11-8-21

[Trivia Master]

Question: Approx. two weeks before the end of the war this ship, a former blockade runner,caught fire and resulted in the loss of about 525 souls. Invalid soldiers, escaped parolees, crew, men , women and children resulting in only 29 saved.
1) name of ship?
2) cause of fire?
3) name of ship who rescued the 29?
4) Where did this occur?

credit: @JOHN42768

 

[hughes]

1) General Lyon
2) engine room fire
3) General Sedgwick
4) near Cape Hatteras

 

[hughes]

ADDITION: 2) the fire in the engine room was suspected to be from a barrel of coal oil

 

[ErnieMac]

1) name of ship? Transport Steamer General Lyon.
2) cause of fire? Kerosene barrels spilling onto a boiler in the engine room.
3) name of ship who rescued the 29? Steamer General Sedgwick.
4) Where did this occur? Off Cape Hatteras.

 

[ErnieMac]

Source for answers:

The Burning of the General Lyon | Civil War Potpourri

DREADFUL FIRE AT SEA. March 31, 1865 FIVE HUNDRED LIVES LOST The U. S. Transport Steamer General Lyon Burned Off Cape Hatteras. Invalid Troops, Refugees, and Women and Children on Board. The steamer Gen. Sedgwick, which arrived at this port at noon yesterday, brought as passengers...

civilwartalk.com

 

[DBF]

1. General Lyon
2. It was reported by the First Mate that when the wind and water became rough several barrels of Kerosene in the engine room broke away from their supports and rolled around and eventually fell onto the boiler instantly igniting the fire.
3. General Sedgwick
4. She was off the coast of Cape Hatteras sailing from Wilmington for Fortress Monroe
https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SDU18650429.2.3&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN--------1

 

[bayouace]

1. General Lyon
2. Fire broke out at the rear of the pilot house, or engine room, your pick, in the center of the ship, fueled by barrels of kerosene set loose by the rough waves of the storm. Never was an official investigation.
3. Sedgwick
4. Off Cape Hatteras

 

[gentlemanrob]

1. Sultana
2. Mismanagement of water levels in the boilers
3. Bostona
4. seven miles north of Memphis Tennessee

Edit - The loss of life from the Sultana disaster was, unfortunately, much greater than the loss from the General Lyon.

hoosier

 

[streetwiseprof]

1. The General Lyon
2. Fire broke out in the engine room. Kerosene barrels stored there were shaken loose by the rolling of the ship and caught fire.
3. The General Sedgwick
4. Off Cape Hatteras

 

[Reconstructed Rebel]

1. U.S. Transport Steamer General Lyon (not to be confused with USS General Lyon *)
2. Fire in the engine room **
3. U.S. Transport Steamer General Sedgwick
4. Off Cape Hatteras

* https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_General_Lyon_(1860)

** "In regard to the origin of the fire, it was stated by the First Mate, while on board the General Sedgwick, that there were several barrels of Kerosene oil in the engine-room, and these being shaken down by the rolling of the vessel fell on the boiler, and of course were quickly ignited. A barrel of oil was also kept in the same room, and this served to feed the flames."
Source: http://www.edwardboots.com/index.ph...-lyon-disaster/general-lyon-disaster-sources/

 

[Brenal]

1. The "General Lyon"
2. A fire in the engine room caused by rough weather shaking loose barrels of kerosine
3. The "General Sedgewick"
4. Off Cape Hatteras, NC

 

[Ole Miss]

1) General Lyon
2) A barrel of Kerosene oil fell onto the boiler
3) General Sedgwick
4) About 60 miles off of Cape Hatteras
Regards
David

 

[sarladaise]

1) USS General Lyon
2) several barrels of Kerosine oil in the engine room were shaken down by the rolling of the vessel and caught fire
3) USS General Segdwick
4) Off Cape Hatteras

 

[JOHN42768]

Hopefully not to hard. Credit for question

 

[kholland]

1 the General Lyon
2 a fire in the engine room made worse by stored kerosene jars exploding due to rough weather
3 the Steamer Stedgwick
4 off of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina

 

[Gary Morgan]

The ship was the General Lyon and the fire is believed to have been caused by barrels of kerosene shaking loose and igniting on a coal file. The General Sedgewick rescued most of the survivors (28), although an unidentified schooner picked up one as well. It happened off Cape Hatteras on March 31, 1865.

As near as Peter Holman, the author of the only book on the General Lyon, and I can figure, approximately 57 men on board were Andersonville survivors bound for the North. Only a single Andersonville man, Robert Simpson of the 54th Ohio, survived. Of the 29 survivors, 15 were crew members of the General Lyon - the captain was one of the first to abandon ship, and his lifeboat went straight into the ship's propeller, smashed to bits in a stunning case of "instant carma".

I tell the story of the General Lyon in a chapter on transportation accidents involving former Andersonville prisoners in the book I'm currently working on.

 

[Pollaco]

General Lyon
Unauthorized coal oil/kerosene in boiler room
General Sedgwick
Off Cape Hatteras

 

[Gibbon]

1 General Lyon
2 Engine Room fire
3 General Sedgwick
4 Off Cape Hatteras NC

 

[WJC]

Question: Approx. two weeks before the end of the war this ship, a former blockade runner,caught fire and resulted in the loss of about 525 souls. Invalid soldiers, escaped parolees, crew, men , women and children resulting in only 29 saved.
1) name of ship?
2) cause of fire?
3) name of ship who rescued the 29?
4) Where did this occur?

credit: @JOHN42768

1. General Lyon;
2. According to the First Mate, "there were several barrels of Kerosene oil in the engine-room, and these being shaken down by the rolling of the vessel fell on the boiler, and of course were quickly ignited.";
3. General Sedgwick;
4. About 60 miles off Cape Hatteras.
Source: "Dreadful Fire at Sea: 500 Lives Lost", New York Times, April 3, 1865. https://www.nytimes.com/1865/04/03/...five-hundred-lives-lost-the-us-transport.html

 

[hoosier]

1. The General Lyon
2. Barrels of kerosene, shaken loose by the rolling of the ship, rolled onto the boiler and ignited.
3. The General Sedgwick
4. Off Cape Hatteras