"Ken McCutchan is a life-long resident of Vanderburgh County, Indiana, descended from pioneer families that entered the area in the early 1800s. He is veteran of WWII, having served with Army Corps of Engineers in both North Africa and Europe. He holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English Composition and Modern Language from the University of Evansville, a certificate in French Language and Culture from the Sorbonne in Paris, and an Honorary Doctor of Letters Degree from the University of Southern Indiana. His other books include: The Adventures of Isaac Knight, From then Til Now, Saundersville, An English Settlement, At The Bend in the River, and Dearest Lizzie. Mr. McCutchan's books may be purchased at Willard Library in Evansville, IN.

The Demise of the Riverboat "The City of Evansville"   

by Kenneth P. McCutchan

The Evansville Boneyard - September, 2007

By early March 1870, a luxurious new steamboat, which was to be christened The City of Evansville, was completed by Latta, Osbourn & Co. at Elizabeth, Pa.

This was the second steamer to bear the name.

The first, built in 1854, had been sold to a Memphis, Tenn., company in 1859.

The new boat was fitted mostly by Cincinnati companies, but the luxurious Brussels carpets in both the ladies’ and gentleman’s salons were installed by W.E French & Co. of 63 Main St., Evansville, at a cost of more than $1000.

The boat was a side-wheeler measuring 225 feet long and 35 feet wide.

It had 45 staterooms, each furnished with washstands, closets, and elegant furniture manufactured by G. Henshaw & Sons of Cincinnati.

Between the staterooms doors were panels hand-painted with geographic, aquatic and sentimental scenes. One panel had a scene of the Evansville waterfront.

The ship’s office, located in front of the cabin, was circular, designed by Nick Pennington of Evansville, who later signed on as a clerk.

The whole craft was white with “The City of Evansville” painted in massive, ornate letters on the sides of the wheel housings. The smokestacks had square tops ornamented with leaves and acorns.

A Pittsburgh newspaper said it was “a bijou of beauty and good taste”

However, the boat was to have a short life. On the night of November 21, 1870, the Evansville waterfront was lined with steamers. Among them were the Norman, Hartford, Pine Bluff, Florence Lee, Sam Orr, Mallie Ragon, Mary Miller, Torascon and the City of Evansville.

Around 4:15 the next morning, the crew of the Hartford noticed a small fire the adjacent Norman. The Norman had taken on a cargo of baled hay, which quickly became an inferno.

The fire spread rapidly to the Pine Bluff, which was tied up on the other side of the Norman.

The two flaming boats were then cut loose from the Humphrey & Lewis wharf boat and set adrift.

With a strong wing blowing up river, the burning crafts drifted upstream and bumped against The City of Evansville, which was tied up at the W. G. Brown wharf. The Evansville also caught fire. Cut loose from its moorings, it drifted a short distance upstream and grounded on the bank opposite the foot of Locust Street, where it burned to the water’s edge and sank.

The boat was valued at $70,000, but carried insurance for only $30,000.

The elegant City of Evansville went to a fiery, watery grave when it was only 7 months old.

Also consumed in that conflagration, in addition to the Norman and Pine Bluff, was the Humphrey & Lewis wharf boat. The total loss was estimated at over $300,000.

Several persons were injured and one woman passenger, asleep in a stateroom aboard the Norman, died in the fire.