Topic starter
19/02/2007 10:57 am
Does anybody have any information (or know where I can obtain information) on the Steamer Julia Dean?
From Way's Packet Directory I have the following:
Sternwheel packet, wooden hull, built at McKeesport, PA, 1850, 117
tons. 138.5' x 24' x 3.8'. Ran the Pittsburgh-Zanesville trade from
1850-1853. Built for N.W. and George Graham of N.W. Graham & Company,
Zanesville, OH. Her masters include Capts. Charles Galligher, Joseph
McVay, J.J. Binning, Henry S. Pierce and George Russell. Inasmuch as
two boats of this name were built in 1850, their careers have become
tangled. One of them was on the upper Mississippi 1855-1856, noticed
at St. Paul both years. The other (presumably this one) was lost in a
collision with the RAINBOW at Mount Vernon, IN, April 26, 1857, with
loss of 5 lives.
My 4th Great-grandfather, Lorenzo McDaniel, died aboard this vessel in the collision with the Rainbow. I'm seeking any other type of historical information or photos/sketches that anyone might have - especially regarding the collision.
Also, does anyone have any idea where the blueprints might be located (if they are still in existance)?
Best wishes!
Jeffrey S. Williams
4th Great-grandson of Lorenzo McDaniel
(Cousin of Brooks Nelson who posted on this topic last week)
19/02/2007 12:37 pm
Jeffrey,
In the early years of steamboating the boats were built by - let´s say - experienced boat builders. There was no blueprint or any drawing at all, maybe a rough sketch. I also doubt that you may find any photograph of the boat in the 1850ies.
The best place for a further research are the local newspapers and maybe the local historical societies. I´m sure that the collision was the news of the day and there should be reports in the newspapers about it (if there has been a newspaper in Mount Vernon and if they still have an archive).
Carmen
19/02/2007 3:20 pm
Jeffrey,
Most boats at that time were built by "rule of thumb," with only a minimum amount of instructions passing between the owner and the builder.
Steamboat photographs started appearing in the late 1840s, so there is a chance--albiet slight--that your boat may have been photographed. A lot of state archives and state historical societies have collections of steamboat photographs. Many of these societies have websites that provide a general idea of the extent of their collections.
The largest single collection of steamboat photos is at the Murphy Library, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. You can make initial contact with them through their website, http://www.uwlax.edu/murphylibrary/
Good luck in your search.
--Mike Gillespie
Topic starter
20/02/2007 2:47 am
Thank you so much for the information. I will be checking out the UWLC website. I'm in St. Paul MN and LaCrosse is about an hour and a half drive away, so I might just make a trip down there.
I contacted the Indiana Historical Society the other day via email, and they managed to find two newspaper clippings about the accident and are putting them in the mail to me tomorrow. I'm hoping to get them by the end of the week. I'll be sure to post them so everyone else can have access to them.