David White was a Mississippi River steamboat that exploded her boilers opposite Port Chicot[1] near Columbia, Arkansas (below Helena) on February 17, 1867.[2] There were an estimated 50[1] to 65 fatalities.[2] David White was racing Mollie Able at the time of the explosion.[3][4]
David White was owned by H.G. Shaw, Charles Davis, and John Davis, who had been associated with the Coleman Scouts Confederate spy ring during the American Civil War; Shaw and John Davis were among those killed.[5]
She may have been named for a prominent resident of Madison, Indiana,[6] or a past owner based in St. Louis.[7] Built in 1859 in Louisville, during the American Civil War she served in the Mississippi River Marine Brigade and was worth about $45,000.[7]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b Col. Donan on board steamer Emerald (March 6, 1867). "David White". Georgia Journal and Messenger. p. 4. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
- ^ a b "STEAMBOAT EXPLOSION ON THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER.; Total Wreck of the David White Near Memphis--Sixty-five Persons Killed and Many Others Injured--Partial List of the Victims". The New York Times. February 21, 1867. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
- ^ Canavit, Jerry. "Steamboat Racing" (PDF). steamboats.com.
- ^ "Mollie Able (Packet, 1864-1871) - UWDC - UW-Madison Libraries". search.library.wisc.edu. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
- ^ "Harber's History Lesson: Sam Davis' brothers also suffered losses". The Daily News Journal. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
- ^ "A history of transportation in the Ohio valley : with special reference to its waterways, trade, and commerce from the earliest period to the present time ..." HathiTrust. p. 195. hdl:2027/mdp.39015073757026. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
- ^ a b "History of the David White". The Louisville Daily Courier. February 22, 1867. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
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