Sunbury American and Shamokin journal. [volume] (Sunbury, Northumberland Co., Pa.) 1840-1848, 1846-04-18

Curtsus Imfbrma tlons--efsamb0 boats.
In the last four numbers, the progress ol
steamboats,, both in this country and Europe
has been reviewed, showing conc'usive,y the
advance ofmechanical knowledge ia both couu.
tries. This is subject always interesting. but
there 10 ono page in history, which, though
short, is dark and gloomy. To this page we
now turn, in Z short notice, of the accidents
that have occurred to steamboats,, since their
introduction IN this country.
The first steamboat accident in this country
happened in 1919 to the Washington, on the
Ohio river. According to letter to Congress
by the Secretary of the Treasury, written in
lS3s, the whole number Of steamengines Of ev.
cry kind that were then in use in the United
States, va SOl0; Of that nuGber 900 were in
STEAMBOATS,, $50 in locomotives, and 1850 in
manufactures Of different kinds.
The number Of accidents to steam engines up
to that time. causing loss of life was 26l, Of
which number, $50 were in steamboats,.
The greatest loss of life by steamboat accident
was BY the collision, and sinking Of the Mon.
mouth in 1887 on the Mississippi; the number
OLIVES lost was 800.
The greatest loss of life by the explosion of a
steamboat was in 1888, in the case of the Orc.
nok on the same; the number Of lives lost was
l39.
The boilers Of the steamboat Moselle blew
up at Cincinnati. Ohio, destroying 12O. persons
The greatest loss Of lite, by snagging. was
in the case of the steamboat st. Louis on the
Mississippi in 1884, when there were l3 lives
lost
The greatest loss Of life by shipwreck was
in the case Of the Home in 1927, on the coast
of N. Carolina, when 100 persons were lost.
The greatest loss of life, by the burning OF a
steamboat up to that time. was in the case of
the Ben Sherhord on the Mississippi. in 1887
The number of steamboats, lost up to 1929
was 23.-During the year 1887 no less than so
steamboats, were lost on the Western waters
During the ten years, from 1880 to ls40, eigh.
ty steamboats, were lost by explosion, in the
United States, by which means 7s0 persons
were killed outright, and 296 wounded badly
of which number 254 died from the injuries re.
ceived.
On the llth of June, 1887, the steamboat
Pulaski was destroyed by the explosion Of one
of her boilers while on passage from Charleston
to Baltimore, ,sd 1872 persons perished.
About the same time similar accident oc.
Cured to the steamer Washington on Lake
Erie, by which 40 lives were lost.
One hundred and seventy lives we're lost, by
the destruction Of the Lexington in 1910. The
particulars Of this sad disaster are familiar to
every New Yorker, and therefore It would be
worse thea useless to repeat them.
The burning Of the Erie on Lake Erie in
August, l64l, sent to their untimely graves l75
persons-and it is but short tine since our
sympathies were aroused by the destruction of
the ill.fa,ed Swallow.
Accidents to steamboats, are alarmingy fire.
quent, and scarce newspaper reaches US from
the South or West, but chronicles the destruc.
ton ofone or more. AS these accidents in nine
cases out Of ten happen through gross careless
ness, the persons responsible should be punished
as the sacrifice OF human life requires This
method think, would soon put stop to them.
IN. Y. Euening Gaz.