| Notes |
- "Descendants of Walter Woodworth of Scituate, Mass.", byWilliam Atwater Woodworth, page 9.
Samuel D. Woodworth lived at Monroe, Michigan. He waskilled by a boiler explosion on the old steamer "Vance".
From Peter Diehr, correspondent, note of January 23, 2015
Just prior to his untimely death, Sam had married, had achild on the way, had taken over the management andoperation of "Woodworth's Steamboat Hotel", which he thenrefurbished. He also bought a small steamboat toferry passengers from Detroit to Toledo, and points inbetween. He was killed in a dramatic boilerexplosion. It made the newspapers all across thenation.
Windsor, ON Steamboat GEN. VANCE Explosion, June 1844
AWFUL EXPLOSION.
Detroit, June 26th.
Our city was yesterday shocked by the most terrible andmournful accident that has ever occurred in its vicinity.Yesterday morning, the steamboat Gen. Vance, Capt. S. D.WOODWORTH, left the wharf of J. N. Elbert, at 8 o'clock,with a full load of passengers and freight, for Toledo. Sheproceeded across the river to Windsor, and just as shestopped at the wharf, and was letting off steam, the boilerexploded. The sound was like the report of a cannon, andwas heard with fearful distinctness on this side. The forepart of the boat immediately sank, and the aft soonfollowed. But this was of little consequence, compared withthe melancholy loss of life.
Four persons at least, are supposed to have lost theirlives. MR. SAMUEL D. WOODWORTH, the captain of the boat,the eldest son of Mr. Benjamin Woodworth, the late wellknown proprietor of the Steamboat Hotel, was thrown intothe air and killed. His body was found some hoursafterwards in the river. The body of GEORGE SWEENEY, ofChatham, C.W., formerly employed on the Kent, has also beenfound. ROBERT MOTHERWILL, engineer of the ferry boatUnited, who had just stepped on board the Vance, is alsosupposed to be killed, though his body has not been found.Major A. C. TRUAX, of Truago, one of our oldest and mostrespectable citizens, was frightfully and mortally wounded,and tho' living at the moment of writing, cannot survive.MR. GAYLORD, the engineer of the Vance, was severely butnot dangerously injured, and also two of the firemen, whosenames we have not learned. Some 30 or 40 passengers were onboard, and their preservation is almost miraculous.
The boat is of course an utter wreck, and her cargo all ofnearly all lost. It is of course, too early to judge calmlyof the cause of the explosion, but it is due to MR. GAYLORDto say, that he is an engineer of skill, experience, and ofthe highest integrity and fidelilty, in whom our citizensrepose entire confidence. The following statement by himhas been furnished to us for publication.
MR. GAYLORD the engineer, says, her steam was low, and notso as to blow off, when she left the wharf on this side,but as usual on leaving port, he caused the fires to bereplenished, not knowing that the boat was to land on theother side. But on coming to the dock, he had her fire dooropened, and himself raised the safety valve and tied it up,so as to blow off freely. At the moment of the explosion hewas standing upon the rail, with his hand having hold ofthe shroud, saying to Captain WOODWORTH, "that he shouldhave given him notice of his intention to land there --that the steam was making fast, and he must not stop long,"that instant the explosion took place. MR. GAYLORD wasblown from the rail where he was standing, on to theforward deck of the Ferry Boat United, and was badlybruised, and somewhat scalded, but not dangerously.
P.S. Major TRUAX has since died.
Racine Advocate Wisconsin 1844-07-09 [1]
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1815 - 1844 (29 years)
, d. 10 Nov 1874, Saint Clair, St.Clair Co., MI, USA 
