Tragedy On The Ohio

 One of the lesser-known tragedies / disasters in Kentucky history was that of the explosion of the steamboat the "A.N. Johnston" of 1847. In fact, I had not heard about it until last night when I just happened to find mention of it online. And given the magnitude of the disaster, there are not a lot of newspaper articles about it either, surprisingly.

The A.N. Johnston was a new boat. It had three boilers and a double engine.  It was built in Wheeling, WV.

On this fateful journey, the boat was traveling from Cincinnati, Ohio to Wheeling, West Virginia. According to a report given to a newspaper by Samuel Harlin, there were 95 cabin and 64 deck passengers.  

The boat had stopped to discharge some passengers on the wharf-boat in Manchester, Ohio before resuming its journey.

At approximately 2:00 A.M. on December 29, 1847, the steamboat was 12 miles above Maysville, Kentucky when the boat's boiler burst, causing a catastrophic explosion.

According to reports, the boat's engineer, before he passed, stated that he had previously checked the boilers and found sufficient water. However, one of the ship's clerks reported hearing the engineer complain "multiple times" that the pumps were not functioning properly.

One of the boilers was blown into a cornfield about 200 yards away. Another boiler was blown about 300 yards away into the same cornfield.  The steamer was completely destroyed and burned to the water's edge. 

The loss of life was estimated to be between 60 and 80 people; but remarkably, all the ladies on board (about 6-7) and several children survived. Many others were injured, some severely. Some were so badly injured they stood very little chance of surviving. 

The Louisville Daily Courier, January 1, 1848, stated "The explosion blew up the cabin deck, and when many of the passengers opened the cabin doors to make their escape, they were precipitated into the hold, and there, with twenty-seven horses, were seen writhing in the flames. None of them escaped."

The article went on to say that "One poor fellow was seen caught under a part of the wreck, when it has burnt nearly to the water's edge. Nothing could save him. As he cast his look of despair imploringly on the spectators, the wreck sunk, carrying him forever to the last bourne.

Many were blown into the river, and sunk at once, disappearing forever, perhaps, from those who wish to obtain their last glance of those they love."

The steamer "Boone" from Maysville responded to the scene and brought back thirty-seven of the dead and wounded. Some of the other victims were taken to Cincinnati.  The Blue Ridge, a Kanawha packet also responded to the scene and rescued some of the passengers.

In addition to the loss of human life, twenty to twenty-seven horses were lost along with at least $20,000 in money. The books of the boat were also lost. 

I've included here two different articles listing some of the passengers - one from the Louisville Daily Courier and one from the Wheeling Times and Advertiser.

Louisville Daily Courier, Louisville, KY, January 1, 1848

Wheeling Times and Advertiser, Wheeling, WV, January 4, 1848.


Although not largely known about, and possibly forgotten over time, this tragedy is still one of the most somber tragedies in history.