Oronoco (steamboat)

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The Oronoco (also Oronoko) was a Mississippi River steamboat that exploded on April 21, 1838, killing at least 100 people. The Oronoco was anchored in the river (with intentions of sending a yawl to shore to pick up mail) opposite Princeton about 100 mi (160 km) north of Vicksburg, when a flue collapsed. Most of the passengers on deck were killed or maimed by a steam explosion; most of the passengers in cabins below deck survived.[1]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Gould, E. W. (1889). Fifty years on the Mississippi; or, Gould's history of river navigation. Containing a history of the introduction of steam as a propelling power on ocean, lakes and rivers. Saint Louis: Nixon-Jones Printing Co. pp. 456–457.