Talk:Lucy Walker steamboat disaster

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Untitled[edit]

I am ready to write an article about the explosion, fire, and sinking of the steamboat "Lucy Walker" on the Ohio River near Louisville,KY on Oct. 23, 1844. This event was a major factor leading to Federal legislation and regulation for steamboat safety (which was a major part of the issue of states rights (Jacksonian) versus a strong central government (i.e. "internal improvements" of Henry Clay).

Among those killed on the "Lucy Walker" was a prominent Whig polititian, an inventor, and a man who fought a knife fight with Cassius Marcellus Clay (cousin of Henry). The crew of the boat were mainly African-American slaves and the owner and captain was a Cherokee Indian (who may have been the wealthiest person at that time). Most accounts state that the cause of the explosion was mechanical malfunction, but other sources state that the boat was engaged in a race with another, and that the engineer was forced at gunpoint by the captain to drive the boiler to its limits.

This story is linked to steamboats, boiler explosions, technology, national politics and polititians, slavery, Cherokee Indians, and much else.

I have copies of newspaper advertisements for the Lucy Walker (including her Oct. 23, 1844 departure announcement at Louisville), an artist's engraving in 1856 of the boat's explosion, a map of the Ohio river at the site of the accident, a drawing of the "Falls of the Ohio", a picture of "Rich Joe" Vann, a picture of snag boats, a picture of the Louisville waterfront, and some other visual items. How do I add them to the article? In addition, I will read and try to master Wikipedia's proceedures on footnoting and referencing sources. (Oconostota (talk) 12:34, 19 June 2009 (UTC))[reply]