History
United States
NameNiagara
OperatorH.S. Miller[1]
BuilderBidwell & Banta, Buffalo, NY
Completed1845
FateCaught fire and sunk on September 24, 1856
General characteristics
Class and typePalace steamer - passengers and general freight
Tonnage1009 gross
Length230 ft.
Beam34 ft.
Height14 ft.[2]
Niagara (steamer)
Niagara (palace steamer) is located in Wisconsin
Niagara (palace steamer)
Niagara (palace steamer) is located in the United States
Niagara (palace steamer)
LocationOne mile off Belgium, Wisconsin
Coordinates43°14′18″N 87°50′43″W / 43.23833°N 87.84528°W / 43.23833; -87.84528
Built1846
MPSGreat Lakes Shipwreck Sites of Wisconsin MPS
NRHP reference No.96001456
Added to NRHPDecember 16, 1996

The Niagara was a 245-foot (75 m) long sidewheel palace steamer launched in 1846. Like the others of its kind, it carried passengers and cargo around the North American Great Lakes. It was owned by the Collingwood Line.

On September 23, 1856, the Niagara left Sheboygan, Wisconsin, headed for Port Washington, Wisconsin, on Lake Michigan, carrying 170 passengers[3] and a heavy load of cargo. Fire broke out in the area of the engine room at around 6:00 pm,[4] and the steam engines and the paddlewheels soon stopped. The steamer, which was 4–5 miles offshore, quickly became engulfed in flames and smoke. Efforts to use the fire hose were unsuccessful.[5] The passengers panicked while trying to board the lifeboats, capsizing all but one of them. Many jumped overboard into the water, which was reported to be too cold for anyone to survive in it.[6] Several ships in the area rushed to the scene and rescued most of the passengers.[7] The captain and most of the crew survived, but more than 60 on board perished, making it one of Wisconsin's deadliest transportation disasters. Among those lost was John B. Macy, a former member of the United States Congress.[8]

It was reported at the time that the fire was caused by an incendiary.[9] The Captain insisted the fire could not have started in the engine room, because it was fireproof, and blamed combustible cargo stored below.[10] It appears that the cause of the fire was never definitively established.

The wreck of the Niagara lies in 55 feet (17 m) of water one mile (1.6 km) off Belgium, Wisconsin.

References

  1. ^ "Port Washington, WI (Off Shore) Steamer NIAGARA Burns, Sep 1856 | GenDisasters ... Genealogy in Tragedy, Disasters, Fires, Floods". Archived from the original on 2014-08-08. Retrieved 2009-06-10.
  2. ^ "Marine Disasters and Shipwrecks Milwaukee Letter N - Milwaukee County Wisconsin".
  3. ^ "Telegraphic Intelligence". The Charleston Mercury. 1856-09-27. p. 2.
  4. ^ "Particulars of the Burning of the Niagara". The Daily Ohio Statesman. 1856-09-27. p. 3.
  5. ^ "The Burning of the Steamer Niagara". The Daily Ohio Statesman. 1856-09-30. p. 3.
  6. ^ "Dreadful Lake Disaster! 100 Lives Lost!". The Daily Ohio Statesman. 1856-09-26. p. 3.
  7. ^ "Burning of Steamer Niagara - One Hundred Lives Lost". The Sun (Baltimore, MD). 1856-09-26. p. 1.
  8. ^ "The Burning of the Streamer Niagara -- Further Particulars". The Sun (Baltimore, MD). 1856-09-30. p. 1.
  9. ^ "The Burning of the Niagara -- Fifty or Sixty Lives Lost". The Sun (Baltimore, MD). 1856-09-27. p. 1.
  10. ^ "Maritime Trails account of the Niagara disaster". Archived from the original on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2007-07-10.
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