THE MID-1800’s

Happenings in the mid-1800’s and 1853 in particular.

THE HENRY CLAY

STEAMBOAT DISASTER

JULY 28, 1852

                                                                         The Hudson River’s worst steamboat disaster occurred on July 28, 1852

                                                                          when the American side paddle wheel steamboat Henry Clay caught fire,

                                                                         killing over 80 men, women and children and injuring many more.

THE ATLANTIC OF LAKE ERIE

STEAMBOAT DISASTER

AUGUST 20, 1852

In the early morning hours of August 20, 1852, in a dense fog,

the paddle steamer Atlantic collided with the Ogdensburg on Lake Erie and soon sank.

Over 200 of the 500 passengers died, many of whom were Norwegian emigrants.

It was a frightful catastrophe.

THE CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH

On January 24, 1848 gold was discovered on the American River near Sacramento.

As news spread of The Gold Rush, thousands of prospective gold miners traveled by land or sea to San Francisco and the surrounding area.

The area grew rapidly in an extremely short period of time!

ROUTES TO THE GOLD RUSH

HOW DID PEOPLE GET

FROM THE EAST TO THE WEST COAST

DURING THE GOLD RUSH?

During the California Gold Rush days

there was a great demand to move large groups of people

from New York to San Francisco as quickly as possible.

Nearly 20% died along the way.

There were several routes:

Around the Horn

Overland

The Panama Route

The Nicaragua Route

Which were the quickest?

Which had the least amount of danger?

LOSS OF THE

S.S. INDEPENDENCE

In the early morning hours of February 16, 1853,

the S.S. Independence, bound for San Francisco from Nicaragua,

hit a rock off the coast of Margarita Island.

117 passengers and 15 crew were lost.

The majority of survivors blamed the captain for this terrible tragedy.

LOSS OF THE

S.S. TENNESSEE

On March 6, 1853, in a dense fog,

the steamship Tennessee was destroyed

as it was entering San Francisco Harbor from Panama.

There was no loss of life – or mail –

and great accolades were given to the captain and crew.

CHINA TRADE

Products from China were in high demand in the United States in the 1850’s.

CLIPPER SHIPS

Clipper Ships were built in the first half of the 19th Century

for Speed and Usability

but they were some of the most Beautiful ships ever!

DAGUERREOTYPES

In 1839, Louis Daguerre of France introduced a process that produced some of the first photographic images. He sold his idea to the French government who made it a gift from France “free to the world”.

The process became known as the

“daguerreotype”

The idea was revolutionary. For the first time a lasting picture could be accurately produced in minutes!

MAURY’S LOG

&

19th CENTURY NAVIGATION

Navigators of all nationalities are deeply indebted to

Lieutenant Matthew Fontaine Maury, U.S. Navy,

for he brought the world together to cooperate in understanding the oceans,

making travel safer, faster and easier for everyone.

TABLE MOVING

Table Moving was part of the the Modern Spiritualism movement in the mid-1850’s –

the belief that the living could contact the dead.

OPENING OF TRADE RELATIONS

WITH JAPAN

Commodore Matthew was the Naval Officer responsible for

opening trade relations with Japan in 1853 – 1854.

COMET OF 1853

The Comet of 1853 was visible to the unaided eye from August to October 1853.

It captured the imagination of the world.

THE GREAT EXHIBITIONS of 1851 & 1853

The first World’s Fair or Great Exhibition was at the Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, London in 1851.

The second Great Exhibition was held in New York City in a Crystal Palace in 1853.

What was it like?

THE CRIMEAN WAR

This war started out as a disagreement between the Ottoman Empire and Russia

but turned into a major war including other nations which lasted for over 2 years.

It was the first time modern technologies were used in warfare, as well as nursing,

and eventually lead to reforms in Russia.

AUTHORS OF THE MID-1800’s

Sarah read about 50 books while on her Sea Serpent journey in 1853.

A few of those authors are still popular today.