SS G. P. Griffith
The Griffith Steamer, passing the lighthouse at Buffalo Harbour Point, The Illustrated London News
| |
History | |
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Name | G. P. Griffith |
Laid down | 1847 |
Completed | 1848 |
Out of service | 17 June 1850 |
Fate | Beached and burned to the waterline, 17 June 1850 |
General characteristics | |
Type | Wooden steamship |
Tonnage | 587 |
Length | 193 ft (59 m) |
Draft | 6 ft (1.8 m) with no cargo; 7 ft (2.1 m) with full cargo |
Propulsion | Paddle wheels |
SS G. P. Griffith was a passenger steamer that burned and sank on Lake Erie on 17 June 1850, resulting in the loss of between 241 and 289 lives.[1]: 54 The destruction of the G. P. Griffith was the greatest loss of life on the Great Lakes up to that point, and remains the third-greatest today, after the Eastland in 1915 and the Lady Elgin in 1860.[2]
Characteristics
The G. P. Griffith was launched in 1848 at
Career
On 17 October 1849 the G. P. Griffith collided with the Canadian schooner California near Cleveland. The California was badly damaged and drifted ashore, while the G. P. Griffith suffered no serious damage.[4]
The fire
On 16 June 1850, the G. P. Griffith departed Buffalo, New York, heading for Toledo, Ohio with stops along the way. The Griffith was carrying 326 passengers, many of whom were recent immigrants from England, Ireland, Germany, and Scandinavia.[1]: 50 The G. P. Griffith stopped at
Aftermath
The steamer Delaware eventually towed the still-burning Griffith to shore.
References
- ^ ISBN 978-0-7627-4492-3. Retrieved 31 May 2015.
- ISBN 0-8028-7010-4. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
- ^ "The new steamer G.P. GRIFFITH". Buffalo Commercial Advertiser. 3 May 1848. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
- ^ "The lower lakes Canadian schooner CALIFORNIA". Buffalo Commercial Advertiser. 19 October 1849. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
- ^ ISBN 0-8143-3226-9. Retrieved 31 May 2015.
- ^ a b Mansfield, John Brandt, ed. (1899). History of the Great Lakes. J.H. Beers & Company. pp. 659–660. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
GP Griffith delaware.
- ^ "THE GRIFFITH --- THE DEATHS". Cleveland True Democrat. 18 June 1850. Retrieved 31 May 2015.
- ^ a b Lloyd, James T. (1856). Lloyd's steamboat directory, and disasters on the western waters. Cincinnati, Ohio, J. T. Lloyd & co.; Chicago, Ill., D. B. Cooke & co. pp. 261–265. Retrieved 31 May 2015.
- JSTOR 4630497.
- ^ GenDisasters
- ^ Gendisasters