Dr. William McConchy/Maconchy was an early doctor of Ouachita Parish. The irony of this account is that he had lost his son and his brother-in-law Daniel Breard in the sinking of the Buckeye six years before this happened. On June 17, 1850, William was asleep on board the steamer Griffith, traveling along the Great Lakes when disaster struck. William’s account of his experience was published in many national papers and is heartbreaking. It is thought that almost 300 lives were lost in the sinking and it is the third greatest loss of life disaster on the Great Lakes.
The Cleveland (Ohio) Herald, June 19, 1850, page 3.
The Great Calamity.
We are indebted to Dr. WM. MARONCHY, of Washita, Louisiana, for a copy of a letter to a friend describing the heart rending events of Monday morning. Dr. M. is an intelligent, cool, and intrepid gentleman, who owes his escape from the midst of death, under Providence, to his presence of mind and deliberate movements in the great peril.
We may observe that Dr. M. had gone down to Erie on Saturday and fortunately left his wife at the Weddell House in this city.
CLEVELAND, O., June 17, 1850.
DEAR SIR: – About 7 o’clock Sunday evening I got on board the Griffith at Erie. There were on board a great number of deck or steerage passengers, emigrants, said to 256. In the cabin there were about 40 or 45, of these perhaps about 12 were ladies. The crew, so the Clerk told me, consisted of about 30 persons. This morning the boat took fire about the chimneys, or as I was told at the time “she was on fire in the pipes.” I was asleep, but was awoke by the rushing of the hands overhead on the hurricane deck, I suppose they were endeavoring to extinguish the flames. A gentleman who slept in the berth under me jumped up and said there was something wrong. I told him no, that we must be near Cleveland, and the noise was owing to the men preparing to land. My friend ran out on the guard and instantly returned telling me “the boat was on fire.” I got out pretty rapidly, pulled on my pants and took a small valise I had in my hand, with the expectation of getting into some of the boats; indeed at the time we were so near land I had but very little apprehension of danger. I don’t suppose at this time we were over a mile from land, perhaps not so much. Of course there was much confusion – men who had wives and children, were in an awful state. There was no one of board I knew or indeed that I had ever seen before, consequently felt less embarrassed than I otherwise might. As I have said I did not at first perceive the terrible danger which was so rapidly approaching.
I saw the mate on the starboard guard throwing the lead and directing the pilot how to hold her. The mate looked so perfectly cool I thought we must be pretty safe. The engine was still working, and we appeared to be nearing the shore rapidly. I asked him what was to be done, he told me nothing. The engine then stopped, but as the boat had a good deal of way on her she continued to approach the shore. This all occurred in, I should think, from three to five minutes. The flames were now raging in all the mid-ship part of the vessel. I saw now the thing was out; no boats were to be seen, having as I afterwards learned, been all burnt up. I looked about me for an instant and tried to make up my mind what was best to be done. I determined to get out on the bow or stern alongside of the bowsprit. I did so and held on by the irons and chains about that part. By this time a good many had, imprudently as I thought, jumped overboard. The boat was still making considerable headway, and of course all who went over and could not strike out vigorously must have passed under the wheels. I held on, hoping she would strike in shoal water, (I then thought she did not draw over six feet of water, I understood afterwards she drew about 7½). I kept my eye on the ripple as the water broke on the stem, I saw she was losing motion entirely, and all hope of her striking before the flames swallowed all up, was now gone. By this time there were any number of people overboard; as for the scene on board, it would be idle for me to convey any idea of it. This danger was so imminent, so overwhelming, that many I think were fairly stupefied with terror. It certainly appeared to me that the passengers were more quiet, or at least that there was not such a horrible uproar as might have been expected. It may be however, I was too much occupied with thoughts for my own escape to judge well of what was going on so near me. Remember, however, I am describing or rather attempting to describe an event all of which transpired in a few, a very few minutes. In fact, from the time I got out of my bed till I took the water, I don’t think that over 7 or 8 minutes had elapsed. Well, I now, with the view of letting myself into the water as easily as possible, got down to the lower deck, still keeping on the outside of the steamer directly under the bowsprit. I remained there for some time, perhaps a minute or more, still vainly hoping she would strike.
The water around the bows was now a mass of human beings, men, women and children hopelessly struggling for life. The boat was moving, but barely moving towards land; as I had no hope of being able to swim more than a few rods, I determined to let her carry me as far as possible. She soon, however, stopped, or at least, the motion was scarcely perceptible. On the forward part or bows of the lower deck, the mass of people was immense; all crowded close forward, some madly plunging over, others throwing over their wives and children and rapidly following them to almost certain death. I still held on, and tried to form some estimate of the distance to land, and conjectured it might be about three or four hundred yards. I now felt that my chance of escape was extremely slight. In the multitude wildly struggling in the water all around, I did not see how even an expert swimmer could escape, and then people were dashing overboard in every direction. I now saw that I could not retain my position much longer, the flames were rushing forward at a fearful rate, in a few seconds perhaps that terrified multitude now densely crowded on deck and inside of the bows, would be driven over me and probably carry me with them to the bottom. Something occurred on board, what it was I did not perceive, but at any rate for an instant the attention or at least the looks of those people were directed backward or towards the after part of the boat, at the same time I observed the water immediately under me pretty clear, those who a few seconds before struggled there having mostly sank; a few had swam off. I seized the favorable moment and dropped over. I went under but found no bottom; I swam a little ways before rising, probably not more than six or seven yards. I then made a few strokes as rapidly as possible so as to get clear of all others. I was apprehensive some one would lay hold of me, in which case I knew that with me all was over.
Fortunately, I got off clear. I was in hopes some boat might pick me up, or that I might get hold of something that would enable me to float. Any relief of this kind I soon saw was hopeless, and my only chance, that of swimming to the land, appeared to me to be in reality no chance at all, but as I could do no better, I struck out as well as I could. The lake was alive on all sides with men swimming—some swam well and strongly, and were soon safe; many, however, sunk. I did my best, but everything failed me; I let my feet down in hopes I might touch the bottom, but could not. The effort of getting to the surface and striking out again exhausted me very much. I was panting terribly—legs and arms would work no longer, all I could do was to paddle a little with my hands. Every minute or oftener I would go under. I watched as well as I could to see if any of those around me could touch bottom. I could see some one trying almost all the time, but as yet none succeeded. When I was about to give out, to have kept afloat one minute more would have been utterly impossible – indeed,for some minutes I had been as much under water as above it – at this critical moment I saw a man somewhat in advance of me standing on the bottom. I immediately straightened up and reached the sand with head and neck clear. It was with the greatest difficulty that I reached the beach, then but a few rods distant. however, i got out, and law for some time on the sand so completely exhausted that it was with the utmost difficulty I could breathe. At this time some six or seven persons had reached the beach. I saw nothing more until all was over.
Every one I have since met with, appears surprised that so few were saved. Now, taking all the circumstances into account, I don’t see how anything else could have been expected. Let us recollect that the fire was a-midships, little or no alarm was given until too late, nor do I believe at all. I don’t think that even the bell was rung.
Most of those who jumped over before the boat stopped, unless expert swimmers, must have been either drowned, or killed by passing under the wheel. Many must have perished in this way. To every man who had either a wife or child with him, there was hardly any chance of escape. ll such were irrevocably doomed. All they could do was to plunge over and drown together. I believe but one man so situated escaped. As the steerage passengers were mostly emigrants and in families, it is easy to see how frightful the destruction must have been. Many perished who perhaps might have escaped, but going into the water with all their clothes on ; many were taken out with heavy boots and shoes on. Again, the situation of the fire, by confining all (at least those who got to the forward part of the boat) to a very little space around the bows, left but very little chance for any one to do anything. The immense mass of steerage passengers in this position when I went over, must have perished pretty much all together. They looked so utterly helpless that for them there was evidently no hope whatever. Those who could swim, unless perfectly cool, had almost as little chance of escape as those who could not. The immense number of people in the water rendered it almost impossible for any one to get clear. That I succeeded in doing so, was, I suppose, owing principally to accident, and somewhat, perhaps, to my going under at first. On the whole, after taking all the principal facts into consideration, I cannot see how it could be expected, that many could have escaped.
As I have said, almost all who went over before the boat stopped, perished by passing under the wheel. After the boat stopped, the time was so short, not more than two or three minutes, that but few could get clear of the struggling and drowning mass.
Yours, WM. MARONCHY.
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