Conflagration of the steam boat New Jersey on the Delaware River opposite Philada. March 15 1856 in which 50 persons lost their lives.
Title
Conflagration of the steam boat New Jersey on the Delaware River opposite Philada. March 15 1856 in which 50 persons lost their lives
Description
Shows, under the winter night sky, in the distance, clouds of smoke rising from the Philadelphia and Camden Ferry Co. steamboat as rowboats race to the wreck. In the right of the image, a partial view of the ferry "Dido" traveling to the rescue is visible. Captained by Ebenezer Corson, the "New Jersey," on mid-voyage to Camden from Philadelphia via an alternate elongated route due to heavy ice, caught fire as the result of defective boilers. With the fire spreading rapidly, Corson retreated to Arch Street Wharf in Philadelphia, and came within thirty feet of the pier when the pilot house collapsed leaving the boat unmanned and out of control. Corson survived by leaping ashore before the uncontrolled ship drifted back out on the river., Reduced variant of print issued by the same artist and publisher [Wainwright 81]. Title altered from "60 persons" to "50 persons.", POS 155, Philadelphia on Stone, Wainwright retrospective conversion project, edited.
Creator
Heiss, George G.
Date
[1856]
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department W82 [P.2026]
The dreadful accident on the North Pennsylvania Rail-road,
Title
The dreadful accident on the North Pennsylvania Rail-road About 14 miles above Philadelphia, on Thursday, July 17, 1856 at about 6 A.M. which resulted in the death of over sixty, and terribly wounding about one hundred persons, excursionists of St. Michael's R.C. Church, Kensington. The collision took place at Camp Hill Station, destroying both locomotives and burning up several cars, in which a number of people were consumed
Description
Chaotic disaster scene showing the "Picnic Train Tragedy", the worst rail disaster at that time. Shows the burning wreck near Ambler, Pa. from the collision of North Pennsylvania excursion trains "Shakamoxon," departed from the Cohocksink depot, and "Aramingo" departed from the Wissahickon station. Burning tangled engines and train cars pile up on the single track line in the middle of farmland. People are propelled and jump from the burning railcars. In the foreground, bodies lay within the wreckage as rescuers rush in buckets of water. Others attempt to catch individuals jumping from a burning train car in the rear, carry children's bodies on a gurney, and comfort the grieving. In the lower left, a man wipes his face with a handkerchief as he stands over a legless body on a mattress. Nearby another man holds a body in his arms. Also contains the names of "The Killed" and "The Wounded" printed below the image as well as notice that "Many of the wounded are in a very precarious condition, and the death of several is hourly looked for." One train carried hundreds of children from St. Michael’s Roman Catholic Church Sunday School in Philadelphia. The crash occurred due to an attempt by the "Shakamoxon" engineer to make up time for its late departure. It collided with the regularly scheduled Aramingo, before arriving at a siding pass. The boilers of the trains collided and caused an explosion that decimated the front cars, but left the rear cars intact. Around 60 persons died and 100 were injured from the crash., Philadelphia on Stone, POS 191, Duplicate of 7663.Fa., Retrospective conversion record: original entry, edited.
Creator
Magee, John L.
Date
c1856
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department *BW - Disasters [P.8970.8]