Term: Phoenix (shipwreck, 1847)
Definition:
The first of many great ship disasters off Wisconsin ports occurred in the early morning of Sunday, November 21, 1847. The propeller Phoenix, a wood burning steamer carrying about 250 Dutch immigrants to Wisconsin, caught fire within sight of its destination, Sheboygan harbor. A newspaper reported that the disaster was "at least partly due to the use of intoxicants by some of the crew." Of the 300 onboard the vessel, only 45 were saved.
View a related article at Wisconsin Magazine of History Archives.
[Source: WHS Library reference file]
