Victim of Explosion of Steamer Pearl on Sacramento River in 1855. David Bamber, age 30, was one of about 60 who died when the Steamer Pearl exploded just below the confluence of where the American and Sacramento Rivers meet. There were numerous inquiries as to the cause of the explosion, one witness stating that it was because there was no water in the boiler. Other commentary (see news item below) about the competition between steamers to be the fastest. Many of the victims were Chinese. One witness observed a black dog jumping into the Sacramento to retrieve a person (unfortunately the person was already dead).
------
David Wallace Bamber who went to California in 1852 to seek gold with a party of 17 other people. Bamber was married to Jane Ann McColley daughter of John and Betsy. He married her on December 24, 1846 at Tontogany, Ohio. He was born in Boneville, New York on May 26, 1824. He died in Sacrament, California on January 27, 1855. He was killed by an explosion on a steamboat and buried in Sacramento, Tier 3, Grave 253. See North America, Family Histories, 1500-2000 on Ancestry.com.
Contributor Eufronia - Sept 2018
TERRIBLE DISASTER.
From the San Francisco Chronicle we learn that a very keen competition has been for some time conducted on our interior waters between the California Steam Navigation Company and various Independent Companies. Running between the vessels of the rival lines naturally ensued and the steamers have been driven to excessive speed. The press generally predicted that some dreadful calamity would soon result from such culpable management and the public awaited the same in fear and trembling. It has come at last. "On the 27th last the steamer Pearl, belonging to the C. S. N. Company, and plying between Marysville and Sacramento, was blown to pieces, by an explosion of her boiler. This happened a few hundred yards below the confluence of the American and Sacramento rivers, and as the vessel was nearing the levee at Sacramento City. There were one hundred and twenty-two persons on board at the time, including the crew. Of these, nearly sixty are known either to have been killed by the explosion or drowned by being thrown into the water. Nearly thirty more have been wounded, some very seriously. Only twenty have escaped uninjured. The remainder arc missing, and it is feared that most of them have been killed. The scene at Sacramento, where the dead bodies, many of them in fragments, were laid out in the hospital, was of the most horrible character. The engineer of the vessel, who escaped uninjured, has been apprehended. The captain and mate were both killed.
Los Angeles Star (2/8/1855)
BY MAGNETIC TELEGRAPH.
Farther Particulars of the Explosion of the Steamer Pearl.
Sacramento Sunday, Jan.29
The remains of Capt. Davis, of the mate Randall and of Col. Anderson, of Nevada, were buried at 3 o'clock this afternoon. An long procession of persons in carriages and on foot, followed the remains to the grave. Twenty-three bodies have been taken from the river to-day, making thirty-three now lying dead in a room in the Water Works building. Three more are at the hospital mortally wounded. These, with ten others known to have been on board, and who are missing, make forty-five deaths by the disaster.
Mr. Nicholson, (English,) had his leg badly fractured below the knee, and it will in all probability require amputation. A foot, encased in a boot, was found on the Levee, opposite to where the explosion took place. The leader of the Chinamen in this city states that there were 35 embarked at Marysville, half of whom only have yet been found. A party of eleven miners from Shasta, bound home, were also on board, only four of whom have been found and recognized. Scows are alongside the wreck, raising it, and tomorrow there will no doubt be as many more bodies found as have been found to day. The boiler lies 30 feet from where the boat sunk, and 110 feet from the place of the explosion. It is a curious fact that nearly all the wounded are below the knee joint. The search for bodies continues unabated, an 120 or more are engaged dragging in every direction. The engineer was arrested this afternoon, and is confined in the station house
Wells, Fargo &. Co. had $7,000 in dust, and Rhodes & Co. 830 ounces of dust on board, that has not yet been recovered. The bodies of McClellan, Wells, Fargo Co.'s messenger, and of Mr. Mount, have not yet been found. Some were taken out to-day who had both hands in their pockets; others with splinters of wood driven through their heads or bodies.
Daily Alta California (1/19/1855)
------
David Wallace Bamber who went to California in 1852 to seek gold with a party of 17 other people. Bamber was married to Jane Ann McColley daughter of John and Betsy. He married her on December 24, 1846 at Tontogany, Ohio. He was born in Boneville, New York on May 26, 1824. He died in Sacrament, California on January 27, 1855. He was killed by an explosion on a steamboat and buried in Sacramento, Tier 3, Grave 253. See North America, Family Histories, 1500-2000 on Ancestry.com.
Contributor Eufronia - Sept 2018
TERRIBLE DISASTER.
From the San Francisco Chronicle we learn that a very keen competition has been for some time conducted on our interior waters between the California Steam Navigation Company and various Independent Companies. Running between the vessels of the rival lines naturally ensued and the steamers have been driven to excessive speed. The press generally predicted that some dreadful calamity would soon result from such culpable management and the public awaited the same in fear and trembling. It has come at last. "On the 27th last the steamer Pearl, belonging to the C. S. N. Company, and plying between Marysville and Sacramento, was blown to pieces, by an explosion of her boiler. This happened a few hundred yards below the confluence of the American and Sacramento rivers, and as the vessel was nearing the levee at Sacramento City. There were one hundred and twenty-two persons on board at the time, including the crew. Of these, nearly sixty are known either to have been killed by the explosion or drowned by being thrown into the water. Nearly thirty more have been wounded, some very seriously. Only twenty have escaped uninjured. The remainder arc missing, and it is feared that most of them have been killed. The scene at Sacramento, where the dead bodies, many of them in fragments, were laid out in the hospital, was of the most horrible character. The engineer of the vessel, who escaped uninjured, has been apprehended. The captain and mate were both killed.
Los Angeles Star (2/8/1855)
BY MAGNETIC TELEGRAPH.
Farther Particulars of the Explosion of the Steamer Pearl.
Sacramento Sunday, Jan.29
The remains of Capt. Davis, of the mate Randall and of Col. Anderson, of Nevada, were buried at 3 o'clock this afternoon. An long procession of persons in carriages and on foot, followed the remains to the grave. Twenty-three bodies have been taken from the river to-day, making thirty-three now lying dead in a room in the Water Works building. Three more are at the hospital mortally wounded. These, with ten others known to have been on board, and who are missing, make forty-five deaths by the disaster.
Mr. Nicholson, (English,) had his leg badly fractured below the knee, and it will in all probability require amputation. A foot, encased in a boot, was found on the Levee, opposite to where the explosion took place. The leader of the Chinamen in this city states that there were 35 embarked at Marysville, half of whom only have yet been found. A party of eleven miners from Shasta, bound home, were also on board, only four of whom have been found and recognized. Scows are alongside the wreck, raising it, and tomorrow there will no doubt be as many more bodies found as have been found to day. The boiler lies 30 feet from where the boat sunk, and 110 feet from the place of the explosion. It is a curious fact that nearly all the wounded are below the knee joint. The search for bodies continues unabated, an 120 or more are engaged dragging in every direction. The engineer was arrested this afternoon, and is confined in the station house
Wells, Fargo &. Co. had $7,000 in dust, and Rhodes & Co. 830 ounces of dust on board, that has not yet been recovered. The bodies of McClellan, Wells, Fargo Co.'s messenger, and of Mr. Mount, have not yet been found. Some were taken out to-day who had both hands in their pockets; others with splinters of wood driven through their heads or bodies.
Daily Alta California (1/19/1855)
Victim of Explosion of Steamer Pearl on Sacramento River in 1855. David Bamber, age 30, was one of about 60 who died when the Steamer Pearl exploded just below the confluence of where the American and Sacramento Rivers meet. There were numerous inquiries as to the cause of the explosion, one witness stating that it was because there was no water in the boiler. Other commentary (see news item below) about the competition between steamers to be the fastest. Many of the victims were Chinese. One witness observed a black dog jumping into the Sacramento to retrieve a person (unfortunately the person was already dead).
------
David Wallace Bamber who went to California in 1852 to seek gold with a party of 17 other people. Bamber was married to Jane Ann McColley daughter of John and Betsy. He married her on December 24, 1846 at Tontogany, Ohio. He was born in Boneville, New York on May 26, 1824. He died in Sacrament, California on January 27, 1855. He was killed by an explosion on a steamboat and buried in Sacramento, Tier 3, Grave 253. See North America, Family Histories, 1500-2000 on Ancestry.com.
Contributor Eufronia - Sept 2018
TERRIBLE DISASTER.
From the San Francisco Chronicle we learn that a very keen competition has been for some time conducted on our interior waters between the California Steam Navigation Company and various Independent Companies. Running between the vessels of the rival lines naturally ensued and the steamers have been driven to excessive speed. The press generally predicted that some dreadful calamity would soon result from such culpable management and the public awaited the same in fear and trembling. It has come at last. "On the 27th last the steamer Pearl, belonging to the C. S. N. Company, and plying between Marysville and Sacramento, was blown to pieces, by an explosion of her boiler. This happened a few hundred yards below the confluence of the American and Sacramento rivers, and as the vessel was nearing the levee at Sacramento City. There were one hundred and twenty-two persons on board at the time, including the crew. Of these, nearly sixty are known either to have been killed by the explosion or drowned by being thrown into the water. Nearly thirty more have been wounded, some very seriously. Only twenty have escaped uninjured. The remainder arc missing, and it is feared that most of them have been killed. The scene at Sacramento, where the dead bodies, many of them in fragments, were laid out in the hospital, was of the most horrible character. The engineer of the vessel, who escaped uninjured, has been apprehended. The captain and mate were both killed.
Los Angeles Star (2/8/1855)
BY MAGNETIC TELEGRAPH.
Farther Particulars of the Explosion of the Steamer Pearl.
Sacramento Sunday, Jan.29
The remains of Capt. Davis, of the mate Randall and of Col. Anderson, of Nevada, were buried at 3 o'clock this afternoon. An long procession of persons in carriages and on foot, followed the remains to the grave. Twenty-three bodies have been taken from the river to-day, making thirty-three now lying dead in a room in the Water Works building. Three more are at the hospital mortally wounded. These, with ten others known to have been on board, and who are missing, make forty-five deaths by the disaster.
Mr. Nicholson, (English,) had his leg badly fractured below the knee, and it will in all probability require amputation. A foot, encased in a boot, was found on the Levee, opposite to where the explosion took place. The leader of the Chinamen in this city states that there were 35 embarked at Marysville, half of whom only have yet been found. A party of eleven miners from Shasta, bound home, were also on board, only four of whom have been found and recognized. Scows are alongside the wreck, raising it, and tomorrow there will no doubt be as many more bodies found as have been found to day. The boiler lies 30 feet from where the boat sunk, and 110 feet from the place of the explosion. It is a curious fact that nearly all the wounded are below the knee joint. The search for bodies continues unabated, an 120 or more are engaged dragging in every direction. The engineer was arrested this afternoon, and is confined in the station house
Wells, Fargo &. Co. had $7,000 in dust, and Rhodes & Co. 830 ounces of dust on board, that has not yet been recovered. The bodies of McClellan, Wells, Fargo Co.'s messenger, and of Mr. Mount, have not yet been found. Some were taken out to-day who had both hands in their pockets; others with splinters of wood driven through their heads or bodies.
Daily Alta California (1/19/1855)
------
David Wallace Bamber who went to California in 1852 to seek gold with a party of 17 other people. Bamber was married to Jane Ann McColley daughter of John and Betsy. He married her on December 24, 1846 at Tontogany, Ohio. He was born in Boneville, New York on May 26, 1824. He died in Sacrament, California on January 27, 1855. He was killed by an explosion on a steamboat and buried in Sacramento, Tier 3, Grave 253. See North America, Family Histories, 1500-2000 on Ancestry.com.
Contributor Eufronia - Sept 2018
TERRIBLE DISASTER.
From the San Francisco Chronicle we learn that a very keen competition has been for some time conducted on our interior waters between the California Steam Navigation Company and various Independent Companies. Running between the vessels of the rival lines naturally ensued and the steamers have been driven to excessive speed. The press generally predicted that some dreadful calamity would soon result from such culpable management and the public awaited the same in fear and trembling. It has come at last. "On the 27th last the steamer Pearl, belonging to the C. S. N. Company, and plying between Marysville and Sacramento, was blown to pieces, by an explosion of her boiler. This happened a few hundred yards below the confluence of the American and Sacramento rivers, and as the vessel was nearing the levee at Sacramento City. There were one hundred and twenty-two persons on board at the time, including the crew. Of these, nearly sixty are known either to have been killed by the explosion or drowned by being thrown into the water. Nearly thirty more have been wounded, some very seriously. Only twenty have escaped uninjured. The remainder arc missing, and it is feared that most of them have been killed. The scene at Sacramento, where the dead bodies, many of them in fragments, were laid out in the hospital, was of the most horrible character. The engineer of the vessel, who escaped uninjured, has been apprehended. The captain and mate were both killed.
Los Angeles Star (2/8/1855)
BY MAGNETIC TELEGRAPH.
Farther Particulars of the Explosion of the Steamer Pearl.
Sacramento Sunday, Jan.29
The remains of Capt. Davis, of the mate Randall and of Col. Anderson, of Nevada, were buried at 3 o'clock this afternoon. An long procession of persons in carriages and on foot, followed the remains to the grave. Twenty-three bodies have been taken from the river to-day, making thirty-three now lying dead in a room in the Water Works building. Three more are at the hospital mortally wounded. These, with ten others known to have been on board, and who are missing, make forty-five deaths by the disaster.
Mr. Nicholson, (English,) had his leg badly fractured below the knee, and it will in all probability require amputation. A foot, encased in a boot, was found on the Levee, opposite to where the explosion took place. The leader of the Chinamen in this city states that there were 35 embarked at Marysville, half of whom only have yet been found. A party of eleven miners from Shasta, bound home, were also on board, only four of whom have been found and recognized. Scows are alongside the wreck, raising it, and tomorrow there will no doubt be as many more bodies found as have been found to day. The boiler lies 30 feet from where the boat sunk, and 110 feet from the place of the explosion. It is a curious fact that nearly all the wounded are below the knee joint. The search for bodies continues unabated, an 120 or more are engaged dragging in every direction. The engineer was arrested this afternoon, and is confined in the station house
Wells, Fargo &. Co. had $7,000 in dust, and Rhodes & Co. 830 ounces of dust on board, that has not yet been recovered. The bodies of McClellan, Wells, Fargo Co.'s messenger, and of Mr. Mount, have not yet been found. Some were taken out to-day who had both hands in their pockets; others with splinters of wood driven through their heads or bodies.
Daily Alta California (1/19/1855)
Family Members
Advertisement
Explore more
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
