The Lexington, a steamboat in the northeast of the United States, caught fire and sank on the night of the 13th of January, 1840.
139 of the 143 people on board died, many from hypothermia after having to jump into the freezing water, and then having nothing to hold onto.
The fire occurred when the casing of the smokestack caught fire halfway through the journey. 150 bales of cotton were nearby, and they also caught on fire, making the disaster much worse.
Charles Follen
Radical abolitionist, German-born Charles Follen was one of the victims.
You can read about the four survivors (all men, and one of whom was in the water for 43 hours) HERE.
In Times Gone By... 