[Lonesome in Massachussets]

Mark Twain, in “Life on the Mississippi” writes about a similar disaster, caused when two brothers who were rival steamboat captains got into a race and one the boats’ boiler burst.

The original lyrics to “Oh Susanna!” contain a reference to a steamboat accident:

The bullgine bust, the horse ran off, I really thought I’d die;
I shut my eyes to hold my breath—Susanna, don’t you cry.

as well as less politically correct language. “Bullgine” was the sailors term for a steam engine.

[miss marmelstein]

I thought maybe this was the boat on which Twain’s brother died so horribly.

For anyone who loves literature, boats, rivers and our storied past, Life on the Mississippi is a wonderful read. Possibly my favorite of his books.

When I was a kid I had a record of Judy Collins’ folk songs. One of the songs was The Bullgine Run.

[wally_bert]

Thanks for the history lesson.