Showing posts with label Steamboat. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Steamboat. Show all posts
Thursday, July 27, 2017
Western Travel 1851
I found this ad in the 1851 Burlington Free Press. What I found interesting is the offer to bring their belongings at no charge. Today we can't even fly with a suitcase without paying extra to see this offer for families going west with all of their possessions was quite something. Also the opening paragraph lays out the way to head West. Enjoy!
Tuesday, June 27, 2017
1871 Cruises to Florida
Charleston S.C. was a busy port and in 1871 there were many ships headed to Florida from Charleston. Below is an ad from The Charleston Daily News July 17, 1871. What I find interesting from this ad is it lists when you depart and when you would return give us a great example of the time involved in steam travel on the lower east coast.
Monday, April 17, 2017
Sinking John L. Avery
Disasters add conflict to a story and conflict is necessary to keep your reader turning the pages. Below is a real life account of the Sinking of the John L. Avery. The account gives the basics about the situation but there are gems in this account for me to learn from with regard to 'writing" and 'creating" a disaster for my characters. Such as, how many people were affected, the actual physical descriptions of the boat and the process of sinking. How the captain reacted, the passengers, etc. Enjoy.
The J. L. Avery, J. L. Robertson commander, was a new boat, built in the most substantial manner, and furnished with every necessary equipment for a first class passenger boat, being designed as a regular packet between New Orleans and Natchex. She left New Orleans, on her customary trip up the river, on March 7th, 1854. She stopped at Point Coupee and took in a large quantity of sugar and molasses; and on the 9th of the same month she passed the steamer Sultana, off Black Hawk point, forty miles below Natchez; and having left the Sultana, (with which she appears to have been racing,) about a mile astern, she struck what was supposed to be a tree washed from the shore by a recent freshet. A very large leak in the bottom of the boat was the consequence of this accident, and although the pilot immediately steered for the shore, the steamer sunk before she could get near enough to land the passengers. Mr. J. Y. Guthrie, an engineer, and the carpenter, were standing just forward of the boilers when they heard the crash—the boat at the same time making a sudden surge to one side. The carpenter immediately lifted the scuttle-hatch and leaped into the hold, but finding the water pouring in too fast to admit of any attempt at repairing the damage, he made haste to get out again, at the same time giving notice to the engineer that the boat had nagged. Mr. Guthrie, perceiving that the boat was going down, hastened to the engine, but before he got there, he was up to his knees in water. The cabin passengers were hurried up to the hurricane-deck. Soon after, the boat righted, and the hull separated from the cabin and sunk in sixty feet of water.
As the hull parted from the upper works, the surging of the waters caused the cabin floor to rise up against the hurricane roof, and six persons who remained in the cabin were dragged out through the skylights by Capt. Robertson and his two clerks. Mrs. Parmin, one of the six passengers rescued from that perilous situation, had her eldest child in her arms at the time, and was with difficulty prevented from plunging in again, as her babe was left asleep on the bed. But the situation of the deck passengers was the most calamitous; there was a large number of them crowded in their allotted place, where they were walled in by hogsheads of sugar, which would have prevented their escape, if escape had been otherwise possible. These unfortunate people were nearly all drowned.
There were many Irish emigrants on board, whose names were unregistered, and there is a great deal of uncertainty respecting the number of those who perished. Eye-witnesses testify that a large number of men, women and children could be seen drowning at one time. Of the twenty firemen on board, twelve were drowned. The second mate and another person launched the life-boat, but it was almost itnmedidiately upset, probably by the eager and ill-directed efforts of tho drowning people to get into it. The steamer Sultana, with which the Avery had been racing, promptly camo to the rescuo of the drowning crew and passengers, and was the means of saving some of them; but the number lost is believed to be at least eighty or ninety.
Mrs. Seymour, one of the cabin passengers who escaped, relates the following incidents of the wreck: party accounted for by stating that some unusual means had been used to get up extra steam, as the officers of the Avery were resolved to outrun the rival steamer, Sultana. Mrs. Seymour had retired to her state room for an afternoon nap, from which she was aroused by the concussion when the boat struck; and soon after, she found herself in the water. She was drawn up into the floating cabin by one of the waiters, named John Anderson, who, as Mrs. Seymour testifies, was instrumental in saving the lives of several other passengers. She states that her pocket-book, containing nine hundred dollars, which had been placed under her pillow, was lost. She also lost a manuscript which she was preparing for the press, and which she valued still more highly than her pocket-book.
Mrs. Seymour continues :—I cast my eyes upon the water, which was covered with fragments of the cabin. To these frail supports human hands were clinging, while many human voices were crying, "Save me ! oh, save me!" The water at first was dotted with human heads, sinking and rising, and then sinking to rise no more. A sudden splash drew my attention to the side of the boat, and I saw that a young lady, who had been drawn from the inundated cabin through the sky-light and placed in safety on the floating deck, in the delirium of the moment had plunged again into the water, from which she never again emerged. Several others followed her example, but appearing again on the surface, they were rescued by the waiter Anderson and two or three others of the boat's crew, who never slackened in their efforts to save human life. Two or three gentlemen leaped into the water and swam to land. A fine Texan poney, belonging to Mrs. Emerson, escaped from the deck, and endeavored to save himself by swimming. He reached the shore, but not being able to climb the bank, he fell back into the water and was drowned. In a faint but earnest tone, I heard a female voice say, " Oh, William, do save her!" On directing my gaze to the place from whence the voice came, I saw a woman sinking in the river. At the same time a child's voice exclaimed, "Oh, mother, he cannot save me!" I saw her fair hair, all wet, fall back from her young face as her little arms loosened their grasp on the neck of her brother, and the mother and her two children sank together.
Source: Fifty Years on the Mississippi ©1889
The J. L. Avery, J. L. Robertson commander, was a new boat, built in the most substantial manner, and furnished with every necessary equipment for a first class passenger boat, being designed as a regular packet between New Orleans and Natchex. She left New Orleans, on her customary trip up the river, on March 7th, 1854. She stopped at Point Coupee and took in a large quantity of sugar and molasses; and on the 9th of the same month she passed the steamer Sultana, off Black Hawk point, forty miles below Natchez; and having left the Sultana, (with which she appears to have been racing,) about a mile astern, she struck what was supposed to be a tree washed from the shore by a recent freshet. A very large leak in the bottom of the boat was the consequence of this accident, and although the pilot immediately steered for the shore, the steamer sunk before she could get near enough to land the passengers. Mr. J. Y. Guthrie, an engineer, and the carpenter, were standing just forward of the boilers when they heard the crash—the boat at the same time making a sudden surge to one side. The carpenter immediately lifted the scuttle-hatch and leaped into the hold, but finding the water pouring in too fast to admit of any attempt at repairing the damage, he made haste to get out again, at the same time giving notice to the engineer that the boat had nagged. Mr. Guthrie, perceiving that the boat was going down, hastened to the engine, but before he got there, he was up to his knees in water. The cabin passengers were hurried up to the hurricane-deck. Soon after, the boat righted, and the hull separated from the cabin and sunk in sixty feet of water.
As the hull parted from the upper works, the surging of the waters caused the cabin floor to rise up against the hurricane roof, and six persons who remained in the cabin were dragged out through the skylights by Capt. Robertson and his two clerks. Mrs. Parmin, one of the six passengers rescued from that perilous situation, had her eldest child in her arms at the time, and was with difficulty prevented from plunging in again, as her babe was left asleep on the bed. But the situation of the deck passengers was the most calamitous; there was a large number of them crowded in their allotted place, where they were walled in by hogsheads of sugar, which would have prevented their escape, if escape had been otherwise possible. These unfortunate people were nearly all drowned.
There were many Irish emigrants on board, whose names were unregistered, and there is a great deal of uncertainty respecting the number of those who perished. Eye-witnesses testify that a large number of men, women and children could be seen drowning at one time. Of the twenty firemen on board, twelve were drowned. The second mate and another person launched the life-boat, but it was almost itnmedidiately upset, probably by the eager and ill-directed efforts of tho drowning people to get into it. The steamer Sultana, with which the Avery had been racing, promptly camo to the rescuo of the drowning crew and passengers, and was the means of saving some of them; but the number lost is believed to be at least eighty or ninety.
Mrs. Seymour, one of the cabin passengers who escaped, relates the following incidents of the wreck: party accounted for by stating that some unusual means had been used to get up extra steam, as the officers of the Avery were resolved to outrun the rival steamer, Sultana. Mrs. Seymour had retired to her state room for an afternoon nap, from which she was aroused by the concussion when the boat struck; and soon after, she found herself in the water. She was drawn up into the floating cabin by one of the waiters, named John Anderson, who, as Mrs. Seymour testifies, was instrumental in saving the lives of several other passengers. She states that her pocket-book, containing nine hundred dollars, which had been placed under her pillow, was lost. She also lost a manuscript which she was preparing for the press, and which she valued still more highly than her pocket-book.
Mrs. Seymour continues :—I cast my eyes upon the water, which was covered with fragments of the cabin. To these frail supports human hands were clinging, while many human voices were crying, "Save me ! oh, save me!" The water at first was dotted with human heads, sinking and rising, and then sinking to rise no more. A sudden splash drew my attention to the side of the boat, and I saw that a young lady, who had been drawn from the inundated cabin through the sky-light and placed in safety on the floating deck, in the delirium of the moment had plunged again into the water, from which she never again emerged. Several others followed her example, but appearing again on the surface, they were rescued by the waiter Anderson and two or three others of the boat's crew, who never slackened in their efforts to save human life. Two or three gentlemen leaped into the water and swam to land. A fine Texan poney, belonging to Mrs. Emerson, escaped from the deck, and endeavored to save himself by swimming. He reached the shore, but not being able to climb the bank, he fell back into the water and was drowned. In a faint but earnest tone, I heard a female voice say, " Oh, William, do save her!" On directing my gaze to the place from whence the voice came, I saw a woman sinking in the river. At the same time a child's voice exclaimed, "Oh, mother, he cannot save me!" I saw her fair hair, all wet, fall back from her young face as her little arms loosened their grasp on the neck of her brother, and the mother and her two children sank together.
Source: Fifty Years on the Mississippi ©1889
Saturday, November 26, 2016
SS Great Western
Was the first steamship to provide service from Bristol, England to New York City on Apr. 8, 1838. She was the model for all Atlantic wood paddlers. You can read more at The Ships List which includes a copy of the article below written in NY papers after the arrival of the ship.
Another good article about the SS Great Western and her first ocean voyage can be found at Gjenvick-Gjonvik Archives
Another overview can be found at Wikipedia
New York papers of 24th April 1838 gave this account:
British Steam Packet Ship Great Western, James Hosken, R.N. Commander, having arrived yesterday from Bristol, which place she left on 8th inst. At noon, will sail from new York for Bristol on Monday, May 7th, at 2 p.m. She takes no steerage passengers. Rates in the cabin, including wines and provisions of every kind, 30 quineas[sic]; a whole stateroom for one person, 50 guineas. Steward's fee for each passenger, £1 10s. sterling. Children under thirteen years of age, half-price. No charge for letters or papers. The captain and owners will not be liable for any package, unless bill of lading has been given for it. 100 to 200 tons can be taken at the lowest current rates. Passage or freight can be engaged, a plan of cabin may be seen, and further particulars learned by applying to Richard Irvin, 98, Front Street. (p. 41 of The History of North Atlantic Steam Navigation, by Henry Fry, 1896.)
Another good article about the SS Great Western and her first ocean voyage can be found at Gjenvick-Gjonvik Archives
Another overview can be found at Wikipedia
New York papers of 24th April 1838 gave this account:
British Steam Packet Ship Great Western, James Hosken, R.N. Commander, having arrived yesterday from Bristol, which place she left on 8th inst. At noon, will sail from new York for Bristol on Monday, May 7th, at 2 p.m. She takes no steerage passengers. Rates in the cabin, including wines and provisions of every kind, 30 quineas[sic]; a whole stateroom for one person, 50 guineas. Steward's fee for each passenger, £1 10s. sterling. Children under thirteen years of age, half-price. No charge for letters or papers. The captain and owners will not be liable for any package, unless bill of lading has been given for it. 100 to 200 tons can be taken at the lowest current rates. Passage or freight can be engaged, a plan of cabin may be seen, and further particulars learned by applying to Richard Irvin, 98, Front Street. (p. 41 of The History of North Atlantic Steam Navigation, by Henry Fry, 1896.)
Friday, November 4, 2016
Steamboat Disasters
Below are a couple of excerpts from Steamboat Disasters and Railroad Accidents ©1840. The first one I'm sharing with you regards the Steam packet HOME and it's sinking off of Cape Hatteras, NC. Hatteras is one of the locations where a tremendous amount of ships have sank over the years. Near Hatteras just south of it is another Island called Ocracoke. Not only was it the setting for one of my stories but it was also the location of where my husband's great grandfather's ship went down. Capt. Coleman was the last captain to run a four-masted schooner on the East Coast. Capt. Coleman survived his shipwreck, along with all hands. He died 5 days later in a car accident.
Ocracoke, N. C. Oct. 10, 1837. Mr. James P. Allaire, New York,
Dear Sir : I have now the painful duty of informing you of the total loss of the steam packet Home, and the lives of most of the passengers and crew : The following passengers are saved : H. Vanderzee, New York. Capt. John Salter, Portsmouth, N. H. Capt. Alfred Hill, do. do,
I. S. Cohen, of Columbia, S. C.
Andrew A. Lovegreen, Charleston.
Charles Drayton, do.
B. B. Hussey, do.
Thomas J. Smith, do.
Mrs. Lacoste, Charleston.
Mrs. Schroeder, do.
Mr. C. C. Cady, Montgomery, Ala.
J. D. Rowland, New York.
James Johnson, Jr., Boston.
John Bishop, New York,
Darnis Clock, Athens, Geo.
William S. Read, New Haven, Conn.
Jabez Holmes, New York.
John Mather, do.
Conrad Quinn, Jersey City.
Hiram Anderson, New York.
Twenty passengers saved, is all we can find.
The following persons of the crew :
Firemen.
Levi Miller, Stamford, Conn.
William Bloom, New York.
Thomas Smith, do.
Timothy Stone, do.
Deck Hands.
Michael Burns, James DufTee, John Trust, James
Jackson, Samuel , Calvin Marvin, (boy) New
York, David Milne, steward.
And six waiters, (names not given,) making 19 belonging to the boat.
20 passengers, 19 hands, 1 captain,—40 souls saved. There can be very little saved from the wreck. We had a heavy gale of wind after leaving New York, from N. E. The boat sprung a leak a little to the Northward of Hatteras ; at first we were able to pump the water out as fast as it came in, but the leak soon increased, so that it gained very fast on us. We scuttled the cabin floor, and all hands, passengers, gentlemen and ladies, commenced bailing with buckets, kettles, &c but the water soon came up to the furnaces, and put the fires out, and we were obliged to run under sails only. By the time we came to the shore, the water was over the cabin floors ; we run her head on, but owing to her having so much water in, she stopped in the outward breakers. The first sea that came after she struck, stove the weather quarter boat, and all the houses on the deck were stove in, and 25 minutes after she struck, she was all to pieces, and I suppose about 80 souls were drowned. Both mates, all three of the engineers, and James B. Allaire are lost. Most of the passengers saved have lost nearlyall their baggage. I have lost every thing; having nothing but one pair of pantaloons, and a shirt that I had on when I washed ashore.
In haste, yours respectfully.
(Signed) CARLETON WHITE.
And below is part of the account from one of the survivors, Mr. John D. Roland.
At 6 P. M. the water reached the engine, to the alarm of all, and extinguished the fires, when of course the machinery stopped. The boat was still out of sight of land, but was running with sails, the gale severe, and she laboring dreadfully. The greatest efforts were all the time made, by bailing, &c, and all were actively engaged, until 10 P. M., when the boat struck about a quarter of a mile from, but in sight of the outer breakers.
In an instant alter the strike all was utter confusion and alarm; men, women, and children screaming in the most agonizing manner. The scene was most heart-rending; women clinging to their husbands, children to their mothers, and death, almost certain death before them. It was apparent that the boat could hold together but a very few moments, and that few, very few could under any circumstances be saved. The wind blew a gale—the sea was high, and there were only three boats, and one of them had been staved.
All were engaged in efforts to save their lives,— some lashing themselves to spars on board, and others making what struggle they could. Our informant made his calculations, that his only chance was in swimming ashore, and he accordingly threw off all his clothes but his shirt and pantaloons ; and before any had left the wreck, threw himself into the water. He found the sea so- high that he could with difficulty encounter it, and on reaching the surf, he came near perishing. He, however, landed in safety, though the current took him about a mile and a half to the southward of the wreck.
On reaching the shore, Mr. Rowland found all mariner of pieces thrown up, from which it was evident that the boat had broken up. One man he pulled out of the surf. Only two persons on board had life preservers, both of whom were saved ; one of them however, had no use for his, as he went ashore on the forecastle ; the other person (although he could not swim,) was saved by means of his life preserver.
The boat fortunately had a high forecastle, on which a number of the crew and passengers had collected. This parted entire, and all or nearly all on it, some eight or ten persons at least, went ashore and were saved—Capt. White among the number.
The boat, almost immediately on striking, Went to pieces. Her keel and kelson both drifted ashore about a mile from the wreck. About twenty bodies were found men, and women—among them an infant and the chief mate. The shore, for some miles to the southward, was covered with fragments. The boilers of the boat were to be seen, but every vestige of the vessel had parted from them.
Of the three small boats belonging to the Home, one was staved by the violence of the gale as she hung in the davits, one other filled alongside, and the other was cast off with a number of passengers in her, but she upset in the surf, and only one person was saved. One of the stewards swam safe ashore naked, but he nearly perished afterward with cold.
The scene the next morning was too horrid to describe, the boiler being the only unbroken relic of what was the beautiful packet Home. The shore was lined with bodies constantly coming up. All hands were engaged in collecting them together. The survivors in groups, were nearly naked, and famished and exhausted. The few inhabitants appeared friendly, but many of the trunks that came on shore were empty.
Mrs. Lacoste, the aged lady that was saved, is about 70. She is very fleshy, and almost helpless. She was found in the surf, but how she got there neither herself nor any other person could give any account. Mr. Hussey, who was saved, lashed his wife to a spar, but she was forced off by a sea and lost.
Mr. H. afterward lashed himself to a spar and reached the shore. It is the opinion of our informant that a large portion of the passengers were lost together, soon after she struck, when the boat separated. All the children on board were lost except one lad about 12 years old.
Ocracoke Island, to which place the survivors were washed or swam, is principally inhabited by pilots. Mr. Littlejohn, a Southern planter who was spending the summer there, Mr. Howard, who resides also on the Island, Capt. Pike, and other gentlemen paid every attention to the survivors, and to the interment of those bodies which were washed on shore. Within two days after the fatal occurrence, which time Messrs. Rowland and Holmes were obliged to wait for a conveyance, about twenty bodies, among which were those of two or three of the ladies, were washed on shore and buried.
After the survivors reached the shore, they separated in various directions—some to Raleigh, N. C. others to Newbern—two as before stated, came to New York, and the remainder made their way towards Charleston, by the best conveyances they could find.
Ocracoke, N. C. Oct. 10, 1837. Mr. James P. Allaire, New York,
Dear Sir : I have now the painful duty of informing you of the total loss of the steam packet Home, and the lives of most of the passengers and crew : The following passengers are saved : H. Vanderzee, New York. Capt. John Salter, Portsmouth, N. H. Capt. Alfred Hill, do. do,
I. S. Cohen, of Columbia, S. C.
Andrew A. Lovegreen, Charleston.
Charles Drayton, do.
B. B. Hussey, do.
Thomas J. Smith, do.
Mrs. Lacoste, Charleston.
Mrs. Schroeder, do.
Mr. C. C. Cady, Montgomery, Ala.
J. D. Rowland, New York.
James Johnson, Jr., Boston.
John Bishop, New York,
Darnis Clock, Athens, Geo.
William S. Read, New Haven, Conn.
Jabez Holmes, New York.
John Mather, do.
Conrad Quinn, Jersey City.
Hiram Anderson, New York.
Twenty passengers saved, is all we can find.
The following persons of the crew :
Firemen.
Levi Miller, Stamford, Conn.
William Bloom, New York.
Thomas Smith, do.
Timothy Stone, do.
Deck Hands.
Michael Burns, James DufTee, John Trust, James
Jackson, Samuel , Calvin Marvin, (boy) New
York, David Milne, steward.
And six waiters, (names not given,) making 19 belonging to the boat.
20 passengers, 19 hands, 1 captain,—40 souls saved. There can be very little saved from the wreck. We had a heavy gale of wind after leaving New York, from N. E. The boat sprung a leak a little to the Northward of Hatteras ; at first we were able to pump the water out as fast as it came in, but the leak soon increased, so that it gained very fast on us. We scuttled the cabin floor, and all hands, passengers, gentlemen and ladies, commenced bailing with buckets, kettles, &c but the water soon came up to the furnaces, and put the fires out, and we were obliged to run under sails only. By the time we came to the shore, the water was over the cabin floors ; we run her head on, but owing to her having so much water in, she stopped in the outward breakers. The first sea that came after she struck, stove the weather quarter boat, and all the houses on the deck were stove in, and 25 minutes after she struck, she was all to pieces, and I suppose about 80 souls were drowned. Both mates, all three of the engineers, and James B. Allaire are lost. Most of the passengers saved have lost nearlyall their baggage. I have lost every thing; having nothing but one pair of pantaloons, and a shirt that I had on when I washed ashore.
In haste, yours respectfully.
(Signed) CARLETON WHITE.
And below is part of the account from one of the survivors, Mr. John D. Roland.
At 6 P. M. the water reached the engine, to the alarm of all, and extinguished the fires, when of course the machinery stopped. The boat was still out of sight of land, but was running with sails, the gale severe, and she laboring dreadfully. The greatest efforts were all the time made, by bailing, &c, and all were actively engaged, until 10 P. M., when the boat struck about a quarter of a mile from, but in sight of the outer breakers.
In an instant alter the strike all was utter confusion and alarm; men, women, and children screaming in the most agonizing manner. The scene was most heart-rending; women clinging to their husbands, children to their mothers, and death, almost certain death before them. It was apparent that the boat could hold together but a very few moments, and that few, very few could under any circumstances be saved. The wind blew a gale—the sea was high, and there were only three boats, and one of them had been staved.
All were engaged in efforts to save their lives,— some lashing themselves to spars on board, and others making what struggle they could. Our informant made his calculations, that his only chance was in swimming ashore, and he accordingly threw off all his clothes but his shirt and pantaloons ; and before any had left the wreck, threw himself into the water. He found the sea so- high that he could with difficulty encounter it, and on reaching the surf, he came near perishing. He, however, landed in safety, though the current took him about a mile and a half to the southward of the wreck.
On reaching the shore, Mr. Rowland found all mariner of pieces thrown up, from which it was evident that the boat had broken up. One man he pulled out of the surf. Only two persons on board had life preservers, both of whom were saved ; one of them however, had no use for his, as he went ashore on the forecastle ; the other person (although he could not swim,) was saved by means of his life preserver.
The boat fortunately had a high forecastle, on which a number of the crew and passengers had collected. This parted entire, and all or nearly all on it, some eight or ten persons at least, went ashore and were saved—Capt. White among the number.
The boat, almost immediately on striking, Went to pieces. Her keel and kelson both drifted ashore about a mile from the wreck. About twenty bodies were found men, and women—among them an infant and the chief mate. The shore, for some miles to the southward, was covered with fragments. The boilers of the boat were to be seen, but every vestige of the vessel had parted from them.
Of the three small boats belonging to the Home, one was staved by the violence of the gale as she hung in the davits, one other filled alongside, and the other was cast off with a number of passengers in her, but she upset in the surf, and only one person was saved. One of the stewards swam safe ashore naked, but he nearly perished afterward with cold.
The scene the next morning was too horrid to describe, the boiler being the only unbroken relic of what was the beautiful packet Home. The shore was lined with bodies constantly coming up. All hands were engaged in collecting them together. The survivors in groups, were nearly naked, and famished and exhausted. The few inhabitants appeared friendly, but many of the trunks that came on shore were empty.
Mrs. Lacoste, the aged lady that was saved, is about 70. She is very fleshy, and almost helpless. She was found in the surf, but how she got there neither herself nor any other person could give any account. Mr. Hussey, who was saved, lashed his wife to a spar, but she was forced off by a sea and lost.
Mr. H. afterward lashed himself to a spar and reached the shore. It is the opinion of our informant that a large portion of the passengers were lost together, soon after she struck, when the boat separated. All the children on board were lost except one lad about 12 years old.
Ocracoke Island, to which place the survivors were washed or swam, is principally inhabited by pilots. Mr. Littlejohn, a Southern planter who was spending the summer there, Mr. Howard, who resides also on the Island, Capt. Pike, and other gentlemen paid every attention to the survivors, and to the interment of those bodies which were washed on shore. Within two days after the fatal occurrence, which time Messrs. Rowland and Holmes were obliged to wait for a conveyance, about twenty bodies, among which were those of two or three of the ladies, were washed on shore and buried.
After the survivors reached the shore, they separated in various directions—some to Raleigh, N. C. others to Newbern—two as before stated, came to New York, and the remainder made their way towards Charleston, by the best conveyances they could find.
Friday, October 28, 2016
Time on Ship divided by 3 Watches
From Houghtalings Handbook ©1887
A Watch is that part of the officers and crew of a vessel who together attend to working her for an allotted time.
1st Watch
1 Bell. . . .12:30 o'clock
2 Bells. . . .1:00 "
3 Bells. . . .1:30 "
4 Bells. . . .2:00 "
5 Bells. . . .2:30 "
6 Bells. . . .3:00 "
7 Bells. . . .3:30 "
8 Bells. . . .4:00 "
2nd Watch
1 Bell. . . ..4:30 "
2 Bells. . . .5:00 "
3 Bells. . . .5:30 "
4 Bells. . . .6:00 "
5 Bells. . . .6:30 "
6 Bells. . . .7:00 "
7 Bells. . . .7:30 "
8 Bells. . . .8:00 "
3rd Watch
1 Bell. . . ..8:30 "
2 Bells. . . .9:00 "
3 Bells. . . .9:30 "
4 Bells. . . .10:00 "
5 Bells. . . .10:30 "
6 Bells. . . .11:00 "
7 Bells. . . .11:30 "
8 Bells. . . .12:00 "
A Watch is that part of the officers and crew of a vessel who together attend to working her for an allotted time.
1st Watch
1 Bell. . . .12:30 o'clock
2 Bells. . . .1:00 "
3 Bells. . . .1:30 "
4 Bells. . . .2:00 "
5 Bells. . . .2:30 "
6 Bells. . . .3:00 "
7 Bells. . . .3:30 "
8 Bells. . . .4:00 "
2nd Watch
1 Bell. . . ..4:30 "
2 Bells. . . .5:00 "
3 Bells. . . .5:30 "
4 Bells. . . .6:00 "
5 Bells. . . .6:30 "
6 Bells. . . .7:00 "
7 Bells. . . .7:30 "
8 Bells. . . .8:00 "
3rd Watch
1 Bell. . . ..8:30 "
2 Bells. . . .9:00 "
3 Bells. . . .9:30 "
4 Bells. . . .10:00 "
5 Bells. . . .10:30 "
6 Bells. . . .11:00 "
7 Bells. . . .11:30 "
8 Bells. . . .12:00 "
Thursday, October 27, 2016
Fastest Time Crossing the Oceans by Steamship
From Houghtaling's Handbook ©1887
Oct 1875 Steamer City of Berlin crossed from NY to Queenstown in 7 days, 15 hours and 48 minutes.
Aug 1877 Steamer Britannic crossed from Queenstown to NY in 7 days, 10 hours and 52 minutes.
Oct 1877 Steamer City of Berlin crossed from Queenstown to NY in 7 days, 14 hours and 12 minutes.
Sept 1881 Steamer Arizona crossed from NY to Queenstown in 7 days, 7 hours and 46 minutes.
June 1882 Steamer Alaska crossed from NY to Queenstown in 6 days, 18 hours and 37 minutes.
Oct. 1882 Steamer Alaska crossed from Queenstown to NY in 6 days, 22 hours and 3 minutes.
Apr 1883 Steamer Alaska crossed from Queenstown to NY in 6 days, 23 hours and 48 minutes.
July 1883 Steamer City of Rome crossed from NY to Queenstown in 7 days and 1 hour
Aug 1883 Steamer Werra crossed from Southhampton to NY in 7 days, 21 hours.
Sept 1883 Steamer Fulda crossed from NY to Southhampton in 7 days and 22 hours.
Oct 1883 Steamer Servia crossed from NY to Queenstown in 6 days 21 hours and 38 minutes.
Dec 1883 Steamer Servia crossed from NY to Queenstown in 7 days 2 hours and 38 minutes.
Apr 1884 Steamer Eider crossed from Southhampton to NY in 7 days, 4 hours and 8 minutes.
Apr 1884 Steamer Oregon crossed from Queenstown to NY in 6 days, 10 hours and 10 minutes.
May 1884 Steamer Oregon crossed from NY to Queenstown in 6 days, 16 hours and 57 minutes.
Thursday, October 6, 2016
Female Steamboat Captain
Below you will find an article that was written in 1896, primarily about Mary Greene earning her Master Pilot license. Many report that she was the only female Captain but in fact there were a few others, which is reported in the second to the last paragraph. This information come from the Ohio public library site http://wheeling.weirton.lib.wv.us/history/bus/river/m_greene.htm
I like what I've read about Mary, but more importantly, I like the actual interviews that have been reported and the account her granddaughter gave in a recent book, an excerpt is at Google books. Link
Wheeling Daily Intelligencer, Feb. 3, 1896; p. 2
A WOMAN PILOT
Mrs. Gordon Green Tells of Her Experience on the River.
Since Mrs. Gordon Green, wife of Captain Green, of the Wheeling-Pittsburgh packet, H. K. Bedford, took out papers making her a fully authorized pilot on the river between Pittsburgh and Marietta, there has been much interest in the incident. The Pittsburgh Post prints an interview with Mrs. Green, in the course of which she tells her story as follows:
"Well, it was very easy: you see, I spend a good bit of time in the pilot house with the captain -- my husband, you know -- and it is only natural that I should get to know the river. Of course, he took a great deal of pains to show me everything and often let me try my hand at managing the boat. In the course of the five years of our married life I have seen a great deal of the river, and it seems very natural that I should learn something of it. It requires only a good memory to know the channel, and, as for learning to ring the bells, and how to handle the boat, that is comparatively easy.
"You see, we have never gone to housekeeping yet. This boat has been my home ever since the captain and I were married, and I nearly always stand watch with him. Five years as a 'striker' ought to qualify almost anyone for a pilot, even if they had a less able and willing instructor than I had."
"But do you like the river? Is your floating home as pleasant as one on the bank would be?" asked the reporter.
"Oh, yes. I like the river ever so much. The captain has to be with his boat nearly all the time, and if we were keeping house we would be practically separated. Then I have very nice rooms here, and when I want to get away from the passengers I can retire to them. There is a constant change of scene, which is very agreeable, and then one is always meeting so many people that one knows. A great deal of my time is spent in the pilot house though, and altogether, I think it very nice to live on a boat."
"Do you intend to stand a regular watch on the boat?" queried the reporter.
"No, indeed; I didn't get my license for that. We have a pilot and Mr. Green stands one watch, so there is no necessity for my doing anything of the kind. I wanted my license because I felt that I was entitled to it. Then I can help the captain when he is on watch, or take the wheel for awhile for amusement if I like. If we should be left without a pilot for a time I could take a turn in the pilot house until we could get someone else. That is all the piloting I expect to do."
"But don't you find it hard work?"
"Oh, it is easy to handle the Bedford. It is a small boat, you know, and by being careful I have no trouble. Sometimes the wheel throws me around a little, but I always manage to keep it under control."
"Are we to infer from your entering the ranks of pilots that you look with favor on the new woman idea?"
"Several of my friends have asked me that since I got my license," she said, laughing. "I always tell them that I don't bother much about such stuff. I am contented to be just what I am, a woman, in the good old-fashioned way. I don't think there is anything unwomanly or advanced in my being able to steer a boat, and I am contented to let the captain do the voting for the family."
The captain has a far higher opinion of his wife's abilities than she has herself. In response to a query as to whether he was not a little proud of his new pilot, he straightened himself up, and said in a way that was eloquent of his earnest sincerity:
"You bet I am."
Mrs. Greene was Miss Mary Becker before her marriage, and her home is on Little Muskingum creek six miles from Marietta. Her father was the proprietor of a prosperous country store, and before Captain Greene won her, at the age of twenty-two, she had proved herself a shrewd business woman. One of her brothers is a prominent physician of Cincinnati, and the family are at least well-to-do.
Mrs. Greene is the only woman who ever took out her initial license at the Pittsburgh office. Mrs. Callie French, however, renewed her papers as pilot at this port last year. She is the wife of the proprietor of the French's show boat, and is said to be the best pilot that ever turned the wheel on the Ruth, the little craft that pushes the show up and down the rivers. Mrs. T. P. Leathers is licensed as a pilot at the New Orleans office, and stands a regular watch on her husband's boat, the T. P. Leathers, running out of New Orleans. A Mrs. Miller, formerly held a pilot's license at Cincinnati, but is not now on the river. Mrs. Ben Young, of Cincinnati, holds a master's license, and spends her time on her husband's boat, the Lee H. Brooks.
When the H. K. Bedford left the harbor Friday afternoon, Mrs. Greene was in the pilot house, and her husband stood on the roof watching her clever manipulation of the big pilot wheel. As it spun around and the Bedford rounded out into the stream, he looked as well satisfied as if he owned the whole river.
I like what I've read about Mary, but more importantly, I like the actual interviews that have been reported and the account her granddaughter gave in a recent book, an excerpt is at Google books. Link
Wheeling Daily Intelligencer, Feb. 3, 1896; p. 2
A WOMAN PILOT
Mrs. Gordon Green Tells of Her Experience on the River.
Since Mrs. Gordon Green, wife of Captain Green, of the Wheeling-Pittsburgh packet, H. K. Bedford, took out papers making her a fully authorized pilot on the river between Pittsburgh and Marietta, there has been much interest in the incident. The Pittsburgh Post prints an interview with Mrs. Green, in the course of which she tells her story as follows:
"Well, it was very easy: you see, I spend a good bit of time in the pilot house with the captain -- my husband, you know -- and it is only natural that I should get to know the river. Of course, he took a great deal of pains to show me everything and often let me try my hand at managing the boat. In the course of the five years of our married life I have seen a great deal of the river, and it seems very natural that I should learn something of it. It requires only a good memory to know the channel, and, as for learning to ring the bells, and how to handle the boat, that is comparatively easy.
"You see, we have never gone to housekeeping yet. This boat has been my home ever since the captain and I were married, and I nearly always stand watch with him. Five years as a 'striker' ought to qualify almost anyone for a pilot, even if they had a less able and willing instructor than I had."
"But do you like the river? Is your floating home as pleasant as one on the bank would be?" asked the reporter.
"Oh, yes. I like the river ever so much. The captain has to be with his boat nearly all the time, and if we were keeping house we would be practically separated. Then I have very nice rooms here, and when I want to get away from the passengers I can retire to them. There is a constant change of scene, which is very agreeable, and then one is always meeting so many people that one knows. A great deal of my time is spent in the pilot house though, and altogether, I think it very nice to live on a boat."
"Do you intend to stand a regular watch on the boat?" queried the reporter.
"No, indeed; I didn't get my license for that. We have a pilot and Mr. Green stands one watch, so there is no necessity for my doing anything of the kind. I wanted my license because I felt that I was entitled to it. Then I can help the captain when he is on watch, or take the wheel for awhile for amusement if I like. If we should be left without a pilot for a time I could take a turn in the pilot house until we could get someone else. That is all the piloting I expect to do."
"But don't you find it hard work?"
"Oh, it is easy to handle the Bedford. It is a small boat, you know, and by being careful I have no trouble. Sometimes the wheel throws me around a little, but I always manage to keep it under control."
"Are we to infer from your entering the ranks of pilots that you look with favor on the new woman idea?"
"Several of my friends have asked me that since I got my license," she said, laughing. "I always tell them that I don't bother much about such stuff. I am contented to be just what I am, a woman, in the good old-fashioned way. I don't think there is anything unwomanly or advanced in my being able to steer a boat, and I am contented to let the captain do the voting for the family."
The captain has a far higher opinion of his wife's abilities than she has herself. In response to a query as to whether he was not a little proud of his new pilot, he straightened himself up, and said in a way that was eloquent of his earnest sincerity:
"You bet I am."
Mrs. Greene was Miss Mary Becker before her marriage, and her home is on Little Muskingum creek six miles from Marietta. Her father was the proprietor of a prosperous country store, and before Captain Greene won her, at the age of twenty-two, she had proved herself a shrewd business woman. One of her brothers is a prominent physician of Cincinnati, and the family are at least well-to-do.
Mrs. Greene is the only woman who ever took out her initial license at the Pittsburgh office. Mrs. Callie French, however, renewed her papers as pilot at this port last year. She is the wife of the proprietor of the French's show boat, and is said to be the best pilot that ever turned the wheel on the Ruth, the little craft that pushes the show up and down the rivers. Mrs. T. P. Leathers is licensed as a pilot at the New Orleans office, and stands a regular watch on her husband's boat, the T. P. Leathers, running out of New Orleans. A Mrs. Miller, formerly held a pilot's license at Cincinnati, but is not now on the river. Mrs. Ben Young, of Cincinnati, holds a master's license, and spends her time on her husband's boat, the Lee H. Brooks.
When the H. K. Bedford left the harbor Friday afternoon, Mrs. Greene was in the pilot house, and her husband stood on the roof watching her clever manipulation of the big pilot wheel. As it spun around and the Bedford rounded out into the stream, he looked as well satisfied as if he owned the whole river.
Steamboat Inspection
Below is an excerpt from Houghtalings Handbook of Useful ©1887
Salaries of United States Officials
(salaries per Year, unless otherwise noted)
Steamboat-Inspection Service
Washington DC
Supervising Ins. Gen'l $3,500
San Francisco, Cal
Supervising Inspector $3,000
Inspector of Hulls $2,000
Inspector of Boilers $2,000
Clerk $1,200
Portland, Oreg.
Inspector of Hulls $1,200
Inspector of Boilers $1,200
Clerk $1,000
Inspector of Hulls $800
Inspector of Boilers $800
New York, N.Y.
Supervising Inspector $3,000
Inspector of Hulls 2,200
Inspector of Boilers 2,200
5 Assist. Inspec. of Hulls 2,000
5 Asst. Inspec. of Boilers 2,000
Clerk 1,200
Assistant Clerk 1,000
1 Assistant Clerk 75 a month
Clerk of Sup. Insp. 75 a month
Other towns with Inspection Services were: I listed the information below because in a paragraph the cities seemed to blur.
Albany, NY,
Philadelphia, PA.,
Boston, MA,
Portland, ME,
New London, CT.,
Baltimore, MD.,
Norfolk, VA,
Charleston, SC,
Savannah, GA.,
St Louis, MO.,
Saint Paul, Minn.,
Galena, Ill.,
Memphis Tenn.,
Louisville, Ky.,
Nashville, Tenn.,
Memphis Tenn.,
Evansville, Ind.,
Cincinnati, OH.,
Pittsburgh, PA.,
Wheeling, W. VA.,
Gallipolis, OH.,
Detroit, Mich.,
Chicago, Ill.,
Grand Haven, Mich.,
Marquette, Mich.,
Milwaukee, Wis.,
Port Huron, Mich.,
Buffallo, NY,
Cleveland, OH.,
Oswego, NY,
Burlington, VT,
New Orleans, LA.
Mobile, AL.,
Galveston, TX.,
Apalachicola, FL.,
Salaries of United States Officials
(salaries per Year, unless otherwise noted)
Steamboat-Inspection Service
Washington DC
Supervising Ins. Gen'l $3,500
San Francisco, Cal
Supervising Inspector $3,000
Inspector of Hulls $2,000
Inspector of Boilers $2,000
Clerk $1,200
Portland, Oreg.
Inspector of Hulls $1,200
Inspector of Boilers $1,200
Clerk $1,000
Inspector of Hulls $800
Inspector of Boilers $800
New York, N.Y.
Supervising Inspector $3,000
Inspector of Hulls 2,200
Inspector of Boilers 2,200
5 Assist. Inspec. of Hulls 2,000
5 Asst. Inspec. of Boilers 2,000
Clerk 1,200
Assistant Clerk 1,000
1 Assistant Clerk 75 a month
Clerk of Sup. Insp. 75 a month
Other towns with Inspection Services were: I listed the information below because in a paragraph the cities seemed to blur.
Albany, NY,
Philadelphia, PA.,
Boston, MA,
Portland, ME,
New London, CT.,
Baltimore, MD.,
Norfolk, VA,
Charleston, SC,
Savannah, GA.,
St Louis, MO.,
Saint Paul, Minn.,
Galena, Ill.,
Memphis Tenn.,
Louisville, Ky.,
Nashville, Tenn.,
Memphis Tenn.,
Evansville, Ind.,
Cincinnati, OH.,
Pittsburgh, PA.,
Wheeling, W. VA.,
Gallipolis, OH.,
Detroit, Mich.,
Chicago, Ill.,
Grand Haven, Mich.,
Marquette, Mich.,
Milwaukee, Wis.,
Port Huron, Mich.,
Buffallo, NY,
Cleveland, OH.,
Oswego, NY,
Burlington, VT,
New Orleans, LA.
Mobile, AL.,
Galveston, TX.,
Apalachicola, FL.,
Saturday, September 10, 2016
Savannah River - Cotton
Below you'll find a list of shipments out of Savannah to various parts of the world. Cotton was the primary export in the 19th Century but it wasn't the only export. The Savannah River was of prime importance for the exporting business. Pole Boats were used to bring the goods from Augusta down to Savannah.
The exports from Savannah:
Sea Island cotton, . 10 722 bales.
Upland ditto, . . 62,698
Rice, . . 15.798 whole tierces.
2,336 half ditto.
Tobacco, . . 1,501 hogsheads.
The quantity of cotton exported from Savannah, from the 1st of October 1815 to the 10th of February 1816, was,
from the 1st of November 1815 to the 27th of April 1816, were as follows:
To England, . 14,552 bales Upland,
Ditto, . . 3,638 ditto Sea Island.
To France, . 4,346 ditto Upland.
Ditto. . . 97 ditto Sea Island.
To Europe, . . 874 ditto Upland.
Ditto, . . 40 ditto Sea Island.
Coastwise, . .10,123 ditto.
Total, 83,670 bales.
After the invention of the steamboats, pole boats were less and less used but they were still used at the time of the writing of
STATISTICAL, POLITICAL, AND HISTORICAL ACCOUNT of THE UNITED STATES OF NORTH AMERICA; FROM THE PERIOD OF THEIR FIRST COLONIZATION TO THE PRESENT DAY. Printed by George Ramsay and Co. Edinburgh, 1819.
Steam-boats have been established on the Savannah river. One, called the Enterprise, made the passage from Savannah to Augusta, with two freight boats dragging, in eight days, and returned with the current in three and a half. The pole boats require fourteen days to ascend the same distance, and from five to seven to descend. Two other steam-boats are now building, by a company, for the purpose of dragging freighted boats to and from Augusta.
The exports from Savannah:
Sea Island cotton, . 10 722 bales.
Upland ditto, . . 62,698
Rice, . . 15.798 whole tierces.
2,336 half ditto.
Tobacco, . . 1,501 hogsheads.
The quantity of cotton exported from Savannah, from the 1st of October 1815 to the 10th of February 1816, was,
from the 1st of November 1815 to the 27th of April 1816, were as follows:
To England, . 14,552 bales Upland,
Ditto, . . 3,638 ditto Sea Island.
To France, . 4,346 ditto Upland.
Ditto. . . 97 ditto Sea Island.
To Europe, . . 874 ditto Upland.
Ditto, . . 40 ditto Sea Island.
Coastwise, . .10,123 ditto.
Total, 83,670 bales.
After the invention of the steamboats, pole boats were less and less used but they were still used at the time of the writing of
STATISTICAL, POLITICAL, AND HISTORICAL ACCOUNT of THE UNITED STATES OF NORTH AMERICA; FROM THE PERIOD OF THEIR FIRST COLONIZATION TO THE PRESENT DAY. Printed by George Ramsay and Co. Edinburgh, 1819.
Steam-boats have been established on the Savannah river. One, called the Enterprise, made the passage from Savannah to Augusta, with two freight boats dragging, in eight days, and returned with the current in three and a half. The pole boats require fourteen days to ascend the same distance, and from five to seven to descend. Two other steam-boats are now building, by a company, for the purpose of dragging freighted boats to and from Augusta.
Saturday, September 3, 2016
First Practical Steamboat
In 1801 William Symington developed and designed a new steam engine and was built by John Allan. Lord Dundas being a primary sponsor of the project was honored by the naming of the boat as the Charlotte Dundas after Lord Dundas' daughter. The first sailing was on a canal in Glasgow, Jan. 4, 1803. Symington was never paid for his work on the Charlotte. It wasn't until 1807 when Robert Fulton and Livingston built the first commercial steamboat in New York that the industry truly developed.
Saturday, August 20, 2016
Steamer Atlantic
One of the fastest steamers on Lake Erie, was the Steamer Atlantic. It's been reported that she made the trip from Buffalo to Detroit in 18 hours. In 1852 on Aug. 20th at 2:00 AM she was heading westward when she collided with the Ogdensburgh and sunk. Over 200 people were lost, along with the wealth of many of the surviving passengers. She also carried a fortune in gold and other currency at the time of her sinking.
The recovery of her treasure in 1855 was one of the great stories of early deep water diving. The Atlantic was again rediscovered in 1980 and hundreds of everyday items were recovered from the wreck. The artifacts are on exhibit at the Port Dover Harbour Museum, Ontario, Canada.
Here's an image of Steamer Atlantic
The recovery of her treasure in 1855 was one of the great stories of early deep water diving. The Atlantic was again rediscovered in 1980 and hundreds of everyday items were recovered from the wreck. The artifacts are on exhibit at the Port Dover Harbour Museum, Ontario, Canada.
Here's an image of Steamer Atlantic
Wednesday, August 17, 2016
Walk-in-the-Water
Was the first steamboat on Lake Erie. Launched in Aug. 23, 1818, the "Walk-in-the-Water" had a long first trek up the Niagara River from Buffalo to Lake Erie. She was the first steamboat on Lake Erie, Huron and Michigan and the third on the Great Lakes over all. She received her name from the Indians. Her maiden voyage carried 29 passengers. Their fare was $8.00 to Erie.
As I mentioned in an earlier post the waterways were very important in transportation during the first half of the 19th century. Even today the waterways still play an important part.
"Walk-in-the-Water" was 338 tons, length of 135feet and width of 32. The width of the beam was 8 feet and 6 inches. She had a short life. In Oct. 1821 leaving Cleveland she ran into a typical gale. The boat began to leak, she turned back for Buffalo. One of the anchor ropes broke and she began to drag on the anchor. She grounded on the beach south of Buffalo harbor. All were safe.
I mention "Walk-in-the-Water" for another reason. In 1832 the Lancaster Presbyterian Church built their present house of worship with timbers salvaged from "Walk-in-the-Water". Interestingly enough the church was organized in 1818 six months before the launch of "Walk-in-the-Water".
As I mentioned in an earlier post the waterways were very important in transportation during the first half of the 19th century. Even today the waterways still play an important part.
"Walk-in-the-Water" was 338 tons, length of 135feet and width of 32. The width of the beam was 8 feet and 6 inches. She had a short life. In Oct. 1821 leaving Cleveland she ran into a typical gale. The boat began to leak, she turned back for Buffalo. One of the anchor ropes broke and she began to drag on the anchor. She grounded on the beach south of Buffalo harbor. All were safe.
I mention "Walk-in-the-Water" for another reason. In 1832 the Lancaster Presbyterian Church built their present house of worship with timbers salvaged from "Walk-in-the-Water". Interestingly enough the church was organized in 1818 six months before the launch of "Walk-in-the-Water".
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