thigh. His first thought was to swim to the shore—he walked up the steps over the wheelhouse on one side of the boat, but had scarcely gained the upper deck, where the flames met him and compelled him to retreat to the other side. Here, for the first time he saw the Gopher, to which he swam by the aid of a piece of the wreck. The men then threw him a rope and drew him part of the way up but his strength failed and he fell back into the water, and having seized hold of a ring in the side of the boat, remained there until all the rest were taken up. At length a rope was let down to him which he succeeded in getting over his shoulders and under his arms and in this way was drawn upon the boat. On arriving at this place, he was taken to the High Street House and his wounds dressed. It was found that his right hand was dreadfully mangled, two fingers -- the small one and the one next to it -- were dangling by the skin: the back was badly cut and burned, and he fears that he will not have much use of the hand. The left hand was slightly cut between the thumb and forefinger, but is nearly healed. The wound which has given him the most trouble and confined him to his bed for 21 days and still keeps him confined, is on the outside of the right thigh. When first dressed, it was about six inches in length, two and a half or three inches in breadth, and one and a half deep. From its appearance it was supposed by some that a piece of the flesh was taken out. It has been considerably drawn up since, and now looks healthy and improving in its condition. Below this wound there was a very bad burn, which is now healed. He has been at the Hotel since the accident until yesterday, when he was removed to the house of Rev. Dr. Wood, where he receives every attention which Christian sympathy and friendship can bestow. His removal exhausted him very much, as it was about 3/4 of a mile he had to ride, and consequently he is not so well to-day. He has made his calculations to start home on the 25th of the present month by way of N. 0. and Mobile. Rev. P. Monfort and lady are expected to accompany him home. It is somewhat doubtful about their getting off so soon as the 25th: it will depend on the state of his wounds at that time. Mr. M. has not been here yet; but wrote that he could be here in time to start with him. Yours with great respect, “Rev. D. MacDill W. H. Moore.” (The Evangelical Guardian. “Wreck of the Lucy Walker,” V. II, No. 7, Dec 1844, pp. 327-330.) Sources Adams Sentinel and General Advertiser, Gettysburg, PA. “The Lucy Walker,” Nov 4, 1844, p. 4, Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=3099881 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 at: http://books.google.com/books?id=XLYbAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false Collins, Lewis and Richard H. Collins. Collins’ Historical Sketches of Kentucky. History of Kentucky By the late Lewis Collins, Judge of the Mason County Court. Revised, Enlarged Four-Fold, and Brought Down to the Year 1874, by his son Richard H. Collins (Vol. I). Covington, KY: Collins & Co., 1882. Accessed 2-16-2015 at: https://books.google.com/books?id=xMM6AQAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false Fisher, Captain S.L., and Captain James McCord. “Steamboat Explosions for Fifty-Five Years.” In Scharf, J. Thomas. History of Saint Louis City and County, From the Earliest Periods to the Present Day: Including Biographical Sketches of Representative Men. In Two Volumes, Illustrated. Volume II (Chapter XXVII. Navigation on the Mississippi River). Philadelphia: Louis H. Everts & Co., 1883. Digitized by Northern Illinois University, NU Libraries Digitization Projects at: http://lincoln.lib.niu.edu/cgi-bin/philologic/getobject.pl?c.4487:4.lincoln Huron Reflector, Norwalk, OH. “Terrible Steamboat Disaster,” 10-29-1844, p. 4. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=6428557 Lloyd, James T. Lloyd’s Steamboat Directory and Disasters on the Western Waters. Cincinnati, Ohio: James T. Lloyd & Co., 1856. Digitized by Google. Accessed at: http://books.google.com/books?id=JlYqAAAAYAAJ 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 Mullins, Jonita. “Three Rivers History: Wreck of the Lucy Walker made steamboat history.” Muskogee Phoenix, OK 12-12-2009. Accessed 5-19-2012 at: http://muskogeephoenix.com/local/x546271518/Three-Rivers-History-Wreck-of-the-Lucy-Walker-made-steamboat-history 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. Ohio Repository, Canton, OH. “The Catastrophe on the Lucy Walker,” Nov 7, 1844, p. 2. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=10723541 Racine Advocate, WI. “Terrible Disaster” [Steamboat Lucy Walker Boiler Explosion], Nov 12, 1844, p, 3. At: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=53754394 Simonds, W. E. (Editor). The American Date Book. Kama Publishing Co., 1902, 211 pages. Digitized by Google. Accessed at: http://books.google.com/books?id=JuiSjvd5owAC The Evangelical Guardian. “Wreck of the Lucy Walker,” Vol. II, No. 7, Dec 1844, pp. 327-330. Digitized by Google At: http://books.google.com/books?id=LJMVAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false The Scrap Book (Vol. 1) March to August, 1906. “How the Lucy Walker was Blown to Pieces.” NY: Frank A. Munsey Co., Publishers, 1906. pp. 451-452. Digitized by Google at: http://books.google.com/books?id=2V0AAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false United States Patent Office. Report of the Commissioner of Patents, to the Senate of the United States, on the subject of steam boiler explosions. (30th Congress, 2d Session Executive Document No. 18). 12-30-1848. Accessed 2-21-2021 at: https://books.google.com/books?id=chpLAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false Way, Frederick Jr. (Compiler). Way’s Packet Directory, 1848-1994: Passenger Steamboats of the Mississippi River System Since the Advent of Photography in Mid-Continent America (Revised Edition). Athens OH: Ohio University Press, 1994. Wikipedia. “Lucy Walker Steamboat Disaster.” Accessed 2-21-2015 at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucy_Walker_steamboat_disaster Williams, L. A. & Co. History of the Ohio Falls Cities and Their Counties (Vol. 1). Cleveland, OH: L. A. Williams & Co., 1883. Digitized by Google at: http://books.google.com/books?id=8EPWAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false Wright, Muriel H. “Early Navigation and Commerce Along the Arkansas and Red Rivers in Oklahoma,” Chronicles of Oklahoma, Vol. 8, No. 1, March 1930, pp. 65-88. Accessed at: http://digital.library.okstate.edu/Chronicles/v008/v008p065.html

Blanchard Note: We have been unable to locate sources which provide more detail on how the losses took place. Thus we cannot independently verify the death-toll of 70 as noted in the sources below, nor do we know where the original number of seventy lives lost came from – only that it has been picked up by others and repeated.

— 70 Burt and Stroud. Extreme Weather: A Guide & Record Book. 2007, p. 209.
— 70 Dunn and Miller. Atlantic Hurricanes (Revised). 1964, p. 322.
— ~70 Garrison, et al. Historic Shipwrecks…of the Northern Gulf of Mexico. 1989, p. F-6.
— 70 Office of the Texas State Climatologist. Severe Weather in Texas: Pre-1880s.
— 70 Roth, David (NWS). Texas Hurricane History. Jan 17, 2010 update, p. 8.

Narrative Information

Office of the Texas State Climatologist: “Aug. 6, 1844: Hurricane. Mouth of Rio Grande. All houses destroyed at the mouth of the river and at Brazos Santiago, eight miles north; 70 lives lost.”

Roth: “August 6th, 1844: This hurricane produced the first records of large loss of life along the lower Texas coast on the 6th. Residents on Padre Island fled to Matamoros for shelter. The 1844 storm completely destroyed the settlement of Brazos Santiago with a loss of 70 lives after the waters eroded a pass clear through the old settlement. The only survivor was reported to be the captain of the pilot boat who remained offshore. In Corpus Christi, high winds and tides capsized a pirate raft, loaded with their treasures. The Mexican Customs Office was moved to the mainland due to this storm.” (Roth. Texas Hurricane History. Jan 17, 2010 update, p. 16.)

Sources

Burt, Christopher C. and Mark Stroud. Extreme Weather: A Guide & Record Book. W. W. Norton & Co., 2004, 304 pages. Google preview accessed 1-1-2014 at: http://books.google.com/books?id=NuP7ATq9nWgC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

Dunn, Gordon E. and Banner I. Miller. Atlantic Hurricanes (Revised Edition). Baton Rouge LA: Louisiana State University Press, 1964, 377 pages.

Garrison, E.G., C .P. Giammona, F.J. Kelly, A.R . Tripp, and G .A. Wolff. Historic Shipwrecks and Magnetic Anomalies of the Northern Gulf of Mexico: reevaluation of archaeological resource management zone 1. Volume III : Appendices. OCS Study/MMS 89025 . U .S. Dept of the Interior, Minerals Management Service, Gulf of Mexico OCS Regional Office, New Orleans, La. Sep 1989. 248 pp. At: http://www.gomr.boemre.gov/PI/PDFImages/ESPIS/3/3680.pdf

Office of the Texas State Climatologist, College of Geosciences. Severe Weather in Texas: Pre-1880s. Texas A&M University. Accessed 9-13-2022 at: https://climatexas.tamu.edu/products/severe-weather-summaries/pre-1880s-texas-severe-weather.html

Roth, David (National Weather Service). Texas Hurricane History. Camp Springs, MD: NWS. 1-17-2010 update. Accessed 11-22-2017 at: http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/research/txhur.pdf

Roth, David. Texas Hurricane History: Early 19th Century. National Weather Service, Weather Service Forecast Office, Lake Charles, LA, NOAA. 4-23-2000 modification. Accessed at: http://www.srh.noaa.gov/lch/research/txearly19hur.php

–~12  Griggs. Historic Disasters of Richmond. 2016, p. 40.

—  11  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.  Mining Disasters. 2010.

—  11  Rothwell. The Mineral Industry…to the End of 1897, Vol. VI.  1898, p. 746.

Narrative Information

Griggs: “On June 15, 1844, there was another major explosion[1] that killed about a dozen men in the Black Heath Mine. The Alexandria Gazetteer reported that ‘at the time of the accident, we learned there were 12 hands in the pit” 8 colored men and 4 Englishmen.’ All of the African Americans were slaves. Although one man was saved, fallen timbers blocked the place where the accident occurred. The Richmond Whig ran a headline: ‘Terrible Accident.’ The paper reported that ‘a barrel of gunpowder was first ignited, and its explosion fired the gas, which was secreted.’ Although one man was pulled out alive, the rest of the bodies were found ‘horribly disfigured.’ The paper closed its story by reporting:

The explosion, as far as we can learn, was caused by the most wanton negligence on the part of unhappy persons, or the principal man among them. The funnel, used for ventilating the shaft, was stopped up so that a current of air could not pass through the works. In this situation, and while the…{vents} were filled with the inflammable gas, a blast was set off by some of the hands engaged in blasting coal. As might have been expected, a tremendous explosion followed.

“The company management worked for almost twenty-four hours to recover the bodies.

“This second explosion closed the mine. For almost one hundred years, it remained closed until there was an effort to reopen the coal mining industry in the late 1930s. The effort did not succeed, and the Chesterfield mines are still filled with coal and the remains of those who tried to mine it.

“The Black Heath Mine operated at a time when there were few safety devices. A minter going into a shaft had no assurance that he would ever see the light of day again. But the deaths of over three hundred miners helped to develop Chesterfield County. When you drive down the Midlothian Turnpike, remember you are driving on a road that was built to carry coal mined by men who did a dangerous job that helped to develop this nation. Whenever you look at the Chesterfield County seal, remember the men who mined the coal that fueled a nation.” (Griggs. Historic Disasters of Richmond. 2016, pp. 40-41.)

Rothwell: “In June, 1844, an explosion occurred in which 11 out of 12 person were killed…”  (Rothwell, 1898, p. 746)

Sources

Griggs, Walter S. Jr. Historic Disasters of Richmond. Charleston, SC: The History Press, 2016. Google preview accessed 9-3-2018 at: https://books.google.com/books?id=KjSACwAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Mining Safety and Health Research..  Mining Disasters (Incidents with 5 or more Fatalities). NIOSH, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2-26-2013 update. Accessed at: https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/mining/statistics/content/allminingdisasters.html

Rothwell, Richard P. (Ed.). The Mineral Industry: Its Statistics, Technology and Trade in the United States and Other Countries to the End of 1897, Vol. VI.   New York and London: The Scientific Publishing Co., 1898.  Digitized by Google. Accessed 9-3-2018 at:

https://books.google.com/books?id=m8woAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

[1] The first major mine disaster in the country was on March 18, 1839 in the same mine, leading to 40-53 deaths.