Hudson River Steamboat Catastrophes

Contests and Collisions

J. Thomas Allison

• Publisher: The History Press
• Year: 2013
• Print ISBN: 9781626191471
• eBook ISBN: 9781625846020
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: North American History
• Index: History

Beginning in the mid-1800s, steamboats carried people between New York City and the Albany area on the Hudson River. Romantic images lull us into believing it was a quiet means of travel, but a crowded river, faulty equipment and the bravado of the captains resulted in at least one major catastrophe every year. Night boats collided and sank, carelessness caused boiler explosions, races put passengers at risk and fires would quickly swallow the wooden vessels. The grand "Empire of Troy "suffered many collisions. The "Swallow" broke in two on a rock, "Reindeer"'s explosion took forty lives at once and the "Oregon" and "C. Vanderbilt" entered into an epic and dangerous race. Collected from eyewitness accounts, these are some of the most exciting and frightening stories of peril aboard steamboats on the Hudson River.

Table of contents

• Front Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• Acknowledgements
• Introduction
• 1. Swallow (1835–1845)
• 2. Aetna (1815–1824) and Lexington (1835–1840)
• 3. Empire of Troy (1843–1853)
• 4. Niagara (1843–1894) and Sunnyside (1866–1875)
• 5. Knickerbocker (1843–1865)
• 6. Oregon (1846–1863) and C. Vanderbilt (1847–1892)
• 7. Isaac Newton (1846–1863) and New World (1846–1864)
• 8. Alida (1847–1883) and Francis Skiddy (1852–1864)
• 9. Reindeer (1850–1852)
• 10. Henry Clay (1851–1852) and Armenia (1847–1888)
• 11. Daniel Drew (1860–1865) and Drew (1866–1902)
• 12. St. John (1863–1885)
• Notes
• Bibliography
• About the Author